Just Plain Folks Songwriting/Musician Networking Organization

Integrity in Songwriting: By Mentor Alan O'Day

Q: "Alan, how do you keep the integrity of your lyric writing intact, while still pleasing the commercial powers that be? Because you seem to have been able to do that as well as anyone?" -Brian

A: OK kids, let's look this demon in the eye. The question, although specific, opens up quite a few issues. My responses here assume one is writing for other artists, as well as for one's self. Just to put a fence around the topic, here's an off-the-cuff list of what might be considered "dishonest" or "selling out":

1) stealing lyrics, melodies, chord progressions, riffs, arrangements, production ideas, audio samples, story ideas,

2) writing a "formula" song that lacks originality,

3) pandering to the "lower chakra" of the listener by glamorizing recreational sex, drugs, violence, lawbreaking or abuse or disrespect of women,

4) writing under the influence of drugs,

5) writing without a condom (just wanted to see if you're paying attention...).

I'm not going to expound on each individual point; but obviously we're in trouble already with this list, because it opens up so many gray "depends on" areas. For instance, when I co-wrote songs for the Muppet Babies TV show, there were requests to write & produce songs "in the style of" say a Led Zeppelin or Billy Joel. We were writing on assignment, so as professionals we followed the instructions, allowing ourselves to be influenced by the initial versions, arrangements & production, then inserting our own originality. If we or our producer thought we were too close to the records, we would pull back & rewrite, for legal reasons, but also frankly for our own pride in our work.

Do you know that a song title cannot be copyrighted? Someone with an incisive understanding of songwriting made a wise decision. How many songs titled "I Love You" would you guess exist? There are infinite ways of lyrically addressing that title. Should everyone except the first writer to use that title be considered dishonest or unoriginal?

As a staff writer for 13 years with Warner Brothers publishing, writing for other artists; I enjoyed the challenge of creating so-called "formula songs." I learned that the majority of successful compositions had choruses; and you can bet that if I was nurturing a new lyric idea, I leaned toward structuring it in a way that would "pay off." Meaning as a provocative story, a rich listening experience. I often sought to fascinate & titillate. At other times I would create introspective, poetic pieces that my soul needed to express, knowing that they didn't stand much chance of being recorded. Looking back, I guess I see my own integrity in the overall balance in my song catalog, from hit-driven to highly personal. Hopefully, some of my material had both elements!

I personally have never written using any mind-altering substance, unless you count improvising a lyric "on the spot" in front of an audience, when I was performing in nightclubs & consuming alcohol. Significantly, another chemical called "adrenaline" was also involved; I was manufacturing it internally!

For me, chemical assisted creativity would represent lack of integrity. But as a friend points out, a huge proportion of music that many of us love might not have been written if everyone else felt as I do.

In my opinion, the perception that commerciality is always a bad thing hinders & confuses writers unnecessarily. HOW you communicate is just as important as WHAT you communicate. Pleasing, entertaining, & transporting the listener is one of my main motivations as a creator. The almighty "hook" is a source of great satisfaction to both songwriter & listener, something that makes you want to experience the ride again. Yet some misguided writers seem to purposely avoid this element. There are valuable songwriting lessons to be learned from the songs that top the charts. Take away the awesome production from "Genie In A Bottle," for example, & what do you have? An inventive & well crafted song!

Here are some suggestions regarding issues of integrity that I address as a songwriter, offered as an aid in developing your own philosophy:

1) Be true to the origin & purpose of your song.

2) Establish your own case by case tolerance level for incorporating elements of preexisting material by other writers.

3) Listen dispassionately to your own work-in-progress, looking for opportunities to be more original.

4) Realize that a song is a powerful entity, & a chance to contribute something uplifting & positive. If you are going to lyrically explore or advocate the dark or "explicit" side, know your reasons; & give some thought to controlling who hears the work. Remember, children are less able to put what they hear in perspective.

5) Be authentic. Strive to be familiar with the genre & style in which you're writing. Take a lesson from movies that stand the test of time: make the characters real, & know their motivations. Before you rush to settle for an "expected" resolution, a neat little ending; explore some twists & surprises.

6) Lastly, in a good dictionary, look up the definition of "hack," & don't fit it!

In reading this article to a long time colleague, he suggested that my number one song "Angie Baby" was an example of taking a very "noncommercial" story idea & making it commercial. (You may remember that the heroine was a girl who was either crazy or magic, who turned the tables on a boy with bad intentions, in a most creative way.) Well, I disagreed with my friend's assessment, because one driving purpose in honing the many rewrites was to tantalize & mystify the listener!

You may find that your integrity concerns are different from mine. That's fine! But if even one reader is freed from the oppressive misconception that commercialism can't coexist with principle, I'm a happy camper!