A song can be inspired by pretty much anything. A book, a poem, a life-changing experience, all of them can trigger emotions that can be expressed in music. 

If you’re lucky like Paul McCartney was, a song could even come to you in a dream. That was how the melody for “Yesterday” came about, by the way.

Sometimes, an idea is born just by observing someone. And that’s the story behind this week’s song.

I was at a Starbucks one evening (it’s where I usually go to write), and beside me there was a girl who was busy making something. On the chair next to her was a bag full of coloured and patterned paper. On her table were about a dozen polaroid pictures of her and her boyfriend (I’m assuming).

Opened in front of her was a scrapbook with thick black pages, and on the corner of one page she had stuck little pink hearts.

Then, she cut out a pattern from the decorative paper, and attempted to create a border for one of the pictures, which she planned on pasting next to the hearts.

It looked like she had been at it for some time, and she was putting in a great deal of thought and effort into that scrapbook.

I thought to myself: “Wow, she really must love that guy a lot.”

As I packed up to leave, I caught sight of the words “Made With Love” printed on a paper bag. Apparently that’s the name of a scrapbooking store, probably where she bought all her materials.

Well, that’s how this song was born. I added a few touches, of course. A grandmother’s hand-made scarf, and a husband’s foray into the kitchen to surprise his wife… It’s the effort that counts, right?

I decided to just do an audio recording this week. The guitar and vocals were mixed with Cubase LE4, and the video was done in iMovie. Made with love… Enjoy!

Made With Love
©Music and Lyrics by Marcel Lee Pereira, 31 Dec 2010

She’s 79 and her sight is failing
Her fingers bent, wrinkled and shaking
Still by lamplight she knits
All through the night
Weaving warm and coloured presents
For her grandchild, her joy and pride

A young girl sits at a corner cafe
She’s been there an entire Saturday
Precious pictures of her and her man
One by one, stuck in a book
Filled with pink hearts cut out by hand

CHORUS
It’s for you, she said, I know it’s not much
And I hope it’s enough ’cause
It’s made with love, made with love
With all my love

He’s home early, his arms filled with bags
A cookbook he got right off the rack
He fumbles like a child learning to walk
Fixing a three-course meal for two
Before his wife gets back at six o’clock

CHORUS
It’s for you, he said, I know it’s not much
And I hope it’s enough ’cause
It’s made with love, made with love
With all my love

It’s something I’d do for you
Only for you
With all my love
With all my love

And I hope it’s enough ’cause
It’s made with love, made with love
With all my love