Songs are a lot like babies; they’re fun to make, painful to deliver, and can sure lead you
on a lot of ups and downs on their way to growing up. They need time to mature before you
know exactly who they’re gonna be: slackers who lay around on the couch the rest of their lives
or hustlers who leave home and send checks back to your mailbox. Special is the song who has
lived both lives, who begins as a law breaking juvenile delinquent and ultimately rises up to be a
leader of men.
She took form one summer morning in the open mountain air of a dude ranch porch, the
result of a magical union between paper, pencil and deep gratitude for the time and the place.
Her budding melody pushed the elements of physical beauty and sentiment to her surface until
she was made whole; she was born as a love song. I took a long loving look at her and named
her Forever West, a handle that not only fit my feelings about her but one that also matched the
logo of the state of which she sang.
Sometimes you know it when a song is destined for a special life the moment it begins to
sing. Such was the case with Forever West. I thought she’d be the perfect backdrop for a
Wyoming video. I introduced her to many; I heard back from few. The harder I pushed, the more
she pushed back. Push finally came to shove and I decided that we’d just roll together with the
wild winds of chance and change.
A couple years rolled by. I found myself in the lodge of the same dude ranch where she
had been born, entertaining a group of dignitaries for a large event. When I used her for my
closing song she made a big connection with the people inside, especially a representative from
a state agency who had caught the Forever West fever. Excitedly, he told me what a great song
she would make for a video about Wyoming.
“Really?”, I said with a special mixture of intrigue and sarcasm in my voice.“Oh, for sure! The only thing is we’ll need a good recording of it so we can get thestoryline put together.” Finally, I thought. The wandering child is finding her way.
I spent the winter producing the song and sent the finished version to Cheyenne. What I
got back was silence. I sent another CD to Cheyenne. What I got back was a phone call.
“We’re looking for Dave Munsick.”
“You’ve found him.”
“Is this the Dave Munsick who wrote the song Forever West?”
“The same.”
“Mr. Munsick, this is the state department. We received the recording that you sent us.”
My heart quickened; my thoughts jumped. They were actually going to use my song!
“We need to inform you that a cease and desist letter is being drafted concerning your
infringement on our branding. You do realize that this song uses the state’s logo?”
“Yes, of course. I mean, that was my intention. I wrote it for you!”
“Unfortunately, you are going to need to stop using this song unless you get specific
written permission on a case by case basis to do so.”
“But – I wrote it for you!”, I repeated in disbelief.
“Yes, we realize that. Sorry but that’s our decision.”
I hung up. My heart fell. My thoughts fell harder.
She refused to die. I started using her to close out all my shows as a chaser to the story
of her infamy among certain factions within the government; “this song is dangerous”, “listen at
your own risk”, etc.
A couple of years rolled by again. The phone rang. It was a Cheyenne number.
“We’re looking for Dave Munsick.”
“You’ve found him.”
“Is this the Dave Munsick who wrote the song “Forever West?”
“The same.”
My heart quickened; my thoughts jumped. They were going to arrest me.
“Mr. Munsick, this is the governor’s office. Governor Gordon has requested that you sing
the song Forever West at his inaugural swearing in ceremony in Cheyenne. Will you be able to
do that?”
Wow, headlines! Bad Kid Goes Good. Pardoned By Governor.
“We both graciously accept.”
Two months later, the song and I sat together on a stage in front of a crowd of 1500, a
gathering including some of the same accusers who had sent us both fleeing together down the
outlaw trail. I listened as if in a dream to the Governor using my words in his inaugural address,
expressing his love for Wyoming and putting perspective into the tasks that lay ahead for her
people. As his song ended, mine began. I approached the mic and gently released my girl to the
state of her birth.
Her time had come at last.
