Name Checking

Why the name Notes and Chords?

It’s a long story. All right, maybe not that long. It’s part of the name of a song by Redd Kross called “Notes and Chords Mean Nothing to Me.” It was written by Steven and Jeff McDonald, with whom I went to school at Hawthorne High School. The school is also the same place attended by three Wilson brothers (Brian, Carl and Dennis) of the Beach Boys; Darlene Love, who has several hits in the early 1960s; and Chris Montez, who had several 1960s hits. In any case, the song’s lyrics sum up, at least in part, the concept behind artistic endeavors. It’s the spirit and passion, not the technical prowess.

Here are the key lines from the song:

It don’t matter anyway
If my hands are in the right place
Notes and chords mean nothing to me
Just listen and you will see
It don’t matter anyway
If my hands are in the right place
Notes and chords mean nothing to me
Just listen and you will see