4. Lookin For Love
Every once in awhile, I hear mothers talking about their experiences of childbirth— “My water broke, and an hour later, Suzie was born!” Or… “After 22 hours of labor, little Dwight finally arrived!!” (True story... So sorry, Mom.) I don't know what childbirth is like, but I do know what it’s like to give birth to a song. Sometimes, it’s quick and relatively painless. While other times, it takes forever, and requires blood, sweat and tears. Such was the case with “Lookin For Love."
The first draft of this song was a beast. It had four mammoth verses, each with a hundred lines of text. (slight exaggeration) I was trying to say everything, while at the same time, saying nothing. Musically, it sounded like “Straight Up” by Paul Abdul, circa 1989, complete with the poppy electronic bass line and the familiar descending chord progression. Needless to say, the labor process was far from over. The contractions were just beginning.
In Version 2, the song got a little shorter. V3 was shorter yet. And by V4, I had dropped the 80's groove and the pretentious tone. Instead of preaching, I just started to tell my own story— of childhood hurts, and lies, and feelings of betrayal, and how the confusion of shame caused me to look for love in all the wrong places. And like so many others I know, I discovered what childhood pain can do... how it can spin us off into all kinds of sad and lonely places. (If you'd like to know more, shoot me an email and we'll talk.:)
The next thing we know, we’re adults, miles away from where we wish we were, still living in the hurts and dysfunctions of our past. Inside, we know better, and we long for a different life, but we feel powerless to get there. And that's where the good news of the gospel comes in!
While I was out looking for love in all the wrong places, Love came looking for me! (and you, too!) It launched a search party from heaven and journeyed all the way to earth. And thankfully, this Love didn't stop until it wrapped its arms around me in a deep, soulful embrace. It’s the only Love I've found that satisfies and purifies all at the same time.
Words still come up short. But at the very heart of my song, “Lookin For Love” is the relentless, pursuing, purifying love of God. And by V7, after weeks of laboring in the songwriting process, the true heart of the song had finally emerged. It was time to give birth.
I hope you like it. But more than that, I hope it speaks to you.
We're all looking for love. Thank God, Love came looking for us.