"There's a Light" (2012, 2020)

In 2012, I was emerging from what I saw as a transitional, and in many ways transformative, period in my life. I was 32 years old and had spent the previous several years "finding myself." 

In a way, I was reentering my life after a period of solitude followed by one of exploration. Finally, I was beginning to settle into my adult self (I know, I was late to the party). While the preceding years had shown me their share of beauty, there had also been some intense personal struggles along the way. Mentally, I was beginning to emerge from a fog and into a new, happier normal.

Around this same time, I'd reconnected with an old high school pal, Bradley (just Brad these days) Warren. He has always been a musical soul to the core, and he's one of the most genuinely kind people I've ever known. He had spent time in the military band as a multi-instrumentalist and singer and was now raising a young family. One day, he stopped by the pharmacy where I worked to visit, and we decided to write some songs together—me supplying lyrics and him the music.  

The first thing we wrote was a song called "This Room," which will feature in a later post. I was thrilled with how it turned out and quickly set out to write another lyric we could co-write. 

I took a cue from the musical style Brad had written for "This Room" and opted for something with a spiritual vibe, opening with the refrain, which repeats the title in its first and last lines. Inspired by my feelings at the time, I wrote a song called "There's a Light" in mid-September of that year. Here's a link to the original idea: LINK

Lyrically, I wanted the song to be about someone journeying through life, perhaps feeling a bit lost. In the process of exploration, he may have wandered too far, but never lost sight of home and his deepest self. Across metaphorical stormy seas and through a dry, barren desert, he keeps following a light. Perhaps it’s a searchlight. Perhaps it’s a lighthouse. Maybe an eternal flame. Whatever it is, the light provides hope and guidance, inspiring him to keep moving forward.

I sent the lyrics to Brad, but he'd just bought a house and was in the process of moving and getting his young family settled, so he wasn't able to write at the time. I eventually went to my keyboard and composed a melody myself. I opted for a bluesy, spiritual setting, which, based on the structure of the words I'd written, seemed appropriate. It was a bit dramatic and, as is quite common for me, a bit dark.

Centered in D minor, my music incorporated both E-flats and E-naturals, along with chords such as G major, which introduces hints of the Dorian mode; both Am7 and A7, which provide contrasting shades of tension and release; and C major, which often functions as a modal approach back to D minor in place of a traditional dominant. Together, these elements create a harmonic language that moves between darkness and hope. I felt that tension was appropriate for a lyric about searching for light while still moving through uncertainty.

I liked it well enough, but I knew that if I ever recorded it, I'd want a backing choir and several instruments. I wasn't ready to invest the time and money into that, so I put it away.

For years.

Fast forward to 2020. After a brief hiatus, I was once again writing songs with Matt Glickstein, a composer I first collaborated with in 2011 (just before I wrote "There's a Light"). The COVID pandemic was raging, and the world was shut down.

Matt asked if I could write a couple of things that might speak to the situation, something uplifting and inspiring to counter the dark times. Anyone who knows me can tell you that happiness isn't my default setting when it comes to writing. Still, I gave it a try and wrote a lyric called "You Are There," which, after several revisions, we turned into a really nice song.

Then I remembered, "There's a Light."

While it was a bit esoteric lyrically, I wondered if its message and concept might be revised to fit the moment. I sent the original lyrics to Matt, and he liked the idea. He came up with a wonderful new musical setting iwith gospel influences. Unlike my version, it was bright, modern, and optimistic. It was just right for the moment.

Given the new music and purpose, I revised the lyrics. Matt found a wonderful producer and performer, Stefan Kelk, based in the UK, to demo the new version. This would be the first of many recordings Stefan and his talented team would create for Matt and me. He even worked on recordings for our musical Crawlspace.

The COVID lockdowns were a weird, scary, and, for Matt and me, incredibly productive time. That summer, we put the finishing touches on our long-gestating Crawlspace project and wrote a handful of other stand-alone songs. Of them, the new version of "There's a Light" was the first.

People often ask me why, if I write music myself, I collaborate with a composer. "There's a Light" is a perfect example.

My work tends to lean darker and quite serious. Musically, I'm heavily influenced by Southern hymns and spirituals, with hints of gospel-infused blues. Classical music and '90s Broadway also find their way into my writing. What I don't possess is an ear for modern pop and contemporary musical theatre. My music can be rough around the edges and heavy in feeling.

Working with other composers allows me to communicate beyond my own limitations.

Matt, for example, more often than not brings "a light" to the proceedings when we co-write. It's who he is at his core, a hopeful, positive creative with a well of musical ideas that never seems to run dry. His work is impeccable. I'm always left in awe of what he does and consider it a great privilege to have him as both a collaborator and a friend. His music always elevates anything I write. 

In many ways, we are a study in opposites when it comes to temperament and outlook. I can't help but believe that it has been a positive thing for our shared work.

To demonstrate the contrast, and to preserve the history, I spent some time polishing the old lyrics and creating a demo of my original 2012 version of "There's a Light" - complete with choir, blues band, and some nice vocal embellishments on the final gospel-style chorus. You'll find it below, along with the revised version Matt and I put together in 2020. 

Shadows and light. Both are necessary ingredients in any artistic endeavor, I believe

Original 2012 Version- New Demo (Spraggins) 

                                                    

     2020 Version (Glickstein/Spraggins)

*The updated demo was created from the original demo recordings and sheet music using a combination of virtual instruments and AI-assisted production and vocal recreation. The recording follows the original melody, harmony, and arrangement and is intended as a faithful, expanded recreation of the original composition. It is presented here solely as a demonstration of concept and as part of an ongoing effort to curate, catalog, and preserve the work.