Well, I just finished watching the 80th Annual Academy Awards and, as usual, I was most interested in the Best Original Song Written for a Motion Picture.
The field of nominees this year was extremely fascinating. Three of the five nominated songs were from the Disney animated film "Enchanted." The three titles are: "Happy Working Song," "So Close," and "That's How You Know." Each song was exquisitely crafted by the amazing team of Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz whose discography of hits spans decades. Menken is an eight-time Academy Award Winner for songs from such Disney classics as "Pocohontas," "Aladdin" and "Beauty and the Beast." Schwartz has won three Oscars, a bunch of Grammys and has collaborated as a lyricist with Menken on many of his award winning songs. So...it seemed as if "the deck was a bit stacked" tonight, with no less than three of the five possibilities co-written by this hit-making power team.
BUT -- the Oscar went to newcomers Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova for their haunting song, "Falling Slowly," from the movie, "Once." If you didn't hear Glen's and Marketa's acceptance speeches for the award, you owe it to yourself to check them out at:
http://www.oscar.com/oscarnight/winners/?pn=detail&nominee=Falling%20Slowly%20-%20Once%20-%20Music%20Song%20Nominee
For those of you who have taken my "Build-A-Song" class at Southern Methodist University, you may remember "Falling Slowly" from our sessions on melody writing. When I first heard the song, I realized that it is the essence of simplicity, using only four tones of the scale in its basic motif. It also uses the listener-friendly technique of repetition to bring home the Great Idea with its Great Hook/Title.
I encourage every aspiring songwriter to study this song carefully. Download it from iTunes. Type out the lyrics on your computer. Pay special attention to the rhymes and the melody. Then go pick out the melody line on your instrument. If you wax creative, find the harmonies too. You will be amazed at the genius of the honest, simple message conveyed by these unadorned but ever-so-memorable words and music.
You can do this! You don't have to be Alan Menken or Stephen Schwartz with a library filled with stauettes to write a great song. The winner could be YOU next year! Songwriting is ALWAYS about communicating -- writer to listener -- emotion to emotion.
It ain't rocket science. It's the Art of the Heart!
Thoughts anyone???
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2 comments:
I agree with what Marketa said completely. I believe that if music/songwriting is honestly your true calling, and only YOU can really know that. It doesn't matter how long it takes for one of your songs to break thru. I believe that songs come from the 'spirit' within us and thus have always been there. Our spirit has no concept of age, it has always simply 'been'. You can write a great song at 6, 16 or 66!
Never Give up! If it's not happening, then search your heart to confirm this is the Lord's will for your life. Obviously, this won't work if you are a 'non-believer'. I'm 44 now, and I know I've still got something to give, somewhere in songwriting. If you give up, then only you have made that choice. Don't blame others/circumstances for your lack of faith. What did Jesus say? 'Anything is possible for him who believes', and one I particularly like to remind myself of, 'Many that are first will be last and the last first'. That should encourage anyone who feels 'past-it'! If it's your calling it WILL happen for you.
God Bless.
Thanks for the response, Steveuk!
I love your attitude and spirit.
One great thing about songwriting...you NEVER get too old to do it. The longer you live, the more life material you have to write great songs about. Think about Irving Berlin. He died at 101and wrote almost up the end of his life. What a great gig!
What I think is essential, though, is that your motivation as a songwriter HAS to be love of the craft. Every new song needs to be another reach toward that high bar called "excellence." The greatest reward is when YOU know yourself that the song you have written is the best you can make it...and that it is communicating to listeners.
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