This edition of our Song Spinners series, which takes you inside the hearts, minds and hands of local musicians and their creative process, reveals the story behind "Saint Germania" by John Jensen.

BIO: East Lyme native John Jensen, 67, has been writing music most of his life. His day job — well, his long-time career — is as a commercial realtor. Though he performed in a variety of pop and soul bands during that long-ago era called "Youth," Jensen has mostly focused on songwriting in his leisure time. Recently, he completed his first CD, "Songs for Other Voices." The 11-song album contains the song "Saint Germania."

BIO, PART 2: Though fascinated by music since childhood, Jensen underwent a dramatic loss of hearing as a third grader due to a malady that went undiagnosed for over a year. During that time, he was placed in a school for dysfunctional children. After recovering, he played drums and then switched to piano. Still shy over the trauma of his earlier medical experiences, Jensen reacted most positively to autodidactic learning or one-on-one lessons with private tutors — and among the many he credits over the years was Victor Norman, founder of the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra.

HMM, THIS AIN'T BAD DEPT.: One early indication that music could be rewarding on many levels was his first paying gig. He was 13 and played drums in a band that had a New Year's Eve gig in the New London Moose Club. "I'd been making 50 cents to a dollar mowing lawns," Jensen says. "That night in the Moose Club, I made $37.50." As the gig lasted until 3 a.m. and inhibitions loosened substantially as they often do rolling into Jan. 1, Jensen says, "I also received a very adult education that night and I thought, 'Hmm. No more mowing lawns.'"

SOUND: Jensen composes piano-based tunes that gleefully and thoughtfully span a variety of styles. Though rooted in contemporary pop, singer-songwriter and soul, the structures have strong classical underpinnings. As a vocalist, Jensen has a bit of a scruffy, baritone delivery reminiscent of Tom Waits, Dr. John, Randy Newman and Bob Dylan. At the same time, his melodies are rich and nuanced and, as the title of "Songs for Other Voices" suggests, Jensen imagined and/or wrote some of the material with the idea they'd be better suited to different vocalists. As it turns out, Jensen does sing "Saint Germania," a lovely, almost prayerful ballad, for all the best reasons.

WHAT IS "SAINT GERMANIA" ABOUT? During his deafness, Jensen was understandably frightened and uncertain. One beautiful spring day, the teacher let the kids outside to play and, he says, "I took off. I escaped." He knew that his Aunt Germania lived a few miles up Boston Post Road and he headed there.

He says, "The song's about me getting out of that horrible situation and hightailing it to her house ... her greeting me with a big smile and taking me in and making sure I got home ... I'll never forget that feeling. She was such a wonderful person, and we had a great relationship. She just saved me that time when I was a little kid. She passed in 2011, but it makes me happy that her children got to hear the song."

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HOW THE SONG CAME TO BE: "As with most songs, nothing precipitated it," says Jensen, who wrote "Saint Germania" in 2018. He and his wife had been to dinner and he'd had a few drinks and, in the car, afterwards, they listened to "Helpless" by Crosby, Stills & Nash. Back home, he sat down at the piano. "I got that feeling in my head," he explains, "and started playing some chords and one thing led to another, as it sometimes happens. And all of a sudden you open up your vocal chords and say something and things start coming together — and if you're lucky it takes you wherever it is you go." Shortly thereafter, Jensen hit on the lyrical idea of "Saint Germania" and, he says, "the rest came out. It's a pretty simple song, and it was pretty easy."

Jensen may SAY it's simple, but the suspensions he tosses into the "simple" chordal narrative are clever and take the listener into pleasantly unexpected territory. 

A FUNNY THING HAPPENED AT LUNCH: Pre-pandemic, Jensen typically ate lunch several times a week at Illiano's in Waterford, which is where I frequently visited. One day, he approached my table as I was reading a book and waiting on my grinder.

Jensen explains, "Someone pointed you out and said, 'Hey, that guy's the music critic at The Day.' And three or four months later I finally got the gumption to come over and say, 'Hi, I'm John. I've written these songs; would you consider listening to them?'

"And you did. If you'd said, 'No, I don't like it,' I probably wouldn't have pursued it. But you didn't say that. Instead, you turned me onto some studios and musicians and I ended up meeting Carl (Franklin of PWOP Studios, who ended up producing most of 'Songs for Other Voices' and arranging for a lot of the musicians and vocalists who played and sang on the album)."

"OTHER VOICES," OTHER SOUNDS: While many of the tunes on the albums are very fleshed-out and sophisticatedly arranged and performed by guest players, some, like "Saint Germania," are very similar to Jensen's original demos. Jensen, at long last making the effort to get the songs recorded, went the full distance in terms of capturing the arrangements he heard in his head for each tune. "The album has a potpourri of styles and I wanted to explore that and the possibilities," he says. "I was privileged through Carl and the many professionals who worked on the record to realize my dream."

WAIT! WHO IS NIELS CHRISTIAN? "Songs for Other Voices" is credited to the Niels Christian Group rather than John Jensen. There is no formal group — just Jensen and the aformentioned session artists. Niels Christian was Jensen's grandfather and he came up with the Niels Christian Group as an homage to his late relative.

THE NEXT STEP: When asked what his plans are for "Songs for Other Voices" now that it's finished, Jensen laughs and says, "What am I going to DO with it? I'm going to listen to it!" 

FOR MORE INFORMATION: OK, it's true Jensen is prepared for other people to listen to it, as well. In fact, acknowledging that not too many 67-year-old first timers start selling millions, he does entertain positive thoughts and says it would be fun to sell a few thousand copies. To that end, the CD is available on iTunes or Amazon, and folks are welcome to email him directly at: jjensen@pequotecommercial.com.

Saint Germania

Walking down Oswegatchie Road, running away from all I'd ever been told,

Trying to find Germania's home, scared little kid and all alone.

Couldn't a been more than eight years old, living in silence like fallin' snow.

I found her in a holy place full of love and Heaven's grace.

Saint Germania waves come in from the cold and I will save your soul.

It was such a long time ago, but I can still feel my angel's glow.

And the smile on her kind, kind face that saved my world with just a drop of faith.

She passed away a little while ago. Cried like a baby, don't you know?

Went down to the riverside where we knelt and prayed and said our good-byes.

Saint Germania won't you save my soul. Please save my soul.

Saint Germania waves come in from the cold and I will save your soul.