When Memory Meets Melody: Writing “The Farm Still Sings” with a Little Help from AI
Every family has a soundtrack.
For mine, it started as a few lines sung by the lake — “Matters by the lake, chasing the breeze…” — and turned into a full song called “The Farm Still Sings.”
It’s about my mum, Lyn, my dad, Neil, and us four daughters — Nic, Dan, Nat, and Mel — growing up on a farm near Wangaratta. There were horses, gardens, and a place we called Pig Island, where we’d make trails and have picnics. It’s where our stories began.
I wanted a song that sounded like home — something with the warmth of James Taylor, gentle finger-picked guitar, and the feeling of dusk over gum trees. So I opened ChatGPT (GPT-5) and began the process.
Step 1: Start with what’s true
AI can’t make something real unless you give it truth to work with. I described my family, the farm, and the feeling I wanted — love, distance, and pride. Then I let ChatGPT ask questions: tone, tempo, voice, who was who. Each answer shaped the next verse.
Step 2: Keep editing until it sounds like you
The first draft was poetic but not personal enough — there was a red dog and a shearing shed that weren’t ours. By adding Pig Island, the ride-on mower, and Dad’s chestnut mare, the lyrics suddenly felt alive.
AI gave me the bones; I gave it the blood.
Step 3: Build the song structure
Once the story felt right, ChatGPT laid out the full chord chart and melody guide — exactly how a session musician would. G major, 84 BPM, finger-picking pattern, classic James Taylor phrasing. I could hand it straight to a guitarist or drop it into an AI music generator like Suno or Udio for a demo.
Step 4: Let emotion lead the tech
The magic wasn’t in the automation — it was in how the AI held space for memory. I could say, “Dad bred horses, not drove tractors,” and the song would shift with care. It reminded me that good AI isn’t about speed; it’s about reflection.
Step 5: Share what you make
Now I have a song that feels like us — honest, grounded, and singable. It’s proof that AI doesn’t erase human creativity; it amplifies it when you feed it stories worth telling.
Takeaway for Creators
You don’t need to be a musician to write something beautiful. You need:
• A story only you can tell.
• A tone that feels like truth.
• A willingness to co-create with technology.
AI is just the studio assistant. You’re still the heart of the song.
🎶 Try It Yourself
Turn your memories into music or your stories into content.
ChatGPT can be your creative partner — whether you’re writing lyrics, blogs, or brand stories.
There’s quite a lively ecosystem of AI song-makers right now—each with a slightly different personality and pricing model. A few give you a good free tier or trial credits so you can experiment before paying anything. Here are some worth trying:
1. Suno (suno.ai)
You already know this one—easily the most intuitive lyric-to-song tool at the moment. It lets you generate full songs (vocals, music, mix) from text prompts and gives you free daily credits.
2. Udio (udio.com)
Created by former Google DeepMind engineers. It’s similar to Suno but often produces a cleaner mix and more natural phrasing. The free version gives a set number of generations each day and supports uploading your own lyrics or partial melody.
3. Mubert (mubert.com)
Generates royalty-free instrumentals rather than sung songs. Great if you want background music for videos or to later add your own vocals. Free plan with daily limits.
4. Soundful (soundful.com)
Makes instrumentals across many genres with adjustable structure (verse/chorus/bridge). Free plan allows a few downloads.
5. Beatoven.ai
Focused on mood-based composition—choose “folk/acoustic,” “calm,” or “sentimental,” and it adapts structure and instrumentation. Free credits on signup.
6. Boomy (boomy.com)
Old favourite: choose a style (folk, pop, chill), type a lyric or hum a melody, and it creates a complete track. Free account gives unlimited rough generations and a few downloadable masters.
7. AudioCraft by Meta / MusicGen demos
You can test them free via Hugging Face (no sign-up required). These are research models that generate instrumentals from text prompts.
8. Aiva (aiva.ai)
Composes more traditional scores—beautiful if you ever want to expand your ballad into a cinematic folk-string version. Free trial tier includes exports with a watermark.
