At 69 I'm still writing songs, and I might have written one of my best ever songs... at least according to my sister! Keep writing and keep exploring your creativity!
I love this podcast episode. I'm 58 and started playing and singing at 15. I mostly sang all through HS, college and grad school but ended up setting down my guitar for many years with medical school, residency and getting married. Fast forward 11 yr after a divorce and moving to 4 different states - I started back playing and singing (this was 3 yr ago). Within 3 months, I did my 1st open mic and 1 yr later had my first 3 hr gig. Although lots of friends were asking when I was going to start writing my own songs, it just wasn't happening for me. Then, all the sudden, 3 months ago, music and lyrics started coming to me and I've written 3 songs I'm proud of and am working on a 4th. This has taught me that you can't force it. Yes, keep working on improving, but enjoy where you are and know that things happen to us, for us and by us only when the time is right.
Thanks, Marty and Clay, for the fantastic encouragement and tips! I'm in the middle of a new song I'm super excited about...THAT is happiness AND success!
Hey guys i just subscribed, thanks for the info, my only talent is writing lyrics, i dont have a music ear so i guess i need to find a producer to turn the words into a song right ? sorry for dumb question, thanks
IThere are no dumb questions here. Thanks for watching.. I’d suggest not just producers, but cowriting with other writers that compliment your skill set. Many of our songtown members collaborate. The artist Gayle and Sara Davis met inside SongTown and co-wrote the world wide pop smash “abcdefu” together.
Good ain't great...there are 100's of writers on the row churning out "good" songs everyday...my songs just have to be that 5% better than anything written that day in town. Oh...and yes Marty, I've had that dream of going nugget shooting in Arizona and stumbling upon "The Lost Dutchman Mine", for me; writing a hit song is just as elusive as finding that mine...Cheers, NS
With the song you wrote that you mentioned that Reba recorded, and then 200 or so other artists recorded, what was the main thing about that song that you think made it so popular? And how much of a difference did it make, in your opinion/experience, that someone such as Reba recorded it, as opposed to a lesser known artist that first recorded it? Thanks.
The song is Sky Full of Angels. Having Reba record it on a platinum album meant that millions of other people heard it and probably how the other artist discovered it originally. Then after a major Christian artist covered it and it was song of the year in that realm, even more artists heard it. I’ve found that songs all have a different path. Some start with big artists and some the other way around. Writing a song that resonates with people tends to open the doors. -CM
@@dougk7075 My publisher pitched it to her. I knew I really loved it., but you never really know which song will resonate on that level. I do my best everyday when I write on each song. Reba cut the song 7 years after I wrote it, so some songs take time to find their way. :)
I just got that message from my own Dad! The pros , friends coworkers all said it's done , put it put there ! Then my own dad says um....something is missing . It's definitely a nitche song.
I believe that great songs can get placed. But there's a type of cool song that is dubbed a BlueBird song. Every song has a time and place :) Write on! CM
Speaking of timing . . . some years (decades) ago I came up with the most hauntingly beautiful melody I had ever composed. People whose opinions had weight with me pointed out that It really belonged in a musical. Okay, so that sent me down a very pleasing lyrical path, and I intended to use it as the theme/spine for a contemporary treatment of "Beauty and the Beast." As I began fleshing out the libretto and conceiving the musical themes, I read that the Disney machine was working on a feature-length animated musical of ... "Beauty and the Beast." So now I have this great song that is completely meaningless out of context, and a context that must compete with the Disney monolith. Drat and damn!
I've had that happen with song titles. I write one and 6 months later there's a big song out by someone else with the title. At first it was frustrating for sure. And then I started telling myself, it meant I was on the right path. Gotta be frustrating to put all that work into it! BTW- Marty is headed to NYC in Feb as one of his musicals is being produced there. ~CM
So is the INVERSE also true ??? If the "root" of the song IS something people care about, and delivered with heart, can songs succeed without "checking all the other boxes" ???
Hi, while listening to your conversation about adding the heart to the music and you also mentioning bluebird. While recording my song called Bluebird I asked my daughters if they wanted to sing something on the record. The oldest is too self aware of her singing voice right now and didn’t want to do it. They youngest wanted to sing and so we went to the studio and I created a choir melody for her to sing. A couple of takes later it was done. So now I have this moment to re-live forever in that recording. Thank you for reminding me of this and if any of you are interested about the song. Here it is th-cam.com/video/3yKs6Ap_-RE/w-d-xo.htmlsi=cEVXbg-dsgHSYoJl
"On the Other Hand" flopped the first time Randy Travis released it. Then, Keith Whitley's version tanked. Finally, Warner Bros re-released the Randy Travis version, and it made him a superstar. It's a weird business.
I'm not sure about your take on whiny songs. Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift seem to have done quite well. There a lot of people who enjoy songs that are even more miserable than they are. People often put Leonard Cohen in that category. And, actually, a lot of Bruce Springsteen's songs are whiny songs. Melancholy does sell. 'Without You,' anyone?
What if you’re a “songwriter” at heart? You hear them everyday in your head, but have no idea how to play any instrument or know how to get them down? It’s so frustrating to have these things in your head that rattle the cage door to get out but, you have no key. A simple recording on a phone keeps it treading water but there’s no way to bring it to shore.
We all have different skills. That’s where collaborating with other writers comes in. Many of our SongTown members write together in person or via zoom. Www.songtown.com
Ha! Looking over the top 10 in country recently, one song had alcohol in it. But many people do like to drink it. So, if you’re writing about real life, it will pop up in songs. Write on! CM
I love the nonsense gibberish songs by The Beatles. They're great songs, and they got away with it because of who they were, but if you write a song like that today, nobody will buy it.
@@SongTownUSAI agree 💯% with you about your Phil Collins example , although thee author of the original comment has got a point . Some artists CAN get away with recording a song that sounds like gibberish Or where not all the lyrics perfectly fit their image because of the size of their fame . For example : Miley Cyrus and her hit song Used to be Young . Maybe it should have gone to someone older to record such as Dolly Parton , Elon John Or ( Australia's ) John Farnham . However Miley Cyrus ( God bless her heart ) made that song work on the charts . I'll not get involved in debate on whether or not that song would have been more successful IF released by any of the previously mentioned artists in this reply . ♑✍️🇳🇴🇭🇲
At 69 I'm still writing songs, and I might have written one of my best ever songs... at least according to my sister! Keep writing and keep exploring your creativity!
Write on! CM
That's great! MD
"Don't give control of your happiness to others...." that's just great life advice.
I love this podcast episode. I'm 58 and started playing and singing at 15. I mostly sang all through HS, college and grad school but ended up setting down my guitar for many years with medical school, residency and getting married. Fast forward 11 yr after a divorce and moving to 4 different states - I started back playing and singing (this was 3 yr ago). Within 3 months, I did my 1st open mic and 1 yr later had my first 3 hr gig. Although lots of friends were asking when I was going to start writing my own songs, it just wasn't happening for me. Then, all the sudden, 3 months ago, music and lyrics started coming to me and I've written 3 songs I'm proud of and am working on a 4th. This has taught me that you can't force it. Yes, keep working on improving, but enjoy where you are and know that things happen to us, for us and by us only when the time is right.
Thx for sharing your story! Write on! CM
That's great! I'm glad you're finding joy in it! MD
Thanks, Marty and Clay, for the fantastic encouragement and tips! I'm in the middle of a new song I'm super excited about...THAT is happiness AND success!
You're welcome and Write On! ~CM
Now I really want to hear Born Beautiful! I'd be so interested to hear what is your favorite of yours Marty! :-)
probably the most informative video of yours I've watched....JM was correct about writing those sad songs when not sad...I can sure relate to that.
Write on!
Thank you both for this reminder...I've been working so hard to make it "work" vs "feel"
You’re welcome one! Write on!
I wrote a song thats on polar bear Radio in Canada,,,🎉happy new year to y'all and 26 thousand polar bears,,,
You guys are amazing ❤
Thank you!
Hey guys i just subscribed, thanks for the info, my only talent is writing lyrics, i dont have a music ear so i guess i need to find a producer to turn the words into a song right ? sorry for dumb question, thanks
IThere are no dumb questions here. Thanks for watching.. I’d suggest not just producers, but cowriting with other writers that compliment your skill set. Many of our songtown members collaborate. The artist Gayle and Sara Davis met inside SongTown and co-wrote the world wide pop smash “abcdefu” together.
Good ain't great...there are 100's of writers on the row churning out "good" songs everyday...my songs just have to be that 5% better than anything written that day in town. Oh...and yes Marty, I've had that dream of going nugget shooting in Arizona and stumbling upon "The Lost Dutchman Mine", for me; writing a hit song is just as elusive as finding that mine...Cheers,
NS
With the song you wrote that you mentioned that Reba recorded, and then 200 or so other artists recorded, what was the main thing about that song that you think made it so popular?
And how much of a difference did it make, in your opinion/experience, that someone such as Reba recorded it, as opposed to a lesser known artist that first recorded it?
Thanks.
The song is Sky Full of Angels. Having Reba record it on a platinum album meant that millions of other people heard it and probably how the other artist discovered it originally. Then after a major Christian artist covered it and it was song of the year in that realm, even more artists heard it. I’ve found that songs all have a different path. Some start with big artists and some the other way around. Writing a song that resonates with people tends to open the doors. -CM
And when you (your agent, whomever) first pitched the song to Reba, did you have a different kind of hunch about this song hitting it big?
@@dougk7075 My publisher pitched it to her. I knew I really loved it., but you never really know which song will resonate on that level. I do my best everyday when I write on each song. Reba cut the song 7 years after I wrote it, so some songs take time to find their way. :)
I just got that message from my own Dad! The pros , friends coworkers all said it's done , put it put there ! Then my own dad says um....something is missing . It's definitely a nitche song.
Thanks!
You bet!
So sad to hear that the best songs can not be placed. 😢 I want more Bluebird songs.
I believe that great songs can get placed. But there's a type of cool song that is dubbed a BlueBird song. Every song has a time and place :) Write on! CM
@@SongTownUSA Sounds like great songs. I like to think I have one or two if them 🥰
Speaking of timing . . . some years (decades) ago I came up with the most hauntingly beautiful melody I had ever composed. People whose opinions had weight with me pointed out that It really belonged in a musical. Okay, so that sent me down a very pleasing lyrical path, and I intended to use it as the theme/spine for a contemporary treatment of "Beauty and the Beast." As I began fleshing out the libretto and conceiving the musical themes, I read that the Disney machine was working on a feature-length animated musical of ... "Beauty and the Beast." So now I have this great song that is completely meaningless out of context, and a context that must compete with the Disney monolith. Drat and damn!
I've had that happen with song titles. I write one and 6 months later there's a big song out by someone else with the title. At first it was frustrating for sure. And then I started telling myself, it meant I was on the right path. Gotta be frustrating to put all that work into it! BTW- Marty is headed to NYC in Feb as one of his musicals is being produced there. ~CM
So is the INVERSE also true ??? If the "root" of the song IS something people care about, and delivered with heart, can songs succeed without "checking all the other boxes" ???
Songs never have to check all the boxes. They just have to have enough good things going on that it moves the listener into caring. Write on! CM
Hi, while listening to your conversation about adding the heart to the music and you also mentioning bluebird. While recording my song called Bluebird I asked my daughters if they wanted to sing something on the record. The oldest is too self aware of her singing voice right now and didn’t want to do it. They youngest wanted to sing and so we went to the studio and I created a choir melody for her to sing. A couple of takes later it was done. So now I have this moment to re-live forever in that recording. Thank you for reminding me of this and if any of you are interested about the song. Here it is th-cam.com/video/3yKs6Ap_-RE/w-d-xo.htmlsi=cEVXbg-dsgHSYoJl
"On the Other Hand" flopped the first time Randy Travis released it. Then, Keith Whitley's version tanked. Finally, Warner Bros re-released the Randy Travis version, and it made him a superstar.
It's a weird business.
Sure is! CM
I'm not sure about your take on whiny songs. Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift seem to have done quite well. There a lot of people who enjoy songs that are even more miserable than they are. People often put Leonard Cohen in that category. And, actually, a lot of Bruce Springsteen's songs are whiny songs. Melancholy does sell. 'Without You,' anyone?
What if you’re a “songwriter” at heart? You hear them everyday in your head, but have no idea how to play any instrument or know how to get them down? It’s so frustrating to have these things in your head that rattle the cage door to get out but, you have no key. A simple recording on a phone keeps it treading water but there’s no way to bring it to shore.
We all have different skills. That’s where collaborating with other writers comes in. Many of our SongTown members write together in person or via zoom. Www.songtown.com
Learn a few chords on guitar. It’s not that difficult to do.
They left out that you must include alcohol. 90% of all country music mentions it lol
Ha! Looking over the top 10 in country recently, one song had alcohol in it. But many people do like to drink it. So, if you’re writing about real life, it will pop up in songs. Write on! CM
I love the nonsense gibberish songs by The Beatles. They're great songs, and they got away with it because of who they were, but if you write a song like that today, nobody will buy it.
Sussudio was another cool one from Phil Collins!
@@SongTownUSAI agree 💯% with you about your Phil Collins example , although thee author of the original comment has got a point . Some artists CAN get away with recording a song that sounds like gibberish Or where not all the lyrics perfectly fit their image because of the size of their fame . For example : Miley Cyrus and her hit song Used to be Young . Maybe it should have gone to someone older to record such as Dolly Parton , Elon John Or ( Australia's ) John Farnham . However Miley Cyrus ( God bless her heart ) made that song work on the charts . I'll not get involved in debate on whether or not that song would have been more successful IF released by any of the previously mentioned artists in this reply .
♑✍️🇳🇴🇭🇲
@@Friendship1nmillion Thanks for chiming in. Good points. Cheers, CM
Thank you 🎉