"Water"

Ilona Tipp, vocals and piano

This is the first song I wrote with which I was completely satisfied. I've never worked a song this hard, or agonized over every little detail, the way I did with "Water." Despite all that, it is the song closest to my heart. (I almost titled the album "Water" instead of "Unadorned!) I wrote it at a difficult time in my life, when I was struggling to work through something pretty major, and I think I realized partway through the process that I was writing this song to comfort myself. The lyrics are an extended metaphor about water in all its various forms, and yes, the metaphors are about me. I am all of these things, but so are many of us, I think.  We are all water. I hope the song soothes you and gives you strength, the way it does me. 

"Water" would not have been possible without tremendous guidance and support from my teacher and mentor, Dominique Eade. I brought this song to her in a very early form, and she saw the truth of it, understood what I was trying to say, and helped me find a way to express it in a way that was true to my voice and myself. Through the writing of this song, she helped me hone my own craft and style. I would never have been able to give birth to songs without Dominique's wise midwifery, and every time I sing this song, I send her a little prayer of gratitude. Her own songs are amazing, you should check them out!

There were many verses that didn't make it into the final song, for a variety of reasons, but one of the analogies that I thought would stick but didn't - it just didn't feel right - was some kind of astrology reference. I don't lead my life through astrology, but it has often struck me that my own chart is full of "water" - I am a triple Cancer with a Pisces moon, and the descriptions of how water signs behave describe me in often eerie ways. Just a fun fact for those of you who care enough to read all the little details I write about these songs...

The first verse of "Water," lyrics and melody all together, came to me during a very special yoga class at Yoga Life NH, taught by the magical Lisa Rockenmacher. She has a special gift for opening pathways to creativity. 

You can see a loving but rough live performance of "Water" at http://www.ilonatipp.com/solo-concert-2017/, and the excerpt below is from the studio recording.

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