In my 60s, I wrote a song and a story was born—what happens when composition meets fiction?

I return home from work, finish dinner, take a bath, play with my cat for a bit, and take a breather. That is pretty much what my weekdays look like these days.

When I was young, I never imagined I would spend my evenings like this. Back then, I would sometimes wander around Shibuya late at night, even on weekdays. It wasn't because I had my heart broken. It wasn't because I was chasing a dream, either. I would just walk the streets aimlessly, gazing at the neon lights and watching the flow of people. Thinking about it now, how did I manage work the next day? Youth is a strange thing; it seems I didn't care about lack of sleep at all.

Of course, now that I am in my sixties, I have no desire to do such things. If I had that kind of energy, I would rather sleep to prepare for the next day's work. However, recently, memories from that time have resurfaced in an unexpected way. A while ago, I wrote a song called 'Midnight Shibuya'.

Asphalt after the rain. The reflection of neon lights. The city after the last train. It is a song I wrote while picturing scenes like those.

However, I haven't released this song yet. I haven't put it on YouTube, nor have I introduced it on note. It is, so to speak, a song sleeping inside my computer. When I finished it, I was satisfied with that. At least, that was the intention.

But as I listened to it over and over, I started thinking about something strange. Who is walking through this song? That was the question.

Maybe it's a young man. Maybe it's a middle-aged office worker. Or perhaps it's me. Once I started thinking about it, I couldn't stop. Before I knew it, I was imagining that person.

Where did they come from? What are they thinking about? Where are they headed? And just like that, I began writing the story of that protagonist.

It's a strange story, even to me. I didn't write the song to write a novel. I didn't write the novel to write a song. What came first was the music. Yet, from within the music, a story was born before I knew it.

Lately, I find this phenomenon quite amusing.

Looking back, I've started quite a few things in the past year or so. I started writing on note. I started using ChatGPT. I started creating music with AI. I also wrote a long-form novel. And I published my work on a submission site called TALES.

If I were young, I probably wouldn't have even thought of such things. Hobbies were hobbies. Music was music. Novels were novels. Everything was in separate drawers.

But things are different lately. When I write a song, a story is born. When I write a novel, I think about the music that would play in that scene. When I enjoy one creative pursuit, another begins. My hobbies are starting to connect on their own.

This was a new discovery for me. Learning is fun. Creating is fun. But perhaps what is truly interesting is when they start to connect.

One hobby brings another. One book sparks a new interest, and one piece of music gives birth to a story. I didn't realize it when I was young, but perhaps that is what the joy of the latter half of life is all about.

The version of me who walked through Shibuya late on a weekday would never have imagined that in my sixties, I would write a song based on those memories and then write a short story from that song.

Life is surprisingly interesting.

And creativity is more connected than I thought.

Lately, I am enjoying those connections.

What kind of work the short story born from 'Midnight Shibuya' will become, even I don't know yet.

There is only one thing I know for sure.

Even in your sixties, you can still find new joys.

And sometimes, one hobby even brings another along with it.

It seems I will be able to enjoy these changes for a while longer.

[YouTube]

"Midnight in Shibuya"

*This is the original song that inspired this article.

(YouTube link)

#60s
#LifeReignited
#Creative
#Fiction
#Music