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To answer the question that’s often asked of songwriters—Which came first, the words or the music?—in the case of What Did I Know?, the music definitely came first. One day, while I was noodling away on the piano, it just sort of came out. And it remained only a melody for at least a year. Then I decided to find words to fit it. After many false starts and rewrites, the song was completed…five years later. Some listeners call it a 4-minute opera. What I like about it is its simplicity. And its surprise ending. Singers like it because it gives them a chance to “belt” and show off their vocal range and power. It also packs an emotional wallop that sneaks up on you. (The very first time a friend tried to sing it, she couldn’t get through it. She just dissolved into tears! She was so overwhelmed that we had to call off the rehearsal and reschedule.) But, surprisingly, it’s not sad. It’s cathartic. Moving. And it ends happily. Imagine that!
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