Can there be such a thing as a "lighthearted global warming song"? Or perhaps it is just treating climate change on a personal level: walking dogs in the mud and worrying about sidewalk repairs. This is life whether or not we like the weather.

It was very warm in Ontario in February a few years ago and that caused me to think of the line "spring comes in February". And I know for a fact that some people just like to watch the weather channel. It relaxes them and it even has actual shows which I found pretty strange when I first saw them.

The rest? Well I was walking in our neighbourhood a few weeks after starting the song and listening to the Neko Case's album Fox Confessor Brings the Flood on my earbuds. Flood = global warming? Perhaps. Somehow the juxtaposition of Case's wonderful songs and the sights of my 'hood combined to inspire me. 

Another part of the equation was the hand made book my wife bought me a couple of years prior at a craft studio in town. It was made by a local book binder and had blank pages for me to write lyrics. So I actually wrote all the lyrics on two or three pages of that book.So many things came together to create the song.

When recording it I hired John Lee to play the piano part and he brought a superb delicacy to the task and added some organ as well. I played the electric piano part in the middle to add some heft to the chorus and I also played the acoustic piano 'outro' which I believe manages to be both 'alternative' and 'whimsical' at the same time. 

I enlisted my neighbour Stephanie Leacock to add the background vocals and Fred Smith gave her the harmonies to sing. Fred is very helpful that way and Stephanie's voice is beautiful. After we had recorded the basic tracks Fred said "you know what? You need a tenor banjo on that song". I thought it might be a good idea but wasn't sure the tenor banjo would have enough resonance. So Fred pulled out both his 5 string and his tenor banjos to audition them, and sure enough, the tenor won out. Who could have known? 

I also played alto sax on the song and tried to channel a little Sonny Rollins. I wonder if anyone will notice. 

Overall, I hope it conjures up a hopeful mood despite weather warnings and melting icebergs. And the next February was back to having a lot of snow and cold temperatures. So this song is not prophetic exactly, but hopefully it entertains.