Post GRAMMY Musings
It was a long week. There were more pre-GRAMMY parties than ever before. I pace myself these days. That said, I had a better time than I used to. I no longer feel like I have anything to prove. I don’t ask colleagues what they have coming out but rather ‘what’s been keeping them busy.’ Because, let’s face it…a lot of people don’t have anything coming out. It’s not like it’s the 90s when songwriters had 2 dozen cuts a year.
What Was I Made For
Greta Gerwig could have chosen a funnier song or a poppier song or certainly a song that propelled us to the dance floor. Many other directors would have. But instead she tapped the right writers and got “What Was I Made For.” I applaud Billie Eilish and her talented sibling Finneas for the melancholy approach and Greta Gerwig for not trying to steer them in a safer happier direction.
I’ve Been Thinking About Taylor
My family has sat around many-a-dinner-table with friends of all ages deliberating Ms. Swift. Her sharp marketing calculations. Her social media game. Her ticket sales. Whether she’s as big as the Beatles? (No!) Was it mean to invite Sabrina Carpenter to open for her after the Olivia Rodrigo debacle? Her ability to put her finger on the heartbeat of the young woman experience. Love her, hate her or ambivalent, one can’t argue that she’s a cultural icon who has the power to influence the course of the country. ❤️
Gregg
We lost another soldier — my friend and so many of yours — Gregg Sutton. When I met him in the 90s Gregg schooled me. He showed me the ropes. He pulled me out of the safety of my tidy world. He was sloppy. Dangerous. I was his passenger. It was such a good ride. I will miss you beyond words.
Play It Back
A few weeks ago songwriter goddess (and friend) Lauren Christy asked me if I would participate in the Teen Cancer America Play It Back Music Program. We’d spend the day with a handful of adolescent and young adult cancer patients and survivors and … write songs. I imagine that if you were diagnosed with cancer as a child you might wonder if it was your fault. It might change your whole orientation to the world. To friends. To family. You don’t sweat the small stuff? You cherish every sunrise and sunset? So who’s mentoring who?
Used To Be Young
I love Miley’s low range. Her dirty gravelly tone. I love that she doesn’t have to incorporate melisma-for-days to prove she’s a diva. I love that she’s an artist who’s comfortable with mistakes, vulnerability and growth. Selfishly, I hope she keeps on growing.
I Think About You Daily
“I Think About You Daily” is a 6 minute drunk text with major 7ths about the passage of time and the people (or person) we leave behind. Chrissie Hynde is into telling it like she is…always has been. Plus, she’s older. Less to lose. Less to prove. Then again…she never really grew up entirely. I think that’s the secret. She still crushes and regrets and loves again for the first time. 🎸
Sweet Dreams (are made of this)
Every song has a story. It blows my mind that one minute there’s nothing and then — there is. It’s a body of energy that didn’t exist the day before. I go to a session with absolutely no idea what I’ll be coming home with. A gift. A surprise. A promise. A miracle.
Daisy Jones & The Six
It may not be songwriter porn but Daisy allowed me my nostalgia. It’s not that I don’t look forward; I do. And I still have quite a fertile creative life. But you only come up once. And those definitely were the days. They were MY days. Most of us made fools (and some of us legends) of ourselves on the path to discovering who we were (or weren’t), rather than chasing algorithms and blending in. There was no roadmap.
Let’s Talk About Songwriting
You can never capture a feeling as clearly as you can in the moment you’re having it. So write it down ASAP. Or really SOON! Feelings and memories get clouded in the fog of time. And clouded by how we keep re-telling a story to ourselves. (But those are songs too.) (All of them.)
Paul 3,2,1
Looking back, Paul realizes that he himself is a fan of the Beatles. What a beautiful place to be in the back half of ones life. So many of us look over our shoulder with regret or wish for do-overs.
Speaking in Lyrics
We songwriters speak in tongues. And our partners need to be ready. My antennae have learned to pick up (or overhear) anything that’s lyric worthy. On supermarket lines, newscasts, snippets of gossip from teenagers walking by me on the street. It’s the stuff that emerges from every-day conversation that doesn’t always come as naturally when formally summoned. Grande latte please.
Minding Your Songwriter Business
Every so often I take a break from writing about me me me to give a heads- up on initiatives that you you you should be aware of if you’re a professional songwriter or plan to be one some day. After all being a consumer of digitally delivered music is awesome but getting paid for CREATING digitally delivered music is a bit more complicated. This piece will help you get ready for 2021.
Songwriter (Sadly) For Hire
“Topliners” have been doing it for years…without any guilt or second thought. I held my ears. I didn’t want to admit it was something we have to consider: Charging for sessions. It makes me sad. But not sadder than how I feel when I’m the only one in the room not getting paid.
It Takes A Village To Make A Record
Everyone has a village. Take a deep breath and think about who yours is. Hopefully you have a bit of savings to pay for what you can’t do yourself. Or you can offer a service you’re expert at in exchange for something about which you’re clueless. But reach out. Ask for help. You may be pleasantly surprised at who steps up.
Truth Hurts
"Truth Hurts" came under fire recently when a British singer claimed that Lizzo lifted the first attention grabbing line from one of her tweets. But times have changed. It’s a bold new viral world out there. So is a tweet copyrightable?
Songwriters: Where Are You?
Nobody stays on top forever. That’s why they call it “15 Minutes.” And when your shelf-life has diminished you might wish you did something about the future of your bank account back when you had the chance to change the system. So when the younger gens have taken over you’ll have savings. And you can stay in your house. Perhaps even buy another.
