OK...Confession time! How many of you have ever said to yourself (if not to your friends), "My songs are every bit as good as what you hear on the radio!"
When you utter such sentiments, you may be experiencing a moment of sour grapes. Or on the other hand, you may be absolutely right! Your songs may be as good--or even better--than the chart busters that you hear every day on your favorite station. But that's not the real issue! If you are going to be honest with yourself, you have to ask questions like these:
Are my songs GREAT?
Are they head and shoulders ABOVE what you hear on the radio?
Are they bulletproof?
I've been channel surfing a lot lately--listening to genres and artists that I am not that familiar with--trying to practice my own advice by analyzing songs objectively...not the production, mind you, or the artist...but the song itself. The amazing thing is that whatever the genre (from classical to heavy metal and all points in between) the songs that last are ones that use the basic ingredients of GREAT songwriting:
A GREAT MUSICAL AND LYRICAL IDEA
A GREAT REPEATED HOOK
FRESH RHYMES AND VOCABULARY
MEMORABLE (USUALLY SIMPLE) MELODIES
It's kinda like baking a cake. There are all kinds of terrific cakes. Everyone has their favorite -- Red Velvet, Italian Cream, Lemon Pound etc. -- but whatever kind of cake you bake, you will use the same basic ingredients...flour, sugar, eggs, baking powder. Try baking a cake without these and let me know if you ever make it to the Food Channel.
The other day as I was sweating away on the eliptical, I listened to some Michael Jackson songs. These were not just "good." They were "great." Strip away the production that Michael always excelled at, and you still have a great song. Consider David Cook's slow ballad arrangement of "Billie Jean," that helped him win American Idol. Or how about violinist, David Garrett's amazing version of "Smooth Criminal." You can flavor the song any way you wish, and you will still have a classic.
Many of the songs I hear on the radio have one or two of the basic ingredients, but not all. They are good...but not GREAT! They may have made it to the current Top Ten, but can you hear them ever being covered by another artist? Would they stand the test of time and re-arrangement?
As you listen to songs on the radio, ask yourself if they are really GREAT. Then look at your own work. Whatever you do, don't measure yourself against the current Hit Parade. Measure yourself against the genius writers whose work will always find new generations of listeners. Set the bar HIGH...then write and re-write til you vault over it!
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
RECEIVING THE GIFT
The Holidays are the Season of Giving. No matter how broke we are, we find a way to give a special gift to those we love…hoping with all our hearts that they will absolutely love it and use it with joy and gratitude.
But nothing can quench the spirit of giving more than if the receiver:
*Is disappointed with our gift (It’s not quite what I wanted)
*Compares the gift with someone else’s more expensive version
*Feels “entitled” to the gift (expects it or takes it for granted)
*Misses the spirit of the Season and gets caught up into the
materialism of the age
As I have been pondering the “Reason for the Season,” it has occurred to me that whether we are a musician, songwriter, producer or singer,…we have been given a very special gift…the Gift of Music. But, as with other kinds of gifts, there are many ways to receive it.
*We can be disappointed with what we have been given
*We can compare ourselves negatively with other “more gifted” musicians
*We can allow the gift to become our sole identity…to define us as people
OR...We can receive the Gift of Music with humility and gratitude.
It is my conviction that every person – gifted or not – has value and purpose as an individual in this world. Our identity as human beings must not be tied to the Gift of Music we've been given, or we will always feel inferior—-threatened by those with seemingly more talent than we have—-never at peace with ourselves. We can sink more and more into music as an “escape” from reality and will never have the confidence to find our true place in the world where our talent can find ultimate expression.
On the other hand, we can choose to view ourselves as equal partners with the rest of the residents of Planet Earth…no better and no less than anyone else. When we are blessed with the Gift of Music, we are humbled by the gift…gratefully receive it…and seek to polish it with hard work and practice into excellence where it can be a blessing to our fellows. Unthreatened by others with similar gifts, we will instead be an encouragement to them. We will recognize them as part of our team to be embraced, rather than competitors to be avoided. We will develop other interests and talents and become larger people with greater vision. We will live in a much larger world!
In the last eighteen months, we have lost many icons of entertainment. Michael Jackson’s sudden passing in June of this year re-focused us on his amazing musical genius but also his tortured feelings of shyness, inadequacy and low self-esteem. Although a loving and generous person at heart, Michael found his only real comfort and personal identity in his music…when he was writing it or performing it.
Contrast the life and talent of Paul Newman. An Academy Award winning actor, he was also a film director, racing car enthusiast, and an very successful entrepreneur. Developing his other interests and talents led him to create Newman’s Own Food Products, which still raises millions of dollars for charity. When interviewed a number of years ago, Paul was asked why he had such a self-effacing attitude about his own mega talent as an actor. He replied, “Because I realize that I am no better than anyone else. I have just been incredibly blessed.”
How are we receiving the Gift of Music this year? May we never cease to be humbled and grateful for what we have been given.
Have a wonderful and thankful Holiday and a New Year filled with purpose to make your gift excellent and useful to the world.
But nothing can quench the spirit of giving more than if the receiver:
*Is disappointed with our gift (It’s not quite what I wanted)
*Compares the gift with someone else’s more expensive version
*Feels “entitled” to the gift (expects it or takes it for granted)
*Misses the spirit of the Season and gets caught up into the
materialism of the age
As I have been pondering the “Reason for the Season,” it has occurred to me that whether we are a musician, songwriter, producer or singer,…we have been given a very special gift…the Gift of Music. But, as with other kinds of gifts, there are many ways to receive it.
*We can be disappointed with what we have been given
*We can compare ourselves negatively with other “more gifted” musicians
*We can allow the gift to become our sole identity…to define us as people
OR...We can receive the Gift of Music with humility and gratitude.
It is my conviction that every person – gifted or not – has value and purpose as an individual in this world. Our identity as human beings must not be tied to the Gift of Music we've been given, or we will always feel inferior—-threatened by those with seemingly more talent than we have—-never at peace with ourselves. We can sink more and more into music as an “escape” from reality and will never have the confidence to find our true place in the world where our talent can find ultimate expression.
On the other hand, we can choose to view ourselves as equal partners with the rest of the residents of Planet Earth…no better and no less than anyone else. When we are blessed with the Gift of Music, we are humbled by the gift…gratefully receive it…and seek to polish it with hard work and practice into excellence where it can be a blessing to our fellows. Unthreatened by others with similar gifts, we will instead be an encouragement to them. We will recognize them as part of our team to be embraced, rather than competitors to be avoided. We will develop other interests and talents and become larger people with greater vision. We will live in a much larger world!
In the last eighteen months, we have lost many icons of entertainment. Michael Jackson’s sudden passing in June of this year re-focused us on his amazing musical genius but also his tortured feelings of shyness, inadequacy and low self-esteem. Although a loving and generous person at heart, Michael found his only real comfort and personal identity in his music…when he was writing it or performing it.
Contrast the life and talent of Paul Newman. An Academy Award winning actor, he was also a film director, racing car enthusiast, and an very successful entrepreneur. Developing his other interests and talents led him to create Newman’s Own Food Products, which still raises millions of dollars for charity. When interviewed a number of years ago, Paul was asked why he had such a self-effacing attitude about his own mega talent as an actor. He replied, “Because I realize that I am no better than anyone else. I have just been incredibly blessed.”
How are we receiving the Gift of Music this year? May we never cease to be humbled and grateful for what we have been given.
Have a wonderful and thankful Holiday and a New Year filled with purpose to make your gift excellent and useful to the world.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
The Lyricist's Lament
I had an interesting conversation with an artist last week in Las Vegas.
This gentleman is a very successful Big Band vocalist with a Sinatra-esque style. He was commenting on the demise of great lyrics and lyricists over the years--from the days of Tin Pan Alley to the present. Like Sinatra, this artist chooses standard classic songs to perform and record because, as he said, he wants to "say something" when he sings. Commenting on today's hits, he questioned whether lyrics were even important in most current pop songs--whether most new releases on the radio today depend on the groove or the beat to carry them--and whether most listeners even care at all about the words.
I agree that many of today's songs DO depend on catchy rhythms and studio "bells and whistles" to grab the listener's ear, but I also have to say that when a great groove and melody are combined with well-crafted lyrics that start with a great idea and a clever hook/title, and contain fresh vocabulary and unexpected rhymes, you then have songs we call "timeless"....songs like those that flowed from the Motown writers, and from world-changing craftsmen like Bob Dylan, Michael Jackson, James Taylor, Sting, Billy Joel, Jimmy Webb, Paul Williams and so many others.
While it is so true that a song can exist without words, lyrics cannot exist without music. Without a melody, lyrics become poems. As they say, "You can't whistle a lyric!" But words become extremely important when a singer is delivering the song. The singer must OWN the song as his/her message. What kind of singer can you hear singing your songs? If they are great melodies with equally captivating lyrics, artists will return again and again to your songs just as my Las Vegas friend returns again and again to the standards of the Twentieth Century.
Let me hear from you! Are you a serious lyricist? Or do you think lyrics are not that important anymore?
This gentleman is a very successful Big Band vocalist with a Sinatra-esque style. He was commenting on the demise of great lyrics and lyricists over the years--from the days of Tin Pan Alley to the present. Like Sinatra, this artist chooses standard classic songs to perform and record because, as he said, he wants to "say something" when he sings. Commenting on today's hits, he questioned whether lyrics were even important in most current pop songs--whether most new releases on the radio today depend on the groove or the beat to carry them--and whether most listeners even care at all about the words.
I agree that many of today's songs DO depend on catchy rhythms and studio "bells and whistles" to grab the listener's ear, but I also have to say that when a great groove and melody are combined with well-crafted lyrics that start with a great idea and a clever hook/title, and contain fresh vocabulary and unexpected rhymes, you then have songs we call "timeless"....songs like those that flowed from the Motown writers, and from world-changing craftsmen like Bob Dylan, Michael Jackson, James Taylor, Sting, Billy Joel, Jimmy Webb, Paul Williams and so many others.
While it is so true that a song can exist without words, lyrics cannot exist without music. Without a melody, lyrics become poems. As they say, "You can't whistle a lyric!" But words become extremely important when a singer is delivering the song. The singer must OWN the song as his/her message. What kind of singer can you hear singing your songs? If they are great melodies with equally captivating lyrics, artists will return again and again to your songs just as my Las Vegas friend returns again and again to the standards of the Twentieth Century.
Let me hear from you! Are you a serious lyricist? Or do you think lyrics are not that important anymore?
Friday, September 18, 2009
Does Whitney Still Have It?
OK...Whitney's back! We've seen the Oprah Interview and we may have heard a couple of the cuts from her new recording, "I Look to You." The reviews are in and they're mixed.
Some say that she's lost the "national treasure" -- the voice of her youth -- due to her age, her addictions, or both. Others are simply die-hard Whitney fans and would love her if she croaked like a frog. Let me voice my never-to-be-humble opinion, and then I'd like to hear from YOU.
None of us who remember songs like "Savin' All My Love," and "I Will Always Love You," or "The Greatest Love of All" will ever forget THAT VOICE. Nor will we forget the hypnotic beauty of the young Whitney in "The Bodyguard," "The Preacher's Wife," and "Waiting to Exhale." Whitney Houston was simply mesmerizing!
But, in all those early years, I have to say that for me personally, I was never a hardcore Whitney fan. Oh, sure I got a chill when she hit that amazing high note in the 1991 Superbowl National Anthem. But down inside I wondered if these Whitney Houston Moments were just well-plannned arrangements and productions designed to showcase her amazing pipes and keep her the Superstar she had become. For me, the focus was always on Whitney. My thoughts were, "Wow! She's something else! What a voice and what a beauty!" But somehow she never really "connected" with me. I was never brought to tears thinking..."Yes, that's me! That's REAL."
Then Life happened. And now Whitney's back. Her voice is definitely different. Lower, weathered, a bit gritty even. But now Whitney has a MESSAGE! Now she truly IS "Every Woman." She's joined the Fellowship of the Broken and has come back stronger than ever. As I watched her sing the new Diane Warren song, "I Didn't Know My Own Strength," on the Oprah show this past week, she definitely CONNECTED with me. She was not "performing." She was "communicating" because this was her story. Her eyes, her hands, her face, her voice, and yes, her spirit -- all came together in an honesty that brought me to tears.
I'm no prophet, but I predict that if Whitney keeps doing what she's doing now, her best and most important work is yet to come. I'd rather hear and feel an honest MESSAGE than to listen to the vibration of a perfect set of vocal cords. Think about Joe Cocker singing, "You Are So Beautiful." Great voice? Heck no! But talk about communication! And message? Oh yes..."You Are So Beautiful" is and always will be Every Man's song to the woman he loves. And Every Woman loves that voice that sounds so raw, so authentic -- even when it cracks a bit with emotion at the end.
That's the kind of genuine passion that Whitney conveys now. She's been humbled by Life. She's walked out to the brink of despiar, but, thank God, she's come back from the edge and is still with us. Her past career may be over, but I believe her greatest impact has just begun.
What do you think?
Some say that she's lost the "national treasure" -- the voice of her youth -- due to her age, her addictions, or both. Others are simply die-hard Whitney fans and would love her if she croaked like a frog. Let me voice my never-to-be-humble opinion, and then I'd like to hear from YOU.
None of us who remember songs like "Savin' All My Love," and "I Will Always Love You," or "The Greatest Love of All" will ever forget THAT VOICE. Nor will we forget the hypnotic beauty of the young Whitney in "The Bodyguard," "The Preacher's Wife," and "Waiting to Exhale." Whitney Houston was simply mesmerizing!
But, in all those early years, I have to say that for me personally, I was never a hardcore Whitney fan. Oh, sure I got a chill when she hit that amazing high note in the 1991 Superbowl National Anthem. But down inside I wondered if these Whitney Houston Moments were just well-plannned arrangements and productions designed to showcase her amazing pipes and keep her the Superstar she had become. For me, the focus was always on Whitney. My thoughts were, "Wow! She's something else! What a voice and what a beauty!" But somehow she never really "connected" with me. I was never brought to tears thinking..."Yes, that's me! That's REAL."
Then Life happened. And now Whitney's back. Her voice is definitely different. Lower, weathered, a bit gritty even. But now Whitney has a MESSAGE! Now she truly IS "Every Woman." She's joined the Fellowship of the Broken and has come back stronger than ever. As I watched her sing the new Diane Warren song, "I Didn't Know My Own Strength," on the Oprah show this past week, she definitely CONNECTED with me. She was not "performing." She was "communicating" because this was her story. Her eyes, her hands, her face, her voice, and yes, her spirit -- all came together in an honesty that brought me to tears.
I'm no prophet, but I predict that if Whitney keeps doing what she's doing now, her best and most important work is yet to come. I'd rather hear and feel an honest MESSAGE than to listen to the vibration of a perfect set of vocal cords. Think about Joe Cocker singing, "You Are So Beautiful." Great voice? Heck no! But talk about communication! And message? Oh yes..."You Are So Beautiful" is and always will be Every Man's song to the woman he loves. And Every Woman loves that voice that sounds so raw, so authentic -- even when it cracks a bit with emotion at the end.
That's the kind of genuine passion that Whitney conveys now. She's been humbled by Life. She's walked out to the brink of despiar, but, thank God, she's come back from the edge and is still with us. Her past career may be over, but I believe her greatest impact has just begun.
What do you think?
Friday, September 11, 2009
Why We Do What We Do...
We music types are a strange and exotic lot! Although the "music biz" is probably one of the most illogical and financially unrewarding careers anyone could ever enter, we somehow keep at it despite the fact that the moniker, "starving artist," is even more literal these days. Just this week a fellow songwriter excitedly called to tell me he had received several hundred plays in Europe through one of the Internet radio streams...and had earned a total of $2.80 in downloads from his site. WOW!
Which brings us to the question, "Why do we keep doing this thing called music anyway?" Especially now when the entire industry has collapsed and no one knows what to do about it or where any of us will be when the dust settles.
I don't know about you, but over the years I have discovered that Music (with a capital M) is so much bigger than the "music (small m) business." Music is as much a part of our humanity as the Human Genome. It's the language that must express itself, whether in a slightly off-pitch 3-year-old version of "Twinkle Twinkle" or in a stunning symphonic arrangement that endures for centuries. And somehow, we all understand that language at a level that goes far deeper than the human mind can conceive.
Many Parkinson's patients, for instance, who find it hard to walk at all...can dance without a stumble when music plays. And the American Music Therapy Association states:
Music is a very basic human response, spanning all degrees of
ability/disability...The malleability of music makes it a medium
that can be adapted to meet the needs of each individual
And then we move to politics and world powers. Music (capital M) can move nations. When the New York Philharmonic Orchestra recently traveled to North Korea, the language of Music broke through the levees of hatred and prejudice and flooded the performance hall with a harmony that went far beyond the notes on the score.
Music is soul-to-soul connection unlike any other form of communication. When something you have written or played or sung touches the heart of someone else -- whether it's a lullaby that soothes a crying toddler, or a hit song that "makes the whole world sing" -- the connection IS the motivation. We who have a song in our hearts MUST express it or explode. I think that's why we do what we do? What do you think???
Let me hear from you....
Which brings us to the question, "Why do we keep doing this thing called music anyway?" Especially now when the entire industry has collapsed and no one knows what to do about it or where any of us will be when the dust settles.
I don't know about you, but over the years I have discovered that Music (with a capital M) is so much bigger than the "music (small m) business." Music is as much a part of our humanity as the Human Genome. It's the language that must express itself, whether in a slightly off-pitch 3-year-old version of "Twinkle Twinkle" or in a stunning symphonic arrangement that endures for centuries. And somehow, we all understand that language at a level that goes far deeper than the human mind can conceive.
Many Parkinson's patients, for instance, who find it hard to walk at all...can dance without a stumble when music plays. And the American Music Therapy Association states:
Music is a very basic human response, spanning all degrees of
ability/disability...The malleability of music makes it a medium
that can be adapted to meet the needs of each individual
And then we move to politics and world powers. Music (capital M) can move nations. When the New York Philharmonic Orchestra recently traveled to North Korea, the language of Music broke through the levees of hatred and prejudice and flooded the performance hall with a harmony that went far beyond the notes on the score.
Music is soul-to-soul connection unlike any other form of communication. When something you have written or played or sung touches the heart of someone else -- whether it's a lullaby that soothes a crying toddler, or a hit song that "makes the whole world sing" -- the connection IS the motivation. We who have a song in our hearts MUST express it or explode. I think that's why we do what we do? What do you think???
Let me hear from you....
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Welcome to My Blog
Hi Everybody:
Thanks for coming by to visit my new blog. I'm really excited to have this little corner of cyberspace to share with my fellow obsessive-compulsive songwriters, and I hope to hear back from many of you.
I've been haunting the Internet for over a decade now...showing up in e-zine articles like those on the Writers Write (http://www.writerswrite.com) or the Muses Muse (http://www.musesmuse.com).
You may have run into me through my Internet radio talk show, "I Write the Songs" (http://www.iwritethesongs.com) or through my Dallas-based umbrella company, CQK Music Group (http://www.cqkmusic.com). Perhaps you have even read my book, "How to Get Somewhere in the Music Business from Nowhere with Nothing" (http://www.fromnowherewithnothing.com) --or taken one of my songwriting courses at Southern Methodist University.
Whether we have ever "met" before or not, I hope you will return soon and frequently. I will post a new entry every week. Most of the time my thoughts will center around songs and the craft of songwriting, but I may -- from time to time -- wax a bit philosophical, or don my promotional hat and talk about ways we can find our way through this maze we call the Music Business to the Oasis of Success.
Wherever my sometimes scattered mind may lead, I am absolutely confident that I will NEVER run out of things to write about. Music is as infinite as the universe and as much of an adventure to explore. It is the language of the heart, and the heart is never empty of emotions. As Shakespeare so beautifully put it in Twelfth Night:
If music be the food of love, play on!
All Good Things to You,
Mary
Thanks for coming by to visit my new blog. I'm really excited to have this little corner of cyberspace to share with my fellow obsessive-compulsive songwriters, and I hope to hear back from many of you.
I've been haunting the Internet for over a decade now...showing up in e-zine articles like those on the Writers Write (http://www.writerswrite.com) or the Muses Muse (http://www.musesmuse.com).
You may have run into me through my Internet radio talk show, "I Write the Songs" (http://www.iwritethesongs.com) or through my Dallas-based umbrella company, CQK Music Group (http://www.cqkmusic.com). Perhaps you have even read my book, "How to Get Somewhere in the Music Business from Nowhere with Nothing" (http://www.fromnowherewithnothing.com) --or taken one of my songwriting courses at Southern Methodist University.
Whether we have ever "met" before or not, I hope you will return soon and frequently. I will post a new entry every week. Most of the time my thoughts will center around songs and the craft of songwriting, but I may -- from time to time -- wax a bit philosophical, or don my promotional hat and talk about ways we can find our way through this maze we call the Music Business to the Oasis of Success.
Wherever my sometimes scattered mind may lead, I am absolutely confident that I will NEVER run out of things to write about. Music is as infinite as the universe and as much of an adventure to explore. It is the language of the heart, and the heart is never empty of emotions. As Shakespeare so beautifully put it in Twelfth Night:
If music be the food of love, play on!
All Good Things to You,
Mary
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