JPF Home Page Forums General Messages New Member Introductions & Helping Hands Some things I've learned here

You say he was 50 when he wrote the song, BUT.. it's not an angry young female rant.. it's written from his perspective at that moment of HIS life... so anyone arguing that someone over 40 can move someone is correct, but it's not likely going to be whilst pretending to be someone else with different feelings and concerns and lives that the writer. Can it be done? I am sure when Jason Blume co-wrote with Britney Spears her song "Dear Diary" he was using her genuine feelings and perspectives rather than his own. (I'll ask him next time I communicate with him... it might be an interesting real life example of what we're talking about. But I feel reasonbly sure that Bill Robinson, without the influence of a young female co-writer is going to write a better female angst song than a talented female writer who had been through it (or was still going through it at the time). That doesn't make Bill a bad writer. I know Bill has had far deeper topics to write about that none of us could imagine where he'd far ourwrite someone else who hadn't walked his walk. Could a serious pro get away with faking it? Probably... lots of pop tart songs are written by older pro's, but often they are about more universal targets and not as visceral as the Alanis stuff.

As I have said to one and all, I'd love for you to prove me wrong and find success faking it. But I'd also like most of you to write what you know in a way that only you can write it using some reasonable criteria to make it commercially viable. Seems rational to me.

Brian