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=\=THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG
| Kyla and the Cupcakes |
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Title: Kyla and
the Cupcakes Appears on: "Songs For Kids Who Notes: Yes, there really is a Kyla. The percussion track uses real cement blocks.
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Okay, I'll admit I never thought I'd be doing a "story behind the song" for this one, but it's turned into one of my top-selling songs, and folks have asked about it, so..... Yes, there really is a Kyla. A beautiful young girl (now probably a beautiful young lady...) then about 10 years old, from a small town in upstate New York. I had made the trip out there from my New England home one July 4th weekend to visit friends. We were watching a "Twilight Zone" marathon, and Kyla was not very happy. I asked her why, and it turns out that she was going through some difficult times in the life of a young child. Later that evening, amidst the aroma of baking cupcakes, I was thinking how I might cheer her up. When I arrived home, I wrote the song, a whimsical look at making the best out of unpleasant situations. I recorded it ( that's the sound of real cement you're hearing in the percussion) and the next time I saw Kyla, a few months later, I gave it to her. She ran off to listen to it, then asked her mom to explain what all the words meant -- and then she came over and gave me a hug. That was all I needed to feel that the song was a hit, and I hadn't planned to do any more with it. But, I had an open space on the "Songs For Kids Who Touch the Stars" CD so I included the song, and when it went into digital distribution, ten years after its original release, it became one of my best-selling songs. I guess everyone needs to keep a stiff upper lip.... One of the things I like about the song is the variety of interesting rhymes, my favorite being "rocky lips"/ "Apocalypse". And the percussion was fun to do, as I don't usually get to play cement blocks. |
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