SETTING THE BAR

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!