I Wrote a Song in My Sleep

I woke up this morning with a song in my head, and this is that song.

I could hear it on repeat, so I wrote it down. After a little playing around to get the vibe right, I got AI to sing it for me.

I think it’s really important that we recognise the broader context of AI tools for creativity. We’re being incredibly harsh when we say that anyone who uses any form of AI has invalidated the idea of them being creative.

I want to emphasise: I came up with this song in my sleep. I wrote it down. I workshopped it with the help of an editorial process with AI. And then I asked AI to generate something that sounds like what was in my head. I did not ask AI to write me this song. I only asked AI to sing it for me, so that I could let you hear it as clearly as it is in my head. It’s a bit like a demo from a songwriter to a composer.

What is art?

I’ve been wondering “what is art?” a lot lately. Because I think as much as we may have different opinions about what the answer to that question is, what is definitely true is that the definition does change over time.

When recorded music first came out, John Philip Sousa warned US Congress that phonographs would “ruin the artistic development of music.” He said we’d lose our vocal cords through evolution, the same way humans lost their tails. This generation of debate around what it means to reproduce art in a new medium is not new.

But what definitely is new is that I, as an individual not used to creating music, am able to create something that sounds like what I have inside my head. The same way I could if I had deep knowledge of how to play an instrument, mix it, record my voice, and publish it. But now all I need to do is jot down the lyrics. Describe how it sounds in my head. And ask my computer to sing it back to me.

I don’t know what art is, but to me it is: an attempt at evoking an emotional response, with intent. What I do know is that no matter what the quality of this output is, this is not just “slop.” It is a small part of my soul. And I find that fascinating.

I hope you take the time to enjoy this silly song, and my thoughts, in amongst all of the gloom you probably read about AI today. This is what the inside of my head sounds like.

I wrote a song in my sleep. … and I can’t stop laughing about it.