JPF Home Page Forums General Messages Songwriter Message Forum a comment on the lyrics posted here...

I was looking around for someone to write lyrics for a nineteen eighty-ish pop track I had forgotten about. No great shakes, not looking to be a star, I'm just down in my basement.

Anyway, I was looking for someone doing something perhaps along the lines of the Talking Heads, REM, late sixties Lennon, "First We Take Manhattan" "Under The Milky Way" etc.

I went through 18 pages on the lyrics section 3 forum. I couldn't find anything remotely close. It seemed like it was all very "on the nose" writing along the lines of "I was driving down the road in my car thinking about our failed love affair."

Not that there's anything inherently wrong with that approach but does anyone do anything a little different than that?

The vast majority of writers here do write country/ pop ballads... and if they are not your cup of tea then it's no doubt like my opinion of gosple....

If you post a link to the melody and ask... I am sure some will write something you like... there are some very tallented writers here...

Cheers

Noel

It's not that it's not my cup of tea--there are a lot of straight ahead songs like that which I like. I've written songs like that myself. I'm just surprised I couldn't find anything a little more "poetic" for lack of a better word.

That is an interesting observation, Jay, and one that I am sure is true. "Conversational" lyrics are the prevalent "in-thing" these days. Maybe the tide has turned too far, though, if you couldn't find any "poetic" lyrics in 18 pages!

50/90 is cranking up July 4th. Maybe you can find some lyrics there that strike your fancy.

Hey Jay23
Try looking under the creative writing forum also! Just a thought!

Any thoughts on posting a link to the music?

Cheers

Noel

Jay,

I think you are correct in your observation. We have some outstanding lyricists, but they often try to write for a narrow market. Rarely do we see light, fun, simple fair. Nor do we see economy of words.

I get where you are coming from. I think you would enjoy ready the interview I did with Oscar winning, massively successful hit songwriter Dean Pitchford on the General board. He not only wrote HUGE #1 hits over and over (the lyrics) but he addresses EXACTLY what you are saying... he learned to leave room for the MUSIC... 80's style music is very popular again today. It was very synth and production heavy so he had the challenge or writing lyrics that allowed the music to carry the song so he had (and accepted) the challenge of writing economically, using nearly ever word to mean a sentence worth of lines and also wrote in a way where many lines could have been the hook themselves. It is a style that would infinitely improve the success of many writers here to find current artists to be interested in their lyrics. Country is a wonderful genre, but there's more to the world than just that deep storytelling.

I think Noel's suggestion of you sharing a music track and asking people to write to it would be a FANTASTIC idea where you might get tons of perfect lyrics to choose from. Our folks here have the talent, they just need a reason to show it off sometimes.

So give it a try!

Brian

Jay,

I'd love to hear the music you'd like lyrics to. Could you post a link here for us to listen to?

I also sent you a PM, so check your PM box.

Hi Jay & Welcome to JPF!

I'll join the "Post Your Melody Here" Folks and let's see what we-uns can come up with. (On-Spec, but of course/You decide if it makes it or not.)

Always open to a Fun Challenge...AND I've been writing since the Mid-'80's. WITH backpats by some of the Bigger Names, but, admittedly "No Hits Yet".

But..maybe you've got THE Melody and Concept. So...post it at the MP3 Forum...and let's see what happens.

Thanks again, and again, "Welcome!"

Best Wishes & a Big Guy-Hug,
Stan

yeah i think also i would like to hear your music that would be involved.I'm always up for a challenge!Mike

Hey Jay,

I second what Brian said about the Dean Pitchford Article, I read it and couldn't stop...
Infact I wish it was longer lol
I left feeling inspired and renewed by it, I recommend it to all here:)-best of luck in your search!-Dana

I kinda miss the days when I could write a line and I was the only one who knew what it meant.....

Sorry, I didn't mean to be critical of the work here. And thanks for all the feedback!

After listening to my track again and checking with.some others I realized it was out of tune (it was something I put together in a hurry for FAWM) I'm going to try to fix it and then will post it here to try out the process.

Out of tune??? ... no such thing in an original

Looking forward too it

I can understand what your talking about. A few months ago I attended a get together that included a few well known songwriters. After the 15th woe is me song I was ready to call suicide hot line and ask if they had a group rate.

At one point there was probably too many love songs but now it seems like there are too many love gone wrong songs. Maybe its a sign of the times but I do miss a good feel good song. Or gawd forbid a song that's funny.

If you want funny Lyrics in a well told story.. search for stuff here by Corky Bernard.. AKA Grey Dawg ... Unfortunately he passed a number of years ago.. and the world has not yet promoted a suitable replacement of the same caliber... his wife, Bobbie Gallup is a member here still..

Cheers

Noel

Sounds like a challenge in the making. Let's get the music up and we'll see what the JPFers can do. Got a feeling you'll soon be buried in rhymes...

Actually funny was a kind of sidebar comment. When I wrote the comment I had just endured another night where at least half the songs were the I hate you/everyone is picking on me/life sukz all played to the sound of the 4 chord money progression.

I was missing the I love you/we are strong and can overcome songs.

Maybe people are just not feeling loved enough.. or feeling too much anger in their lives at the moment.... I have tried to write love songs for my wife.. but they either do not tell it they way I feel it.... or they sound like pretentious clap trap... one of the best love songs I can think of would be "Butterfly kisses" the father sings of his daughter growing up..... Simple and effective....

Duplicate Post deleted by Noel Downs

Aren't there some composers on here who could post some "busy" music tracks to see who could fit quality lyrics into a tight fit?

I am planning to launch an experimental Lyric board for genres that are not Country/Christian/Folk type genres so we can see some diversity from deep story songs. Perhaps Andrew Aversa could lend some tracks for folks to write to as an exercise... he does electronic music of all types.

Anyone else?

Brian

Absolutely great idea.. just be aware the problem has always been that without music as a reference/ context/ mood setter etc ... those kind of lyrics are very hard to critic... especially the more cryptic sort... Not to say they shouldn't have a place... just the number of responses to each post will possibly be quite low for that reason.. Look forward to seeing it..

Cheers

I'd be up for that. I love hearing something, thinking quickly about what mood(s) are evoked, putting down the first thing that pops in my head, and going from there. A recent lyric I wrote....

"You must have bust a spoke, on the bike of life"....

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