Sparks from the Fire

OK, so I’m going to talk a little bit today in generalities.  OK, so there are still great songs being written, still great craftsmen out there who really know what they’re doing, still great records being made.  I’ll allow you all this right from the get go, but I think our industry, besides the death of the record business, is in a serious creative low as well.

Sonically, we’re at an all-time high.  The ability to capture the actual sound of the instruments in perfect, pristine quality has never been better.  Those who still grumble about the “coldness” of digital just haven’t been really listening lately.  The advancement of processing power and ram in computers has finally caught up and now the warmth of analog is back.

But much of the rest of the creative part of our industry is mired in mediocrity.  I blame this on humanity and our penchant to always try to attain perfection the easy way.   Nothing wrong with that except when it doesn’t work.

I just wrote a 7-part blog post (The IRA Awards) on great lyrics just to remind us of what could be, of the greatness of craft, of the delight of a well-lyricised song.  I write “remind us” because I think we’re losing track of a great tradition – the well written lyric.

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Bernie Taupin, Lyricist

Miss the first six parts of The Ira Awards series? Click here to go to Part 1.

Quiz answers in small print at bottom.  No peaking.

1. The name of the lyricist is Hal David. Who was his composer?
2. The name of the lyricist is Bernie Taupin. Who was his composer?
3. The composer for the musical West Side Story was Leonard Bernstein. Who was his lyricist?
4. Harvey Schmidt was the composer of the longest running musical in NYC, The Fantastiks. Who was his lyricist? (Hint: He shared his name with a famous singer)
5. What do Bob Dylan, Jimmy Webb, Cole Porter, Diane Warren and Laura Nyro all have in common?
6. The name of the lyricist is Jacob Brackman. Who is his composer? (more…)