tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10603713622647561242024-02-20T22:42:36.293-08:00SongvilleWords. Music. Rhymes. Reasons. Craft. Inspiration.
The Good Stuff.Carolyn Arendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02425011303916760605noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060371362264756124.post-38278387984436060392010-01-26T10:39:00.000-08:002010-01-26T10:41:14.309-08:00Songs as Hopeful Defiance<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnCagboAkaq2pT1NmZ-gVDwklNJTDF7fZXeo3LIg3jy1Xlb6zRz-ctiboqsCUMEJ6-xe1ys9DZMFzC-2KFSWm2WUGjKUzma9auFWL7qgiTnnT_z5kC0sLay6-vx8LO5CCXVHk85ldgmXM/s1600-h/Jon-Foreman-g02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnCagboAkaq2pT1NmZ-gVDwklNJTDF7fZXeo3LIg3jy1Xlb6zRz-ctiboqsCUMEJ6-xe1ys9DZMFzC-2KFSWm2WUGjKUzma9auFWL7qgiTnnT_z5kC0sLay6-vx8LO5CCXVHk85ldgmXM/s320/Jon-Foreman-g02.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>I commend to you this <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jon-foreman/whats-in-a-word_b_423969.html">Huffington Post blogpost from Jonathan Foreman</a> (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fentity%2FSwitchfoot%2FB000APARS0%3Fie%3DUTF8%26ref_%3Dsr%255Ftc%255F2%255F0%26qid%3D1264531036%26sr%3D8-2-ent&tag=fee03-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957">Switchfoot</a>) about the power of words.<br />
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Here are some highlights:<br />
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"<b>To create is to cosign the Maker's checks.</b> ... The artist is a bridge between despair and hope. The artist, more than anyone else is responsible for the re-creation, re-definition and re-thinking the world around us. Every poem, every song, every painting has tremendous possibility. Each of these creations could be a letter of resignation to The World That Is or a window into The World That Is Not. Each poem/painting/song could be a vehicle to a new reality, one in which the artist plays a part no matter how small. The artist paints a world into existence. The canvas, the paint, the brush--these known quantities of existence and reality are tools for stepping into the unknown. The notes of the song are a bridge from what is to what is not yet"<br />
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The <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jon-foreman/whats-in-a-word_b_423969.html">whole thing</a> is worth a read -- take it in and write it out!<br />
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With hope,<br />
CarolynCarolyn Arendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02425011303916760605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060371362264756124.post-42730509730277079672010-01-14T14:27:00.000-08:002010-01-14T14:49:27.721-08:00Procrastination - The Songwriter's Nemesis<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyXJBJuy9OGNTFOSuU1q-IYQFIg5db6UxyjL-RPyha341eNxoOX6b0yUXm0QBsW2w-B1maqoKzyxXFRI654DNE9486v4dJ-B5096YiwQ7FdcsQEf1wABHZK5sltsdxMVmeHRCSr-RyRx8/s1600-h/PJ+O%27Rourke+photo+-+credit+James+Kegley-72dpi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyXJBJuy9OGNTFOSuU1q-IYQFIg5db6UxyjL-RPyha341eNxoOX6b0yUXm0QBsW2w-B1maqoKzyxXFRI654DNE9486v4dJ-B5096YiwQ7FdcsQEf1wABHZK5sltsdxMVmeHRCSr-RyRx8/s200/PJ+O%27Rourke+photo+-+credit+James+Kegley-72dpi.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>I loved this from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fentity%2FP.-J.-ORourke%2FB000AP7YYU%3Fie%3DUTF8%26ref_%3Dntt%255Fathr%255Fdp%255Fpel%255F1&tag=fee03-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957">P.J. O'Rourke</a>; I think it applies rather well to most songwriters I know (present company most definitely included.)<br />
<blockquote>Usually, writers will do anything to avoid writing. For instance, the previous sentence was written at one o’clock this afternoon. It is now a quarter to four. I have spent the past two hours and forty-five minutes sorting my neckties by width, looking up the word “paisly” in three dictionaries, attempting to find the town of that name on <i>The New York Times Atlas of the World</i> map of Scotland, sorting my reference books by width, trying to get the bookcase to stop wobbling by stuffing a matchbook cover under its corner, dialing the telephone number on the matchbook cover to see if I should take computer courses at night, looking at the computer ads in the newspaper and deciding to buy a computer because writing seems to be so difficult on my old Remington, reading an interesting article on sorghum farming in Uruguay that was in the newspaper next to the computer ads, cutting that and other interesting articles out of the newspaper, sorting—by width—all the interesting articles I’ve cut out of newspapers recently, fastening them neatly together with paper clips and making a very attractive paper clip necklace and bracelet set, which I will present to my girlfriend as soon as she comes home from the three-hour low-impact aerobic workout that I made her go to so I could have some time alone to write.” <br />
</blockquote><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fentity%2FP.-J.-ORourke%2FB000AP7YYU%3Fie%3DUTF8%26ref_%3Dntt%255Fathr%255Fdp%255Fpel%255F1&tag=fee03-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957">P.J. O'Rourke</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=fee03-20&l=ur2&o=1" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" /><br />
<span style="color: black;">The Wit and Wisdom of P. J. O’Rourke</span></span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 14pt;"><i><span style="color: black;">Does this ring a bell for anyone else or is it just me? </span></i><o:p></o:p></span><br />
</div></div>Carolyn Arendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02425011303916760605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060371362264756124.post-78057497637086989952010-01-12T12:11:00.000-08:002010-01-12T12:13:44.307-08:00SONGVILLE SAYS (Great Quote #22 - Steve Bell)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Q5obumCRCVg5VLIfqBwO7AF-a_ZeJWYv3gw90UwJyw9haCHJbo-Aq40oSZietMsl2u1ldQIgJ56pjR1GQuggsgkqWEQFwhViyB1ETdqsLjwOudbQ9qLkOZBAO-qY7fNwlYkVkINorrg/s1600-h/steve-bell-solo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Q5obumCRCVg5VLIfqBwO7AF-a_ZeJWYv3gw90UwJyw9haCHJbo-Aq40oSZietMsl2u1ldQIgJ56pjR1GQuggsgkqWEQFwhViyB1ETdqsLjwOudbQ9qLkOZBAO-qY7fNwlYkVkINorrg/s320/steve-bell-solo.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><span id="profile_status"> </span><span id="profile_status">"</span>Songs remain a mystery and a miracle for me. Vocationally, I can’t think of a single thing I’d rather contribute to the world. Songs often know things the writer doesn’t even know. They accomplish things that mere mortals are unable to accomplish. They delight, remember, provoke, entertain, gladden, sadden, enflame, enrage, soothe, heal… The best songs outlive their authors and have an independent existence and purpose. These are the ones every song writer hopes to write<span id="profile_status">."<br />
- <a href="http://www.feedthelakestore.com/christian-artists/artists-a-h/steve-bell/">Steve Bell</a><br />
(<a href="http://stevebell.com/2010/01/here-comes-the-new-year/">taken from Steve's Great "Happy New Year" blog post</a>)<br />
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<a href="http://songville.blogspot.com/2009/07/songville-says-great-quote-20-robert.html">previous quote</a><br />
</span>Carolyn Arendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02425011303916760605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060371362264756124.post-63752241797884245312009-09-14T13:32:00.001-07:002009-09-14T13:44:47.713-07:00Daily Routines<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwT2xsKQ9IaU3Mp12vWphqZyNsyIcKPXW-QRigSQfJpC68Pd5bEOCj11Wq2pyWAaV1pVJjSXGVWSpjFd0-oPbxND3HZugfsIBBK3l3XB3TGwdunTWUhRvaHWNIYeVzMDCWBTJjxE-Tl5I/s1600-h/daybook1det.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 230px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwT2xsKQ9IaU3Mp12vWphqZyNsyIcKPXW-QRigSQfJpC68Pd5bEOCj11Wq2pyWAaV1pVJjSXGVWSpjFd0-oPbxND3HZugfsIBBK3l3XB3TGwdunTWUhRvaHWNIYeVzMDCWBTJjxE-Tl5I/s320/daybook1det.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381426672159029618" border="0" /></a>Check out this great site for the daily routines of famous creative types:<br /><br />http://dailyroutines.typepad.com/<br /><br />It's intriguing to note how many prolific writers have religiously observed rituals. Got any?Carolyn Arendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02425011303916760605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060371362264756124.post-71077075071694935332009-07-18T21:18:00.000-07:002010-01-12T12:13:17.302-08:00SONGVILLE SAYS (Great Quote #21 - Robert Schumann)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyvpW42cgxZhkIHd4vq-4aE8cTXV5wMVrkxvlsky25iavKl9Nm4BLtHp5p0uz74IEaNOabDmdXr4m3JsAx8DrWfrzxy_rAcA5brDfhwXMPaeDCmGoCkvIVQjuDO3W19extMawrEGfNgLk/s1600-h/robert-schumann.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360021738479228274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyvpW42cgxZhkIHd4vq-4aE8cTXV5wMVrkxvlsky25iavKl9Nm4BLtHp5p0uz74IEaNOabDmdXr4m3JsAx8DrWfrzxy_rAcA5brDfhwXMPaeDCmGoCkvIVQjuDO3W19extMawrEGfNgLk/s320/robert-schumann.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 244px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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"To compose music, all you have to do is remember a tune that nobody else has thought of."<br />
- <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000014HD?ie=UTF8&tag=fee03-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0000014HD">Robert Schumann</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=fee03-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0000014HD" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" /><br />
(thanks to Glenn Teal)<br />
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<a href="http://songville.blogspot.com/2009/06/songville-says-great-quote-20-anton.html">previous quote</a></span><br />
<span id="profile_status"><a href="http://songville.blogspot.com/2010/01/songville-says-great-quote-22-steve.html">next quote </a><br />
</span>Carolyn Arendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02425011303916760605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060371362264756124.post-89908044303824070622009-06-18T11:15:00.000-07:002009-07-18T21:28:11.555-07:00SONGVILLE SAYS (Great Quote #20 - Anton Chekhov)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7LgX4VcEcaQfi8Um-C1ylv5fW1Rrb-BqBvC3YmTBtsLtxPj4AP3GVqwUdKWtkHlMKS1Yv-FkC4uKK05s-8sZkp-zU8RSRGcCWrn-GDKZ1Qo1qgLy3ZEZFetUM2bg_ZIYEDjhhP_YoVKE/s1600-h/chekhov.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 226px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7LgX4VcEcaQfi8Um-C1ylv5fW1Rrb-BqBvC3YmTBtsLtxPj4AP3GVqwUdKWtkHlMKS1Yv-FkC4uKK05s-8sZkp-zU8RSRGcCWrn-GDKZ1Qo1qgLy3ZEZFetUM2bg_ZIYEDjhhP_YoVKE/s320/chekhov.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348734578967406402" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">"Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass."<br />- <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%3Fie%3DUTF8%26x%3D0%26ref%255F%3Dnb%255Fss%255Fgw%26y%3D0%26field-keywords%3Danton%2520chekhov%26url%3Dsearch-alias%253Daps&tag=fee03-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957">Anton Chekhov</a><img src="https://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=fee03-20&l=ur2&o=1" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" /></span><br /><br /><a href="http://songville.blogspot.com/2009/06/songville-says-great-quote-19-isaac.html">previous quote</a><br /><a href="http://songville.blogspot.com/2009/07/songville-says-great-quote-20-robert.html">next quote</a>Carolyn Arendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02425011303916760605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060371362264756124.post-55674814117498387022009-06-16T11:16:00.000-07:002009-06-18T11:23:30.474-07:00SONGVILLE SAYS (Great Quote #19 - Isaac Bashevis Singer)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Pp-myNmVK53xDjfxwaMINl0TU1FTFjOY5tJTbV_GqkPx8KoOh_jpbeHx1RbJjs-QbfoF6Bx2woSZJ74JUKxe8JnDeIxaupAJPlo3_VoetHGyNRXea4AJVaBCGs0YwKWMX5wkL3qgGZQ/s1600-h/Isinger1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 237px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Pp-myNmVK53xDjfxwaMINl0TU1FTFjOY5tJTbV_GqkPx8KoOh_jpbeHx1RbJjs-QbfoF6Bx2woSZJ74JUKxe8JnDeIxaupAJPlo3_VoetHGyNRXea4AJVaBCGs0YwKWMX5wkL3qgGZQ/s320/Isinger1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347991888605831986" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:georgia,bookman old style,palatino linotype,book antiqua,palatino,trebuchet ms,helvetica,garamond,sans-serif,arial,verdana,avante garde,century gothic,comic sans ms,times,times new roman,serif;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />"The wastebasket is a writer's best friend."<br />- <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fentity%2FIsaac-Bashevis-Singer%2FB000APUZJQ%3Fie%3DUTF8%26ref%255F%3Dep%255Fsprkl%255Fat%255FB000APUZJQ&tag=fee03-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957">Isaac Bashevis Singer</a><img src="https://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=fee03-20&l=ur2&o=1" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://songville.blogspot.com/2009/06/songville-says-great-quote-18-colin.html">previous quote</a><br /><a href="http://songville.blogspot.com/2009/06/songville-says-great-quote-20-anton.html">next quote</a><br /></span></span></span>Carolyn Arendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02425011303916760605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060371362264756124.post-30793571537349413502009-06-08T18:14:00.000-07:002009-06-16T11:25:09.963-07:00SONGVILLE SAYS (Great Quote #18 - Colin Linden Again!)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil0kKNt-q_hsgTYAaEQRNL8sdPdxbLz-e3gOMmskEXIERmVFY2vQtYTcvA_Qb91RG2pUs6XG7HoBHRc0RuyZHjM_HCT95GXhwp5jdiBY0y3kdtqiYYwuoJGteT8_xlgwHAiyHjBoXODmQ/s1600-h/1118990983_aed761ef86.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 229px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil0kKNt-q_hsgTYAaEQRNL8sdPdxbLz-e3gOMmskEXIERmVFY2vQtYTcvA_Qb91RG2pUs6XG7HoBHRc0RuyZHjM_HCT95GXhwp5jdiBY0y3kdtqiYYwuoJGteT8_xlgwHAiyHjBoXODmQ/s320/1118990983_aed761ef86.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345134756160732450" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">"[Toronto Producer] Terry Brown, a very wise man, gave me some great advice about 20 years ago, when I was confused and discouraged. He said, 'If you hang around and keep doing good work, the odds do improve.' A lot of the particulars in the music business have changed, but that bit of advice has remained true."<br />- <a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%3Fie%3DUTF8%26x%3D0%26ref%255F%3Dnb%255Fss%255Fgw%26y%3D0%26field-keywords%3Dcolin%2520linden%26url%3Dsearch-alias%253Daps&tag=fee03-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957%22%3EColin%20Linden%3C/a%3E%3Cimg%20src=%22https://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=fee03-20&l=ur2&o=1%22%20width=%221%22%20height=%221%22%20border=%220%22%20alt=%22%22%20style=%22border:none%20%21important;%20margin:0px%20%21important;%22%20/%3E">Colin Linden</a></span><br />(quoted in Songwriters Magazine)<br /><br /><a href="http://songville.blogspot.com/2009/06/songville-says-great-quote-17-colin.html">previous quote</a><br /><a href="http://songville.blogspot.com/2009/06/songville-says-great-quote-19-isaac.html">next quote</a>Carolyn Arendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02425011303916760605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060371362264756124.post-47486165749643053102009-06-08T18:02:00.000-07:002009-06-09T17:41:50.300-07:00SONGVILLE SAYS (Great Quote #17 - Colin Linden)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlWQpFK2BYt1kcso0oK6TealdvGo0VCFnFtJQL-VENjkUrh8V0QtOtEwTPoYlPZL0bh7-DYPTo7kQpga4Zrnj5AXxseOelieTiIo3f6yaQll9ac18O0yfcLKpnLxAJePDna34nBV8tS0U/s1600-h/Colin+Linden+Publicity+Photo.Jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 161px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlWQpFK2BYt1kcso0oK6TealdvGo0VCFnFtJQL-VENjkUrh8V0QtOtEwTPoYlPZL0bh7-DYPTo7kQpga4Zrnj5AXxseOelieTiIo3f6yaQll9ac18O0yfcLKpnLxAJePDna34nBV8tS0U/s200/Colin+Linden+Publicity+Photo.Jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345128649695708338" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;">"Most times you don't write the song, the song writes you."<br />- <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%3Fie%3DUTF8%26x%3D0%26ref%255F%3Dnb%255Fss%255Fgw%26y%3D0%26field-keywords%3Dcolin%2520linden%26url%3Dsearch-alias%253Daps&tag=fee03-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957">Colin Linden</a><img src="https://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=fee03-20&l=ur2&o=1" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" /></span><br />(quoted in Songwriters Magazine)<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="http://songville.blogspot.com/2009/05/songville-says-great-quote-16-nick-lowe.html">previous quote</a><br /><a href="http://songville.blogspot.com/2009/06/songville-says-great-quote-18-colin.html">next quote</a><br /></span>Carolyn Arendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02425011303916760605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060371362264756124.post-14149755101322570312009-05-25T12:35:00.000-07:002009-06-08T18:13:57.244-07:00SONGVILLE SAYS (Great Quote #16 - Nick Lowe)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK5btJv7Xf6QU3l64zF3yn4GsaAxRdU5nNZJKZA6YfWCSLdpjeqwGRs5eAzfZa_s_SyYDZV8hyphenhyphenArz-m0V76i-_mis-7voKKuJANo4k_Bi-bC4arneiW8XsTA4qmS7pPVXvv3IDoY9o7KQ/s1600-h/nicklowe.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK5btJv7Xf6QU3l64zF3yn4GsaAxRdU5nNZJKZA6YfWCSLdpjeqwGRs5eAzfZa_s_SyYDZV8hyphenhyphenArz-m0V76i-_mis-7voKKuJANo4k_Bi-bC4arneiW8XsTA4qmS7pPVXvv3IDoY9o7KQ/s200/nicklowe.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339920302101008194" border="0" /></a><br />"… I hadn’t been writing songs very long and, like everybody else who starts out doing anything creative, you start off plundering your heroes’ style and catalogue. When you’ve exhausted that, you move on to somebody else and do the same thing with them, and the day comes when you’re rewriting your latest hero’s works, and you put in a little bit of the first guy’s thing that you ripped off, a middle eight, or a bridge, and as it goes on you include more and more of these bits and pieces that you’ve ripped off, until, suddenly, you haven’t ripped them off at all. They’ve actually become your style. And then all you need is a good idea. And then you really are in business. I remember having this idea—“What’s So Funny About Peace, Love and Understanding”—and almost falling over in astonishment that I hadn’t heard this before, that it really was an original notion.<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);">"</span><br />- <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%3Fie%3DUTF8%26x%3D9%26ref%255F%3Dnb%255Fss%255Fgw%26y%3D13%26field-keywords%3Dnick%2520lowe%26url%3Dsearch-alias%253Dpopular&tag=fee03-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957">Nick Lowe</a><img src="https://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=fee03-20&l=ur2&o=1" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" /><br />(Thanks to Mike Turitzen's excellent <a href="http://www.miketuritzin.com/songwriting/2009/05/nick-lowe/">The Songwriting Process</a> Site for discovering this quote in Vanity Fair)<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://songville.blogspot.com/2009/01/songville-says-great-quote-15-bono.html">previous quote</a><br /><a href="http://songville.blogspot.com/2009/06/songville-says-great-quote-17-colin.html">next quote</a></span></span><em style="font-family: arial; font-style: italic;"></em>Carolyn Arendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02425011303916760605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060371362264756124.post-54607322469534390592009-05-20T17:52:00.000-07:002009-05-20T20:54:54.527-07:00Jonathan Coulton Demonstrates Super Cool Lyric TechniqueOne of Songville's fine neighbours, <a href="http://spencercapier.com/">Spencer Capier</a>, just sent me this video for "The Future Soon" by <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001N3HJRU?ie=UTF8&tag=fee03-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B001N3HJRU">Jonathan Coulton</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=fee03-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B001N3HJRU" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" />. The song is a quirky and charming piece of writing, and it happens to illustrate a secret lyrical weapon that's hard to explain but can really make a song flow.<br /><br />In each verse of this song, certain lines end in words that rhyme with the previous line, but then flow on to another word. It gives the song a wink and a roll that it wouldn't otherwise have. Check it out and consider putting this particular tool (or some variation of it) in your lyrical toolkit.<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/RFoYNVp6k8A&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/RFoYNVp6k8A&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />Pay special attention to these lyrics:<br /><br />Excerpts from The Future Now (Jonathan Coulton)<br /><br />Verse 1:<br /><br />Last week I left a note on Laura's <span style="font-weight: bold;">desk</span><br />It said I love you signed anony<span style="font-weight: bold;">mous</span> friend<br />Turns out she's smarter than I thought she <span style="font-weight: bold;">was</span><br />She knows I wrote it, now the whole class <span style="font-weight: bold;">does</span> too ...<br /><br />Verse 2:<br />I'll end world hunger I'll make dolphins <span style="font-weight: bold;">speak</span><br />Work through the daytime, spend my nights and <span style="font-weight: bold;">week</span>ends ...<br /><br />Verse 3:<br />I'll see her standing by the monorail<br />She'll look the same except for bionic eyes<br />She lost the real ones in the robot <span style="font-weight: bold;">wars</span><br />I'll say I'm sorry, she'll say it's not <span style="font-weight: bold;">your</span> fault<br />Or is it?<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">See what we mean? Do you have any other examples of this technique? </span>Carolyn Arendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02425011303916760605noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060371362264756124.post-12769413969953943992009-04-02T16:13:00.000-07:002009-04-04T09:19:38.143-07:00Write Better Lyrics #6: Is Your Lyric Passive Where it Could Be Active?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVJGRvPI-scWaTmg3m_CoGptcqgvpsWhmZzv3lpCxHyEJ5ZPDIOR9kQL9QAY2BeGRkbFxzM24lMfSOgpO4203efw_ffB2QTw1jPhJQV90YW3-zrD6bISPLNC15vQrORblXpDxi-2ha-v8/s1600-h/lights-camera-action1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVJGRvPI-scWaTmg3m_CoGptcqgvpsWhmZzv3lpCxHyEJ5ZPDIOR9kQL9QAY2BeGRkbFxzM24lMfSOgpO4203efw_ffB2QTw1jPhJQV90YW3-zrD6bISPLNC15vQrORblXpDxi-2ha-v8/s320/lights-camera-action1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320245544710665218" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;"></span>It's been pretty quiet around here lately -- the Mayor of Songville has been preoccupied with sick family members. However, we're back and open for business and ready to ask our 6th Important Lyric Question. Thanks for your patience!<br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>In our <a href="http://songville.blogspot.com/2008/09/lyric-question-no-1.html">Write Better Lyrics Series</a>, we've been talking about key questions to ask of your lyrics to take them to the next level. So far we've looked at making sure that your <a href="http://songville.blogspot.com/2008/09/lyric-question-no-1.html">SUBJECT MATTER MATTERS</a>, that your lyric has the power that comes from <a href="http://songville.blogspot.com/2008/10/write-better-lyrics-is-your-lyric.html">SIMPLICITY AND PURITY</a>, that you are using <a href="http://songville.blogspot.com/2008/10/write-better-lyrics-3-is-your-lyric.html">SPECIFIC IMAGES</a> that are <a href="http://songville.blogspot.com/2008/10/write-better-lyrics-is-your-lyric_13.html">HIGHLY RELATABLE</a>, and that you represent <a href="http://songville.blogspot.com/2008/10/write-better-lyrics-5-is-your-lyric.html">ABSTRACT IDEAS WITH AS MANY CONCRETE ELEMENTS AS POSSIBLE</a>.<br /><br /><br />We are now ready to ask Lyric Question No. 6:<br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">IS YOUR LYRIC PASSIVE WHERE IT COULD BE ACTIVE?<br /><br /></span>We've been talking about the fact that the way a listener is engaged in your song is through the imagination. The imagination is a stimulus-response mechanism; when it hears a lyrical cue (the stimulus) it searches through a bank of remembered experiences to respond with a corresponding image. We've already noted that specific, concrete images spark the imagination most strongly. But there is an additional factor. As a general rule, the more ACTION involved in an image, the more vividly it engages the imagination.<br /><br />Those of you writing in a worship genre should pay special attention to how biblical writers tapped into the human need for action. "Praise God" becomes "Raise your hands!" or "Fall on your face!" or "Shout for joy!" or "Dance in His presence!" Think about the concrete, specific, <span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">active </span>images employed for spiritual devotion: Moses' buddies holding up his arms so he can keep them outstretched to the heavens, the Israelites pouring out water to symbolize their repentance, Joshua and his crew marching round and round the city walls. Now THAT'S good writing.<br /><br />So, your song is finished, and it's not bad, but it's just sort of lying there. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Go through the entire lyric and search for places where you can replace passive images with active ones.</span> "Falling on your knees" before a mystery is better than "contemplating" a mystery. "Going" in circles is weaker than "running" or "crawling" in them. If you've got a whole verse of exposition, see if you can't replace a line or two with some good, vivid verb-laden action. Your listeners will thank you for it by listening.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Next Post in This Series: Lyric Question No. 7. Bookmark or subscribe to Songville to make sure you don't miss it!</span></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span></span>Carolyn Arendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02425011303916760605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060371362264756124.post-42219152816769496482009-01-02T10:54:00.000-08:002009-05-25T17:19:05.729-07:00SONGVILLE SAYS (Great Quote #15) - Bono<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx5HVw4mg5qledhiIDAegX8mUYx1TldMtDYR_avosIztc6l5wvWacc4IBXYTXldnVoZV-VvmXjNBqebEGuDqTYDR913OpGjUu8sdfz25rYFgEEdmfm9wYjpAq4b6vnzQsVkh3WNdTN188/s1600-h/bono-picture-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 154px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx5HVw4mg5qledhiIDAegX8mUYx1TldMtDYR_avosIztc6l5wvWacc4IBXYTXldnVoZV-VvmXjNBqebEGuDqTYDR913OpGjUu8sdfz25rYFgEEdmfm9wYjpAq4b6vnzQsVkh3WNdTN188/s200/bono-picture-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286773757848243490" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);">"You can have 1000 ideas, but unless you capture an emotion, it's an essay."</span><br />- <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%3Fie%3DUTF8%26x%3D12%26ref%255F%3Dnb%255Fss%255Fgw%26y%3D18%26field-keywords%3DU2%26url%3Dsearch-alias%253Dpopular&tag=fee03-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957">Bono</a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(Thanks to <a href="http://pilgrimsongs.blogspot.com/">Greg Norlin</a> for the quote!)</span><img src="https://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=fee03-20&l=ur2&o=1" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://songville.blogspot.com/2008/11/songville-says-great-quote-14-guthrie.html"><span style="font-size:130%;">previous quote</span></a><br /><a href="http://songville.blogspot.com/2009/05/songville-says-great-quote-16-nick-lowe.html">next quote</a><br /></span>Carolyn Arendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02425011303916760605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060371362264756124.post-1324328417304109062008-11-21T10:09:00.000-08:002009-01-02T11:06:18.211-08:00SONGVILLE SAYS (Great Quote #14) - Guthrie<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVlZ-kUVXQfauzhdXNG3LeDfzOKW8c6R_4VHhUmIPz-aB98nU1R9uDZLHvU0wMWj8DtF8vV4AvrZ3bty4y3ddhNP0Xg1W39Tf719EzKrRdcsHh46qBK5KbolZz7hmCWAqMBWaCuQ8fiik/s1600-h/Woody_Guthrie_NYWTS.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 159px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVlZ-kUVXQfauzhdXNG3LeDfzOKW8c6R_4VHhUmIPz-aB98nU1R9uDZLHvU0wMWj8DtF8vV4AvrZ3bty4y3ddhNP0Xg1W39Tf719EzKrRdcsHh46qBK5KbolZz7hmCWAqMBWaCuQ8fiik/s200/Woody_Guthrie_NYWTS.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271176848996181314" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);">"A folk song is what's wrong and how to fix it or it could be who's hungry and where their mouth is or who's out of work and where the job is or who's broke and where the money is or who's carrying a gun and where the peace is."</span><br />- <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%3Fie%3DUTF8%26x%3D0%26ref%255F%3Dnb%255Fss%255Fgw%26y%3D0%26field-keywords%3Dwoody%2520guthrie%26url%3Dsearch-alias%253Daps&tag=fee03-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957">Woody Guthrie</a><img src="https://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=fee03-20&l=ur2&o=1" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" /></span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="http://songville.blogspot.com/2008/10/songville-says-great-quote-13.html">previous quote</a><br /><a href="http://songville.blogspot.com/2009/01/songville-says-great-quote-15-bono.html">next quote</a><br /></span>Carolyn Arendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02425011303916760605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060371362264756124.post-2089422875880658632008-10-27T17:08:00.000-07:002008-11-21T10:28:58.784-08:00SONGVILLE SAYS (Great Quote #13) - Muggeridge<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiceauePBJ52SleoNJ_pyGlA7qYEj4zgvHsrJ6B4ukGemGih9o6S06_QTvvCiGHE-yCDUBfSalLilN-cgeosM7MrqhwN0E_c_s388PHZ54gzy3Zy3WrvSneq0bP1mFFy0tzv9Pm6cUOg0E/s1600-h/MUGGSTER.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 159px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiceauePBJ52SleoNJ_pyGlA7qYEj4zgvHsrJ6B4ukGemGih9o6S06_QTvvCiGHE-yCDUBfSalLilN-cgeosM7MrqhwN0E_c_s388PHZ54gzy3Zy3WrvSneq0bP1mFFy0tzv9Pm6cUOg0E/s200/MUGGSTER.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261991770941919714" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);">“In the same sort of way, listening to great music, or reading great</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);">literature, or standing before great buildings, an inner rhythm is detected,</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"> and the heart rejoices, and a light breaks, which is none other than the love</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"> of God shining through all His creation.” </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);">– <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%3Fie%3DUTF8%26ref%255F%3Dnb%255Fss%255Fgw%255F0%255F14%26field-keywords%3Dmalcolm%2520muggeridge%26url%3Dsearch-alias%253Daps%26sprefix%3Dmalcolm%2520mugger&tag=fee03-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957">Malcolm Muggeridge</a><img src="https://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=fee03-20&l=ur2&o=1" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" /> (quote courtesy of <a href="http://roysalmond.com/">Roy Salmond</a>, purveyor of bon mots)<br /><br /><a href="http://songville.blogspot.com/2008/10/songville-says-great-quote-12-vonnegut.html">previous post</a><br /><a href="http://songville.blogspot.com/2008/11/songville-says-great-quote-14-guthrie.html">next post</a><br /></span></span>Carolyn Arendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02425011303916760605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060371362264756124.post-85285246417787232622008-10-23T16:47:00.000-07:002008-10-27T17:18:55.589-07:00SONGVILLE SAYS (Great Quote #12) - Vonnegut<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRsb_WSyAhVXBrM22mZWZIWm5DJAM2NDDKmYiOxU2RoN3Y1CSMdouP5vxAiHytasOs_SDClQU1JgrBSngZRzjYV9fRyKXFuO2SJseLMah8hajfEVXfC0qwzKRGlzYIl3qwQ9s9DGx-oVA/s1600-h/vonnegut-small.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRsb_WSyAhVXBrM22mZWZIWm5DJAM2NDDKmYiOxU2RoN3Y1CSMdouP5vxAiHytasOs_SDClQU1JgrBSngZRzjYV9fRyKXFuO2SJseLMah8hajfEVXfC0qwzKRGlzYIl3qwQ9s9DGx-oVA/s200/vonnegut-small.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260503793318328834" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" >“If I should ever die, God forbid, let this be my epitaph: ‘The only proof he needed for the existence of God was music.”<br />- Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (this quote courtesy of our well-read friend, Ken Wilson. Thanks, Ken!)<br /><br /><a href="http://songville.blogspot.com/2008/10/songville-says-great-quote-11-hafiz.html">previous quote</a><br /><a href="http://songville.blogspot.com/2008/10/songville-says-great-quote-13.html">next quote</a><br /></span>Carolyn Arendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02425011303916760605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060371362264756124.post-14231615021842803102008-10-21T17:32:00.000-07:002008-10-23T17:07:27.047-07:00SONGVILLE SAYS (Great Quote #11) - Hafiz<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhglcaaQP3kTihnNc3YE-SpkYk1RP5TC3so5ubrVmQmasUeqqPIUHPjAZFb-HXnf8FWeppJFfSRq-DAfoT1xKU75BLJ1lXXmNjePYh1q2pKGId_ML5GWxDuKhOIF5HV92yE8QxpqNqnFDs/s1600-h/Hafizportrait.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhglcaaQP3kTihnNc3YE-SpkYk1RP5TC3so5ubrVmQmasUeqqPIUHPjAZFb-HXnf8FWeppJFfSRq-DAfoT1xKU75BLJ1lXXmNjePYh1q2pKGId_ML5GWxDuKhOIF5HV92yE8QxpqNqnFDs/s200/Hafizportrait.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259770713734421346" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);">"Many say that life entered the human body by the help of music but the truth is that life itself is music."</span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);">- Hafiz, Fourteenth Century Persian Poet (submitted by Mark D, 'cause Songville had no good 14th C Persian Poet Quotes - Thanks Mark D!)<br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" ><br /><a href="http://songville.blogspot.com/2008/10/songville-says-great-quote-9-babe.html">previous quote</a><br /><a href="http://songville.blogspot.com/2008/10/songville-says-great-quote-12-vonnegut.html">next quote</a><br /></span></span></span>Carolyn Arendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02425011303916760605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060371362264756124.post-87300655097441165212008-10-20T09:54:00.000-07:002009-04-02T16:54:37.038-07:00Write Better Lyrics #5: Is Your Lyric Abstract Where it Could Be Concrete?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibh7HUJQy_Jz-rpFw1AvJBPhR_yY1qPeah3o26jbLEGRx2ujaS9EtPwBG26bM3PBpijhJYf4JOjrZJ6AFaYJWWDH0zUufb9d4nRqHWsylNkTwa1dyHi29RiqVBC0L1VPymOKCG3CwQWsg/s1600-h/iStock_000003939953XSmall.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibh7HUJQy_Jz-rpFw1AvJBPhR_yY1qPeah3o26jbLEGRx2ujaS9EtPwBG26bM3PBpijhJYf4JOjrZJ6AFaYJWWDH0zUufb9d4nRqHWsylNkTwa1dyHi29RiqVBC0L1VPymOKCG3CwQWsg/s200/iStock_000003939953XSmall.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259292031290369042" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Synopsis</span>: Moving your lyrics from abstractions to concrete representations of those abstractions may be the SINGLE MOST POWERFUL change you can make as a songwriter, particularly if you write about love and/or faith.<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;"><br />Help Needed: </span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:100%;">What's your favorite lyric example of a concrete standing in for an abstraction? Please share it in the comment section below. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Seriously, make this somewhat abstract blog post concrete for me! </span> Thanking ya ...</span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;"></span><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Definitions:</span> An <span style="font-weight: bold;">abstraction</span> is a concept or idea (love, hate, hope, despair, faith, justice, democracy, etc.). To be <span style="font-weight: bold;">concrete</span> is to make reference to an actual physical object or sensation.<br /><br />Example 1:<br />abstraction: Falling in Love<br />concrete: Stammering, butterflies in stomach, holding hands, sweaty hands, blushing, etc.<br /><br />Example 2:<br />abstraction: Christian belief in Christ's sacrifice on the cross<br />concrete: "Sometimes love has to drive a nail into its own hand" (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=%2Fgp%2Fsearch%3Fy%3D16%26field-keywords%3Dchris%20rice%26url%3Dsearch-alias%3Dpopular%26ref%5F%3Dnb%5Fss%5Fgw%26x%3D19&tag=fee03-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957">Chris Rice</a><img src="https://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=fee03-20&l=ur2&o=1" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" />)<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Context</span>: I've been talking about key questions to ask of your lyrics to take them to the next level. So far we've looked at making sure that your <a href="http://songville.blogspot.com/2008/09/lyric-question-no-1.html">SUBJECT MATTER MATTERS</a>, that your lyric has the power that comes from <a href="http://songville.blogspot.com/2008/10/write-better-lyrics-is-your-lyric.html">SIMPLICITY AND PURITY</a>, and that you are using <a href="http://songville.blogspot.com/2008/10/write-better-lyrics-3-is-your-lyric.html">SPECIFIC IMAGES</a> that are <a href="http://songville.blogspot.com/2008/10/write-better-lyrics-is-your-lyric_13.html">HIGHLY RELATABLE</a>.<br /><br />That brings us to Lyric Question No. 5:<br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">IS YOUR LYRIC ABSTRACT WHERE IT COULD BE CONCRETE?<br /><br /></span>Back in the <a href="http://songville.blogspot.com/2008/10/write-better-lyrics-3-is-your-lyric.html">Lyric Question 3</a> post, we noted that the way to engage a listener in your song is through his or her imagination. In this media-saturated world, if we fail to engage a person at the imagination-level, we won’t keep her for long. Fortunately, there are Imagination Scientists who study the way the human imagination works. Whenever I teach songwriting at a local college, I reference the work of a writer and researcher named Chris Blake. His intriguing article, “The Imagination of the Listener” can be found in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1582974667?ie=UTF8&tag=fee03-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1582974667">The Craft & Business of Songwriting</a> by John Braheny (p.46-56).<br /><br />Blake notes that when the imagination receives a new cue (for example, words in a song), it constructs an image to go with that cue based on a whole host of stored previous experiences. It turns out that the strongest cues (collections of words) are simple, concrete, action-oriented images that invite the imagination to engage. Abstractions (huge and important concepts like faith, hope, justice, anger, salvation, sin and restoration) don’t work in the imagination. They actually turn it away.<br /><br />Blake has fun with the famous country song <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=%2Fgp%2Fsearch%3Fy%3D0%26field-keywords%3Dkenny%20rogers%26url%3Dsearch-alias%3Dpopular%26ref%5F%3Dnb%5Fss%5Fm%26x%3D0&tag=fee03-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957">The Gambler</a><img src="https://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=fee03-20&l=ur2&o=1" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" />. Remember that one?<br /><br /><em>You got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em,<br />Know when to walk away and know when to run.<br />You never count your money when you’re sittin’ at the table.<br />There’ll be time enough for countin’ when the dealin’s done.</em><br /><br />The song’s writer, Don Schlitz, outlines a whole philosophy of living in that song. But what if, Blake asks, Schlitz had just gone with abstractions rather than concrete images that represent them? You’d have something like:<br /><br /><em>It’s important to know when to persist in trying to achieve your goals and when to give up.<br />You have to know when to decide to give up what you’re doing gradually and to know when to give up quickly.<br />You should never make a judgment about how your life is going while it’s going on.<br />There’ll be plenty of time to look back to see how it all went after your life is over.</em><br /><br />Try singing that one!<br /><br />My students laugh when I give them that example. But how many love songs do just the same thing:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">I love you so much.<br />I will never stop loving you.<br />Till the end of time, you will be mine.<br />Blah, blah, blah<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span>And for those of you who are worship or faith-based songwriters, herein lies a huge challenge.<span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span></span>The vast majority of overtly spiritual music is swimming in abstraction.<br /><br /><em>I praise God for His mercy.<br />I am grateful for salvation.<br />Thank you for restoration.<br />God is a God of justice.</em><br /><br />Obviously, there is a place for abstraction. Many of us are driven to write because we feel passionate about concepts and ideas, about theologies and philosophies. It would be impossible to never have abstract ideas in your lyrics. But I promise you, if you will go through your lyrics and, wherever possible, replace an abstraction with a concrete, specific, detailed symbol of embodiment of that abstraction, your lyrics will come to life.<br /><br />Remember, if you hope to move someone's heart or mind, you must engage the imagination. THE IMAGINATION IS A STIMULUS-REPONSE MECHANISM. No stimulus, no response.<br /><br />But ... you know ... no pressure! Write on.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Next Post in This Series: <a href="http://songville.blogspot.com/2009/04/write-better-lyrics-6-is-your-lyric.html">Lyric Question No. 6</a>. Bookmark or subscribe to Songville to make sure you don't miss it!</span></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span></span>Carolyn Arendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02425011303916760605noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060371362264756124.post-90475071830095355762008-10-18T22:23:00.000-07:002008-10-21T17:39:07.125-07:00SONGVILLE SAYS (Great Quote #10) - Babe<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX9hU1c0uKX1UM3gb6jVyyxMBDTj35T8j3QYgGHIQRnSkLpteJ04k2FVDuu24qWKtzQn3h_9aBFoqoBZ2kyIyCmLQK94UxJJRN_eJaNlK8DW8Hnv6PAwHMVhdSs05RCuhMr6bgmjAUKyQ/s1600-h/babe.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX9hU1c0uKX1UM3gb6jVyyxMBDTj35T8j3QYgGHIQRnSkLpteJ04k2FVDuu24qWKtzQn3h_9aBFoqoBZ2kyIyCmLQK94UxJJRN_eJaNlK8DW8Hnv6PAwHMVhdSs05RCuhMr6bgmjAUKyQ/s200/babe.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258732321011982802" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);">"But Farmer Hoggett knew that little ideas that tickled and nagged and refused to go away should never be ignored ... for in them lie the seeds of destiny."</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);">- Narrator in <a style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=%2Fgp%2Fsearch%3Fy%3D18%26field-keywords%3Dbabe%26url%3Dsearch-alias%3Ddvd%26ref%5F%3Dnb%5Fss%5Fgw%26x%3D16&tag=fee03-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957">Babe</a><img src="https://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=fee03-20&l=ur2&o=1" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" />(yes, the movie about a pig), giving some very good songwriting advice, if you ask me.<br /><br /><a href="http://songville.blogspot.com/2008/10/songville-says-great-quote-9-bell.html"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><span style="font-size:100%;">previous quote</span></span></a><br /><a href="http://songville.blogspot.com/2008/10/songville-says-great-quote-11-hafiz.html"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">next quote</span></span></a><br /></span></span>Carolyn Arendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02425011303916760605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060371362264756124.post-72378199913097073882008-10-18T12:54:00.000-07:002008-10-18T22:34:02.767-07:00SONGVILLE SAYS (Great Quote #9) - Bell<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_hv00CY2bIvV3_swQntTLFcQ3PA-l3goWaYGuTG6pqlOL4jqdwViSa8bbmlc-SoZydntXGpHeuSQvol10QUb9RQkDArcDS-l6IiUA9U7QHV9Lej3lZrJHifbAklTH2eZz7ZIkJy1xBy4/s1600-h/steve_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_hv00CY2bIvV3_swQntTLFcQ3PA-l3goWaYGuTG6pqlOL4jqdwViSa8bbmlc-SoZydntXGpHeuSQvol10QUb9RQkDArcDS-l6IiUA9U7QHV9Lej3lZrJHifbAklTH2eZz7ZIkJy1xBy4/s200/steve_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258587959004766018" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">"Songwriters write in isolation because they can't afford therapy. But the experience of writing the song is not complete until an audience has received it. An exchange must take place."</span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">- <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.feedthelake.com/cgi-bin/store/commerce.cgi?product=CDs_-_all_artists%21Steve_Bell&cart_id=1224359873.132">Steve Bell</a>, </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">in mighty fine concert in Surrey last night (October 17, 2008).<br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://songville.blogspot.com/2008/10/songville-says-great-quote-8-corgan.html"><span><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">previous quote</span></span></span></a><a href="http://songville.blogspot.com/2008/10/songville-says-great-quote-8-corgan.html"><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"><img src="https://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=fee03-20&l=ur2&o=1" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" /></span></a></span><br /><a href="http://songville.blogspot.com/2008/10/songville-says-great-quote-9-babe.html">next quote</a>Carolyn Arendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02425011303916760605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060371362264756124.post-10946681866572272152008-10-15T21:41:00.000-07:002008-10-18T16:33:34.478-07:00SONGVILLE SAYS (Great Quote #8) - Corgan<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFlDqwx5jQ95wz7r-zpGmO4Q6uDiMkRpuS7LSxGu1ooRfv2m4FolCkHyA3t2KxA971w6baajAPcbiQI4Ec-wJ1hai3ETLn9oKcrCI1hXyx31GnLbIgRpSRURKSff6JR1loWvBvcXALNVs/s1600-h/corgannnn.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFlDqwx5jQ95wz7r-zpGmO4Q6uDiMkRpuS7LSxGu1ooRfv2m4FolCkHyA3t2KxA971w6baajAPcbiQI4Ec-wJ1hai3ETLn9oKcrCI1hXyx31GnLbIgRpSRURKSff6JR1loWvBvcXALNVs/s200/corgannnn.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257609550500181298" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-size:130%;" >"Songwriting for me is literally like having five people living in the same body. One day I'm an insular child-like artist, just going by emotion, the next day I'm a crass technician. The person who writes the riffs argues with the person doing the vocals. But the different personalities can work together. S</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-size:130%;" >ometimes my heart says 'This song needs to move,' and the tactical part suggests, 'Try a key change.' It goes back and forth until some kind of graceful compromise is reached."</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">- </span><a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=%2Fgp%2Fsearch%3Fy%3D9%26field-keywords%3Dsmashing%20pumpkins%26url%3Dsearch-alias%3Dpopular%26ref%5F%3Dnb%5Fss%5Fgw%26x%3D15&tag=fee03-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957">Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins)</a><br /></span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"><span style="font-size:85%;">(quoted in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FThen-I-Wrote-Songwriter-Speaks%2Fdp%2F1551520230%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3Dbooks%26qid%3D1223313500%26sr%3D1-1&tag=fee03-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">AND THEN I WROTE</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=fee03-20&l=ur2&o=1" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" />)<br /><br /></span></span><a href="http://songville.blogspot.com/2008/10/songville-says-great-quote-7-abbott.html"><span><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">previous quote</span></span></span></span></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);font-size:85%;" ><a href="http://songville.blogspot.com/2008/10/songville-says-great-quote-9-bell.html">next quote</a></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);font-size:85%;" ><a href="http://songville.blogspot.com/2008/10/songville-says-great-quote-7-abbott.html"><img src="https://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=fee03-20&l=ur2&o=1" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" /></a></span><br /></span>Carolyn Arendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02425011303916760605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060371362264756124.post-13052265078111237302008-10-15T13:44:00.000-07:002008-10-15T14:19:01.404-07:00World Class Musicians Make House Calls - Cool!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCjKjk7hv1TJBqWEAPNfqK2iMnrCHCQnjatyNCmrxKyt3IJuwIgH2mJrKMs2veBsi9J7CPqMshGEQBfqUQUr4OIbVdZA1fArJqKimcy5pPnqdLKFoXz0FZ3D2MkVkzQneuIPMC93v4Mb0/s1600-h/recordingconsole.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCjKjk7hv1TJBqWEAPNfqK2iMnrCHCQnjatyNCmrxKyt3IJuwIgH2mJrKMs2veBsi9J7CPqMshGEQBfqUQUr4OIbVdZA1fArJqKimcy5pPnqdLKFoXz0FZ3D2MkVkzQneuIPMC93v4Mb0/s320/recordingconsole.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257492531652969218" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">You've probably gotten the memo -- the internet has changed EVERYTHING. One of the very cool upsides of cyberspace is that more and more amazing musicians--the kind many of us used to dream about playing on our songs--are now making their services available online. If you're working on a recording, you can send them the song, they add their magic and send it back.<br /></div><br />When I think of all the expense and planning I've put into securing great musicians for recordings over the years. this new accessibility kind of blows my mind!<br /><br />Anyway, for those of you actively recording (or thinking about recording) your songs, I want to commend to you three musicians I regularly use on my projects, who are now doing internet sessions:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.spencercapier.com/"><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Spencer Capier</span></a> (my musical partner for the past 100 years -- or something like that) -- is doing guitar, mando, violin, bouzouki and even programming, arranging and production sessions online. Check out <a href="http://www.spencercapier.com">www.spencercapier.com</a><br /><a href="http://www.e-studio-drummer.com/"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">Phil Robertson</span> </a>(the drummer on my last project, <a href="http://www.feedthelake.com/cgi-bin/store/commerce.cgi?cart_id=1224104293.185&product=CDs_-_all_artists%21Carolyn_Arends&pid=33&log_pid=yes"><span style="font-style: italic;">Pollyanna's Attic</span></a>, and a brilliant player who's discography goes on for days) has been doing online sessions for a while now -- he makes it painless and it sounds so good. Check out <a href="http://www.e-studio-drummer.com/">www.e-studio-drummer.com/</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.vocal-guitar-studio.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">Brett Wade</span></a> (incredibly versatile vocalist -- featured heavily on my <a href="http://www.feedthelake.com/cgi-bin/store/commerce.cgi?cart_id=1224104293.185&product=CDs_Christmas%21Carolyn_Arends&pid=63&log_pid=yes"><span style="font-style: italic;">Christmas:An Irrational Season</span></a> project and also very in demand for his guitar work) is just launching his online site: <a href="http://www.vocal-guitar-studio.com">www.vocal-guitar-studio.com</a><br /><br />If you're aware of other high caliber players doing this sort of work, share them in the comment section below.<br /><br />May the muse be with you!Carolyn Arendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02425011303916760605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060371362264756124.post-63627757999752184342008-10-14T18:27:00.000-07:002008-10-15T21:53:34.587-07:00SONGVILLE SAYS (Great Quote #7) - Abbott & Costello<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0rsAob5zZQ6Wt219Stcmq5iJLEUDoxXKIpNW9BD2zZeV1pUPiLhSZ8P8QVDbbUCpGVMn3C1AZNJnMUgYjt_2705Zoy6Bq6nHyFE8jC2b1e6Ix-AujJlQxZrXrncGHWG8wfM5_z_JZChU/s1600-h/abbott&costello.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0rsAob5zZQ6Wt219Stcmq5iJLEUDoxXKIpNW9BD2zZeV1pUPiLhSZ8P8QVDbbUCpGVMn3C1AZNJnMUgYjt_2705Zoy6Bq6nHyFE8jC2b1e6Ix-AujJlQxZrXrncGHWG8wfM5_z_JZChU/s200/abbott&costello.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257188989571539714" border="0" /></a>This special edition Songville quote is for <a href="http://csaproductions.com/blog/">Brendt</a>, who complained because <a href="http://songville.blogspot.com/2008/10/songville-says-great-quote-6-costello.html">Great Quote #6</a> was from Elvis, rather than Lou, Costello. Songville aims to please, and fortunately we discovered a great illustration of "record label math" from the movie <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=%2Fgp%2Fsearch%3Fy%3D29%26field-keywords%3Dbuck%20privates%26url%3Dsearch-alias%3Daps%26ref%5F%3Dnb%5Fss%5Fgw%26x%3D12&tag=fee03-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957">Buck Privates</a><img src="https://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=fee03-20&l=ur2&o=1" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" />.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"><br /><br />Abbott: Do me a favor. Loan me $50.</span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"><br />Costello: I can't lend you $50. All I've got is $40.</span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"><br />Abbott: That's okay. Give me the $40, and you'll owe me $10.</span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"><br />Costello: How come I owe you $10?</span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"><br />Abbott: What did I ask you for?</span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"><br />Costello: $50.</span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"><br />Abbott: What did you give me?</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"> Costello; $40.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"> Abbott: So you owe me $10.</span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"><br />Costello: That's right. But you owe me $40. Give me my $40 back.</span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"><br />Abbott: There's your $40. Now give me the $10 you owe me. That's the last time I'll ever ask you for the loan of $50.</span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"><br />Costello: How can I loan you $50 now? All I have is $30.</span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"><br />Abbott: Give me the $30, and you’ll owe me $20.</span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"><br />Costello: This is getting worse all the time. First I owe you $10, and now I owe you $20!</span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"><br />Abbott: So you owe me $20. Twenty and 30 is 50.</span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"><br />Costello; Nope! Twenty-five and 25 is 50.</span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"><br />Abbott: Here's your $30. Give me back my $20.</span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"><br />Costello: All I've got now is $10!<br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><a href="http://songville.blogspot.com/2008/10/songville-says-great-quote-6-costello.html"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">previous quote</span></a><br /><a href="http://songville.blogspot.com/2008/10/songville-says-great-quote-8-corgan.html"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">next quote</span></a><br /></span></span></span>Carolyn Arendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02425011303916760605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060371362264756124.post-79121050976566433742008-10-13T11:24:00.000-07:002008-10-20T10:58:15.234-07:00Write Better Lyrics #4: Is Your Lyric Obscure Where It Could Be Relatable?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZg9dcMjcQCdbsnlKsd1b2NR-7p55TNz54i7FVXQwFVD5Zic4itf7cUuzvdphhthhNUL8B81Bk2u2aTPYgFzMq0nirnFnxO1XNSGtyc7ZjC2DZ26w7C5hGtRBDQaWcJw82zRjprrIDp88/s1600-h/questions.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZg9dcMjcQCdbsnlKsd1b2NR-7p55TNz54i7FVXQwFVD5Zic4itf7cUuzvdphhthhNUL8B81Bk2u2aTPYgFzMq0nirnFnxO1XNSGtyc7ZjC2DZ26w7C5hGtRBDQaWcJw82zRjprrIDp88/s200/questions.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256717573445942770" border="0" /></a>We're working our way through 16 key questions to ask in order to move your lyrics from so-so to so-great. So far I've talked about making sure that your <a href="http://songville.blogspot.com/2008/09/lyric-question-no-1.html">SUBJECT MATTER MATTERS</a>, that your lyric has the power that comes from <a href="http://songville.blogspot.com/2008/10/write-better-lyrics-is-your-lyric.html">SIMPLICITY AND PURITY</a>, and that you are using <a href="http://songville.blogspot.com/2008/10/write-better-lyrics-3-is-your-lyric.html">SPECIFIC IMAGES</a> to engage your listener's imagination. (Kudos to Tony Chung, who commented that: "specific terms give your listeners a general idea, where general terms won't give your listeners anything.")<br /><br />It's time for lyric question No. 4:<br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">IS YOUR LYRIC OBSCURE WHERE IT COULD BE RELATABLE?<br /><br /></span>Songwriting is HARD. Yes, the more personal something is, the more universal. And yes, specific, detailed images with authentic importance to the songwriter translate much better than vague generalities. BUT, the caveat to all this personal expression is that the specifics you chose to incorporate in your lyric must have universal resonance to them.<br /><br />Huh?<br /><br />Some specifics mean something to a larger audience, and some don't. "Worn gray sock" will conjure up an image for a lot of people. "Worn hydraulic actuator" is only going to mean something to a very select group of engineers. And the symbolic power of the image might be lacking.<br /><br />This seems like an obvious point, but a lot of developing songwriters err on one side or the other of the scale -- lyrics that are too general, or lyrics that are so obscurely specific they only mean something to the writer and perhaps her mother. So be sure to test out your images -- sing your song for people and ask them what it means to them. One of the wonderful mysteries of creative expression is that your song will likely mean different things to different people. That's cool. But be concerned if your song means <span style="font-style: italic;">nothing</span> to someone -- if your content is so obscure that your listener is just shut out.<br /><br />So, once you've gone through your lyric and replaced any general concepts with detailed, specific images, remember: a songwriter's work is never done! Go through your lyric again and replace any obscure images with more relatable (but still detailed and specific) ones. Your listener will thank you for it by ... listening.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Of course there are always exceptions that prove the rule. Can you think of a powerful song that contains an obscure element or image? Share it in the comments section!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Also, don't miss <a href="http://songville.blogspot.com/2008/10/write-better-lyrics-5-is-your-lyric.html">Lyric Question Number 5</a>! Bookmark Songville or Subscribe (for free!) to be alerted when there are new posts.</span>Carolyn Arendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02425011303916760605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060371362264756124.post-56699377325838788512008-10-12T17:05:00.000-07:002008-10-14T19:55:51.072-07:00SONGVILLE SAYS (Great Quote #6) - Costello<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsHtwnLSc7hdXE_DHhqlpwVjeMpWecroKmh4B_E3Rk0Z407uqG-GgKdesV6_KFNIoPufUUNXSc29fNRvVsWFzLk2eCn5AUeSM8tylLJjMATcSrkZRmNDeZHRzg2Syp6u1ztsXYZdZfp5A/s1600-h/elvis_costello460.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsHtwnLSc7hdXE_DHhqlpwVjeMpWecroKmh4B_E3Rk0Z407uqG-GgKdesV6_KFNIoPufUUNXSc29fNRvVsWFzLk2eCn5AUeSM8tylLJjMATcSrkZRmNDeZHRzg2Syp6u1ztsXYZdZfp5A/s200/elvis_costello460.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256424752720649602" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-size:130%;" >"There are about five things to write songs about: I'm leaving you. You're leaving me. I want you. You don't want me. I believe in something. Five subjects, and twelve notes. For all that, we musicians do pretty well."<br />- Elvis Costello<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><a href="http://songville.blogspot.com/2008/10/songville-says-great-quote-5-adams.html"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">previous quote</span></a><br /><a href="http://songville.blogspot.com/2008/10/songville-says-great-quote-7-abbott.html"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">next quote</span></a><br /></span></span></span></span></span>Carolyn Arendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02425011303916760605noreply@blogger.com1