Her Song: Commentary (by Paul Sehnen)

The guitar music of "Her Song" was originally intended for use as an instrumental piece, but found a home under vocals when I began writing out a sad but true story of a failed attempt to rescue a woman from an abusive relationship. The music itself was arguably inspired by several classical guitar pieces from Pink Floyd's The Wall, those pieces being "Goodbye, Blue Sky," "Is There Anybody Out There," and "Vera." The vocal part and delivery were arguably also inspired by Pink Floyd, namely by Roger Water's exposed and vulnerable vocals on "Vera" and also on much of The Final Cut. One listener has commented that my finished product reminded him of The Doors, a comment which took me off guard but made me smile, as I had not planned any such comparison, but took it as a compliment given my appreciation for the sounds achieved by that group.

To date "Her Song" stands apart from my other original pieces both instrumentally and vocally. Instrumentally, the music is played on nylon strings, whereas my other original songs are played on steel strings. Vocally, this song may convey a real frailty and sadness, whereas my other songs typically may convey more power and also more anger.

While the title of this piece is "Her Song," the intent of the lyrics is to suggest that in this story there are actually two victims. The first victim is the woman, treated cruelly by her male companion; the second victim is the author himself, denied the opportunity to share a relationship with this woman, presumably a much healthier relationship than the one in which she currently suffers. Knowing that the woman was attracted to me, but that she was also making excuses to ensure that this attraction never developed into a relationship, I wanted to suggest that this woman was not only a victim but now also a victimizer, hurting me -- as well as herself -- by her actions and inactions. The lyrics are meant to shake up the woman, and the listener in general, spurring it is hoped a fresh look at the choices we make, and the impact of those choices not only on ourselves but also beyond.