My jazz loving friend in Japan, Shu Yamaguchi, wrote to me a few weeks ago and asked if I could write the lyrics to a song in the style of Tom's Diner, by Suzanne Vega. I have written songs for Shu before, most notably when we lived in Sanda. She would often as not supply the tune, or a fragment of the tune. Sometimes she would suggest an English language phrase or two (Fly to the Sea and Smile So Blue are standouts). Usually they would find their way into performance, though Shu had a knack of changing the arrangement on the way to a show or studio, which was quite freaky.

Last Thursday I bit the bullet and sat down and wrote the lyrics to a song I called Journeys, a meditation upon the sameness and loneliness of life in a big city. In writing for Shu, I have learnt to keep the lines and words short and simple and to keep well clear of my poetic impulses. It all ends up very prosaic and bland, but she is the kind of musician that can make it work.

Shu (right) seeking clarity with musical accomplice Mika.