Sent: Thursday, July 08, 2010 3:57 PM
To: roberta annicks
Subject: RE: Lost In Blue
called Carlo,he owns a pizzeria/restaurant beside where i live.
Now i start to believe in the song,and i totally agree about the country aspect.
You can send it to anyone who can help with pleasure.
I hope your well and here,s the Lyric.
Blessings David Mac.
Here’s a copy of an e-mail I sent out today. It updates you about our program. ~ R
Hello David. You song Lost In Blue is very good. I did a once through & immediately thought of the recent & open, call for music at Music Dealers for an old time 50s or 60s Country song about loneliness. This song you’ve made can hop over to Country rather nicely. The goal of the Songs2Share program – one of the goals – is to set up a group of songwriters & artists so we can submit to these calls by creating a new recording if needed – on short notice.
Wayne Cohen, veteran multi-platinum selling ASCAP hit songwriter, producer and educator, owner of publishing/production company Stand Up Songs.
Wayne teaches individual and group songwriting tutoring sessions at his NYC Stand Up Studio and via Skype.
One of my song tutoring students recently sang me a song she was working on called ‘Listen You’, which I thought was a cool idea about missing that special someone. She had strong lyrics for her chorus, but the chorus chords she had were in a minor key just like the verse had been. The minor chords worked great in the verse, but the melody fell flat at the chorus. I call this kind of chorus melody problem flat lining, as in, the melody didn’t lift enough for a chorus. I suggested that she go to the relative major key for the chorus, and that the melody needed to be ‘happier’ to pay off the manic lyric idea she had set up. This eventually made for a killer chorus for that song.
This started me thinking, if the question is, ‘how do you write a breakthrough song?’
This experience with my student reinforced my conviction that having an intention when writing is the answer. In other words, if you can imagine the result you want before you get there, you have a much better chance of achieving that result.
I think lack of intention is one of the things that is crippling the music industry. I see creators in many fields (not just songwriters) influenced by the culture of immediacy that we are living in. I believe some songwriters are influenced away from writing a breakthrough song, expressing a riveting clear universal emotion with catchy melodies, and instead are focused on making trendy tracks that sell immediately. I think the craft of songwriting is suffering as a result, and this shortsightedness is contributing to a lack of certain songs’ longevity on the charts.
But keeping this idea of intention can be a tricky business when writing a song, because sometimes you don’t want to question that magical part of writing from pure inspiration. Great songs can seem to fall out of the sky and flow through the writer.
However there are so many facets of songwriting that can be improved by conscious thought. There are many examples of this, not the least of which is McCartney’s now clichéd story about ‘Yesterday’ starting out as a song he dreamed called ‘Scrambled Eggs’. After further consideration, the title and subsequent lyric story of ‘Yesterday’ had just the right feeling for the melody he dreamed. The title and lyric fit like hand in glove. But he worked at it ‘til he had something great. And that was all because of his intention to write a great song. Luckily he didn’t settle for ‘Scrambled Eggs’.
So, you ask, how can we take an OK song and make it better, with the right intention?
As a starting point, here is a quick intention checklist to run your songs by.
Does every aspect of the song feel the way you want it to feel?
Does the lyric develop within a section, and from section to section, to express an urgent coherent story, the way you want it to?
Does the melody have the right flow, i.e., does it climax and subside where it needs to? (from the verse into the chorus, etc..)
Is there rhyme scheme consistency and development in the right places?
Have you mapped your melodic rhythm by using slash marks to count the number of syllables (for ex., map the V1 melody so that V2 will have the same melodic rhythm)?
Feel free to drop me a line and let me know how you did with the checklist…I’m curious!
You can contact Wayne here.
Thoughts, questions or comments? Share them here!
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UK recorded music sales rise for first time in six yearsStrong performance of digital market sees music industry enjoy first sign of growth since 2003
The British music industry has enjoyed a moderate increase in sales for the first time since 2003, despite a continuing decline in CD purchases. The digital market contributed to a 1.4% rise in sales to £928.8m in 2009, with singles performing particularly well. Successful releases from Susan Boyle and the Beatles also buoyed industry sales. Statistics revealed by the British Phonographic Institution (BPI) show that consumers continue to be drawn to online retailers and ad-funded services, such as Spotify. The report states that online revenues, including digital tracks and video sales, rose by 51.7% to £154m in 2009. However, a spokesman for the BPI said that this did not necessarily signify that the end was in sight for physical music formats. “Digital sales now account for a fifth of all music sales, but you can see from strong releases by Robbie Williams and Lady Gaga that the CD is still the bedrock of the industry. It is too early to sound the death knell for the CD just yet,” the BPI’s Adam Liversage told the Guardian. Earlier this year, industry figures revealed that the singles market enjoyed its best year ever. This was largely down to the success of X Factor finalists and the Christmas chart battle between the reality TV show’s winner, Joe McElderry, and American rock band Rage Against the Machine. Liversage said at the time: “Prior to their closure last year, Woolworths and Zavvi accounted for approximately 17.9% of album sales. Their demise meant that their were fewer places to buy music on the high street.” Liversage now says that CD sales faired better than many predicted given last year’s high street conditions. The burgeoning success of online models such as Spotify has also given the music industry pause for thought. The recently launched social music site Mflow, which offers listeners discounted music when they succesfully recommend new tracks to fellow users, is one of the many ways in which consumers are being offered cheaper, alternative ways of purchasing music. The BPI chairman, Geoff Taylor, was optimistic about the latest statistics, but warned that illegal downloads continued to have a detrimental effect on sales. “It’s encouraging to see industry revenues stabilise and even show modest growth in 2009. But let’s put it in broader perspective: 2009’s modest result follows a five-year drop in annual income, and total industry income has not exceeded £1bn since 2006. The pace of growth of new digital services is encouraging, but the size of the market continues to be constrained by competition from illegal downloads.”
Digital economy bill rushed through wash-up in late night session
Government drops clause on orphan works but inserts amendment criticised as over-broad which could block sites based on ‘intent’
The House of Commons during the Committee stage of the digital economy bill, April 2010 [this caption was amended on 8 April 2010. It originally said that the Bill was at the third reading]
The government forced through the controversial digital economy billwith the aid of the Conservative party last night, attaining a crucial third reading – which means it will get royal assent and become law – after just two hours of debate in the Commons.
However it was forced to drop clause 43 of the bill, a proposal on orphan works which had been opposed by photographers. They welcomed the news: “The UK government wanted to introduce a law to allow anyone to use your photographs commercially, or in ways you might not like, without asking you first. They have failed,” said the site set up to oppose the proposals.
But despite opposition from the Liberal Democrats and a number of Labour MPs who spoke up against measures contained in the bill and put down a number of proposed amendments, the government easily won two votes to determine the content of the bill and its passage through the committee stage without making any changes it had not already agreed.
Tom Watson, the former Cabinet Office minister who resigned in mid-2009, voted against the government for the first time in the final vote to take the bill to a third reading. However the vote was overwhelmingly in the government’s favour, which it won by 189 votes to 47.
Earlier the government removed its proposed clause 18, which could have given it sweeping powers to block sites, but replaced it with an amendment to clause 8 of the bill. The new clause allows the secretary of state for business to order the blocking of “a location on the internetwhich the court is satisfied has been, is being or is likely to be used for or in connection with an activity that infringes copyright”.
The Liberal Democrat MP John Hemming protested that this could mean the blocking of the whistleblower site Wikileaks, which carries only copyrighted work. Stephen Timms for the government said that it would not want to see the clause used to restrict freedom of speech – but gave no assurance that sites like Wikileaks would not be blocked.
Don Foster, the Liberal Democrats’ spokesman for culture, media and sport, protested that the clause was too wide-ranging: “it could apply to Google,” he complained, adding that its inclusion of the phrase about “likely to be used” meant that a site could be blocked on its assumed intentions rather than its actions.
The Lib Dem opposition to that amendment prompted the first vote - known as a division – on the bill, but the Labour and Conservative whips pushed it through, winning it by 197 votes to 40. The next 42 clauses of the bill were then considered in five minutes.
Numerous MPs complained that the bill was too important and its ramifications too great for it to be pushed through in this “wash-up” period in which bills are not given the usual detailed examination.
However the government declined to yield – although it had already done a deal with the Tories which meant that a number of its provisions, including clause 43 and the creation of independent local news consortia, would not be part of the bill.
05/09/2010 - 4:00pm
Music Call:
Client is looking to license the ultimate feel good song. The song should be very poppy and anthemic. It should be very energetic and upbeat. Lyrically it needs to have a story telling quality, with lyrics about being happy and feeling good. it should NOT be preachy in any way, but more relaying a very positive feel good feeling through the story. It must be in a MAJOR KEY!
The song should uplift the listener and motivate them to move and be happy, it should resonate with teens especially!
Genre:
Pop
Emotion:
Happy, Energetic, Upbeat
Vocals/Instrumental:
Vocal
Explicit Lyrics:
No
Duration:
Full Songs
Other Info:
Bands to reference are: Coldplay, Black Eyed Peas, U2, Lady Gaga, Outkast. All these bands have very poppy sounds and songs that are uplifting and energetic and can speak to the whole world.
05/03/2010 - 10:00am
Music Call:
Client looking to license music for an upcoming commercial. They are looking to license a custom tune with a lyric based around “Turn it Up” or “Turn Up The Fun.” They would like original verses leading up to a very catchy chorus based around the “Turn It Up” or “Turn Up The Fun,” lyric. The client wants something modern and fun, something to appeal to adults and kids alike, but definitely NOT playing to kids. Err on the side of a song that would appeal to adults.
The track should not be too Rock N Roll, something with elements of different genres mixed in is best. IT HAS TO BE MUSICALLY DISTINCTIVE WITH STRONG ENERGY – well produced and hooky, but with textures that don’t read straight Rock N Roll.
Acoustic guitar, vibes, vocals, driving rhythm section – interesting combos of things is what they are after.
The song should be in the 2:00 range with a very catchy chorus based around the “Turn It Up,” “Turn Up The Fun” lyric.
Genre:
Rock / with elements of other genres thrown in. Get creative!
Vocals/Instrumental:
Vocal
Explicit Lyrics:
No
Other Info:
Make this track at least 2 minutes long. Not too straight up Rock N Roll. Other creative elements thrown in is ideal!
MARCH 19, 2010
Wayne Cohen, veteran multi-platinum selling ASCAP hit songwriter, producer and educator, owner of publishing/production company Stand Up Songs.
Wayne teaches individual and group songwriting tutoring sessions at his NYC Stand Up Studio and via Skype.
One of my song tutoring students recently sang me a song she was working on called ‘Listen You’, which I thought was a cool idea about missing that special someone. She had strong lyrics for her chorus, but the chorus chords she had were in a minor key just like the verse had been. The minor chords worked great in the verse, but the melody fell flat at the chorus. I call this kind of chorus melody problem flat lining, as in, the melody didn’t lift enough for a chorus. I suggested that she go to the relative major key for the chorus, and that the melody needed to be ‘happier’ to pay off the manic lyric idea she had set up. This eventually made for a killer chorus for that song.
This started me thinking, if the question is, ‘how do you write a breakthrough song?’
This experience with my student reinforced my conviction that having an intention when writing is the answer. In other words, if you can imagine the result you want before you get there, you have a much better chance of achieving that result.
I think lack of intention is one of the things that is crippling the music industry. I see creators in many fields (not just songwriters) influenced by the culture of immediacy that we are living in. I believe some songwriters are influenced away from writing a breakthrough song, expressing a riveting clear universal emotion with catchy melodies, and instead are focused on making trendy tracks that sell immediately. I think the craft of songwriting is suffering as a result, and this shortsightedness is contributing to a lack of certain songs’ longevity on the charts.
But keeping this idea of intention can be a tricky business when writing a song, because sometimes you don’t want to question that magical part of writing from pure inspiration. Great songs can seem to fall out of the sky and flow through the writer.
However there are so many facets of songwriting that can be improved by conscious thought. There are many examples of this, not the least of which is McCartney’s now clichéd story about ‘Yesterday’ starting out as a song he dreamed called ‘Scrambled Eggs’. After further consideration, the title and subsequent lyric story of ‘Yesterday’ had just the right feeling for the melody he dreamed. The title and lyric fit like hand in glove. But he worked at it ‘til he had something great. And that was all because of his intention to write a great song. Luckily he didn’t settle for ‘Scrambled Eggs’.
So, you ask, how can we take an OK song and make it better, with the right intention?
As a starting point, here is a quick intention checklist to run your songs by.
Does every aspect of the song feel the way you want it to feel?
Does the lyric develop within a section, and from section to section, to express an urgent coherent story, the way you want it to?
Does the melody have the right flow, i.e., does it climax and subside where it needs to? (from the verse into the chorus, etc..)
Is there rhyme scheme consistency and development in the right places?
Have you mapped your melodic rhythm by using slash marks to count the number of syllables (for ex., map the V1 melody so that V2 will have the same melodic rhythm)?
Feel free to drop me a line and let me know how you did with the checklist…I’m curious!
You can contact Wayne here.
Thoughts, questions or comments? Share them here!
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In reading the books, songs come and go in and out of style. Like actual book writing styles of yore = when long sentences where stylish, now short sentences are stylish. Same with song titles. You ever look at a CD just to read the song titles? Many are now one or two words. Back in the day titles where much longer. Being aware of trends is always good. Just like being aware of rules is good before you break them. If you know the most popular way, then you can mix it up and come out with something even better. Well, hopefully even better.
After writing song lyrics seriously, so seriously that I’ve found over a dozen composers to put their time & energies into composing great melodies around my lyrics = for nearly 8 years now, I’m finally + seasoned. I say that because only now do I feel like I know the rules enough to break them with the necesary finnese to come away with a good song.
This month (coming soon 12 songs on- Holiday Punch by Various Artists), next month & every month after, Songs2Share will promote a digiSong CD. Our website coders are working on getting a paid song downloader up as I work the accounts at other websites.
In January we will be promoting my co-written songs. It’ll be great for ya’ll to see my skills at writing lyrics and the skills of those composers I’m working with. I’ve titled that CD First Flush because I feel these songs are the beginning of my songwriting career. They are great songs. Several top drawer and a lot of middle drawer. The driving beat here is - it takes a while to really get the know-how to go on and let it rip. For me, anyways. I’m a Taurus and I go kind of slow and steady, but I do get there and “get it” good.
Song titles are now shorter than they used to be. That’s the style. But not the rule of God. Here’s a rule of God:
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
“A Memorable Title
A memorable title: Is identifiable after one hearing - Resounds with one meaning - Summarizes the essence of the lyric’s statement.
The title is the name of your product - what the listener asks for at the store. Skillful songwriters know how to make a title both unmistakable and unforgettable. To make it unforgettable, you must put it in the right place and then repeat it often enough. That’s easy to do when you’re familiar with song forms - which we’ll take up soon in detail. To make your title unmistakable, make sure that no secondary phrase competes with your intended title. One heavyweight title is better than two or three middleweight titles….
ASSIGNMENT NO. 3
A Verse/Climb/Chorus with a One-Word Title
The Purpose
To design a top-40 product by fusing a commercial title to the most commercial song form.
The Assignment:
Write a verse/chorus lyric featuring a strong, compelling, memorable, provocative, platinum CD, Grammy-winning, one-word title. No limp, forgettable abstractions like Time, Hope, You, Then, Love. Pick a concrete noun or action verb to grab your listener’s ears. “The” is not allowed. And no names, please. Your word should flash in the mind like a neon sign: “Pressure/Pressure/Pressure,” “Hypnotize/Hypnotize/Hypnotize,” “Criminal/Criminal/Criminal,” “Wannabe/Wannabe/Wannabe.”
The verse/chorus/bridge form has become virtually a formula. Writing with a climb instead of the predictable bridge will give your song a fresher contour. Shape the lyric this way: Verse/climb/chorus/verse/climb/chorus…”
from Successful Lyric Writing by Sheila Davis
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Confessions of a virtual formula lyric writer - yes, I love the verse/chorus/bridge formula and probably half of my song catalog is that format. I learned it and now I’m ready to leap onto the bigger stage and try something with a - fresher contour. Songwriting is a fun expression of an emotion or idea. I love & have written tons of poetry and lyric writing is an extension of that skill.
I was shopping around for songs and came across the band named Mazzy Star. After listening to their song titled Blue Light I ordered their CD titled So Tonight That I Might See. Here’s their song titles from that CD. See how the titles tell you the flavor of the CD?
1. Fade Into You
2. Bells Ring
3. Mary Of Silence
4. Five String Serenade
5. Blue Light
6. She’s My Baby
7. Unreflected
8. Wasted 5:31
9. Into Dust 5:36
10. So Tonight That I Might See
When I come to a MySpace music site in response to a friend request, I listen to at least 1 song in the music player. Alls I’ve got to go on are the song titles. When someone is considering listening to an MP3 for licensing or paid download, their selection of WHAT TO LISTEN TO is based on your titles. Titles are important. How are your titles looking & sounding? You’ve got one chance to get the USER to click on your songs. Make it count.
Peace & Happy songwriting.
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Sing when you’re winning … Robbie Williams’s return sees rise in record sales. Photograph: James D Morgan/Rex Features
Last year it was claimed that 1m Spotify plays of Lady Gaga’s hit Poker Face earned her just $167. Photograph: Axel Heimken/AP