Blogs

Seven-Word Lines and Four-Letter Words: The Science of Songwriting(1)

September 15, 2011

How the hell do you write a #1 song? Don’t we all wish we knew the “secret” to that! Well, maybe there is a way to unravel some of the answer. Songwriting is an art. Songwriting is a craft. But is songwriting a science? Can we test it scientifically and come to certain conclusions about [...]

Seven-Word Lines and Four-Letter Words: The Science of Songwriting

Fake Liner Notes: Malcolm Blight

I don’t know know about the rest of you, but I get very weary of singer/songwriters who are ignored in their time, suffer untimely deaths and then, when it’s way too late, find themselves with an adoring posthumous cult. So, as to that, I’ve written a humor piece about a luckless English songwriter, who is [...]

Measure For Measure: Inner Demons

Creativity – the muse – is a bit of a troublemaker. If she likes you, you’re in heaven. If she doesn’t, you’re in hell. Every songwriter who has ever faced a blank page knows all about her capricious personality, but never loses interest in her. Sometimes, though, we should be careful of what we wish [...]

d.b.a. Songwriters: Are You Sure You Want To Be On The Radio?

Are you sure you want to be on the radio? Did you know that to select songs that will be played on the radio, consultants conduct interviews by phone and ask people to rate 7-second clips of various songs from 1 to 5 (worst to best)? Not a bad approach in principle, I’m sure you’ll [...]