Songwriting in the pop genres is, for the best songwriters out there, like walking a tightrope. Lean too much one way, and you’re giving your audiences exactly what they expected from you. No challenge, no getting them thinking outside whatever musical box they live in. Lean too much the other way, and you’ve given them […]
No one could ever fault David Bowie for playing it safe. Even for Bowie fans, his songs, and particularly his lyrics, would often evade clear meaning. When your music moves to the edges of the avant grade, you’re often going to make as many haters as fans. If your songs, however weird they may sound to others, stand […]
I’ve written numerous times on this blog about the importance for songwriters to be consistently excellent. That means you need to be writing excellent songs, and achieving that level of excellence over and over again. As a songwriter, you need to come to terms with what the word “excellence” really means. An allegory might help. Imagine […]
