8/3/2008 3:52:50 PM
Writing your own songs..

7/27/2008 2:33:37 PM
indie artist

7/27/2008 2:33:30 PM
indie artist

8/3/2008 3:52:50 PM

Writing your own songs..
KPFK in Los Angeles just aired a show about singers writing their own songs. They quoted Clive Davis as saying singers don't have to write their own stuff, just find good songs written by others.

I Iove to sing any good song but i also love to write. It's a great radio show. would love to know if anyone here has a comment on the subject?

8/3/2008 4:57:44 PM ---- Updated 8/3/2008 5:03:46 PM

Hello Maria ...
I think most songs are written to be sang ... that being said, I think if one is going to sing another's song in a performance or a recording, they should not mimic the original artist, but somehow make it their own ...
I think one has to be exceptionally talented to pull it off ... as it is my feeling that it's almost impossible to capture the true inner meaning of a song unless you wrote it yourself ... but it can be done ...

Here is a song written by Michael Jackson being done by an artist here at IAC ... and I think it's actually much better than the original ...

Foy Vance doing ...
Billie Jean

... and here is another pretty good cover of one by The Who ...
Black Velvet Lace doing ...
Behind Blue Eyes

... after saying all that ... I don't think there is anything comparable to the feeling one gets from singing something you created and wrote yourself ...

Oh yeah ... I forgot to mention I don't think Clive Davis would know a good song if it hit him in the forehead ... :)

8/3/2008 6:44:01 PM

I think one can deeply connect and personalize another artist's song, and sing it from the soul. The singer may even interpret a different meaning than the original writer, none the less, sing it with passion and creativity. A good song is a good song. I think I like to do both, sing my own songs as well as sing other people's songs.........but I need to feel connected to the song, regardless of wrote it. Eye

8/3/2008 8:21:42 PM

Perfect example:
I wrote Love Trust and Faith with just an acoustic. Since then I've re-mixed it playing more instruments, but I just couldn't get the right vocals myself. It just didn't feel right (or sound good) when I sang it. Anyways, I have an old musician friend (Lori) that I kept bugging to sing it for me. She finally came by the house dead dog tired after a hard days work. She listened to the song twice to get a good feel of the tune and laid down the track you hear on that song now. I love her rendition!!
I wouldn't change it for the world..........
http://iacmusic.com/songs.aspx?SongID=60068

8/4/2008 2:59:15 AM

For me, it all starts with the song - the artist is not nearly as relevant as the quality of the song in the first place! A good song will be interpreted and re-interpreted by countless artists...

8/4/2008 7:54:32 AM

If a singer has gone through the experience the song is written about, chances are, the singer will be able to sing it with conviction and make it work. If not, it's a charade, because that certain something, which strikes a resonance with the listeners is missing . You can fool the listener's ear, but you can't fool his or her soul :)
Have a great day!
Helmut

8/4/2008 8:38:48 AM

I dont think elvis wrote any songs, but a , he dwells in the tower of song , we are all given gifts some can sing. others can write & sing ,and we all end up in the tower of song. pip..

8/4/2008 10:04:41 AM ---- Updated 8/4/2008 10:06:22 AM

I played in cover bands for years, I am done playing and singing others music. I get enjoyment out of writing, arranging,performing, and producing my own material now. It is interesting to listen to artists who perform other people songs, as well as their own. Their personality always shines on their own material a little more.
In my opinion, the greats always wrote their own material. There are exceptions as some people are just stars to begin with, and can sing anything. They have a certain "It" quality. Like Elvis or not, there is no denying he has an aura of Star quality about him. When I watch old clips in the fifties, I try to take myself back to the mindset of the time, Elvis was different, and it is no surprise he became an Icon. At his height he could have sang the phone book and girls would swoon.

8/4/2008 11:00:41 AM

So, Helmut, does that mean that you've seen washing machines eat socks?

8/4/2008 11:09:18 AM

It's interesting that we live in a culture now where it is now more the norm that the singer of a song also wrote the song. We probably can thank Lennon/McCartney for making that more common.
When I was growing up, watching the great singers of the day, Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Sammy Davis, etc..... no one ever assumed they had a hand in the writing. I later took songwriting lessons from Jack Segal who wrote Scarlet Ribbons and When Sunny Gets Blue and many more of that age. All the major singers covered his tunes making a wonderful living for himself as the songwriter.

I have been writing my own songs since I was 10 - 43 years now and it has taken me long time to learn how to write in a way that others could hear themselves doing my tune. If the interpretation is right, I care little if they sing it the way I wrote it. Each song is a separate living thing and like each of us, sounds diferent from moment to moment.

Clive has been around long enough to understand what he is talking about - wish I could have heard the interview - thanks for sharing.
Dave

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