And on to the next in the "story behind the song" series, track 5 "Battle For Utopia".  The first thing I can say about this is that the title (and thus the main idea for the chorus) was a bit of a sticking point.  I came up with the idea and didn't think much about it until I went to finish the lyrics and the recording and when I did start thinking about it I found it to be a bit "over the top", like the title of some cheap fantasy or sci-fi novel.  I considered some alternatives but they didn't capture the concept I was going for so in the end I decided just to leave it and all you have to do is really listen to the song to find out that it is not some kind of tacky prog rock story about an actual battle with elves and swords or lasers and robots for that matter.

The idea behind the lyrics is that we are all looking for some kind of "utopia", a place or a state of mind where we are truly content and happy to actually be alive.  The fact that most of us are doing this on a purely selfish level and in very different ways can often lead to a battle of wills when interests conflict.  I think we also do battle with ourselves in our heads, going against our instincts, second guessing decisions, allowing animal desires to overrule reason or vice versa.  And it is perhaps not one long battle but a series of constant smaller battles, some we win, others we lose.  The trick is to win more than you lose, and if you can, then you might just be able to get close to this place called utopia.

As for the music, it came together fairly easily and didn't go through much alteration after the original composition was in place.  There was a point when I considered cutting it back quite a bit as it is quite long but I decided to let it be and to have the double effect of it being a song with a bit of a story as well as being its own "score" for the imagery it conjures in your head.

So that's it for now.  One more to go next week, stay tuned!