My list of songs to Study

[kennychaffin]

Early in the year I made a list of songwriters and selected songs to study from them. I probably ended up with

40-50 songs. I then narrowed that list down to the 10 below to study, learn, emulate etc. I had not thought of posting the list til

now, but just thought it might be interesting to hear what others think.

 

Turpentine - Brandi Carlile

The Same Mary - Kathy Hussey (winning lyric in the 2006 Great American Song Contest)

Houston - Mary Chapin Carpenter

Stay - Sugerland/Jennifer Nettles

Your Song - Bernie Taupin/Elton John

The Sound of Silence - Paul Simon

Mrs. Robinson - Paul Simon

Blowin' in the Wind - Bob Dylan

The Times They Are A-changin - Bob Dylan

A Long December - Adam Duritz/Counting Crows

 

KAC

[Lee Knight]

Your Song - Bernie Taupin/Elton John The Sound of Silence - Paul Simon Mrs. Robinson - Paul Simon Blowin' in the Wind - Bob Dylan The Times They Are A-changin - Bob Dylan

 

You sure could do a whole lot worse than...

 

Come writers and critics

Who prophesize with your pen

And keep your eyes wide

The chance won't come again

And don't speak too soon

For the wheel's still in spin

And there's no tellin' who

That it's namin'.

For the loser now

Will be later to win

For the times they are a-changin'.

 

I copied from your post the tunes that I know and they're great choices. The others? Dylan's mega standards are a huge source of inspiration. Bottomless pits of greatness. The lyrics are an obvious thing to study but don't ignore the rhythm of his melodies. His phrasing, when studied in isolation, is pretty freakin' remarkable.

 

Early Simon is a whole 'nother twist at unique vision reaching back into the great standards of the past. Simon was as much inspired by Tin Pan alley as he was pot.

 

And the Taupin/John stuff... I marvel at how such great lyrics can be written without music. But they don't really telegraph an obvious meter, then Elton comes along and makes genius music out of it. Certainly great lyricists have written before the music, but you can usually see where their meter suggests music. Try and read a Taupin lyric without knowing the song. ??? Then you hear the tune and wonder... HTF did Elton do that? With those lyrics? Those two were born for each other.

[kennychaffin]

You sure could do a whole lot worse than... Come writers and critics Who prophesize with your pen And keep your eyes wide The chance won't come again And don't speak too soon For the wheel's still in spin And there's no tellin' who That it's namin'. For the loser now Will be later to win For the times they are a-changin'. I copied from your post the tunes that I know and they're great choices. The others? Dylan's mega standards are a huge source of inspiration. Bottomless pits of greatness. The lyrics are an obvious thing to study but don't ignore the rhythm of his melodies. His phrasing, when studied in isolation, is pretty freakin' remarkable. Early Simon is a whole 'nother twist at unique vision reaching back into the great standards of the past. Simon was as much inspired by Tin Pan alley as he was pot. And the Taupin/John stuff... I marvel at how such great lyrics can be written without music. But they don't really telegraph an obvious meter, then Elton comes along and makes genius music out of it. Certainly great lyricists have written before the music, but you can usually see where their meter suggests music. Try and read a Taupin lyric without knowing the song. ??? Then you hear the tune and wonder... HTF did Elton do that? With those lyrics? Those two were born for each other.

 

Yep, I agree songwriting is way more than lyrics, and also that you really can't see the rhythm in Taupin's lyrics in many cases.

 

Oh and Yesterday and Imagine should probably in this list, but as I almost always have them in mind I kinda left them out.

 

KAC

[Lee Knight]

 

Yep, I agree songwriting is way more than lyrics... KAC

 

 

But my point about Dylan in particular. I'm always blindsighted by his words... then one day I decided to take apart some of his rhythms. Just take the 1st 2 lines from Times. The 1st line with it's repeated cadence of

 

"gather round people" and "...ever you roam".

 

Then to the 2nd line.

 

And "admit" that the "waters" "around you ""have grown"

 

...and just note how he varies that simple motif. Easy to overlook. It's not the same rhythmic motif. The guy kills me.

[Kathy Hussey]

Hey Kenny,

 

I just found this thread (thanks Google Alert!), and I have to say I am honored to be on your list...The song "The Same Mary" is special in a lot of ways; you know how there are songs (or poems) that seem to come THROUGH you with that effortless kind of inspiration, and then there are others that you slave away over every detail? "Mary" is one that was an equal combination of both - the character and the story came to me all at once, along with the weird, cinematic, guitar part...and then I spent months playing it for people and retooling it, because I felt it was destined to connect with a lot of people and it had to be really tight. I use it as an example in my workshop called "The Ruthless Rewrite"...people are so scared to tear apart and reassemble what they've written, even though it is the best tool they've got. Anyway, I digress...

 

I just went and read some of your poems and was very moved by your writing. I'm all about imagery, and your work is loaded with it! Particularly "The Old Barn"...I was digging the line about the barn "tilting foolishly into the wind" and didn't realize until the end of the poem how poignant it really was. I love it when a short work like a song or a poem can continue to take on layers of meaning - that's a real trick in a form where every single word matters.

 

So, thanks for noticing that lyric, and I'm glad I got a chance to read your beautiful words. Any further discussion of your work or mine would be welcome. (I spend a large part of each summer in CO, by the way, and have been thinking about organizing an NSAI workshop in the Denver area).

 

Best to you,

 

Kathy Hussey

www.kathyhussey.com

[kennychaffin]

Hey Kenny, I just found this thread (thanks Google Alert!), and I have to say I am honored to be on your list...The song "The Same Mary" is special in a lot of ways; you know how there are songs (or poems) that seem to come THROUGH you with that effortless kind of inspiration, and then there are others that you slave away over every detail? "Mary" is one that was an equal combination of both - the character and the story came to me all at once, along with the weird, cinematic, guitar part...and then I spent months playing it for people and retooling it, because I felt it was destined to connect with a lot of people and it had to be really tight. I use it as an example in my workshop called "The Ruthless Rewrite"...people are so scared to tear apart and reassemble what they've written, even though it is the best tool they've got. Anyway, I digress... I just went and read some of your poems and was very moved by your writing. I'm all about imagery, and your work is loaded with it! Particularly "The Old Barn"...I was digging the line about the barn "tilting foolishly into the wind" and didn't realize until the end of the poem how poignant it really was. I love it when a short work like a song or a poem can continue to take on layers of meaning - that's a real trick in a form where every single word matters. So, thanks for noticing that lyric, and I'm glad I got a chance to read your beautiful words. Any further discussion of your work or mine would be welcome. (I spend a large part of each summer in CO, by the way, and have been thinking about organizing an NSAI workshop in the Denver area). Best to you, Kathy Hussey www.kathyhussey.com

 

 

 

Hey cool! I really appreciate your stopping by. Google is pretty amazing, eh?

 

I came across your song while researching various things with respect to songwriting a few months back and was very impressed with the story it told and the way it was told. I'm doing my best to absorb what I can from as many sources as possible as I try to make a go of this songwriting thing.

 

Thanks too for your kind words about my poetry, Old Barn is one that is very personal and one of those that helped me come to terms with my relationship to my father.

 

Please let me know if you get serious about a workshop in the Denver area, that would definitely be fun!

 

Feel free to email or PM me directly as well.

 

Keep up the excellent work!

 

KAC

[blue2blue]

You might also want to check out some of the writers who were never big pop stars like Jesse Winchester, Richard Thompson, and possibly one of the best pop/folk writers of the last half of the 20th century, John Prine. Of course, there are plenty of other good writers but those three guys are some of the most skillful -- and often deeply resonant writers -- of the lot.

[kennychaffin]

 

You might also want to check out some of the writers who were never big pop stars like Jesse Winchester, Richard Thompson, and possibly one of the best pop/folk writers of the last half of the 20th century, John Prine. Of course, there are plenty of other good writers but those three guys are some of the most skillful -- and often deeply resonant writers -- of the lot.

 

 

Yeah, John Prine is definitely on my long list and certainly Richard Thompson - I love his work -- especially 1952 Vincent Black Lightning.

 

Thanks!

KAC

[blue2blue]

Yeah, John Prine is definitely on my long list and certainly Richard Thompson - I love his work -- especially 1952 Vincent Black Lightning. Thanks! KAC

 

Isn't that just about the coolest song ever about a motorcycle?

 

 

And, of course, a classic bike. This cafe racer isn't a '52, of course, but it suggests at least some of the coolness of that bike: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:VINCENT_Black_Lightning.jpg

 

And as I type this, "Angel from Montgomery" is on the jukebox (not un-conincidentally, mind you. )

 

 

If you like Prine and Thompson, check out Winchester. He's not widely known (I don't think he likes to travel) but he's written some pretty nifty songs. His first, eponymous [OMG, I spelled it right the first time!] album (produced by Robbie Robertson) from back in the early 70s is real good. And his songs get covered by some of the other singer-songwriter types in the alt-country/new folk scene.

[Lee Knight]

 

You might also want to check out some of the writers who were never big pop stars like Jesse Winchester, Richard Thompson, and possibly one of the best pop/folk writers of the last half of the 20th century, John Prine. Of course, there are plenty of other good writers but those three guys are some of the most skillful -- and often deeply resonant writers -- of the lot.

 

 

 

Good call on Winchester. How about Jules Shear? John Hiatt. Andy Partridge. Leonard Cohen.

[kennychaffin]

album (produced by Robbie Robertson) from back in the early 70s is real good. And his songs get covered by some of the other singer-songwriter types in the alt-country/new folk scene.

 

Funny how Synchronicity rears it's head, eh? I've heard of Winchester, but am not familiar with his work, will definitely check it out. An yea motorcycle or not, that's a classic song!

 

KAC

[kennychaffin]

Good call on Winchester. How about Jules Shear? John Hiatt. Andy Partridge. Leonard Cohen.

 

funny how I was just studying Suzanne and Hallelujah last night.

 

John Hiatt was mentioned above I think. Keep in mind this is just my "short" list.

 

KAC

[blue2blue]

Well, Cohen's finally been discovered, eh?

 

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and all.

 

Admittedly, it's not an institution I put any more weight in than, say, Blender's Top 100, but it gets Lennie's name up in lights for fifteen seconds or so. And -- if the stories about him getting cleaned out by his old manager are true (and it sounds like it) -- looks like this burst of acknowledgment couldn't come at a better time.

 

I am a big Cohen fan. I remember the first time I picked it up in the discount store, helping my mom with the shopping. It was, of course, the height of the hippie thing and here's this somber looking short-haired guy -- in a suit... and I just thought, Boy, this guy doesn't get it...

 

Heh... never judge a book -- or an album -- by the cover. By the time of my first year of college, I got it... Great, great album. Great writer. And a really charming, funny guy. (I've heard him a few times in live radio shows as well as seeing him at the Wiltern in LA in '87. And that was a great show. The backup singers still give me... let's just say, goosebumps. Let's say. Both great singers and... sexy.)

 

Hiatt's a fine writer with an authoritative growl to his voice -- and his lyrics, often as not.

 

I was lucky to be among the few in the US who've seen Andy Partridge and XTC (back around 1980 or so). A brilliant, amazing, wonderful show... one of the best I saw in that really amazing period of new music and innovation.

[kennychaffin]

The think I love about Cohen is that often his lines seem incongruous but they paint a picture/feeling/meaning into your mind that jells with the music into this "bigger than the sum of the parts" result that can be astounding - that's the feel I get from Suzanne and Hallelujah for sure. I love how he weaves biblical references in as well. It's a bit like he's tapping into our collective unconscious to create the result inside each listener.

 

BTW I believe there is a new Bio of him out that I'm probably going to pick up:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Yesterdays-Tomorrow-Leonard-Marc-Hendrickx/dp/1876040777/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1206466698&sr=1-4

 

KAC