Registered: 10/13/01
Posts: 2998
Loc: Kicking it in Y Town Louisiana
Look what this jack ass wrote.
Well Scott, you've posted some lyrically juvenile, melodically challenged, lazily-written, rudimentally-played, structurally-pedestrian and utterly hook-free compost-itions here... and this is one of them. That being said, it's not the worst thing I've ever heard... but I've heard some truly monstrous things.
I don't need Popmann and Jazzoo to tell me you suck.
What's the difference between solicited and unsolicited testimonials? Yeah, right. Only pick the best ones to make yourself look good or important?
What, you're asking me to post negative testimonials? Well that makes you a dunce.
You've followed the Planet message quite well. FT sucks. You're the guy who when they predict bad weather, rushes down to the grocery store to stock up on toilet paper. But don't even bother trying to be a songwriter because you have no imagination to speak of.
Registered: 07/11/01
Posts: 30938
Loc: Westborough, MA, USA
If you feel like you don't have experience as a songwriter and want to get your feet wet, then steal the structure or chords of a song you know and/or like and write your own lyrics to it. Follow the details of the lyric as you go - where it rhymes, make yours rhyme as well (look out for internal rhyme and other devices inside).
Not sure where to start? Just start with the first line that's already there and see where it takes you.
I remember reading some years ago that Elvis Costello would often use the first line of someone else's song as a jumping off point in his own songs. He might have the melody and chords, but would use ... I don't know, "You think you lost your love ..." to start with, and then take it someplace else.
You can really do that with anything - with Brill Building stuff, or the Beatles, or old classic tunes by Rogers and Hammerstein or whatever. It's just a starting point for you to start finding your own voice, your own way of communicating.
_________________________ The internet, and the whole technology sector on which it floats, feels like a giant organ for bullshittery—for upscaling human access to speech and for amplifying lies. - Ian Bogost
Professor Truth T. Sweetness says,"Mind your manners!"
Well Scott, you've posted some lyrically juvenile, melodically challenged, lazily-written, rudimentally-played, structurally-pedestrian and utterly hook-free compost-itions here... and this is one of them. That being said, it's not the worst thing I've ever heard... but I've heard some truly monstrous things.
Thanks for lowering the bar yet again.
You're too freakin' dopey to recognize the bias in words like those. But this is why there are floundering songwriters out there starting threads begging for help. You don't know what a good song is. You don't know who is a good songwriter. You follow the second sheep down the road.
Actually this reminded me of one of my songs. Not one of my better ones which is why it wasn't on any of my pages. But it's you to a tee so I just uploaded it. One of my side bands.
Here's some more advice to songwriters who are actually interested in getting somewhere.
I've found a lot of my best songs started with one phrase. I figure out what I want the song to be about. Like for instance He was too stupid to use a rubber. Then I sing that around in my head until I have a nice original line of melody and message.
If you get a great line like that with both words and music, sometimes/often, the song writes itself from that point.
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Sometimes I just write lyrics and the music comes into my head as I'm writing them.
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You can start from various places, like a guitar riff. My song The Crux of Things started like that, also Soul Pinata and Flounder.
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Write on a different instrument if you can play one.
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In my early days I'd just turn a cassette recorder on, strum and sing into it. Then I'd go back thru the tape and find parts that sounded good and save the clips, work off those.
Well Scott, you've posted some lyrically juvenile, melodically challenged, lazily-written, rudimentally-played, structurally-pedestrian and utterly hook-free compost-itions here... and this is one of them. That being said, it's not the worst thing I've ever heard... but I've heard some truly monstrous things.
Thanks for lowering the bar yet again.
btw I just looked up who posted that and the guy is an utter troll, everytime I see his name he's trolling one of my posts. Cajun you're amazing who you choose to follow. You could be in a room with Dylan, McCartney and Paul Simon and gravitate towards Britney Spears.
You DO realize Britney Spears doesn't write songs, right?
So, are you saying that Max Martin who has more charting hits than anyone you mentioned besides Paul isn't a "good songwriter"? More accurately--you're going to ignore/dismiss everything he might say about songwriting being literally the second most successful living songwriter....and the only one of those two to have a hit in the last say 30 years....in fact, having had ALL his hits in the last 30 years....
I mean....you have to give that SOME credence as songwriter, no? I'd want to ask him how he keeps such a low profile while literally being the most successful songwriter in HISTORY that wasn't a Beatle.
You DO realize Britney Spears doesn't write songs, right?
So, are you saying that Max Martin who has more charting hits than anyone you mentioned besides Paul isn't a "good songwriter"? More accurately--you're going to ignore/dismiss everything he might say about songwriting being literally the second most successful living songwriter....and the only one of those two to have a hit in the last say 30 years....in fact, having had ALL his hits in the last 30 years....
I mean....you have to give that SOME credence as songwriter, no? I'd want to ask him how he keeps such a low profile while literally being the most successful songwriter in HISTORY that wasn't a Beatle.
Well that's my point about Cajun. He'd surely value what somebody who doesn't write songs thinks over what guys like Paul Simon think.
I have no trouble saying that Britney Spears never did a song in her life that I'd listen to by choice. but that you seem to look up to the guy that writes her songs doesn't surprise me at all.
I'd add that having a hit song during the years where there was such an obvious lack of great songs is far less significant than having a hit song when the top 20 were mostly really good songs.
I'm retired (at 59 yrs. old, now 64) living on a golf course doing what ever I want to do every single day (except when called for F%&*%g jury duty) and I did it my way.
I was fortunate in my younger years to write and play. I'm reaping those benefits now. So what am I saying to you Cajun? Follow your instincts and be happy conversing with positive people and --- stop feeding it!! It thrives on making you feel bad. It hates happy people, you know, the suck butts!
and.. I'm sure absolutely nobody at the Planet sees the irony in reading somebody who was so incredibly nitpicky about my song yesterday posting a tribute for the guy who wrote Baby One More Time.
Oh baby, baby Oh baby, baby
Oh baby, baby, how was I supposed to know That something wasn't right here Oh baby, baby, I shouldn't have let you go And now you're out of sight, yeah Show me how you want it to be Tell me baby 'cause I need to know now, oh because
My loneliness is killing me (and I) I must confess I still believe (still believe) When I'm not with you I lose my mind Give me a sign Hit me baby one more time
Oh baby, baby The reason I breathe is you Boy you got me blinded Oh pretty baby There's nothing that I wouldn't do It's not the way I planned it Show me how you want it to be Tell me baby 'cause I need to know now, oh because
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Popmann, the reason I breathe is you. hahahahahahahaha
I'm retired (at 59 yrs. old, now 64) living on a golf course doing what ever I want to do every single day (except when called for F%&*%g jury duty) and I did it my way.
I was fortunate in my younger years to write and play. I'm reaping those benefits now. So what am I saying to you Cajun? Follow your instincts and be happy conversing with positive people and --- stop feeding it!! It thrives on making you feel bad. It hates happy people, you know, the suck butts!
You are a sheep. You've never contributed a thing to any thread I ever started here, you just pile on. You've just made snide attacks, you thrive on trying to make me feel bad. It's a good thing you generally have nothing interesting to offer so there's no reason to take you seriously.
Yeah-eh-heah You are, my fire, The one, desire, Believe, when I say I want it that way
But we, are two worlds apart, Can't reach to your heart, When you say, That I want it that way
Tell me why, Ain't nothin' but a heartache, Tell me why, Ain't nothin' but a mistake, Tell me why, I never want to hear you say, I want it that way
Am I, your fire? Your one, desire, Yes I know, it's too late, But I want it that way Tell me why, Ain't nothin' but a heartache, Tell me why,
Ain't nothin' but a mistake, Tell me why, I never want to hear you say, I want it that way Now I can see that we've fallen apart,
From the way that it used to be, Yeah, No matter the distance, I want you to know, That deep down inside of me You are, my fire, The one, desire,
You are (You are, you are, you are) Don't want to hear you say, Ain't nothin' but a heartache, Ain't nothin' but a mistake, (Don't want to hear you say), I never want to hear you say, I want it that way
Tell me why, Ain't nothin' but a heartache, Tell me why, Ain't nothin' but a mistake, Tell me why, I never want to hear you say, I want it that way
Tell me why, Ain't nothin' but a heartache, Ain't nothin' but a mistake, Tell me why, I never want to hear you say, (Never want to hear you say it), I want it that way
That's actually fair....ish. If songs were untethered lyrics. But, they're not, and even as such, it STILL wastes yours because it's not awkward and lacking in rhythmic structure. You don't get to say that your song about "quit tugging at my heart strangs" featuring use of "peek a boo" as a shitty forced rhyme (or um at all) is somehow more lyrically nuanced and deeply accomplished than Hit Me Baby One More Time.
No, you don't get that my song rocked for some of the very reasons you put it down. How fucking pathetic is it that you're still maintaining that your argument was anything but rotting shit.
I rest my case. Is it any wonder I get pissed off when Bozo the Clown Cajun starts a post here praising this flailing jackass Popmann for his obvious feces-smeared critique of my song?
And I'd add that the Planet as a whole should be embarrassed for worshipping this guy the way they do.
Registered: 05/18/02
Posts: 56091
Loc: San Miguel de Allende, Mexico ...
Good lord, another potentially interesting discussion that has Al turned into something about himself. You're so fucked up right now, Scott. You post that you're going through rough times, apologizing for acting the fool, and everyone extends a warm comment towards you, even people you are constantly insulting. Did you really not notice that? But what do you do? You turn around and double down on the fool act you just apologized for. You could write a song about that and it might be interesting.
I said I would have worked on your song but I'm leaving on my honeymoon in two days. You didn't get hostility from me. But look, the one suggestion I gave you, you rejected without even trying it because you always think you know better. But you don't--I can hear your vocal range and I know you've got a little more on top that you realize. You're just lazy and arrogant--why anyone should volunteer to help you is beyond me. You don't appreciate anything.
I thought pop's comments were mean-spirited too. It wasn't necessary. There was good advice in there but he started by trashing the song--he's obviously not a good producer of others, and I doubt he'd argue that point. In addition to all of my own projects, I've produced two complete albums for my brother, two complete albums for Michelle Abby and one album for Whitney Moore. I've also produced literally dozens and dozens of single tracks for other artists.
Most of the people I mentioned above are what i consider to be pretty good to truly excellent songwriters. And every single one of them presented at least a couple of songs I didn't think were good enough to be included in the albums. I didn't trash a single one of them, though--there are ways to say things that don't get the artist defensive especially when you're dealing with someone so easily hurt as Scott. Sometimes, I took their weaker songs and turned them into really well-arranged weak songs, and sometimes I managed to get them to set the song aside and write something better. That's what a producer can do. Insulting the artist? Not good producing.
The fact that Scott gets insulted by technical advice, though, is his own problem. He's the least professional songwriter here in that regard. That's why he doesn't improve--he can't accept that something he played or wrote or sang could be better with some work. I don't know when i'll die but when it happens I bet I'm somewhat further along in my quest to improve than i am right now.
Anyway…we've all had our say about Scot, Scot, Scot now. I knew it was a setup, luring the people he constantly insults into some kind of charity-case "help me wid my widdle song, please" that would end in him rejecting and insulting those who bothered to lift a finger. Anyone could see it coming, because it's what he does.
Now let's talk about songwriting. I've actually made some pretty good money off my songs, and not just through the advertising business either. I consider myself a decent writer, sometimes an inspired one. Always an honest one--at my best I seem to write lyrics that people nod to and say "Yeah, that's how I've felt too." But I don't really touch those who I admire the most yet, like Joni Mitchell. Her songs are so…Joni. And they work for me melodically and lyrically equally well.
