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\=THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG
| Homunculus |
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Title:
Homunculus Appears on: |
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Homunculus
(written 1983, originally released on "Family Portrait (now out of print) and
re-recorded and released on "Songs For Kids Who Like to Think" ) When I wrote
this, I didn't think it would become one of the favorites of both kids and
adults, but it always is named as the memorable track of the "Songs For Kids Who
Like to Think" CD. The song came from three different things: (1) One summer
day, as a kid playing in the Bronx, two older kids wearing
baseball caps started making fun of a younger boy who was wearing a different
type of hat, telling him it looked dorky. The young boy was starting to cry,
when from a window of the apartment above, a girl stuck her head out and shouted
down at the older boys "Don't you idiots know style when you see it -- only
#$@*$'s wear baseball caps!" Everyone started laughing at the older boys, and
they left, totally embarrassed.
(2) Fast forward -- I was a teenager reading one of my favorite fantasy comic books, "Strange Tales" -- Comic books of the 1960's were a great teaching tool for a nascent songwriter, as they told visual tales with clear beginning, middle and end (often with a twist), with character development, in just 5-8 pages. The story I was reading was about a big strong guy, not to bright who everyone made fun of. In typical comic book fashion, he gained great power from a laboratory accident, and his anger made him lash out at those who taunted him. The story had a touching ending that made a lasting impression. I wanted my songs to have endings that would stay in people's hearts and minds as well. (3) Fast Forward to 1983. I was reading the dictionary. Not much of a plot, but it is a great way to find interesting words for songs. Randomly picking pages and words, I stumbled upon "Homunculus". It immediately tugged at my memory, and the comic book story and the incident with the baseball caps came into consciousness. The song was done about an hour later, both music and words. When asked how long it took to write, I say it wasn't really an hour -- it was about 25 years.
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