My first songwriting endeavor was when I was nine years old. My cousin and I decided we were going to start an early 90’s pop group. With side ponytails and florescent microphones in hand, we went on to compose our first top 10 masterpiece entitled ‘Electric Heat’.
I think it went something like:
‘Electric Heat! You can feel it going through your boooones’
‘Electric Heat! You can make some of your oooown’
‘Electric Heeeeeat!’
As you can see here, what once seemed savvy and sexy to our nine year old ears now sounds more like a rather odd jingle for indoor heating. We sang it with heart, though. You can be sure of that.
Anyways, a good book paints a vivid picture, introduces us to people, situations, and emotions that we might otherwise have never felt. I realize now that those books are the result of a writer’s imagination, thousands of words, hundreds of pages, a little luck, and twenty pairs of expert eyes that make it into what it is today.
A songwriter only has to come up with a few dozen words. But it’s not a song unless it accompanies music. The work it takes is probably about the same as writing a book and I know the music business is just as tough if not tougher than publishing.
I think the most important factor in any art form is its ability to convey a message or feeling of its own accord. It might be the work of an author, or many authors. But the created story has to be able to stand on its own two feet and do what it was created to do. Sometimes even more.
It’s no wonder how much we cling to music and photos, or paintings. A picture is worth a thousand words after all. And listening to a song is faster than sitting down to read a book. - Like a ‘quickie’ escape.
Have any of you attempted to write songs (music and all) and did you find it harder or easier than writing a book? If you were on a desert island and had a choice between your ipod filled with music or your favorite book- what would you choose?
