I had recently posted my “Philosophy of Composition,” explaining how I came to write a new song called “Hey When I Die.” Well, I have now recorded an official, “studio” version of the song and created an official music video, embedded below.

As I explain in more detail in the prior “Philosophy” video, this is a song concerned with some contradictory feelings engendered by the realization that death is coming, if not immediately, then — at least for those of us over 70 years of age — pretty soon: on the one hand, I sing in the verses about some pragmatic and idiosyncratic wishes, e.g., that survivors might deal with my childhood drawings and my online songs and writings; on the other hand, I sing in the choruses with a more empathetic sensitivity to how others, especially those in my family, might experience such a passing.

I won’t repeat all the lyrics, since they appear on the prior blog post linked above, but I’ll list some technical details below.

The song was recorded at home in Ithaca, NY, in April 2026, using Logic Pro X: I play two real instruments (acoustic guitar, harmonica) and sing all the vocals and background vocals. I also play three “software” instruments (piano, drums, bass) on my MIDI keyboard. I created the video using Final Cut Pro with my photos of the cloudy Ithaca sky, made partially transparent and animated using Final Cut’s motion keyframe feature, in a layer above my green-screened guitar-playing body.

Check out all my songs and music videos!