When and How to Retire a Song

The Life of a Song

Every artist knows that songs have lives of their own. They arrive in a rush of inspiration, take shape in rehearsals, and earn their place on stage or on record. Some songs connect instantly, becoming the ones audiences sing back, the ones that carry you from small rooms to larger stages. Others fade quietly, never quite finding their voice in the world. What few artists prepare for is that even the strongest songs eventually age. The question of when and how to retire a song is rarely discussed, yet it is one of the most important and delicate decisions a performer can face.