First Take

I once read an interview with a singer who recorded a song with Neil Young.

She arrived at the studio and Neil thrust a lyric sheet into her hand and asked her to rehearse with him. He sang it through once, then asked her to sing it with him. They sang it together, then she turned to ask him how it went, whether he wanted her to change anything when they recorded it.

We just did, he told her. She was done before she realized she'd started.

I'd like to limit this blog to first-takes, so I've vowed to never hit the "Save as Draft" button. Otherwise I might start thinking too much.