Optical Illusion

"Optical illusion, you`re the devil in disguise

Optical illusion, you had me mesmorized.

Show me your intention, is it possible to do?

Optical illusion, why was your love untrue?

I always thought you loved me, people say "love is blind",

life without you is so empty, I need the magic in your eyes - everytime.

All the time you fed me stories, endless superficial charms

even when I trusted loyalty
you were lying in her arms.

Melancholy evenings, all alone and feeling blue

Optical illusion, why was your love untrue? "

Sorcerers` companion, that`s all I was to you
Optical illusion - why was your love untrue?

I always thought you loved me, how could you be so unkind?
your charisma held me spellbound; indiscretions blew my mind - everytime."

I originally wrote these words as lyrics when I used to write songs. When writing the melody I used flat and sharp chords to symbolize melancholy, bluesy undertones in the music. At the time I got my musical inspiration from the great Stevie Wonder and analysed his unique chord changes and configurations. I loved playing this song on my keyboard and always believed it to be the best song I had ever written because the words and the melody came together so well.
When my daughters were young they belonged to a dance troupe and one day the proprietor of the dance school asked me if I would compose a piece of music for one group of girls to dance to. When she heard this song, she was elated and after a few sessions tweaking sections of the instrumental tune, she was delighted to use my song in her show which was to be performed as part of a charity event at The London Palladium with several celebrities present.
When she told me an eight-piece band would be playing my song "live", I was nervous and apprehensive at how it would sound. I hadn`t written it in the style she had chosen and could not imagine it being played by a brass band. Seated in the auditorium awaiting the start of the performance, my anxiety was overwhelming. I held my breath as the first six notes of the introduction were played as the curtain slowly opened and the group of children could be seen in their silver costumes preparing to dance. The sense of pride I felt was tangible yet I was a little frustrated that the tempo wasn`t as fast as I would have liked and the drums - which I hadn`t expected - sounded too raw and extremely loud and just a fraction behind the beat. It was a weird experience, I loved it, yet I hated it!
I suppose it`s a bit like seeing one of your favourite art pieces put in an inappropriate setting or surrounding. You want to go and change the setting, but you can`t because for that moment it isn`t really yours anymore. Someone else has put their own connotation on your art and it is emotionally very complex to fully understand and accept.