Separating the Artist From The Art
Once a creation is released into the universe it exists as separate energy. And entity. The writer may own the copyright but the people own the feeling. It’s out there. You can’t put the genie back in the bottle.
Kacey’s RecLOVEry album
I can’t help but wonder whether artists create drama in order to have new material. Break-up to make-up. Make-up to break-up. Regardless, what speaks to me about Kacey Musgrave’s new release is the authentic detail and the stuff we discover as we drag ourselves through who-won-the-breakup. If the result of the break-up is an album this stellar I’d say Kacey won.
You Get Me
I co-wrote “You Get Me” for Michelle Branch's Spirit Room. ”My favorite thing about the lyrics,” says Michelle, “is…it was saying, ‘I’m different, and you embrace the differences in me, and I don't have to fit in the mold to be accepted by someone.’ I think that's a really important message for younger people.” I concur. It's true for older people as well! As we 'grow up' we definitely get more comfortable in our skin. But that 'wanting to be accepted' never fully disappears...
Top 50
I try to combine my old-school sensibilities with the realities of hit-making in the streaming-verse. We have to pay attention to what’s trending and then superimpose those trends with whatever makes us unique. If you want to be a Pop Songwriter study and respect the Top 50. You don’t have to like all the rules but you’ve got a learn them before you can break them.
Random Acts
I recently fell in love with the music of an artist oblivious to the fact that she was already in my life. What connected the dots was a random act of kindness (and a click) that lead to this unexpected surprise. Now, I don’t think we should entertain these random acts because we believe we’ll be rewarded. It is my view however, that when the Universe sees us dispensing kindness it conspires to extend it in many directions…but only if the Universe is sure that was never our expectation.
New York State Of Mind
Perhaps we manifest our destiny via an unconscious poetic plan. We have the power. When it’s in front of us is all fantasy but when it’s behind us it all starts to makes sense. ❣️
Leave It To Lorde
“Forget all the tears that you cried it’s over,” I think we know what she’s referring to… 🦠! But alas she might have spoken too soon. (So have many-a-TV ads ‘welcoming us back.’ ) That said, “It’s over” can be taken as any pre-summer-bummer worth moving on from. And “Solar Power” is a fun song to listen to as the backdrop!
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.
Memory Lane
I’m sure this must happen to you too: you get in your car … your phone talks to Bluetooth … a random song starts playing from iTunes. It sounds familiar. You’re trying to place it. When it gets to the hook you realize, “Hey I think I wrote that! Wow, it wasn’t half bad…for it’s time.” You smile. Do you keep listening? If you do, you’re gonna be there for a while especially if you’ve written as many songs as I have.
Catching Up With Eric Bazilian
My pal Eric Bazilian has a rich history in pop music making. From founding member of the Hooters to the sole author of Joan Osborne’s 4x Grammy nominated “One Of Us” — a groundbreaking 1995 smash that raised the bar for working songwriters everywhere — Eric is still putting himself out there.
Out From Under (His Eye)
When I wrote the lyrics to “Out From Under,” a track Britney Spears recorded for her 2008 album Circus, I was thinking about how we feel when we’re trying to get ‘out from under’ the influence of love. But after I heard Britney’s recent leaked testimony — about how her father has had control over all major aspects of her life and finances — it occurred to me that maybe what SHE was thinking about when she sang it was getting out from under the influence of him. That’s way worse than a broken heart.
Top 5 Pop Songs Ever
Beloved songs are like chips in our souls that embed themselves and stay with us forever. I guess it’s a good problem there are too many. I betcha can’t name just 5.
So You Want To Start A Blog
Blog. I hate the word. It sounds like “blah” which is synonymous with boring. Or worse — “blah blah blah” — a monotonous drone (of someone’s personal predilections perhaps). It also rhymes with clog which reminds me of congestion. I wish they called it something else. But if you believe the way you see the world is worth sharing, if you feel you have a unique slant on things even if it’s not popular or hip, forget about what the word evokes. Be brave and and go for it.
Eurovision
I was never a huge fan of TV Talent competitions. Maybe I know too much about what goes on behind the scenes — unfavorable contracts, song ownership grabs — or maybe it just feels like ‘how did we get here from there’? Would Dylan or Carole King have gotten a Golden Ticket? I doubt it. Not enough melisma. That said, I’m pleased about this win.
Love Is War
It was 2010. Britney Spears was making a new album. I felt like I had some momentum because she recorded another song I wrote “Out From Under” for her previous album Circus. Songwriters all over town were partnering up and trying to come up with something undeniably Britney. One night I sat down at the piano with a glass of wine. I closed my eyes and tried to imagine what the girl had been through. How might she feel if she were STILL trying to get over Justin? I didn’t know for sure that’s where her head (and heart) was at. But you have to start somewhere.
More Today Than Yesterday
I’ve sadly (and gratefully) gotten used to you not being here. Isn’t that what we wait for when we lose somebody — to get used to it? It’s the only way we can get on with our lives. It’s just that the older I get the more questions I have.
Appreciating Josh Groban
I was perplexed. Josh Groban was a curious choice to be the special guest speaker for an all-woman week-long songwriting seminar I participated in recently. He certainly has a golden voice and I hear he’s a lovely human but couldn’t they have found someone with lady parts? There are loads of them out there. 😳
Happy Travels
I don’t know about you but for me re-entering a not-so-post COVID world comes with some re-acclimation anxiety. I’ve never been anxious in my life. I am anxious now. My local KCRW broadcasts a daily gentle reminder that COVID has made us ALL anxious. I’ll say!
#PAY$ONGWRITERS!
We were always underpaid. It’s just there was enough flowing down from the top of the waterfall so our time was better spent trying to write another song that would catapult us to the top. But when the invisible stream came along and hijacked our mechanical (physical) royalties we weren’t able to sustain ourselves any longer. The rumble of discontent has grown into a deafening roar. I’m happy to report there are quite a few initiatives circling the zeitgeist to effect change.
