The Famous Thursday Post!
Gotta Lot Of Nice Links There, Be A Shame If They Confused Your Readers, Michael.....
Welcome to The Famous Thursday Post!
Our focus on Thursdays is on songwriting, recording, production and commercial release. So…
Today, I want to talk about writing lyrics that convey emotion in a song. In this context, it’s a good idea to remember the old adage in songwriting: “Heartbreak sells.” Songwriters often write from experience certainly, and that may offer depth and complexity to lyrics. Does the lyric have to arise from personal experience? It might help, but speaking for myself, I think empathy with the intended audience and the emotions felt after someone else’s heartbreaking experience is a better approach than simply recounting one’s own experience. Your mileage may vary, and writing from personal experience can be cathartic, which certainly could outweigh commercial value, but choosing a balanced “personal, but empathetic to others approach” may be the best course. IMHO….
One of my favorite songwriters, whose songs often convey emotional moments through lyrics is the late Jim Croce. I’m going to highlight some of his lyrics from several songs that (to me at least) convey a powerful emotion, but not always in an obvious way. Let’s look at a few:
“Operator (That’s Not the Way It Feels)” by Jim Croce Aug. 23, 1972
Track 7 on You Don’t Mess Around with Jim
Produced by Tommy West & Terry Cashman
“Operator” was Jim Croce’s second single. It peaked at #17 on the US pop chart.
Verse 3
“Operator, well let's forget about this call
There's no one there I really wanted to talk to
Thank you for your time
Ah, you've been so much more than kind
You can keep the dime”
Credit: Genius Link: Operator
“Cash Box described the lyrics saying that "in James Taylor fashion, Jim Croce tries to track down his long lost lover with the help of the operator."[2]
The song relates one side of a conversation with a telephone operator. The speaker is trying to find the phone number of his former lover, who has moved to Los Angeles with his former best friend. He wants to demonstrate to both of them that he is well and over their betrayal, but admits to the operator that he is not. After the operator has given him the number, he is unable to read it, apparently due to the tears in his eyes. He then changes his mind and tells the operator not to place the call, appreciatively adding "you can keep the dime" (the then standard toll he had deposited in a payphone).
The story was inspired during Croce's military service, during which time he saw lines of soldiers waiting to use the outdoor phone on base, many of them calling their wives or girlfriends to see if their Dear John letter was true.[3]”
Credit: Wikipedia Link Operator
(Ed. Could those lyrics convey resigned frustration over lost love any more powerfully?)
Walkin’ Back to Georgia Jim Croce Apr. 1972
Track 6 on You Don’t Mess Around with Jim
Produced by Tommy West & Terry Cashman
Chorus 3: (Ed. Note the lyrics to this chorus are slightly different from Choruses 1 & 2, but in a way that makes this chorus much more personal to him and to us - that’s great songwriting!)
Credit: Genius Link: Walkin' Back To Georgia
(Ed. Scratchy, raw demo - beautiful lyrics that capture the emotions of lost love, love left behind but still remembered, and a hoped for second chance…)
Finally, Mr. Croce’s Christmas song, “It Doesn’t Have to Be That Way” Jim Croce
Track 11 on Life and Times Dec. 1973
Produced by Tommy West & Terry Cashman
Verse 2:
“Crowded stores, the corner Santa Claus
Tinseled afternoons
And the sidewalk bands play their songs
Slightly out of tune
Down the windy winter avenues
There walks a lonely man
And if I told you who he is
Well I think you'd understand”
Credit: Genius Link: It Doesn't Have To Be That Way
(Ed. Maybe hopeful for a reunion with a lost love, but the lyrics portray a striking visual image of loneliness and loss in the midst of happy crowds of Christmas shoppers.)
I’ll leave you with a great Spotify playlist that includes (among others) some songs and artists we’ve highlighted here on Michael Acoustic in previous posts. See if you think the lyrics convey emotions clearly…
New Space Saving Disclaimer!: This Substack, (not just the first one!) is free, always will be, none of the people or companies or products I link to or write about pay me a damn thing. Neither do you unless you buy my song(s) (See what I did there?). Some stuff may be copyrighted by somebody else…whatever. “Fair Use” doctrine for “educational purposes” (Link: Fair Use) applies, suckers! No stinkin’ AI here unless it’s in something I link to. So.
Michael Acoustic
Today’s musician’s quote: (I’m sorta running out of John Prine quotes, so I’m interspersing now with other artist’s quotes….)
“The beautiful thing about learning is that nobody can take it away from you.” BB King
Some “Biz” Links for today:
From Carvin Audio:
From Soundfly:
From CD Baby’s DIY Musician Blog
From Disc Makers:
Other Links (Kinda usurping this “Other Voices” section today to include some links from all over that may be helpful tomorrow….Just sayin’
Other Voices Too:
This is cool:
Some memes and stuff: You might start to see a pattern. It’ll be useful soon….
Shameless Self Promotion Section:
My song is out! “Long Road Back” (click on link for streaming options)
Odds and Ends: “Nickleus”
Nickleus is an artist whose music can be found on Soundcloud here: Nickleus
He also publishes a blog here: Nickleus Blogspot
And: Modal Music
I can’t find him on YouTube, but his blog seems very interesting for a number of reasons, one of which is a series of Spotify playlists highlighting popular music that is written/performed using the various musical “modes”
Intrigued or just can’t get enough of modes? Tomorrow’s post is modes all the way down!!!
Cheers, and keep playing!
Michael Acoustic
“It’s never really final - you just run out of things you can bear to change…”
Thanks for this, Michael. I'm old enough to have watched Jim Croce's career unfold and then be cut short by a tragic plane crash. I saw him perform a free concert in 1973 in the outdoor amphitheater at Balboa Park in San Diego. The setup was so threadbare ... just Croce, an accompanying guitarist and a prercussionist (I think, so long ago that my memory fades) ... a couple of Fender acoustic amps and a basic PA. Still, his voice transcended the setting . He did wonderful versions of "Operator" and "Time in a Bottle." Funny how clearly I can remember it 50 years later. Anyway, thanks for this and the links. -- Jim
I have always felt emotional when listening to alanis morrisette play live. It’s something about the lyrics but also in the way she sings them. Her voice isn’t for everyone but she’s the only one that sometimes makes me cry uncontrollably when listening. “That I would be good” is one in particular that has ruined my mascara more than once.
(Sorry if this is a duplicate. I tried to post earlier but I don’t think it worked)