New Title???

Just when I thought I'd penned the last lyric for the musical stage adaptation of Sing me to Sleep, my collaborators, Harriet and Richard Bushman, tactfully mentioned a teeny problem with keeping the original novel title as the title for the musical production. Audiences who don't know the book might take the title literally--and think the play will put them to sleep. All I could say was, "Yikes!"

Thank you to all my FaceBook friends and fans! I turned to them, and they helped me get passed panic to brainstorming a title I think will be great. Anything you write is always about revision, revision, revision, so this could change, but I'm happy with pitching the following as a new title. What do you think?

"Sing me a Love Song"

This is a line from Matt's favorite choir number, "Sing me to Heaven." I'd like to keep his fingerprints on the play, and this helps remember him in a subtle way. 

The trickiest thing about coming up with a new title is I have to write a new song to go with it. And not just any song. The biggest song in the whole play. This song will be a massed choir number all the choirs from all over the world that are competing at the Choral Olympics will sing together in the opening ceremonies. It's the finale for Act 1. We'll probably reprise it for the end of Act 2--so it will be what audiences go away humming. I was relying on "Beth's Song," for that final note. It's so beautiful and readers already love it. Can we come close to that again? And this song has to be different--have a broader meaning and its own personality.

I couldn't sleep last night, so I got up and scribbled these lyrics. They are evolving, but I want to share them here, so my online helpers can weigh in. Here goes . . .  

SING ME A LOVE SONG
(Choral Olympics Anthem)

Verse 1
WHEN WAVES CRASH IN
AND WALLS TUMBLE DOWN
IF MOUNTAINS MELT
AND RUN TO THE SEA
IF HEARTS GROW COLD
IF BOMBS EXPLODE
PUT YOUR HAND IN MINE
AND SING ME A LOVE SONG.

Chorus
A SONG OF TRUST
A SONG OF PEACE
A SONG TO HEAL
SING ME A LOVE SONG
A SONG OF JOY
A SONG OF HOPE
A SONG TO CHEER
SING ME A LOVE SONG

PUT YOUR HAND IN MINE
AND SING ME A LOVE SONG

Verse 2
WHEN MOBS SCREAM HATE
AND MORNING YIELDS FEAR
IF FIRES BURN
AND RAGE RULES THE NIGHT
IF A CHILD CRIES
CAN WE DRY HER EYES?
PUT YOUR HAND IN MINE
AND SING ME A LOVE SONG

REPEAT CHORUS

Bridge/ending

WILL YOUR GOD BLESS ME?
CAN MY GOD BLESS YOU?
WE CANNOT HATE IF YOU'LL
SING ME A LOVE SONG
I'LL SING YOU A LOVE SONG
PLEASE, SING ME A LOVE SONG
WE CANNOT HATE
SING ME A LOVE SONG