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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 61
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OP
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 61 |
Hi There, I'm working on a rock protest song with a working title of 'Bollocks To Poverty' at the moment. My question to you guys is this -
'Will my song get airplay in The US, UK, or anywhere else with the word 'Bollocks' in the title and sung in the chorus' ???
I'd really appreciate some quick feedback on this as I've got to get this recorded by Monday, and may have to re-write the chorus ? Thanks in advance.
Keith
Don't ya just love writing songs
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 8,102
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For someone like Bono, or any other known artist singing Bollocks? Probably.
But with those known artists come "connections", and an educated guess at what types of songs would get played in the first place.
For unknowns, I would think there are "many" other factors to be concerned about before thinking about a word.
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Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 8,574
JPF Mentor
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JPF Mentor
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 8,574 |
Keith,
In the U.S. the word may be a reason for not playing the songs at some stations, but any station that plays "protest" or "topical" songs would probably not care. I don't know about the U.K.
You've got to know your limitations. I don't know what your limitations are. I found out what mine were when I was twelve. I found out that there weren't too many limitations, if I did it my way. -Johnny Cash It's only music. -niteshift Mike Dunbar Music
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 61
Serious Contributor
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OP
Serious Contributor
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 61 |
Hi Phil, I've considered all of the other factors I can think of, but don't want to jeopardise the chances of a great backing track because of one word in the title and chorus. However, I'm in the situation where it's almost impossible to replace that word without diluting the potency oif the message that the song carries ! HMMM... Perhaps I should pitch it to Bono then ? Regards, Keith
Don't ya just love writing songs
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Joined: Jan 2009
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Keith,
A protest song is a hard sell, at any rate. Very few artists are going to take a chance on alienating audences,particualrly as hard as it is to get attention these days.We have some thought's dedicated to that on another thread here dedicated to "protest songs.' There are many reasons for this, most importantly that there have been so many protest songs, movies, actors, etc. that have been doing this in the past 10 years, almost all have lost that impact and have not made money, so they lose attention from the general audience who thinks "Oh God, not another one." In Nashville, they are pretty much turned off at the first line, but from time to time one does get through. I can't imagine however, the majority of the American audience understand the meaning of the word "Bolloicks" i know this primarily because one of my best friends is from Manchester and it is a great fun laughing at the language. We also have dozens artists and writers here that are from England, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and we are separated by a common language.
MAB
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 61
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Hi Marc, I'm well aware of the language barrier, LOL ! I always refer to your own as American English. I understand what you're saying about it being a hard sell, but the message is very important so we've decided to try it. I personally think that the music is more than strong enough to make it and I've got a world class singer lined up to sing it. I'm prepared to take that chance on the message, just didn't want to snooker it's chances with one word !
Geordie
Don't ya just love writing songs
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Joined: May 2006
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I would second what Marc said....I don't think I have ever heard an American utter the word bollocks.
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 61
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OK guys, I'm having a major re-think on this now, not sure which way to go ?
Geordie
Don't ya just love writing songs
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Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 8,574
JPF Mentor
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Geordie, I think being a protest song will limit you from any major amount of radio play even without the "Bollocks" word. (that's what I meant when I said in my first post, "...any station that plays 'protest'...songs.)
If it's a good song, and if "Bollocks" works, then go for it, but aim it to the market that will accept it. You might, depending on the song and the cut, have success at college radio, so called "undergound" radio, americana, or internet radio. So if the word works and the song is diminshed if you remove it, then you simply shouldn't remove it anyway.
You've got to know your limitations. I don't know what your limitations are. I found out what mine were when I was twelve. I found out that there weren't too many limitations, if I did it my way. -Johnny Cash It's only music. -niteshift Mike Dunbar Music
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 5,426 Likes: 16
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Hello guys,
Due to my current workload, I am unable to monitor all the threads and am keeping mine mostly to "Industry Clarifaction" on the "Mentors" forum. But I did see this and wanted to mention a few things for Geordie.
In Nashville we get literally hundreds of thousands of songs, on writers nights, on open mics, being written all the time, being pitched to labels, artists, potential co-writers, etc. there is a constant frenzy. Almost every third of forth song written is a protest, commentary, or issue oriented song. So right off the bat, those songs diminish in their acceptability simply because there are so many of them, the same as if you listened to extremely loud music every minute, every hour, every day, day in and day out, the nuances simply go away. And every one of those songs have a writer or artist that feel the message is "So important" it cannot be ignored. The fact is with 95% of the listeners, it absolutely CAN be ignored. People live in the day to day misery of things of the world. There are job layoffs,Natural disasters, man's inhumanity to man, death and destruction everywhere. One of our members Michele, is living in Australia, where all the fires have been over the past few days. So they do not need anyone to tell them how terrible things are, they know. But writers write about this, and the people, surrounded by Internet, 24 hour radio and television, simply tune it out, due to beging overwhelmed due to the subject matter. From the industry point of view, it simply a matter of "Been there, done that." Like everything, the writers at the "top of the heap" or the artists themselves, who also feel the same feelings, will write a song based around that theme, have the immediate venue to get it out, for instance, Allen Jackson on "Where Were you when the World Stopped Turning" after 9-11, which will be followed by a very few similar theme songs. After about 3-4 of the same themes get out there, the subject is "done" and the rest are simply rejected out of hand. Which is why the people who did USA for Africa, Lionell Ritchie and Micheal Jackson, were the ones who did all that, at the time they were the biggest entertainers in the world. So while we would like to think we have a song so attuned to the problems of the world, and we in fact, might, the real fact is that by the time all but the biggest stars get their ideas past all the filters, they are hopelessly out of date. People simply have moved on to other subjects. It is called "Having a shelf life on your songs." We still get songs about disasters like 9-11 (8 years after the event, Katrina 4 years after the event, Iraq War 7 years after the events, etc. We have just plain moved on.
So that, coupled with a word that is simply not in the lexicon outside of your world, I feel would limit your appeal, and the time factor and difficulty in getting songs out there would negate your ability to get anything on a protest song. Then an ambivilance from an audience wearied by "compassion overload" leads to apathy. People just don't care. This is no longer the 60's.
What you might do, is what most people do in this day and age. Write your song your way, record it your way, get it on your Facebook, MySpace, You tube, and other Internet sites, and hope that it is unique enough to filter through the other competition, and have television and commentators talk about it, giving you your 3 minutes and 30 seconds of fame.
Good luck,
MAB
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Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 8,574
JPF Mentor
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JPF Mentor
Joined: Apr 2001
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So Geordie, what did you end up doing?
You've got to know your limitations. I don't know what your limitations are. I found out what mine were when I was twelve. I found out that there weren't too many limitations, if I did it my way. -Johnny Cash It's only music. -niteshift Mike Dunbar Music
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 61
Serious Contributor
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OP
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Posts: 61 |
Hi Mike, I'm busy on another song at the moment whilst I'm thinking about this one, but all things considered I'm going to ditch the protest song idea and write some new lyrics. I've got another idea for it, but haven't written it yet. The music for this track is so good that I want to take my time and do the best I can for it.
Regards,
Keith
Don't ya just love writing songs
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Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 8,574
JPF Mentor
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JPF Mentor
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 8,574 |
Keith,
I'm glad to see you haven't given up altogether. I actually like a good protest song, and have written a few myself. It's just difficult to get them played or to get folks to buy them. Don't quit 'til you write a hit.
You've got to know your limitations. I don't know what your limitations are. I found out what mine were when I was twelve. I found out that there weren't too many limitations, if I did it my way. -Johnny Cash It's only music. -niteshift Mike Dunbar Music
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