Ball of Wax 63 Songs: Maggie O’Hara – “Worth the Wait”

Maggie O’Hara makes her debut contribution to ye olde Ball of Wax with “Worth the Wait,” an uncluttered voice and ukulele song written by O’Hara and recorded by scene stalwart and bearded Cascadian musical guru Colin J Nelson. “Worth the Wait” addresses the bizarre state of isolation and postponement the world’s been in this past year, offering the kind of supportive, hopeful encouragement we’ve all needed and continue to need as we near the end of this mess. The lyrics are refreshingly sincere without coming off as Pollyannaish, acknowledging that “the world is a cold, cruel place” before assuring “though it’s dark right now, it’s worth the wait.”  Structurally, O’Hara takes a simple three chord repeating structure and adds variety in terms of dynamics, shifting strumming patterns, and clever variations on the main melodic motif, matching musical shifts with lyrical changes. All of which is mighty impressive considering O’Hara is new to both writing and performing. I really hope that this is just the start of O’Hara’s musical odyssey and she builds on her taste and initial musical skills to contribute more to the expanded Ball of Wax universe in post-pandemic volumes to come.