My latest single does not contain a typo. While I do live in Orlando, my upcoming short piano piece is not about the tourist destination in Central Florida, rather it refers to the tiny island off the eastern shores of Sweden called Öland. I have fond memories of that obscure little place.
In the late 90's, I spent a few days on this island with some friends from Sweden. I was told that the island is a popular vacation spot for Swedes during the summer. One of my friend's families had a little bungalow there. So we rented tandem bikes, packed our tents and some food, and proceeded to ride around the island with no plans or responsibilities, only stopping when we wanted to explore something or eat at a village along the way.
We set up camp wherever we wanted, Apparently, there is a law that allows you to camp on anyone's property in Sweden for one night. Along the way, we bathed in the Baltic Sea (it was a warm 59 degrees F or 13 Celcius), ate the most delicious ramen I've ever had (it was probably only delicious because we were starving), and found many charming places and people.
There were several churches on the island and we made a point to write our names in the guest books. It would be fun to go back some day and see if they are still there. As I recall, one church had a choir rehearsing when we walked in. It was a beautiful moment. At one point in our journey, we struck up a conversation with a lady who then invited us into her home for fika (a coffee break similar to British tea time). Our whole time on the island was such a charming and delightful experience. I only wish it could have lasted longer.
It can be difficult to say that any piece of instrumental music is "about" something. So to say that this song is about Öland would be a bit of an exaggeration. But like my trip on the island, my new felt piano piece was intended to be short, memorable, and sublime. I'll let the listeners decide if the last two descriptives are at all accurate.
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