A Proven Technique for Producing Ideas

THE MOST recorded song in history arrived in a dream. The melody was truly beautiful. A wholly formed composition of chords that immediately produced profound sentimental longing in the listener. It was so complete, that it sounded familiar even with the first listen.

It was 1963, and Paul McCartney was 21.

“I fell out of bed. I had a piano by my bedside and I must have dreamed it, because I tumbled out of bed and put my hands on the piano keys and I had a tune in my head. It was just all there, a complete thing. I couldn’t believe it. It came too easy.”

The song seemed so very familiar to Paul, that he wondered if he’d heard it elsewhere. So he’d play the melody for his fellow Beatles. They told him they’d never heard it anywhere else. And he played it for other musicians and friends.

“In fact, I didn’t believe I’d written it.” He said, “I thought maybe I’d heard it before, it was some other tune, and I went around for weeks playing the chords of the song for people, asking them, ‘Is this like something? I think I’ve written it.’”

“And people would say, ‘No, it’s not like anything else, but it’s good.’”

Paul said it felt like he was “handing in something you'd found at the police station and waiting to see if anyone claimed it. After two weeks they hadn't in this case - so I felt entitled to collect it and call it my property.”

But the lyrics needed work. In fact, they were nonsensical.

“Scrambled eggs, oh you've got such lovely legs, scrambled eggs. Oh, my baby, how I love your legs."

So Paul worked on the lyrics, and in 1965 sat down with an acoustic Epiphone guitar and recorded the song. The song was reworked with the help of the legendary producer George Martin. George Martin described that song as being a transformative event in the music of the Beatles.

Yesterday, by Paul McCartney

The song “Yesterday” went on to be the most recorded song in history, and has been recorded over 2,200 different artists, including - Frank Sinatra, James Taylor, The Supremes, Elvis, Marvin Gaye, Ray Charles, Bob Dylan and Linkin Park, to name but several.

Coincidentally, it was also in 1965 that a very brief and simple book came out titled “A Technique for Producing Ideas,” by James Webb Young. At the time of its publication, Young was regarded as a creative wizard in the advertising industry, and his book described the simple process for generating ideas experienced by many creative people.

In the course of this very brief and inexpensive $10 book, Young explained and systemized the five stages to producing ideas.

James Young knew the five stage technique worked, and even considered not sharing what he’d learned so as to maintain an advantage over his competition in the advertising industry. But in the end, he believed that the positive good of sharing the technique far outweighed any downside related to the fear of aiding his competition. Besides, he explained that as the five stage formula is so simple, that “few who hear it actually believe it.” And that executing on the formula, despite the fact that the technique provides a path to success, does require intellectual work, such that “not all who accept it use it.”

It’s a process that has been used by essentially countless creative people.

In fact, it’s exactly the technique McCartney instinctively used in creating the song “Yesterday,” and it’s a technique that you’ve undoubtedly used previously yourself in your life and work– though you might not even have been aware of the actual process.

Here’s a summary of the Five Step Technique that James Webb wrote in his book A Technique for Producing Ideas

1.    Gathering

This is the fact-finding stage. Where you’re gathering information and educating yourself on the matter. In the book, James Young is careful to stress that this means going deep beyond what might typically be expected. Fully immersing yourself in the challenge.

What are the real needs facing the customer? What is the very heart of the question? What are the real barriers? How are similar matters being addressed elsewhere in related areas?

Fact finding might involve technology, customer insights, service issues, or even entire business models. And this is initial stage is where the more information obtained, even from seemingly afield, the better.

Although everyone acknowledges the importance of truly understanding the problem and gathering specific knowledge about possible solutions, this involves often tedious work. In the haste for an answer or solution, the fact gathering stage is easily shortchanged.

Relevant to McCartney, this stage is exemplified by the countless thousands of hours spent listening, playing and writing music throughout his life.

2.    Thinking

Once all the facts have been gathered, this is the stage where thinking and problem solving are applied. This is the stage where the different aspects of the challenge are considered.

This is the time to delve deep into what might work and also to think broadly about different potential solutions. The greater the number and variety of possible approaches, and different combinations considered, the better.

3.    Incubation

At this stage of the process, you actually stop the deliberate and conscious thinking about the matter, and essentially hand the work over to your creative unconscious mind.

James Young recommends purposely doing other things – like going to the movies or art museums, to give your brain the freedom to think creatively.

This is what happened to Paul McCartney when he was sleeping.

4.    The Solution!

During a morning shower, or a run in the woods, or in our sleep – the idea emerges. Sometimes in a flash, sometimes with a hesitant almost shy appearance.

The facts and concepts have been associating and connecting in our brain, and the idea emerges from our subconscious.

James Young calls this the “Eureka!” moment.

It’s what Niels Bohr experienced when he went to sleep and dreamt one night about atoms. He saw a nucleus, and electrons spinning around the center like planets around a star. Upon waking he believed the vision was an accurate depiction, so went about finding the evidence to support this theory.

5.    Final Development

This is where the additional work is applied to bring the idea to fruition in the real world.

It’s when McCartney swapped out the lyrics of “Scrambled eggs, oh you've got such lovely legs” for “Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away.”

It’s when George Martin pushed for a string accompaniment to the song.

In a world where our problems require new thinking, your best creative self is essential, and the simple techniques outlined in the $10 (or less) book could be of great benefit to you (and the world). Spend 30 minutes (it’s only 40 short pages) giving it a read. The writing might seem a bit dated, but the words of wisdom are timeless.

And you’ll increase your chances of having sweet dreams. And the results could be significant.

Maybe that’s what Paul McCartney meant when he wrote in the song “Let It Be.”

“ And when the night is cloudy, there is still a light that shines on me. Shine on ‘til tomorrow, Let it Be.”

And by the way, the song “Let It Be” was inspired by another of Paul McCartney's dreams. McCartney was dreaming of his mother who'd died from cancer when he was just fourteen. He said, "It was great to visit with her again. I felt very blessed to have that dream."

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Tom loves building meaningful businesses and technology (with people who care). Reach him on Twitter @thomastriumph  

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