Cris Cohen: What are the most satisfying comments you hear from others about what you've created?
Tom Johnston of The Doobie Brothers: Number one, that it's lasted a long time, that it stood the test of time, that it's still as good to them today as it was when they first heard it. In some cases, I've had people come up to me and say, “You got me through this period with this song or that song.” One of those songs being “Another Park, Another Sunday.” Another one could be “Listen to the Music” or “Long Train Runnin’.” And it got them through everything, from the Vietnam War to a marriage to a breakup with a girlfriend. It's been a lot of incidents where that's happened. Not so much lately, because we can't be around people due to COVID protocols. But that's the kind of thing that matters to me.
When you have people come up and say, “These songs got me through these…” whatever the situations were. “Some of the words you used in that song, some of the lyrics you use, really meant a lot to me.”
But you mentioned “Shine Your Light.” That one is a song about… It's a little bit abstract, but it's also at the same time trying to find the positive end to a situation you're in right now. That's why it (says) “Shine your light down on me.” It might sound religious in context, but it really isn't. It's just finding the answer. That's why I like it.
I specialize in text content for musicians. No, I am not kidding.
"We've been working with Cris for over 11 years, and he has definitely raised our social profile."
- Huey Lewis