The Current Music Blog: January 26, 2008 Archive

But what about those notes and chords?

Posted at 1:51 PM on January 26, 2008 by Mark Wheat

What a marvelous discussion we had again this week trying to nail down The Greatest Living Songwriter!

It might be said, as with all the questions that suggest there is ONE greatest, that the jury will always be out! However on counting the actual votes Macca did take the title!

"As to greatness, it speaks for itself." Bill Smith said or as Eric put it; "Each songwriter is free to write his/her own songs knowing that no one else can write them better." Megan Remtema was even blunter; "I'm not going to argue that any of these are the best of ALL TIME, because quite frankly it's a pointless argument - I mean in the end who cares, you listen to what you like and you like what you listen to." "How do you measure greatness? There are so many talented songwriters out there and the greatest is going to be different for everyone of course." Was how John put it towards the end of the discussion when he also agreed with me and even added that Macca's last two albums aren't bad!

But in my original post I said..." I don't pretend to understand the mechanics of song structure, but Dylan's seem to rely more on many plucked notes, from the folk tradition, whereas McCartney uses chords which a lot of pop music has become reliant upon. Like those of Burt Bacharach, every time I hear one of his songs, it just seems so perfectly formed."

How does that happen? In other words, what is it about the structure of the notes and the chord progressions that works so well?

I blame myself for not stating the question more clearly, but what I was trying to get at really was, what technical quality makes them great, even if it's trying to explain why a songwriter is our own particular favorite. That's why in my follow up I tried to explain why David Gedge works for me; "He has a unique style that seems to capture the way I think and speak better than anyone else."

Julia was trying to push us in that direction too; " But I hear in your statement a search for a true songwriter, a composer (or as someone at The Current said, "a songcrafter") who has a particular skill & sensibility. Well, sure, Dylan's good for that mystery and search for transcendence".

Tib was good at elaborating upon his style; "Dylan engages with our society and culture and comments on it, he influences opinion, that's what makes him relevant, and what makes his songs more than pretty--they're powerful."

Christine did well pulling for Rufus Wainwright; "Rufus has the ability to combine so many styles and genres, it is nearly impossible to de-tangle all of his influences. His sense of metaphor used to describe personal, yet universal experiences is
outstanding."

Christian Abrahamson added to the intrigue while defending Prince; "I think the fact that he's written for people with different styles of music should be looked at too. I'm not saying he's the greatest but definitely should be considered one of the greats."

Susan Woehrle poetically explained her choice of Joni Mitchell; "Her work is thoughtful and complex while somehow also being sweet and accessible. All of her songs are love songs, but some for places like Spain and California. Joni knows how to tell a story and tells all our stories; her songs are exotic and familiar. The bowl of oranges in A Chelsea Morning becomes much more, taking on significance in a sun-filled room at daybreak."

"My favorite display of his talents is "Beyond Belief", from "Imperial Bedroom", with its many internal rhymes and stream-of-consciousness feel." Wrote david in support of Elvis Costello and to explain his dismissal of Dylan..." Bob has never met a rhyming couplet he hasn't liked - he's thrown off plenty of real clunkers in his day. I'll give him that he revolutionized popular music (at the same point the Beatles were revolutionizing it as well), but musically he just doesn't seem to be expansive enough, at least not for me."

Although it didn't, count because Townes has passed, I applaud the way Curt described his style; "His lyrics are poetically spare; performer and listener fill in meanings that are alluded to, invited, but not demanded or forced. Despite their spare qualities, the songs are not obtuse: they drive right to the emotional and psychological heart of human experience."

Finally Gazzer made me break the rules when I played Radiohead on Thursday night just because he suggested them after writing; "So for me, it comes down to those who assemble pop songs as painstakingly as Mozart and make it look as easy as making a pastrami sandwich." Encapsulating what I think of Macca and then perfectly summed up Bob with; "He gets his own container. I think he's happier there anyway."

So perhaps we could revisit this discussion sometime in the future and really try to get to grips with the mechanics of what makes a great songcrafter, what about those chords and notes?! Perhaps that would need the input of songcrafters themselves. For us listeners, that might destroy the magical mystery that happens when it works for us, but we cannot put into words why?

On Monday we'll let another discussion begin and if you see any movies this weekend, pay attention to the music, what's your favorite soundtrack? Tune in 8p.m. Thursday night for the summation, a creation of programming through your conversation.