Composing A Short Story by Warren Bull
Image from Toledoblade.com
Composer Randy Newman, famous for his ironic songs Short People and I Love LA, and his musical scores for movies compared composing music to writing short stories. During a YouTibe interview about songwriting the composer said although 95% of songs are love songs, he does not see himself as a romantic person or have a lyrical voice. Newman got bored writing typical love songs and needed to express himself in other ways. The singer/songwriter said he does not know why a composer should not have the latitude short stories writers have.
Most of his songs are written in the third person. He acknowledged a song may not be the best medium since most songs are “from me to you” and that is what people expect. But, “In my best songs, I can see characters” in them. He continued, “by the diction of the singer, the words he knows and how he says them the audience knows who the character is and what he’s about.”
I never thought about songs this way. Interesting!
ReplyDeleteHe's a brilliant songwriter!
ReplyDeleteArtistic expression takes many forms, but usually comes from the same inner source.
ReplyDeleteLyrics for music are complicated in that the words and music need to mesh. I admire the talent of great song writers. And they do tell stories.
ReplyDelete