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Joined: May 2007
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Casual Observer
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Is it possible to have a song that fits into different genres? Let's say you have a song that is pop, country and rock.
Flowergirl
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Yes. Not all songs may fit but plenty have over the years.
Ray E. Strode
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the buzzword for that type of song is crossover appeal...Carrie Underwood, Bon Jovi, Sugarland,Kid Rock, Sheryl Crow,Hootie,Rascal Flatts and alot of others get airplay on multiple genre stations with certain songs...seems those songs share characteristics of each of the genre's popular identifiers but break the rules a little on each genre... given a great song and strong fanbase to give the cut that much more exposure...yeah it's possible,not the norm but possible...be well...moker
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Joined: Dec 2006
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In a Trivia game focused on music I read a card:
"What album hit the top of the pop, R&B, and jazz charts all at the same time?"
The answer? Sade, "Promise."
A good song transcends category to appeal to listeners whose main listening is restricted to one or the other of the popular genres.
Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" was a country hit. The cover for the movie, "The Bodyguard," by its star, Whitney Houston, was not 'country' and was an even bigger hit (I think), getting even more plays and sales than Dolly's original. I think I heard Dolly say something along the lines of, "I paid a lot of bills with Whitney's cover of that song." And someone will re-release it in the future and hit again with it. It has that classic staying power.
A song can, and should work in more than one genre. I often try works as a blues, or simply increase or decrease the tempo, to see what I can learn about them, the phrasing, the prosody and execution. Most will work in some other way than the one in which it was written. Sometimes the original is my favorite way, but sometimes I end up with two versions I like equally.
You can also rewrite the lyric to be sung by male or female singers.
There will always be another song to be written. Someone will write it. Why not you? www.garyeandrews.com
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It's possible of course, anything is, but not very likely. Music is getting less differentiated these days, so crossover between related genres are more and more usual.
But before any 'crossing' can be done, the song must have success in it's primary genre, if so, then it may crossover. I doubt a span of three genres, but two fairly related genres.
Still, I don't think you can speculate in that, though, as the song needs to have success in one genre first.
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Joined: Jan 2009
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There are a few different takes on this issue. A lot has to do with the demo.
A friend of mine had one song demoed pop for about 10 years and couldn't get it heard much less cut. Then they demoed it country and it was an immediate country number one for John Micheal Montgomey. The song was called "I Swear". After that Boys to Men cut the song in pop. So it has to start out conquering one genre first.
MAB
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I seem to recall a Faith Hill release that was cut in a country production, AND in a more pop production. The differences were subtle, as I recall, but significant in addressing the cut to the markets of those different genres.
(Was it "This Kiss"? It was more pop-oriented to begin with, but production could lean it more to one or the other genre.)
And I seem to recall a discussion, perhaps around that same story, that many songs are double-cut like that nowadays to endeavor to succeed in crossover airplay and sales.
It certainly seems wise that, if you have a song that isn't so country it couldn't possibly take a pop lean, you should avail yourself of that potential.
There will always be another song to be written. Someone will write it. Why not you? www.garyeandrews.com
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Joined: May 2001
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Pop Artists have recorded country songs and country artists have recorded pop songs. Dean Martin and Ray Charles come to mind. Tony Bennett recorded at least one Hank Williams song as did I think Jo Stafford. Not surprising.
Ray E. Strode
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One of the things Taylor Swift has done is a very subtle mix thing. On songs released to a more pop audience, they have mixed electric guitars and drums up a little louder in the mix and pulled acoustic instruments almost completely out of the mix. In more country releases, they play up the acoustics, add fiddle and banjo and more country sounding instruments, while laying back on the electrics and drums.
Very subtle but very effective. Shania Twain and Mutt Lang would do the same thing in the body of the song. "Any Man of Mine" features, Def Lepard and AC/DC drum sounds in the verses, (who Mutt Also produced) and very country/bluegrass in the choruses.
Sometimes it is a mix thing.
MAB
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A lot of folk go for crossover songs.....why aim at one genre when you can have audiences from several genres. Another thing that is popular is to have several versions of a certain song produced in different ways, for example a pop version, slow version a dance version a country version and a rock version. All the same melody and lyrics just different tempos and productions to change the appeal.
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And if you can't (or don't want to) wait for somebody famous to decide which "genre" of your song is going to be a hit first, you can encourage other folks to cover it and see what happens. My song "When I Jump Off the Cliff I'll Think of You," which I did as bluegrass, was recorded by two other guys as rock 'n' roll and electronica, respectively, and the electronica one turned out to be real popular (who'da thunk?). It was also being performed by a punk-rock band. (Our band does it as rock 'n' roll, too.)
Joe
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I just remembered Hayseed/Dixie, a play on AC/DC, a band whose songs Hayseed/Dixie plays in a bluegrass style, and it works!
Jeff Valentine plays that druggie English girl's song in bluegrass style. I forget her name and the song. She disappeared almost as soon as she appeared in the drug haze. I think he said he had it on YouTube.
There will always be another song to be written. Someone will write it. Why not you? www.garyeandrews.com
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Rusty Horn, the guy with Hayseed Dixie, is a friend of mine. That happened as a joke one night during a boring rehearsal. They just started joking around and playing AC/DC songs on banjo. They ended up selling forty thousand copies without a label and opened a bunch of shows for George Straight. Like all fads, it kind of played out, but he is still around.
He got the idea from Russel Smith, (of Amazing Rhythmn Aces fame) who did a bunch of Motown songs bluegrass style. It is kind of fun to have different versions. I have a version of a song of mine done by a Tejano band. Bears little resemblence to the original song, but it gets funny hearing songs done in different styles.
MAB
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I think the first song Elvis recorded was BLUE MOON OF KENTUCKY a Bill Monroe Bluegrass song. I write what ever comes to me. Songs can be done in different styles but still mainstream.
RELEASE ME was a big hit for Ray Price. Engleburt Humperdink recorded it as a pop song and I think Ronnie Aldrich did an orchastra version. Good/Great songs will have a long life.
Ray E. Strode
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Those Hayseed Dixie guys are a hoot. I have been a fan sice they started. They played Edinburgh last year and were fantastic. Great players, plus comedy and some classic rock thrown in given an outlandish treatment...What more can you cite as a different way to produce a song.
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Joined: Jul 2010
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Over the weekend, I got a Fleamarket Bargain CD..Garth Brooks' "Ropin' The Wind"..& was pleasantly-surprised to find out "SHAMELESS" (One of my Fave Songs of "His") was penned by Billy Joel!
Yep...obviously no matter how "Typecast" a writer can be, IF that Song CAN be Produced in "Several Styles" it CAN be a Hit on many-a-chart. (& NashCity CAN take a "New Yorker's Song"...& Make It Their Own..TOO..heh-heh!) (WOULD love to hear the Story how THAT Song made it all-the-way to Garth's Ear...)
Bottom Line: Pigeon Holes are for Pigeons.
Best Wishes/Good Luck, Big Hugs, Stan
Last edited by "TampaStan" Good; 03/01/10 02:11 PM.
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Joined: Apr 2001
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JPF Mentor
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JPF Mentor
Joined: Apr 2001
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Jim,
Glad you like "Hayseed Dixie." I've worked for years with their dobro player, Mike Daly, in several bands. He played in my First Take Band, for five years at Joe's Village Inn and at Douglas Corner, where we were sight reading number charts of songs we'd never heard for a songwriters' open stage. We backed up John Prine, Townes Van Zandt, Otis Blackwell, Billy Joe Shaver, and Tim McGraw among others. Mike plays steel and slide guitar as well, he works on the road with Hank Williams Jr. and often plays with Kid Rock. On top of all that, he's a great guy.
Flower Girl, there are a lot of songs that can and do crossover into other genres. Generally speaking, it is the lyric content of a song that may limit it. Most basic melodies can be treated with different backing styles. For example, I've heard people play "Johnny B. Goode," Chuck Berry's great rock and roll song, as a blues, as bluegrass and as reggae. It's mostly lyrics that get very specific, that may peg a song as, let's say, rap or country. So the answer to your question is, yes it can and, as you can see here, it has been done. Welcome to JPF.
All the Best, Mike
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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Me with Mike. When I played with the Dodson Drifters, a bluegrass band, we did a lot of Ramones covers. Three of us came from rock 'n' roll backgrounds, and we *liked* the Ramones. We maintained we were always faithful to the original--but I'd also submit you have not really lived until you've heard "I Wanna Be Sedated" done with dual mandolin leads.
Joe
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Yes yes and yes!
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Thought I'd offer an example of sorts. "When I Jump Off the cliff I'll Think of You" was originally wrote as a bluegrass number (bluegrass songs being all about death, and all), but it got covered by two guys I know--once as rock (of sorts) by a keyboard player hight "The Lone Arranger," and once as electronica by a guy in Cleveland, Jerry Miller (dba zonemusicinc). Here's recordings of all three. www.soundclick.com/share?songid=6417842 (bluegrass) www.soundclick.com/share?songid=3442113 (rock) www.soundclick.com/share?songid=8935359 (electronica) "Genre," I maintain, is the box the record store is going to put your music in after you've died. Till then, I ain't worrying (and after then, I probably won't worry, either). Joe
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I think that some songs are very much able to cross over - and others are really just one-genre. (One funny example is Love Me (the old disco song) that was re-done into a tween pop hit by Justin Bieber. The tweens would be shocked to know).
Tom
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"If one man can do it, any man can do it. It is true. But the real question is, if one man did it, are you willing to do what it takes to do it as well?" –Brian Austin Whitney
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