Home
      
Artist Signup      Login       Political Pipeline        Review/Commentary           COMMUNITY        Add New Topic          
Father Time
Views for this Topic: 1910
Topics

3/11/2024 6:58:05 AM
I hate when this happens

2/29/2024 7:46:21 AM
Name one song you wish you had written

2/17/2024 9:09:01 AM
musical identity, is it necessary to have one?

12/13/2023 10:36:57 AM
a serious topic, for me, anyway

11/21/2023 3:42:15 PM
Indie music is the best music of my lifetime

11/10/2023 3:12:42 PM
songs written from someone else's perspective

10/5/2023 4:53:09 AM
Seasons change and so did I, you need not wonder why

8/21/2023 8:22:45 AM
So who's working on songs?

7/28/2023 12:04:08 PM
Did metal ruin rock?

6/18/2023 8:10:08 AM
new ideas for promoting yourself as an artist, and your music..

5/22/2023 12:48:45 PM
Elton John, Last Show in America - Dodger Stadium

4/25/2023 5:23:37 PM
If you happen to write a groovy song

4/19/2023 8:53:23 AM
Letting songs ruminate and grow in your head.

4/5/2023 8:35:07 AM
Trying to relate to past versions of yourself

2/9/2023 1:29:07 PM
RIP Bert Bacharach

1/11/2023 5:32:18 PM
RIP Jeff Beck

11/17/2022 4:38:38 PM
Not many come along like her.

11/3/2022 7:17:20 PM
Are you writing?

9/23/2022 12:21:02 PM
Have you been going thru any big changes lately?

9/20/2022 2:17:49 PM
Resilient like an indie.

7/27/2022 9:36:27 PM
What's the last song that got stuck in your head?

7/14/2022 1:44:42 AM
Write a great first line of lyrics for a new song.

5/27/2022 8:01:11 AM
Happy

5/13/2022 9:26:36 AM
Guess what McCartney considers the best song he ever wrote.

5/10/2022 11:41:28 PM
here's a blast from the past - the Blumberg Scandal at mp3.com

3/26/2022 1:03:07 PM
Use angst in your art.

3/15/2022 5:31:23 PM
Nostalgia

3/13/2022 7:32:45 PM
Tell a story from your life, anything at all.

3/5/2022 12:50:53 PM
Here is something you gotta see

2/10/2022 5:36:00 PM
The Things You Can't Control

2/10/2022 3:27:42 AM
Songs About Waiting

1/18/2022 11:49:19 AM
We're down to 8 teams left in the NFL for this season

12/31/2021 1:14:11 PM
people who give up on life and music

11/25/2021 10:44:35 AM
Get Back is now streaming on Disney plus

11/22/2021 4:26:20 AM
Sometimes I feel like society is against indies

11/4/2021 12:27:47 PM
3 songs at a time

10/27/2021 10:44:14 AM
What's your favorite ever love song?

10/23/2021 11:26:16 AM
the greatest idea ever??

10/19/2021 10:47:22 AM
Keeping one's mind on the music

9/28/2021 7:46:15 AM
Words can't begin..

9/12/2021 10:03:59 AM
NFL

8/15/2021 7:20:59 AM
My opinion on the matter

8/8/2021 10:48:00 AM
Ever listen to your own stuff and..

7/31/2021 10:13:51 AM
so are you folks working on music?

7/16/2021 9:30:09 PM
Huge Recommendation - McCartney 3,2,1 on Hulu

7/14/2021 11:07:18 AM
Call me simple, I don't care

7/11/2021 5:42:52 PM
songs that you totally love but you don't even understand why you do

4/13/2021 6:23:21 PM
wow new song - Mick Jagger & Dave Grohl

3/11/2021 5:54:45 PM
my elaborate plan to push music into the stratosphere

1/30/2021 6:52:46 PM
the best song I've ever done?

12/26/2020 12:59:09 PM
Bookmark this for a rainy day.

11/3/2020 7:07:45 AM
This monumental day is crying out for this old FT song.

10/22/2020 11:41:52 AM
Keith Jarrett confronts a future without the piano

10/13/2020 10:28:21 PM
new songs by Stevie Wonder!!

8/4/2020 10:11:04 PM
words and germs and songwriting

8/1/2020 8:40:41 PM
Is it possible to awaken the numb?

7/23/2020 8:37:08 PM
Women are the future of the world.

7/23/2020 5:28:39 PM
Women are the future of the world.

7/14/2020 4:54:24 PM
some songs take many years to gestate

7/9/2020 4:39:42 PM
taking on a rather daunting musical project

6/28/2020 2:14:36 AM
It's like it was all pretty much meant to happen

6/27/2020 10:54:34 AM
Bob Dylan and Neil Young top UK album charts.

6/4/2020 10:41:23 AM
John Lennon - a spokesman for our times

6/1/2020 11:55:32 AM
Courtney Love finally confesses to killing Kurt Cobain

5/27/2020 11:22:42 AM
How's your energy level in these times?

4/30/2020 8:52:29 PM
Ever have a song you just couldn't do right?

4/28/2020 10:05:46 PM
Let's see, should I drink Clorox or work on music today?

4/13/2020 1:25:48 PM
using synthesizers to play brass parts

4/3/2020 12:19:24 PM
RIP Bill Withers

3/31/2020 4:21:19 AM
this ought to be a good time to work on music

3/28/2020 6:27:29 PM
when the singer takes over the crowd

3/27/2020 6:26:25 AM
Bob Dylan releases first new song in 8 years

3/12/2020 4:02:50 PM
masterpiece songs

2/25/2020 9:07:45 AM
I came up with a new name for what we do

2/22/2020 2:55:47 PM
soul situations

2/21/2020 8:02:13 AM
inspiration on the fly

1/1/2020 2:03:27 AM
very Happy New Year from the actual Father Time!

12/29/2019 10:05:35 AM
How much of your true personality do you show online?

12/21/2019 1:20:37 PM
one of the absolute best things about indie music

12/10/2019 11:22:07 AM
the importance of lyrics

12/4/2019 3:11:37 AM
How do you work on songs?

11/9/2019 4:33:14 PM
any fans of Kanye West here?

10/17/2019 9:37:12 PM
If you could eat dinner with any 4 people, alive or dead, who would you pick?

10/3/2019 10:30:37 AM
New single by The Who

9/21/2019 1:26:59 PM
songs that fill you with joy

9/12/2019 10:28:42 AM
How much is your music part of your identity?

9/5/2019 11:03:44 AM
memory

9/3/2019 3:05:25 PM
What's your favorite line of lyric you've ever written

9/1/2019 7:00:21 AM
artistry vs. the attention span dilemma

8/29/2019 2:34:20 AM
Music is the only thing..

3/23/2019 11:47:25 AM
I am no artist.

3/12/2019 6:57:00 PM
finding the right chord

2/25/2019 2:57:59 PM
Rock and roll is unfair

2/19/2019 9:45:34 AM
my new songs are flowin' like tequila

2/14/2019 8:54:38 AM
Guitar solos don't have to be fast to be really cool

2/9/2019 10:18:40 AM
Most people don't care about music anymore

1/15/2019 2:07:19 PM
RIP Carol Channing

1/1/2019 8:39:13 AM
I love indie music.

10/27/2018 6:48:25 AM
the value of being the new guy

10/17/2018 1:42:47 PM
I actually wrote a new song

10/6/2018 10:02:52 AM
more crap

9/25/2018 5:26:27 PM
just personal stuff

2/21/2018 1:19:18 AM
the key to a happy life

2/12/2018 4:07:53 PM
Are you working on anything musical?

2/10/2018 5:18:18 PM
What do you think of this quote - agree or disagree?

2/9/2018 11:28:38 AM
What happened on Feb 9th?

1/31/2018 1:47:11 PM
somebody asked me a question

1/27/2018 11:05:07 AM
This is our time.

1/23/2018 7:27:15 AM
Neil Diamond has Parkinsons, retires from performing

1/18/2018 5:31:28 PM
the day no one had anything to say

1/17/2018 5:55:12 PM
comic books

1/15/2018 6:23:48 PM
IMPeccable Radio plays 24/7

1/13/2018 2:17:24 PM
Everybody excited about the GK Awards show Sunday night?

1/11/2018 11:47:32 PM
when Led Zep met the King

1/5/2018 5:08:04 PM
What are your musical goals for 2018?

1/3/2018 9:44:48 AM
Spotify sued for billions

1/1/2018 7:12:58 AM
Happy New Year from Father Time himself..

12/19/2017 8:22:01 AM
Name 10 songs you wish you had written

12/15/2017 7:53:23 AM
Music is the cure

12/14/2017 1:30:29 PM
Anybody have any idea what the end of net neutrality will mean to IMP?

12/12/2017 8:08:49 AM
The story behind one of my songs.

12/9/2017 2:35:23 PM
What do you think is the greatest earworm, the catchiest song of all time?

12/8/2017 6:11:04 AM
I added a bunch of newer songs to IMPeccable Radio

12/7/2017 3:22:03 PM
Will killing Net Neutrality hurt indies?

12/6/2017 8:36:14 AM
my music career

12/5/2017 9:43:37 PM
that glossy look in their eyes..

12/4/2017 3:32:09 PM
RIP Ian McLagen

12/4/2017 9:26:07 AM
the GK nominations are kind of lacking lately, c'mon peeps

12/4/2017 7:06:46 AM
Is it ever too late to change?

12/3/2017 2:59:35 PM
Holiday brainwashing

12/3/2017 2:58:09 PM
What was the greatest day of your life?

12/1/2017 4:30:57 PM
Neil Young changed online music forever today

11/29/2017 5:05:16 PM
the sex police state

11/29/2017 4:26:38 AM
an indie I ran into on facebook lets loose with his frustrations, what do you think of his vantage point?

11/28/2017 9:54:57 PM
Neil Young concert streaming on facebook Dec 1st at 8:00

11/21/2017 9:50:42 PM
RIP David Cassidy

11/21/2017 5:49:34 AM
Inspiration

11/17/2017 1:11:48 PM
Thanks a lot, Verity!

11/17/2017 7:06:24 AM
I confess

11/16/2017 1:59:39 PM
some thoughts on your Golden Kayak nominations

11/9/2017 4:27:56 AM
I was a little down tonight so I..

11/9/2017 2:43:07 AM
Not that anybody gives a crap, but..

11/6/2017 12:01:02 PM
my concert is cancelled

11/4/2017 9:16:51 AM
new Neil Young song that is pretty amazing..

11/3/2017 4:13:22 AM
songs about honesty

10/28/2017 11:32:39 AM
Saturday

10/26/2017 7:16:18 PM
Is it worthwhile doing a full-length record anymore?

10/25/2017 4:03:24 PM
RIP Fats Domino

10/25/2017 2:43:52 AM
Should artists continue to promote their older material?

10/23/2017 10:05:45 PM
new item on the front page

10/22/2017 2:00:10 AM
we made a site fix.

10/20/2017 3:19:34 PM
a big event

10/18/2017 9:37:30 PM
Ageism and Sexism are just as bad as the other isms.

10/17/2017 10:42:04 AM
Is this one of the keys to Francesca's success here?

10/17/2017 9:59:48 AM
How many here listen to IMP on their phones and devices?

10/13/2017 3:32:01 AM
Come one, come all, line up to read my latest blog

10/12/2017 7:31:16 AM
Eminem revolutionizes hiphop at the BET hiphop awards.

10/12/2017 7:15:13 AM
Who is the indie walrus?

10/11/2017 1:13:25 PM
Most folks see me as a rock-and-roller, but..

10/7/2017 3:14:42 PM
video festival

10/6/2017 11:51:34 AM
Stupid facebook.

10/3/2017 3:39:43 AM
300 million

10/2/2017 4:04:07 PM
RIP Tom Petty :(

9/29/2017 3:02:43 AM
The incredible, shocking Facebook code I was amazingly lucky to crack

9/28/2017 4:42:12 PM
I want to change social media.

9/27/2017 8:28:54 PM
A demo for a new love song, does this have any potential do ya think?

9/27/2017 5:52:56 PM
Don't try to tell me I'm old.

9/26/2017 5:59:24 AM
Neil Young's acceptance speech for the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame a few days ago

9/25/2017 1:04:33 AM
The MonaLisa Twins raise their game even further with totally new swingin' 3D Single!!

9/18/2017 11:26:52 AM
You got a brand new car but you're still livin' with your mother

9/13/2017 12:45:12 AM
"Maybe the guitar is over." - Eric Clapton

9/12/2017 2:29:01 PM
If you had to pick 3 bands or acts to be the only music you could listen to, who would they be?

9/8/2017 11:07:27 PM
Ever been lovesick?

8/30/2017 5:43:22 PM
Tell us about the new song(s) you're working on.

8/22/2017 12:55:58 AM
There aren't as many protest songs as there used to be.

8/20/2017 2:07:02 PM
RIP Jerry Lewis

8/18/2017 4:32:24 PM
All purpose NFL and college Football thread

8/17/2017 11:35:00 PM
Repairing Willie Nelson's guitar

8/14/2017 12:48:35 PM
My absolute favorite Stevie Wonder song!

8/8/2017 7:18:20 PM
RIP Glen Campbell (who has a page at IMP)

7/22/2017 4:36:06 PM
Dreams..

7/19/2017 8:37:12 PM
Critique my domain site, anybody?

7/18/2017 12:19:08 AM
Identity crisis, anyone?

7/16/2017 11:22:25 AM
Good stories about your songs

7/15/2017 12:32:48 PM
a band called Sweet

7/15/2017 12:15:48 PM
the technological gods know the truth

7/14/2017 1:11:10 PM
What's your favorite line of lyric you ever wrote?

7/10/2017 7:06:41 PM
What's the craziest thing you've ever done in the name of art?

6/30/2017 11:35:16 AM
Everybody has one song that they feel got underappreciated, one that deserved more love, right?

6/28/2017 8:41:50 AM
Who is the best artist in the world from 2000 to 2017?

6/26/2017 10:22:26 AM
the joy of a simple song

6/24/2017 9:55:35 PM
the price you pay

6/15/2017 9:50:25 AM
Yoko pushing and receiving songwriting credit for Imagine is really lame imo.

6/2/2017 4:18:36 PM
Do you consider yourself musically versatile?

5/29/2017 1:24:41 PM
Wonder Woman Schmunder Woman

5/28/2017 4:39:33 PM
here's a cool site for music lovers

5/27/2017 4:39:21 PM
Pipeline Bad Boys

5/24/2017 4:28:54 PM
Does video obscure the music?

5/22/2017 6:08:34 AM
in the jingle jangle mornin'

5/17/2017 11:16:13 AM
Coming clean.

5/16/2017 7:03:19 AM
Would you consider yourself well-adjusted?

5/5/2017 12:12:53 PM
Few ever stand back to see the big picture.

4/29/2017 11:59:18 PM
Even I don't care anymore what's been goin' on with me

4/20/2017 2:02:11 AM
When did headphones kill stereos?

4/18/2017 3:47:48 AM
I can't believe how shamelessly this jackass Harry Styles ripped off Badfinger.

4/16/2017 3:48:53 AM
The greatest love that never was

4/15/2017 2:43:46 PM
Is it sexist to call somebody sweetie?

4/12/2017 4:53:28 PM
I am coming to hate large corporations.

4/11/2017 10:34:31 PM
Corporate Search Engine bullshit is getting me down

4/11/2017 8:01:10 AM
facebook facts - sometimes your illusions can f you up.

4/9/2017 9:38:31 PM
Catch up on the news on the political pipeline

4/9/2017 4:55:39 AM
Music is obsolete

4/6/2017 4:45:41 PM
Don Rickles RIP

4/6/2017 12:26:52 AM
insidious tunes

3/29/2017 8:37:51 AM
Do you consider yourself a rebel?

3/26/2017 3:48:30 PM
Do nothing to dilute the strength of the final vision.

3/23/2017 11:31:53 AM
a crucial note to all songwriters

3/23/2017 1:17:15 AM
Trump is going down and it ain't gonna be pretty.

3/22/2017 3:32:44 AM
Does the "internet law of proximity" suppress the progress of indies in their quest to make something happen?

3/15/2017 6:16:10 PM
If you heard a song as great as your favorite Beatles hit coming from an indie, what would you do?

3/13/2017 4:56:15 PM
How often?

3/6/2017 5:12:33 AM
My new blog is fiction, in the bizarro world. In other words it's realer than your mom.

3/5/2017 2:43:56 PM
new news about Sgt. Pepper ?

3/5/2017 1:34:20 PM
my first new release since like July

3/5/2017 3:19:20 AM
Anybody here see the movie Whiplash?

3/4/2017 2:28:01 AM
Elton says American radio is ageist.

3/3/2017 4:50:33 PM
songs you wrote with interesting lyrics

2/25/2017 3:57:27 PM
I'm a rock star

2/11/2017 10:40:08 AM
Will IMP usher in the next Beatlemania?

2/9/2017 12:34:49 PM
Happy Birthday Carole King

2/8/2017 8:24:24 AM
Sacred songs.

2/8/2017 6:40:14 AM
I'm a man without a country right now.

2/7/2017 6:33:56 PM
February 7th, the day the Beatles arrived in America

2/7/2017 12:47:56 PM
Do you mind it when songs have the F word in them?

2/6/2017 6:42:26 PM
About the precious kind of internet denizen who avoids clicking links like they're germ-infected.

2/6/2017 4:34:16 PM
Is this the worst record of all time?

2/6/2017 5:25:04 AM
I'll take rock over that GaGa pop slop any day of the week.

2/5/2017 7:41:58 AM
Listening to music in your car

2/4/2017 11:41:29 AM
What's the max age for new rock stars?

2/4/2017 1:36:34 AM
a big plug for..

2/3/2017 1:33:20 AM
new blog about free speech

2/2/2017 12:22:23 PM
Respect and disrespect

1/31/2017 1:23:46 PM
new

1/29/2017 5:34:27 AM
another new, purgin' blog, hop on the crazy train

1/27/2017 11:40:40 PM
What's your relationship with the world of social media?

1/27/2017 7:09:01 AM
Every Dog Has His Day - My Conversation with Bob Dylan

1/27/2017 2:19:24 AM
looking for Celtic sounding songs today?

1/23/2017 7:18:38 PM
an indie song that never fails to make me happy

1/21/2017 9:00:23 AM
The women's rally is live now, watch it, it's unbelievably great.

1/21/2017 6:22:27 AM
This song goes out to all the women marching today

1/20/2017 12:21:39 PM
Isn't it strange remembering the music moments of your life? These all happened in a car.

1/18/2017 1:29:54 AM
Trent Reznor speaks out about today's artists, I like what he said.

1/15/2017 4:20:12 PM
IMPeccable Radio runs 24/7, 365, all indie, all the time, all you folks.

1/15/2017 1:31:34 PM
Turn on, the show is rolling!

1/13/2017 4:38:19 AM
confessions of a man who may have a plan

1/8/2017 9:14:04 PM
Meryl Streep just showed at the Golden Globes why artists need to be political

1/5/2017 2:49:15 PM
Bob Dylan accepted my friend request.

1/1/2017 6:30:31 AM
the sexist world

12/23/2016 4:19:41 PM
I had what seems like an amazing artistic breakthru today

12/23/2016 11:08:03 AM
Bubblegum for a New Era

12/19/2016 2:10:42 PM
It's only a rumor.

12/14/2016 9:30:01 PM
Get your inspiration right here.

12/8/2016 2:17:18 AM
RIP John Lennon

12/4/2016 1:17:07 AM
uh oh, he's back on his horse

11/20/2016 8:46:15 AM
When did you first know that you were cool?

11/19/2016 8:25:01 AM
Beatles break-up letter from John to Paul and Linda sells for big bucks at auction

11/2/2016 6:38:20 PM
See a 3D exhibit of Bob Dylan's paintings

10/29/2016 11:10:22 AM
Take some time and listen to my whole page

10/28/2016 5:34:17 PM
Dylan accepts Nobel Prize and says he will show up to claim it.

10/27/2016 1:19:40 AM
Spotify says genres are out, videos are in, and your tempo run gets a playlist

10/26/2016 12:34:33 PM
Obama and Hillary to release secret government info about UFOs and aliens

10/23/2016 7:22:23 PM
Neil Young and Metallica play Mr. Soul at Bridge Concert

10/13/2016 6:45:01 AM
Bob Dylan wins Nobel Prize in literature

10/7/2016 12:19:13 PM
my alltime favorite bass line in a song

10/6/2016 2:21:47 PM
video clip from first new Stones record in over a decade just released

10/4/2016 11:14:25 AM
Joni Mitchell Tribute Thread

10/3/2016 11:59:04 AM
magical soul music

9/27/2016 9:59:45 AM
test

9/23/2016 6:48:18 AM
a complex, totally epic song by an underrated band

9/10/2016 1:39:10 PM
Smells Like Teen Spirit was released 25 years ago today.

9/8/2016 6:58:26 PM
Kim Jung[Un bans sarcasm

8/27/2016 12:14:25 PM
Love To Rock Ya

8/22/2016 10:32:36 PM
So was your summer as good as you had hoped?

8/11/2016 5:43:56 AM
I saw Sir Paul in concert last night!

8/8/2016 6:30:52 AM
Does your mind have to be in a certain state to work on music?

8/2/2016 4:25:20 AM
how to use a station in a self-promotional way.

7/31/2016 4:03:58 PM
a new indie paradigm about what constitutes a new song

7/27/2016 5:59:17 AM
Mariah Carey will only enter a restaurant if her own music is playing!

7/23/2016 5:54:18 AM
a brand new song about my sista Eve

7/15/2016 4:38:44 AM
Prayers are not working.

7/13/2016 11:28:09 AM
well I have something really cool to report

7/10/2016 6:02:30 AM
old songs with magical melodies

7/8/2016 8:13:18 AM
I'm having a crappy assed summer

7/7/2016 7:41:06 AM
What's your standard for what you consider original music?

7/5/2016 10:02:56 AM
Do you want everyone to like you?

7/4/2016 4:38:03 AM
Starting over again, that's what artists do.

7/3/2016 6:27:27 AM
I was at that concert..

6/24/2016 4:34:35 PM
I have found the perfect gimmick for my music career.

6/23/2016 5:09:26 PM
I wish this woulda been me.

6/23/2016 5:03:44 PM
Led Zep wins.

6/23/2016 8:35:21 AM
When The Bubble Bursts

6/22/2016 11:13:57 PM
Maybe the 60s have finally come back after all this time.

6/18/2016 4:37:40 AM
intros to songs you like and you're not even sure why

6/15/2016 8:44:48 AM
You Tube hates my guts.

6/15/2016 7:46:15 AM
No Way To Say Goodbye

6/14/2016 9:09:49 PM
Father Time's iPod

6/14/2016 9:37:45 AM
Destroying the 2nd Amendment

6/12/2016 9:38:54 PM
What's your favorite Beach Boys song?

6/9/2016 9:31:49 PM
I got tickets to see McCartney

6/5/2016 9:58:09 AM
Karen Carpenter

6/3/2016 2:19:15 PM
on Muhammed Ali

6/3/2016 8:24:20 AM
Reading this put a big grin on my face

5/30/2016 12:27:46 PM
Do bad encounters on the internet stop you in your tracks?

5/29/2016 6:30:50 PM
Spotify is deeply anti artist.

5/29/2016 8:56:11 AM
I'm changing my signature song

5/26/2016 9:47:08 PM
Good and evil finally clash for real.

5/26/2016 7:26:07 PM
There's no scientific proof for this

5/26/2016 10:35:57 AM
My new musical goal. I want to be on a postage stamp.

5/21/2016 5:15:42 PM
paging Lyin Dan

5/19/2016 11:24:51 AM
I had an absolutely crazy idea this morning

5/19/2016 4:01:01 AM
How much do you believe of what the media says?

5/8/2016 8:51:54 AM
Can a song be important?

5/6/2016 6:35:32 AM
Two riders were approaching, the wind began to howl

4/27/2016 8:34:47 AM
sail me like a wild wind blowin'

4/26/2016 7:22:24 PM
Old music is outselling new music for the first time in history

4/24/2016 5:53:18 PM
post a video of a song you think everybody could stand for hearin'

4/23/2016 10:43:41 PM
and the boss says..

4/22/2016 2:43:22 AM
Prince - came in as a censored pariah, leaves as a public icon

4/19/2016 5:47:29 PM
Dare to be creative

4/19/2016 8:41:05 AM
My public image is about to take a huge hit.

4/19/2016 2:37:30 AM
songs where the video makes it harder to enjoy the song

4/18/2016 6:01:43 AM
Is the rock and roll mentality in society fading out?

4/17/2016 12:41:05 PM
this song moves me

4/15/2016 1:27:10 PM
Coachella working on concert including McCartney, Stones, Waters. Dylan and Neil Young

4/15/2016 6:29:45 AM
Name 5 things that are weird about you.

4/15/2016 2:12:16 AM
when your own songs don't sound like you no more

4/15/2016 1:37:54 AM
Flea does bass version of National Anthem

4/9/2016 12:29:39 PM
an update on my music..

4/4/2016 8:51:23 AM
my attempt at recording my own folk standard

4/3/2016 10:59:40 AM
What does Dark Side of the Moon mean to you?

4/2/2016 9:46:13 AM
Michael, Row The Boat Ashore

4/1/2016 3:15:30 PM
sometimes I wonder f the muse itself is more responsible for great music than the actual artist

4/1/2016 3:00:28 PM
just an update to let ya all know what I've been working on

4/1/2016 5:07:21 AM
If you set out to make the greatest record of all time and succeeded, would anybody realize it?

3/31/2016 8:52:42 AM
She is the queen

3/31/2016 2:43:51 AM
Did you ever look at your past residences on Google Earth?

3/29/2016 8:24:31 AM
I knew this before but it became all too clear yesterday

3/27/2016 12:22:27 AM
top "Billboard 200" artists of all time

3/25/2016 8:36:44 AM
BEATLESEX covers an FT song and this one has Elvis the King overtones

3/23/2016 2:41:23 PM
Ever lose a set of lyrics that mattered to ya?

3/23/2016 8:27:11 AM
When Musical Titans Collide :) (Lesley covers an FT song)

3/22/2016 2:22:41 PM
on jazz

3/19/2016 9:05:59 AM
Hurray for me, I recorded some tracks today!

3/19/2016 7:24:50 AM
If you could sit down to a meal with 4 music artists in all history, who would you choose

3/19/2016 7:22:25 AM
Is this the best soul song since 1980

3/18/2016 2:04:22 PM
Banker

3/18/2016 1:14:12 PM
chasing the fire

3/18/2016 5:29:27 AM
It Comes When It Comes

3/8/2016 8:40:30 PM
RIP George Martin

3/7/2016 8:48:40 PM
unusual love songs

3/7/2016 2:09:22 PM
What are your side hobbies?

3/2/2016 8:33:29 AM
The day the fab four played a gig to 18 people

3/2/2016 8:28:33 AM
Here's Dylan at his absolute coolest.

3/1/2016 1:43:16 PM
Rust Never Sleeps

2/26/2016 3:53:26 PM
the big 4 are..

2/25/2016 3:43:34 PM
the ultimate showdown between Smart America and Stupid America

2/22/2016 2:36:11 PM
a true story

2/18/2016 2:39:43 AM
IMP late night club

2/12/2016 11:07:27 AM
Did choreographed dance moves kill rock?

2/11/2016 12:10:28 AM
66% of Republicans voting in New Hampshire support not allowing muslims in the country.

2/8/2016 12:46:14 PM
I wish there weren't any Super Bowl halftime shows

2/7/2016 12:06:19 AM
Is this a tour de force performance or what ??!

2/6/2016 3:41:30 AM
the most unbelievable moment I ever experienced at a concert

2/5/2016 1:54:06 PM
Which genre is better music?

1/31/2016 6:09:52 PM
the making of Bohemian Rhapsody

1/31/2016 8:23:35 AM
Amy Winehouse

1/30/2016 7:14:08 PM
Sign this petition to arrest Rick Snyder for poisoning the water in Flint Michigan

1/29/2016 9:00:18 PM
Brian Wilson hears somebody covering one of his songs..

1/27/2016 12:20:07 PM
What is your signature song if you had to pick one?

1/25/2016 1:46:46 PM
details on Brian Wilson's upcoming Pet Sounds tour

1/24/2016 8:02:04 AM
name some small things that make you happy in life

1/23/2016 10:53:53 PM
George Martin pays a visit to Brian Wilson

1/23/2016 8:20:43 AM
David Bowie's top 25 albums, care to share yours?

1/19/2016 10:56:45 AM
What do you think about the Oscars boycott?

1/15/2016 12:11:21 AM
a songwriter's dream

1/14/2016 7:27:37 PM
This is just spectacular, in my opinion

1/11/2016 1:05:04 PM
a flashback to the time I was on American Top 40!

1/2/2016 7:20:46 AM
Billie Jo MacAllister jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge

1/1/2016 12:12:17 PM
the video that lit up the New Year's Eve Party I was at last night

12/31/2015 12:44:34 PM
paging Lyin Dan

12/26/2015 9:30:07 AM
I'm frustrated with the time-released aspect of music

12/26/2015 4:44:23 AM
crap I've been thinkin' about

12/18/2015 3:48:20 AM
Happy Birthday Keef!

12/16/2015 8:16:44 AM
New Promotional Item for Sale!!

12/12/2015 12:43:36 PM
List your top musical heroes here, dead or alive

12/11/2015 1:34:21 PM
Where does early 70s soul music rank as far as the best music ever created?

12/4/2015 9:02:56 AM
Soaked in Bleach, on the Cobain murder, is on Netflix now

12/3/2015 11:59:53 PM
Stratocaster made of cardboard

12/3/2015 1:54:19 AM
Rubber Soul was released 50 years ago today

12/2/2015 6:13:12 PM
parts of songs you love more than the rest of the song.

11/29/2015 6:02:39 AM
Tim Tebow's hot girlfriend, a former Miss USA, dumped him for wanting to stay a virgin

11/27/2015 5:09:33 PM
female starlets and their turntables

11/21/2015 6:27:19 AM
I've got a jukebox running constantly in my head.

11/20/2015 2:46:14 AM
Bernie Taupin interview I found interesting

11/19/2015 3:36:50 PM
top 100 billboard hits of the Hot 100 era

11/16/2015 6:04:52 AM
missing some of my prized possessions

11/15/2015 1:36:28 AM
Lennon/McCartney created poster for Monterey Pop Festival

11/12/2015 12:05:52 PM
Post your most Beatleesque song

11/12/2015 4:06:33 AM
Happy 70th birthday Neil Young

11/3/2015 2:02:46 PM
on surviving..

11/3/2015 11:20:04 AM
Who is the good guy and who is the bad guy?

11/2/2015 2:02:36 PM
What would you do if you had a time machine?

10/30/2015 10:31:56 PM
a dim view of the future of the universe

10/30/2015 3:17:31 PM
new record coming out - Elvis the King with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

10/28/2015 11:12:32 AM
Did Facebook kill the internet?

10/23/2015 12:06:32 AM
Do you still carry around psyche remnants of your youth?

10/21/2015 9:43:07 AM
songs where the singer takes on the role of an outlaw

10/19/2015 1:44:01 PM
Is an artist better off not caring if folks listen to his or her music?

10/16/2015 5:55:41 AM
Do you try to sell your music? Hope to sell your music?

10/15/2015 6:23:35 AM
an interesting thing Brian Wilson has talked about

10/14/2015 12:34:05 PM
something I'll never understand

10/12/2015 6:10:08 PM
a story I just read about Patti Smith

10/11/2015 6:17:58 PM
Belief in one's own music - a large segment of music society regards this as almost criminal

10/9/2015 12:12:02 PM
my new band's new video, check it out..

10/8/2015 2:52:30 AM
I think the Cubs are going to win the World Series

10/5/2015 7:01:30 AM
I hate the attitude "I've seen it all"

10/3/2015 7:06:35 AM
Suggestions wanted from all for this music career question

10/2/2015 10:25:07 PM
Keith Richards documentary on Netflix is really great

9/24/2015 12:01:19 PM
the mystery of the magical melody

9/19/2015 11:05:53 AM
concept albums thread

9/15/2015 7:24:43 PM
What's your favorite album of all time ?

9/13/2015 10:27:52 AM
a new station and a challenge to you all

9/12/2015 12:48:42 PM
I wish I was 20 years old

8/30/2015 3:04:46 PM
Did metal music usurp the craziness out of rock?

8/23/2015 6:00:55 AM
using your art (music) to solve your issues in life

8/5/2015 12:46:18 PM
Keef Richards says Sergeant Pepper was rubbish!

7/16/2015 1:51:10 PM
Another mass shooting on same day Aurora mass shooting goes to verdict.

6/22/2015 11:56:50 AM
I wrote this protest song less than an hour ago

6/18/2015 1:55:24 PM
remembering my safety deposit box

5/30/2015 12:36:51 AM
so what musical projects do you have on tap for the summer ?



IndieMusicPeople.com

IAC Prime Member

   

Father Time

3/23/2017 11:31:53 AM

a crucial note to all songwriters

You want to know what makes a big damn difference? Writing lyrics about stuff you actually care about. Didya ever consider doing that? Give it a try sometime. Try to matter maybe?


Add Comment

3/23/2017 11:49:13 AM


Oh you are absolutely right.

Write like you're talkin' about stuff that matters to you,
not like you're trying to construct a hallmark greeting card. good point.


Add Comment

Two Silo Complex

3/23/2017 11:52:02 AM


Damn I was just writing a song about fluffy puppies, butterflies, rainbows and other such nonsense. Back to the drawing board.


Add Comment

3/23/2017 11:53:55 AM


Well, my mentor Lesley Gore
had a hit once with an unlikely thing called
"Sunshine Lollipops and Rainbows",

but that was a long time ago,
you could actually pass off shit like that then.


Add Comment

3/23/2017 11:56:19 AM


by the way, this is me half-joking, and decidedly being a smartass,

but in this day and age,

you may be able to utilize a song,
containing all the things you mentioned, fluffy puppies,
and whatever other warm fuzzy things you rattled off,

if you had for a chorus: "AND I WANNA KILLLLLL THEMMMMMMM"....

but don't actually do that.

Well, nothing is stopping you, I just had to say that anyway.

the 'don't actually do that' thing.


Add Comment

Two Silo Complex

3/23/2017 12:09:17 PM


ALJ,
My point was that my musical "talents" as they are might be questionable or even non-existent according to some spectators (not here)who hurl rocks in my direction.

What I have been told consistently from many independent sources is that my lyrical content is quite good.

I don't write "fluff" stuff that I don't think matters was my point.

Now maybe there is a great song about rainbows and fluffy puppies yet to be written who am I to judge?

I will also point out that content that is relevant in context to the eye of the beholder. What I think is good content you might think is rubbish and so forth.

Just to write a song for the sake of a song is going against nature and in my option that type of rot is a was of time and space.


Add Comment

Hop On Pop

3/23/2017 12:13:34 PM


When I'm writing a song, if I'm singing the lyrics and they don't resonate with me, if they're just fluff, then the song is usually not going to make it out of my bedroom.
There have been one or two that have made it out, but that was just because I thought that they were clever enough to skate by. Some folks liked 'em, but I rarely sing them just because I don't feel it.


Add Comment

3/23/2017 12:13:43 PM


Ken, don't look now, Buddy, but I get your point.
I agreed with you.


Add Comment

Two Silo Complex

3/23/2017 12:33:31 PM


Well something is going on in the universe.

I think we just agreed on two different topics in the same day

stranger things have happened I suppose.

carry on as you do ALJ carry on.




Add Comment

3/23/2017 12:40:29 PM


Oh we've agreed before, Ken.
Every now and then. It happens.
Some days I'm a Superheroine. Some days I'm a Complete Dick.

And Carry On, Well, that's what pallbearers do isn't it.
Don't let your end of the coffin dip, Dude.


Add Comment

Two Silo Complex

3/23/2017 12:57:23 PM


True enough ALJ you do speak truth.

As for letting my end slip check my response to "the one who's time in the sun has never come" post.

I may falter and I may grow weary but I march on as you do and most others here do.

If my side of the coffin as you put it slips then it is because I have gone beyond the realms and into the song of fluffy bunnies and rainbows never to return.

Until that day I remain as I always have been the one who carries on despite the odds the one who is and always will be battered and bruised but never done.


Add Comment

The Jay Dyall Project

3/23/2017 1:39:03 PM


That's the one thing I do as a songwriter, write about things that matter,
especially in aspects of relationships, in all phases, whether good, bad, the start of one, wanting one or ending one. To me, Love & Happiness is what matters most, but sometimes sadness and loneliness also fall into the fray.

In either case, I tend to write lyrics that Others can relate to, it's not always about me. And I don't write songs that only I could relate to, or write songs for the sake of writing with rhymes and random lines that don't make sense in the song.
That is the one thing I stress out to young up and coming songwriters who contact me for advice and tips. I like that I am a mentor of sorts to several new writers.
Write what you feel, your thoughts, what you've experience, what you've seen others experience, and weave it in a way that others can say "Hey, that's how I feel!"

I generalize it so that any other singer can say "Hey, I can relate to that, I will record my own version of that song!" To me, that is a sign of some form of success when other singers and/or bands want to record one of my songs!
And it fills me with delight to see all the attention that artist receives because of a song I had written!

Case in point, the lovely and talented Francesca Tamellini,
with her own version of my song "Keep Fooling Myself".
My version was basically a straight forward pop rock song,
but her version was stripped down, with a slower tempo, and you can hear, and feel, the emotions in her rendition! She made it easy to believe she is going through a post break-up period in her life and others can find that relatable.

I've written songs in other topics as well, in a wide variety of styles, and for the most part are also songs others can relate to. I do try to avoid writing songs that deals with politics nor do I use obscenities, not even for dramatic effects! I for one don't believe in the usage of curse words or that now overused "N" words in songs! I would like young kids to be able to sing along to my songs as well without them being exposed to words they don't need to be hearing in a song. It's a sad state of mind, and of the times, where many songwriters feel they must include that in order to "fit in" with the younger generations or to be relevant in today's society.

As for my recordings, I do the best I can, I consider them to be Demos, always hoping a bigger established act may someday hear my songs and decides to record a version of their own. I do feel my writing is in the caliber of top successful songwriters but most people judge my songs based on my singing abilities which I admit to be mediocre, but hey, I at least try. As the old saying goes, all it takes is for One of my songs to be recorded by a top act and become a hit song played on the radio and sells millions! And that's why I continue to write and record even after all these years!! All it takes is one crucial Ear to hear potential!

Have a nice day everyone!! :-)


Add Comment

Larree

3/23/2017 1:47:00 PM


A truly great songwriter can write a song about soap and make it a hit.


Add Comment

The Jay Dyall Project

3/23/2017 1:53:48 PM



As for Sunshine, Rainbows and Fluffy Bunnies,
there is always a market for Kid's Songs you know!

There is a charity organization called The Sing Me A Story Foundation that is always looking for songwriters to take a short story written by sick children and turn them into Kids friendly songs. You can read more info on this at
https://singmeastory.org/


Add Comment

The Jay Dyall Project

3/23/2017 1:56:21 PM



Larree, you are absolutely right!
There has already been a hit song about Soap! LOL
"A Little Bit Of Soap" by The Jarmels in 1961!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6JOgslsHDc


Add Comment

Larree

3/23/2017 2:05:37 PM


Right on, Jay! I remember that one! :D


Add Comment

Father Time

3/23/2017 4:02:02 PM


This was a hit as far as I'm concerned. But I do think whoever wrote it truly loved the product.


Add Comment

Larree

3/23/2017 4:57:04 PM


Yes, a classic for sure!


Add Comment

LyinDan

3/23/2017 6:21:41 PM


I wrote a song about eating my pickle. It's stuff like that that matters a whole lot to me.


Add Comment

LyinDan

3/23/2017 6:30:07 PM


That stuff mattered a whole lot to the Immortal Chuck Berry, too, come (no pun)(?) to think of it.


Add Comment

LyinDan

3/23/2017 6:32:30 PM


To be sure, most songs are written about sex in one way or another. Or love. Or lovely sex. Or dirty sex. It's what really matters the most.


Add Comment

Stoneman

3/24/2017 12:57:02 AM


I agree 100%!


Add Comment

Hop On Pop

3/24/2017 6:32:01 AM


Hell, it could be stupid fluff to the rest of the world, as long as it matters to me, I am good with it and good with singing it.


Add Comment

Larree

3/24/2017 2:37:54 PM


"the test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function." ~ F. Scott Fitzgerald


Add Comment

Bob Elliott

3/24/2017 8:32:09 PM


I mostly try to tune into whatever wavelength from my subconscious.

But I have great respect and admiration for pros writing more to spec, and I'm pretty sure I could write to whatever parameters if I got paid for it.

But I don't, so I drift into following my subconscious around, which has a lot of gold for me.


Add Comment

Father Time

3/24/2017 8:36:42 PM


Larree, you're making this topic more complicated than it is. Fact is there are a lot of people out there writing songs that they think pass the test of coming from the heart and soul but they're fooling themselves if they think they're fooling others.


Add Comment

Larree

3/24/2017 10:07:24 PM ---- Updated 3/24/2017 10:09:25 PM


I've known some very crafty songsmiths who had the skills to write songs about anything on command. Nashville types. That kind of writing can be just as fun and rewarding. Hell, sometimes if you are writing "from the heart and soul" about serious stuff it is not fun at all!


Add Comment

Bob Elliott

3/27/2017 10:41:02 PM


The crucial thing is to write a song that works. Songs that work are beautiful and mysterious things. Those all interest me.

They come in many flavors, but they are different from the other, larger category: songs that don't work.

Examples:

No Particular Place to Go
This Land Is Your Land
Groove Is in the Heart
Straight Outa Compton
Night and Day
Down to the Crossroads
If You Go Away
Hotline Bling
Could It Be I'm Falling In Love?
Sin City
God Bless the Child That's Got His Own
Black is the Color of My True Love's Hair


They work.

A complete thing that works is so cool.


Add Comment

Francesca Tamellini

3/28/2017 3:31:13 PM


Maybe on the fluffy bunnies and rainbows dismissal you missed:

Rows and flows of angel hair
And ice cream castles in the air
And feather canyons everywhere ......

You can make things matter if you want.


Add Comment

Two Silo Complex

3/28/2017 5:00:03 PM


I'll entertain the thought that my example may have room for error as you and some others have pointed out. I'll go so far to say that its quite possible there is no such thing as "fluff" but that "fluff" is a created construct that may or may not exist.

That is an interesting statement Francesca how do you "make things matter"

Depending on the person and subject they may matter or not matter is there a way that things can be "made to matter" to someone who is indifferent? If so how do you do that?

Can things be "made to matter" when a person cares less about them?

I am particularly intrigued by the feather cannons you mentioned that to me sounds like an interesting song lyric.

TSC,
Ken


Add Comment

Francesca Tamellini

3/28/2017 5:25:03 PM


You seem to have overlooked three of my words - 'if you want' obviously
if you are indifferent to something you have no motivation to make it matter.

Your reference to 'cannons' escapes me. The plural of canon is canon without an 's', even then however, I don't follow.


Add Comment

Father Time

3/28/2017 5:59:30 PM


well you know, that's interesting. What you are saying is you can make any subject matter if you want. I take it you mean using writing skill to get across an emotion. For instance say you love rats, you can write a song like Ben which moved many people.

Now Ben was based on a fictional rat which had a back story from a movie. I'm not sure you could make up something like a styrofoam cup you named Tommy and make a song matter about Tommy. I think it takes more to conveying an emotion than wanting to do so. Sure some songwriters like yourself for instance have a lot of skill to work with but to make that convincing might take more than anybody has the "skill" to do.


Add Comment

Francesca Tamellini

3/28/2017 6:04:19 PM


Actually, the simplest most mundane experiences are far easier to convey because they are common. If you wanted to write about your love for Tommy the styrophome cup just through in a few minor chords and repeat his name in soft tones. If you want to write about the damage he does to the planet, you might have a more difficult job.


Add Comment

3/28/2017 6:40:58 PM


Ken, she didn't say 'cannons',

she said 'canyons' which is, part of that lyric,

she's quoting,
nearly accurately,

(it's actually 'bows and flows of angel hair...;' not 'rows'... but you were close)

"Both Sides Now" which was written by Joni Mitchell,
and made a hit by Judy Collins, in the late 60s thereabouts.

An impressive song, any one of us would be proud to have written it...
it uses tons of byzantine poetry, and simply says ultimately,
"I've been up and down this thing, and I don't really know anything, oh well,
who wants pie..."


Add Comment

Captain Confusion

3/28/2017 7:56:58 PM


Bows and flows of angel pie


Add Comment

Steve White

3/28/2017 8:07:43 PM


For me?

A good song just needs a good melody and a strong hook. You can write about a cardboard box and make it a hit using those principals.

Steve


Add Comment

Larree

3/28/2017 8:11:43 PM ---- Updated 3/28/2017 8:12:12 PM


No matter what your song means to you (And yes, I am talking to myself as well as you!), it does not mean shit unless it affects someone else in some way.


Add Comment

Two Silo Complex

3/28/2017 9:46:02 PM


as ALJ and Francensca pointed out I misread what she wrote

she said "And feather canyons everywhere"

somehow I read "And feather cannons everywhere" instead

the idea of a feather canyon confuses me I'm not sure what that means. What does it mean?

A feather cannon is an interesting concept. A cannon but is either made of or shoots feathers. Which makes it for lack of a better word, impotent.

I agree with what Larree said last that unless it moves someone else beside you what is the point.

I guess it that vain it matters not whether its "fluff" or not "fluff" but does matter how much it moves and catches on with others.

TSC,
Ken


Add Comment

Bob Elliott

3/29/2017 2:40:09 PM


Couple things:

Songs that have just one meaning are usually pretty lifeless. If you won't let your subconscious get involved, probably no one else's will either.

"Ben" is a great example of just the pure beauty of skill and art. Sure there was a story of the rat for the movie, but the writer wrote it such that it could work for that story, but also could work for other stories and feelings listeners might have. There was no way to know it was for a rat movie from just listening. It was just very well written, emotional. Did the writer feel a lot of emotion due to the movie? I doubt it, but they could access emotion through music, and they had a lot of skills.

So writing about your stuff you actually care about is sort of not the whole picture. If you're a songwriter, you tend to care a lot about beautiful songs, and that can be the whole driving force.

Writers for the Brill Co. were not always writing personal stuff (or ever?). The passion was primarily a passion for great songs.


Add Comment

3/29/2017 3:32:10 PM


Right.

And this'll be the last post I do in this one too,

Ken, you just like to argue with folks, I'm gettin' to think, Son.

Now lookie here,

it's about clouds, Dude.

Joni Mitchell wrote it,

"bows and flows of angel hair,
and ice cream castles in the air,
and feathered canyons everywhere...
I've looked at clouds that way..."

you look up, like, as a kid,
at the clouds, it almost looks like,
you could either climb up on 'em,

or just, fall into 'em, if you could fall up.

it's artistic, you're an artist, right?

It's poetry, artistic license.

Feathered cannons.

And what, it shoots a bunch of feathers
'cause you stuffed a pillow in it?

You see, what a waste of time, well, I see what a waste of time this is.

Write better songs, those who give a damn.
They have to grab you from listen one,
and they have to get betterer and betterer.

And that's it.
Feathered Cannons.

Jesus.

Well I'm in Elvis Lesley mode, and don't I sound it. Later My Peeps....

Ken, yes, it sucks to be me too.
But I sure ain't cryin' about it. I'm the other guy.


Add Comment

Father Time

3/29/2017 3:34:52 PM


Bob,

I gotta disagree with you, you don't get there just caring about writing great songs. Carole King drew from within when she wrote Natural Woman and Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow. You feel the message deep in your being, it came from deep within her.


Add Comment

Larree

3/29/2017 4:54:58 PM


Jimmy Webb is one of the world's greatest songwriters and I don't think he ever worked as a lineman in Wichita.


Add Comment

Larree

3/29/2017 5:11:29 PM


I'm not trying to say that you should not put your heart into your songs. But I am saying that all the heart in the world cannot cover for a lack of skills and craft.


Add Comment

Father Time

3/29/2017 5:17:03 PM


If the song would've been about splicing electrical cords it may not have done as well.

Obviously it's a love song and Mr. Webb surely knows a thing or 2 about that subject.


Add Comment

Larree

3/29/2017 5:21:36 PM


Point is - Jimmy Webb is a highly skilled writer and unless you have those kinds of writing chops you can never come close to the next Wichita Lineman no matter how much heart you have.


Add Comment

Father Time

3/29/2017 5:40:56 PM


yeah but it's the emotional content that puts the song on the classics of all time map. and it probably played a role in his crafting of the song as well.


Add Comment

Richard Scotti

3/29/2017 6:25:44 PM ---- Updated 3/29/2017 6:27:19 PM


The Feather Canyon is a landform in the Feather Headwaters between Pulga CA (west) and Keddie CA (east) along portions of the North Folk Feather RIver.
Joni wrote "Both Sides Now" inspired by the clouds she saw from a plane. It's about seeing the same thing from 2 different points of view, one view when you're young and idealistic and one view when you're older and more pragmatic. Essentially it's about regret and the loss of youthful innocence that comes from being hurt and disillusioned.


Both Sides Now

Rows and floes of angel hair
And ice cream castles in the air
And feather canyons everywhere
I've looked at clouds that way

But now they only block the sun
They rain and snow on everyone
So many things I would have done
But clouds got in my way

I've looked at clouds from both sides now
From up and down, and still somehow
It's cloud illusions I recall
I really don't know clouds at all

Moons and Junes and Ferris wheels
The dizzy dancing way you feel
As every fairy tale comes real
I've looked at love that way

But now it's just another show
You leave 'em laughing when you go
And if you care, don't let them know
Don't give yourself away

I've looked at love from both sides now
From give and take, and still somehow
It's love's illusions I recall
I really don't know love at all

Tears and fears and feeling proud
To say "I love you" right out loud
Dreams and schemes and circus crowds
I've looked at life that way

But now old friends are acting strange
They shake their heads, they say I've changed
Well something's lost, but something's gained
In living every day

I've looked at life from both sides now
From win and lose and still somehow
It's life's illusions I recall
I really don't know life at all

I've looked at life from both sides now
From up and down and still somehow
It's life's illusions I recall
I really don't know life at all

© 1967 Joni Mitchell


Add Comment

Richard Scotti

3/29/2017 6:37:27 PM


Also ~ on the subject of making songs matter - sometimes it's the music behind the lyrics that infuse them with meaning they wouldn't have if not for the music. Try reading some lyrics of well known songs and pretend you've never heard the music.
The words may not always seem like they have much gravitas or emotion, but then imagine them with the music and they seem to become transformed. A great song is a marriage of music and lyrics that produces a hybrid result that is greater then the sum of the parts.


Add Comment

Two Silo Complex

3/29/2017 6:41:29 PM


Thank you for the explanation of feathered canyons and all the lyrics.

Reading the lyrics and the content from your explanation seems like a perfect cover for me to do some day its right in my wheelhouse of arrangements.

Very cool Richard.

TSC,
Ken


Add Comment

Larree

3/29/2017 8:11:28 PM


Jimmy Webb wrote the song because Glen Campbell wanted another song about a town to follow up “By The Time I Get To Phoenix.” He didn't write it because he was crying about some babe. Craft, baby. Serious craft.


Add Comment

Father Time

3/29/2017 9:51:07 PM


I read Webb's book on songwriting. Regardless what the impetus was for doing the act of writing the song, it was about something beyond being a lineman.

from an interview I googled.

“For all we know, ‘Phoenix’ could have been a one-off thing,” Jimmy told me recently. “Glen might never have recorded another song of mine.” They finally met at a jingle session. Soon after that date, the phone rang. It was Glen, calling from the studio. “He said, ‘Can you write me a song about a town?’” Jimmy recalls. “And I said, ‘Well, I don’t know … let me work on it.’ And he said, ‘Well, just something geographical.’

“He and (producer) Al DeLory were obviously looking for a follow-up to ‘Phoenix.’ And I remember writing ‘Wichita Lineman’ that afternoon. That was a song I absolutely wrote for Glen.”

It was the first time he had written a song expressly for another artist. But had he conceived any part of “Wichita” before that call?

“Not really,” Jimmy says. “I mean I had a lot of ‘prairie gothic’ images in my head. And I was writing about the common man, the blue-collar hero who gets caught up in the tides of war, as in ‘Galveston,’ or the guy who’s driving back to Oklahoma because he can’t afford a plane ticket (‘Phoenix’). So it was a character that I worked with in my head. And I had seen a lot of panoramas of highways and guys up on telephone wires … I didn’t want to write another song about a town, but something that would be in the ballpark for him.”

So even though it was written specifically for Glen, he still wanted it to be a ‘character’ song?

“Well, I didn’t want it to be about a rich guy!” he laughs. “I wanted it to be about an ordinary fellow. Billy Joel came pretty close one time when he said ‘Wichita Lineman’ is ‘a simple song about an ordinary man thinking extraordinary thoughts.’ That got to me; it actually brought tears to my eyes. I had never really told anybody how close to the truth that was.

“What I was really trying to say was, you can see someone working in construction or working in a field, a migrant worker or a truck driver, and you may think you know what’s going on inside him, but you don’t. You can’t assume that just because someone’s in a menial job that they don’t have dreams … or extraordinary concepts going around in their head, like ‘I need you more than want you; and I want you for all time.’ You can’t assume that a man isn’t a poet. And that’s really what the song is about.”


Add Comment

Larree

3/29/2017 10:47:28 PM


Say it with me now. "Craft, baby!"


Add Comment

Father Time

3/29/2017 11:30:22 PM


So when are you going to write your Wichita Lineman?


Add Comment

Larree

3/29/2017 11:53:24 PM


I probably wrote it in the mid-seventies but forgot it.


Add Comment

Bob Elliott

3/30/2017 2:36:03 PM


Well, your quoted material seems to mostly serve the point I was trying to make.

But of course the best writers dig in for emotional content.
Nevertheless, you provided a good example of a made to order song with Wichita Lineman.

The words are great, but also the chord sequence and melody.

But what I was saying is the art of great sondwriting itself emotionally moves great songwriters. I think you gave a supreme example of that.


Add Comment

Francesca Tamellini

3/30/2017 4:41:35 PM


This is a bit silly. Of course there are songs of great depth, but Chuck Berry died last week - brilliant tunes and riffs, but not exactly emotionally deep. You can listen to Leonard Cohen and get suicidal or leap around the room to the Ramones.

I suppose you could argue that Berry and the Ramones really felt what they were doing, but it came out in energy, that was the message. The energy is fun and if bubblegum pop is also fun, then is there nothing wrong with that.

For myself, I loathe power ballads where there is an attempt to give a feeling of significance to predictable lyrics while a theatre full of dimwits wave their lighters. Better to ditch the pretence and if you just want to dance, that's fine.


Add Comment

Father Time

3/30/2017 5:05:46 PM


Well most dance songs don't matter. Course you may not prioritize choosing songs that matter. I do suspect Chuck Berry wrote No Particular Place To Go when he was sitting around with nothing to do with no particular place to go, though.


Add Comment

Francesca Tamellini

3/30/2017 5:10:51 PM


I'm trying to say that gloomy and moody aren't the only emotions. Perhaps I shouldn't as that is what I do best!


Add Comment

Father Time

3/30/2017 5:18:39 PM


Well the song Born To Be Wild matters too. and Born to Run. not gloomy or moody.


Add Comment

Francesca Tamellini

3/30/2017 5:21:48 PM


I agree with the second one. The Steppenwolf is lighter waving trivia imho.


Add Comment

Father Time

3/30/2017 5:27:15 PM


Interesting, I'm pretty sure you're the first person I've ever met in my life that doesn't like that song. Does the fact that a song becomes an anthem for a social group you find distasteful attach to songs even when chances are, the guy who was writing that was just thinking about writing a song about freedom?


Add Comment

Larree

3/30/2017 5:40:46 PM ---- Updated 3/30/2017 5:46:10 PM


LOL, Born to be Waving Lighters! But seriously, I would never put that song in the "bic rock" genre, myself! lol, It's more of a psychedelic metal boogie song than a bic waving big rock ballad song to me. :D


Add Comment

Bob Elliott

3/30/2017 7:22:19 PM


Silly? Everything we talk about is silly.

Dance songs don't matter? What the fuck are you talking about? They matter most.

I don't care for Born to Be Wild.


Add Comment

Larree

3/30/2017 8:07:53 PM


I definitely agree withBob. Dance songs matter most!


Add Comment

Larree

3/30/2017 8:12:10 PM


(God, I wish they would fix that god damned edit thing already! It's "with Bob", not withbob. Fucking christ.)

... and here is this amazing Lovelight w/Janis!




Add Comment

Bob Elliott

3/31/2017 1:13:35 AM


Here's an example, a song everyone on this board thinks is great, you in particular, Scott, and as a bonus to the conversation, it's a killer dance tune:

Could It Be I'm Falling In Love?

That's written by a couple song writing brothers working for Atlantic writing a follow up for the successful 'I'll be around."

Ow odds seem slim to me either brother was right then falling in love. Shit if those songwriting teams in Motown or Atlantic fell in love as often as they wrote about it, they'd be changing partners every week.

But they know about love, they know we all love love, and they know how to write a song


Add Comment

Father Time

3/31/2017 1:37:55 AM


I'd consider that more of a melodic soul or pop song than a dance number. I'm talking about the big beat dance pop when I say dance tune.

and I also think the subject matter was drawn from real experiences.

Since I met you I've begun to feel so strange
Every time I speak your name (that's funny)
You say that you are so helpless too
That you don't know what to do

This is the way I feel about Kara. Overcome with a foreign feeling.


Add Comment

Francesca Tamellini

3/31/2017 3:49:44 AM


'Does the fact that a song becomes an anthem for a social group you find distasteful attach to songs even when chances are, the guy who was writing that was just thinking about writing a song about freedom?'

Well, no - I have no issue with bikers. They don't feature in my life. My issue is the big, meaningless chorus and add to that that it is aimed at teenage white boys, and so is simplified into a chant.


Add Comment

Father Time

3/31/2017 6:50:06 AM


Can't a woman be born to be wild? I've been with a few that were. :)


Add Comment

Francesca Tamellini

3/31/2017 8:44:49 AM


Sure Scott, but this song is not aimed at women of any variety. (let me add a note - I am not criticising anyone for aiming a song at men, I just don't happen to like the song. I do not question its right to exist nor for others to like it!!)


Add Comment

Father Time

3/31/2017 10:20:24 AM


well from my vantage point it could apply to either gender. I did find it listed under men's karaoke songs though, probably because a man sings it.


Add Comment

Larree

3/31/2017 12:48:19 PM ---- Updated 3/31/2017 2:28:43 PM


I know a lot of women who love "Born to be Wild". I sing it in Second Life all the time. There is an all-female motorcycle club (Vehicles of all kinds are very popular in SL.) that hires me to perform at their events.


Add Comment

Bob Elliott

3/31/2017 2:21:31 PM


Larry, there are a lot of Janis recordings I love, and several Grateful Dead recordings I like, so I'm gonna try real hard to forget what I heard on that recording you posted.


Add Comment

Bob Elliott

3/31/2017 2:23:28 PM


All the good soul music songs are dance tunes, and that is far and away the most important stuff to me.


Add Comment

Larree

3/31/2017 2:29:37 PM ---- Updated 3/31/2017 2:32:44 PM


LOL, Bob!

And I agree with you about good soul music. It's all dance music. Top shelf!


Add Comment

Bob Elliott

3/31/2017 2:36:42 PM


Oh, and 'No Particular Place to Go' is more about teenagers not being able to get pussy: a topic that surely matters, but not likely a problem Chuck was having at that time in his life.

He just knew the issue and he's hilarious and a very good writer.


Add Comment

Larree

3/31/2017 3:09:19 PM


Bob, you're killin' me today. :)


Add Comment

Father Time

3/31/2017 3:42:09 PM


Don't try to tell me Chuck wasn't feelin' that.


Add Comment

Lee Burke

3/31/2017 5:00:10 PM


this is quite a long feed innit :)

with lyrics that matter topic, i think a song can be good with meaningless lyrics too if the melody is gr8, it can be about summat silly and you'll enjoy the tune.

i like gangnam style and most the lyrics arn't even in english, songs i dont understand the words too are among my favourites


Add Comment
 

        ©2015-16 IndieMusicPeople.com      All Rights Reserved