MetaFilter posts tagged with songwriting

Zeugma, syllepsis, ellipsis

the man of twists and turns — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 12:43:53 -0800

In Praise of the Rolling Stones and Their Zeugmoids via LanguageLog. also: Buddy Holly, Wordsmith Celebrating the Beatles: Goo Goo Ga Joob! Dylan the Prophesizer

The top female vocal hits of the 80's. Written by...

markkraft — Fri, 11 May 2012 14:09:49 -0800

Thermal, CA: home to the #1 song of the '80s. During the '70s and early'80s, the small, arid farming town of Thermal was home to Freedman Co., run by Mr. Steinberg and his son, Billy, who ran vineyard operations. Billy also made music, time permitting. After his demo was secretly given to a star, he went to L.A., and met his musical collaborator, but the farm pulled him back. He kept writing in Thermal, though.

"I remember writing the lyrics. . . while driving around in a red pickup truck that I owned and I was driving around my father’s dusty desert vineyards. I had been involved in a very emotionally difficult relationship that had finally ended I had met somebody new... I came up with the line, ‘I made it through the wilderness...I was beat, incomplete, I’d been had.’ All of the lyrics just poured out".

That was Steinberg & Kelly's first #1 hit... followed by four more, along with other hits you might not suspect.

They write the songs.

unSane — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 09:40:48 -0800

Sodajerker is a songwriting team from Liverpool. But Simon Barber and Brian O'Connor are also the co-hosts of the iTunes podcast Sodajerker on Songwriting, a programme featuring hour-long interviews with some of the world’s most successful songwriters including Jimmy Webb, Andy Partridge, Todd Rundgren and many others. The interviews so far: Billy Steinberg (Like A Virgin) Todd Rundgren (I Saw the Light) Sacha Skarbek (You're Beautiful) Jimmy Webb (By the Time I Get to Phoenix) Mike Batt (Bright Eyes) Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil (You've Lost that Lovin' Feelin') Shawn Smith (Screen) Andy Partridge (Senses Working Overtime) Kenny Loggins (Footloose) Allee Willis (What Have I Done to Deserve This?)

There is just one moon and one golden sun

roomthreeseventeen — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 06:32:13 -0800

Robert Sherman passed away yesterday at the age of 86. Robert, along with his brother Richard Sherman, was a Disney legend. Together, they wrote the songs of "Mary Poppins", "The Parent Trap", "Bedknobs and Broomsticks", "The Jungle Book", "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" and of cousre, "It's A Small World." Mr. Sherman also established the Robert Sherman Scholarship at BMI, which awards $1,000 to a promising student of musical theatre. The Sherman brothers won two Academy Awards (nine nominations), two Grammy Awards, and had 23 gold and platinum albums. They were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Robert Sherman recalled, "The point of the song - that it doesn't take much to give a little kindness - was what really registered with Walt."

21st century Tin Pan Alley

fearfulsymmetry — Thu, 19 May 2011 05:46:33 -0800

"Sometimes less," he says cheerfully. "Sometimes I get two hours. Someone comes over at three, we have a cup of tea, chew the cud for a bit, go: 'All right, shall we write a song?' And by six, they've gone home and we've done it. Chasing Pavements, that took two or three hours." The life of today's pro songwriter.

How I Wrote

Kattullus — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 20:42:32 -0800

How I Wrote is a series of videos from The Guardian where musicians perform a song after talking about it a little bit. Among the artists who've taken part are Rufus Wainwright, Kristin Hersh, Corinne Bailey Rae, Laura Marling, Keren Ann, Patrick Wolf, Elbow, Gruff Rhys, Warpaint, Cee Lo Green, Antony and the Johnsons, P. J. Harvey and Emmy the Great, who sings a song about the Royal Wedding, appropriately enough for today (though I suppose the Cee Lo Green song is appropriate too).

He found the bandages inside the pen

Lovecraft In Brooklyn — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 17:18:54 -0800

Songwriters on Process interviews songwriters in depth about their writing process. They've talked to everyone from Brian Fallon (The Gaslight Anthem) to J.D. Cronise from The Sword. Where else can you find both Patrick Stickles from Titus Andronicus talking about Faulkner and Eric from Foxy Shazam admitting he's never read a book in his life?

where no tear is inconceivably mediocre

Xere — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 16:12:17 -0800

16 year old Yonlu made music that ranged from bossa nova to 8-bit music from the sounds of desktop printers, never knowing that he would someday make the pages of Paste, eMusic, and Rolling Stone Brasil. He posted It's Not Another King Kong (later titled A Boy and the Tiger) to a gaming forum, where it was met with praise. More songs soon followed, which included English songs (I Know What It's Like, Humiliation), and also Portuguese songs (Estrela, Luana). Perhaps suffering from depression, Yonlu took his own life via carbon monoxide poisoning in 2006, just a few weeks before his 17th birthday. His parents only learnt of his songwriting from a CD he left behind for them, with a note telling them to listen to the CD "whenever they felt sad".

Let's write a sawng

zippy — Sat, 31 May 2008 04:50:32 -0800

Rivers Cuomo (of Weezer) picks the theme, "80s radio," and develops a song, step by step, collaborating with some of his fans. Watch some of the responses. It's not his first collaboration, and he's no stranger to the internet.

Se necesita una poca de gracia

Sys Rq — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 09:28:04 -0800

"I mean he quite literally -- and in no way do I exaggerate when I say -- [Paul Simon] stole the songs from us." Steve Berlin of Los Lobos talks about the making of Paul Simon's triumphant 1986 comeback, Graceland, in an interview on JamBase. (via, via)

How to Write a Song and Other Mysteries

Ira.metafilter — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 07:13:19 -0800

Measure for Measure - How to Write a Song and Other Mysteries. Blog from The New York Times: "In the coming weeks, the contributors to this blog - all accomplished songwriters - will pull back the curtain on the creative process as they write about their work on a song in the making." Contributors: Andrew Bird, Darrell Brown, Rosanne Cash and Suzanne Vega (only the Andrew Bird one is up right now).

A Resource For and About Songwriters

netbros — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 16:53:39 -0800

The Muse's Muse Songwriting Resource is the place for songwriting tips, tools, interactivities and connecting with other songwriters around the world. See the section about musical instruments or get into the guitar player's guide. Start communicating with other musicians and songwriters in the forums and check out the music reviews. Lots to do, see, hear, learn, and most of all, enjoy.

avril showers

four panels — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 06:20:45 -0800

'Cause 2006 is butt naked. How to Create a Sexy Pop Star, a video clip from the film "Before the Music Dies."

The Music Factory

rocket88 — Wed, 29 Dec 2004 00:10:23 -0800

The Brill Building , located at 1619 Broadway in the heart of New York's music district, is a name synonymous with an approach to songwriting that changed the course of music. Housing legendary songwriters like Carole King, Jerry Leiber, Neil Sedaka, and Burt Bacharach, the Brill Building created some of the greatest hits of the rock'n'roll era. [more inside]

The Dead Skunk Guy

dodgygeezer — Sat, 25 Sep 2004 08:55:02 -0800

25 years old and I pretty much had made it. The critics’ darling was now a success. So what happened? Why is it that many of you here today aren’t quite sure who the hell I actually am, aside from Rufus Wainwright’s father? Why is finding a CD of mine akin to archeology? Where were the follow up hits to "Dead Skunk," funny animal songs like "I Met Her at the Pet Store" and "Stay Away From My Aardvark?"
My Cool Life by Loudon Wainwright III

dylan love & theft

stupidsexyFlanders — Tue, 08 Jul 2003 11:07:50 -0800

If you liked the lyrics on Dylan's last album, you'll probably also like the Japanese gangster novel he lifted some of them from. Verdict: Not guilty, on grounds of prior artistic achievement. (Long article in today's WSJ not linked because the old WSJ free-linkification doesn't work anymore!!?)

How lyrics work,

MAYORBOB — Sun, 04 Nov 2001 05:53:21 -0800

How lyrics work, offered up by one of my favorite singers and songwriters. No, you won't learn who she was really singing about in "You're So Vain" but it's still a fascinating read about a topic she knows a thing or two about.