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She Track 3 of Heart Songs LINKS               ABOUT THIS SONG length: 3 min 59 sec music and lyrics: Chris Tong vocals: Chris Tong musical arrangement: Chris Tong ISRC: QZMEN2056119 UPC: 195598458910 instruments: piano, synthesizer, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, bass guitar, violin, flute, drums I began writing She when I was 23, but never finished it. But just for fun, I picked up this song again in 2020 on my birthday, and worked until I completed it. My completed lyrics bring the song's story into today's complex world (of pandemic, Zoom, etc.): Two people who live on opposite sides of the world fall in love through computer screens. They are not able to get on a plane and meet. Still. . . love will find a way. LYRICS She came along. . . And before I knew it, my head was spinning, my heart beginning to feel the way that I feel when I'm in love. It's a way of knowing, a way of healing, a way of growing. My senses are reeling in her. And before I knew it, my heart belonged to her. Lisa is the one who smiles like the sun and melts my heart. She makes me complete. Though we may not meet, we're not apart. Reaching round the world, I sing to the girl I've only seen on a screen. . . What can it mean? Virtual play. Her night, my day. Still. . . Love will find a way. She fills my heart. And the night was long, and the stars were bright, as our souls took flight, and we finally met in our dreams. And in soul adventures, my heart was joined to hers. Lisa is the one who smiles like the sun and melts my heart. She makes me complete. We smile when we meet: we're not apart. Every night at three, our souls meet for tea at the Eiffel Tower. Astral power. . . The witching hour. . . Bodies asleep. Souls in deep. Yes! Love has found a way. She. . . She's my song. She's the song I dance to, the song I sing with, the song I live by in all of my seasons with her. And for all my sweet life, my heart belongs to her.
ADDITIONAL NOTES MUSIC The music of the verses ("She came along...") was inspired by the resurgence of interest in 50's style music at the time. The music of the chorus ("Lisa is the one...") — characterized by richer, jazzier piano chords — was inspired by the jazz-rock style innovated by Michael McDonald, which was hugely popular at the time I wrote this song. (His song, "What a Fool Believes", won Grammy awards for both Song of the Year and Record of the Year.) I had completed the music for the verses and the chorus back in 1980. My working title was "50's Song" — not a title I'd actually use, but one that reminded me of a key part of the song.LYRICS Back in 1980, I also had started the lyrics. I had the first verse. I also had the beginning of the chorus:Lisa is the one who smiles like the sun and melts my heart. In 2019, as I'd be running errands, the song would keep coming to me. . . So I'd sing it in the car, but get frustrated when I reached the place where the lyrics stopped. So I started working on the next lines, needing the third new line to rhyme with "heart". When, after trying many lines, I hit upon: she makes me complete. Though we may not meet, we're not apart. I liked these lyrics. So I stopped and said: "That's interesting! What story would go with 'though we may not meet, we're not apart?'" And the story of being on opposite sides of the world, but meeting through computer screens presented itself, enabling me to add more lines: Reaching round the world, I sing to the girl I've only seen on a screen. . . What can it mean? Virtual play. Her night, my day. Still. . . Love will find a way. I really liked the lyrics up to this point. But I had no idea what "way" love was going to find! I thought of turning the song into a fantasy, where she magically comes out of the computer screen into his room. . . but that felt too unbelievable, so I set the song aside. When I picked it up again in June, 2020, I happened to be researching astral projection (I've had an "astral projection" experience myself), and the rest of the song's story fell into place:
At this point, the story was complete, but the song still needed a final verse. So I focused on creating a beautiful, timeless communication about their relationship. At this point, I already
knew the song's title was going to be She — because the first and thord verses started with that word and I held it as I sang it. So I "doubled down" on the "She" theme in my final verse. (The first three lines begin with "She".) And I decided to make "song" be the metaphor for the woman — not too surprising, as I had all my attention on writing a song, so the word was readily available! COVER ART The cover art was directly inspired by the lines from the song: Every night at three,
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