Musical Thoughts on Turning 50
One Woman Shares Her Journey in Song By Batya Diamond
Watching my daughter grow up – she’s sixteen now – has been quite an inspiration to me, and quite nostalgic. Taylor Swift’s “Fifteen” came out when Annie was 15, so of course it made me think of her. But during that time I was also headed towards 50, thinking a lot about that number and really taking stock of my life. Part of my recent journey has been working towards establishing myself as a songwriter. One day it struck me, as I was listening to Swift’s song – or maybe watching her sweet video – how well the word “fifty” fit in the title spot. I decided to write the rest of the song.
The writing and the entire project unfolded pretty quickly. I listened to Swift over and over, and found lines that resonated with me – me, the young girl and me the ‘wise woman’, trying to be as faithful as I could to her tone while offering a commentary on the road from young womanhood to maturity. I shared my early drafts with my songwriting coach, Alex, and a couple of other writers (one of them, Lisa, sings on the recording), all of us ‘women of a certain age’. I used a karaoke track for music to write along to and worked the lyric for about three weeks until all the lines fell into place.
When the writing was close to done, Lisa and I arranged a vocal recording date with our producer/engineer John; I started on ideas for the video. I got in touch with Susan — the video producer — and sent her ideas of how I wanted it to look, while soliciting photos from friends and family (I asked them to send me pix of them ‘being 50′). Their support was terrific! Lisa, Jim and I went into the recording studio Wednesday, Susan started on the video on Thursday, and by Friday night the project was up on YouTube.
Enjoy!
(c) 2010 Batya Diamond – lyrics by Batya Diamond – sung by Lisa Jane Lipkin – vocal recording by John Guth – video by Susan Lash & Batya Diamond. Hear Batya’s songs at www.myspace.com/batyadiamond.
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What an inspiring video!Thank you for sharing…Kudos to Heide at WeMagazine for finding you!
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Julia,
it has been a long time, girlfriend! How are you?
Thank you so much for stopping by and leaving a trail…
Would love to chat with you. And by the way, would also love to feature you… and even have you write some articles if/when you have a chance.
Drop me a line…
Take care my friend. Looking forward to reconnecting,
Heidi
Well, Batya, I’m only 43… I’ll be 44 on March 3rd. Ironically, the day that my own daughter turns 10… So for the first moment ever, I realize that her sweet 16 will be my 50th Birthday. It’s hard for me to believe that anyone could be as lucky as me to get Kathryna. She was everything merciful, given to me, a recovered addict and total screw up for a long time.
So I know I’m not 50, but your song left me in heartfelt tears. I know it might have been a parody — but for me, it’s everything this good life I built represents. The simple things. The luxury of a normal life. Looking forward to lunch with a friend. Finding love I can believe in. If you ever feel like a nice chat with a big fan, send a note. ma@rockawaywriter.com And thanks. Your sweet voice was a warm treasure today. One more beautiful day above ground. One day at a time. Love Mary Agnes
Dear Mary Agnes,
Replies like yours are the exact reason I publish WE Magazine. Finding exceptional women to connect and share their stories is AMAZING! Thank you for leaving a comment, for being one of our valued editors and for being just who you are, open, honest and Smart! Very smart!
May your birthday be the best ever.
Warmest regards,
Heidi
Thanks for your warm comments — there’s so much inspiration all around us, and right here on these pages!