Out of the ruins and rubble
Out of the smoke
Out of our night of struggle
Can we see a ray of hope?
One pale thin ray reaching for the day
We can build a beautiful city
Yes, we can, yes, we can
We can build a beautiful city
Not a city of angels
But we can build a city of men
This is a song from the musical Godspell. I became more intimate with this song when a custom recording client asked me to do a piano/vocal cover of the song along with a piano/vocal cover of Somewhere Over The Rainbow/Home. I was also very excited when his request for a fully produced original song came about.
This client has been on my musical journey literally since my very first national tour. I wanted more than anything to make this package really special for him. Music is not nuts and bolts per se. You can't just check the product for dings or manufacturing issues and send out with confidence that it's what they ordered.
So I dig. I dig into their musical tastes. I dig into their lives until I find that one thing they keep repeating that seems to be my opportunity for personalization and encouragement.
He has a truly incredible story around his family history. I think the initial conversation seemed to point towards addressing the human experience of that. But two things happened that nudged me in another direction. Firstly, the epilogue to his stories always included his desire to have the man of his dreams. It wasn't not related to his familial dramas. After all, those circumstances play a big part in our ability to trust love. But secondly, a notable sense of closure occurred around that history while in the process of planning his song. So, I took a chance on a song about love.
Life can sometimes make love seem like a distant hope. And I felt like creating a song that could envision what that looks like and affirm that in the infinite potentiality of the universe that he most certainly does exist, I just felt that was a good energy to bring to the song.
By the way, Beautiful City is a perfect song for this loving, compassionate, supportive fan and friend. Unlike so many, he seems to naturally think in terms of community. He has built a community around himself. He has even invited me into his community and has taken a position of support in my personal mission and message to the world. I know I'm not the only one. I believe this man is building a beautiful city.
Build a beautiful city, my friends. Build a city where the people in your world are lifted up, supported, and are made more capable of bringing their healing voice to the world.
Thank you, D. Love u.
This is a review of his experience.
"I know it's not something everyone can afford, but I had the very good fortune of being able to have Levi write an original song for me, which I just received last week. I wanted to do this all those many years ago when he created Imagine Paradise but I couldn't swing it financially back then.
I will say that what he wrote has resonated with me. It truly is a gift. He knows how to dig around and find the exact lyric and music from the story you share. It's a gift to be a storyteller, but more so to turn you into a muse and craft something out of your life and bring it alive in a way you never dreamed possible.
I hope you don't mind my sharing this testimonial. Levi! We all love him and his gift. I'm so grateful he could spend a little time directing it my way." - Don