Sometimes the words just come. Sometimes you just have a spark of inspiration. Sometimes you nail it. It’s happened to me; it’s probably happened to you. And you can live off the high of it for days.

I read this short profile of singer-songwriter Paul Anka in Vanity Fair earlier this year, and thought it was nice writing and a great illustration of how words can move people—even the words to a song.

This was the late 1960s. Sinatra said he was going to do just one more record, one more tour, then retire forever. He wanted Paul to write him an anthem, a song that explained Frank to the world. Paul took the melody of an old French tune, sat at the piano with a sheet of paper, and wrote “My Way.” It told the story of Frank perfectly—but not just Frank. It was the story of a whole generation of guys, street-corner guys, clubroom guys, who worked their asses off and did what had to be done and were not asking for your commiseration or tears. “Regrets, I’ve had a few, but then again, too few to mention … ”

            The article reminds us that “‘My Way’ has been covered by hundreds of artists, including Nina Simone, Aretha Franklin, Elvis Presley, and Sid Vicious. If that’s not nailing it, it can’t be nailed.”

No double entendres here, just the truth: sometimes the words align on the page and you know you’ve nailed it.

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