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.

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?