[stylist] songwriting vs. poetry

Tue Mar 6 00:03:57 UTC 2012

LOL!  I'm sure it wasn't fun at the time, but the poem is hilarious.
Mary-Jo

-----Original Message-----
From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Jacqueline Williams
Sent: Monday, March 05, 2012 5:24 PM
To: 'Writer's Division Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [stylist] songwriting vs. poetry

Brad,
I said I was not a song writer. You are about to get the first of three.
Just call me a "song perverter."
Because of the condition described, I did not get the Christmas assignment
done until I had shed that terrible affliction. You will not have trouble
with the tune. And in truth I wrote a version earlier when I experienced the
same condition.
Enjoy,,
Jackie

-----Original Message-----
From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Brad Dunsé
Sent: Tuesday, February 28, 2012 1:38 PM
To: Writer's Division Mailing List
Subject: Re: [stylist] songwriting vs. poetry

There are several differing aspects to poems than lyrics.Off cuff here very
quickly:

1. Songs shouldn't have stuff like red/read, blue/blew, etc.

2. Songs have about 3.5 minutes to get the point across while leaving space
for a repeated chorus, not much time. Poems can take as long as they like.

3. Songs have to be written very conversational and simple, while poems can
get all esoteric, complex and intellectual.  Why? See below.

4. Songs are on a force tempo. You can't stop and rewind a song on the radio
or while listening to a live performer.  So if they don't "get it," 
from the first listen, likely they'll miss an important part of the rest of
the song. Reading poems, you can stop and think. Though that is not the case
with a live reading of a poem, the reader can pause to allow for it.

5. Lyrics have to be written to match the genre or style of the music. That
marriage is called prosody. No dirges with lyrics like, "Hey babe ya wanna
DANCE with me tonight?"

6. Lyrics often are written to rhythmically fit in the groove, beat, or
rhythm of the music.

7. Lyrics have to phonetically match the line of a song.  I'm sure someone
else can remember the word for it, wait, plosives, yeah that's it. You don't
want a long hanging note on certain words in certain situations. You want
open vowels and not hard edged D's or even nasally N's.

These are just off cuff here but you get the idea.

Brad

6. lyric

On 2/28/2012  01:39 PM Barbara Hammel said...

So, what’s so different about writing songs from writing poetry?  I get that
there usually is a chorus and two or three verses.  Sometimes there might
even be a bridge thrown in for good measure. I’ve often though of trying my
hand at songwriting, in fact I have one I wanted to give to someone to see
if they could work up a tune for it but I wasn’t on that friendly a terms
with her.  A friend and I wrote one, too, when she was in high school and I
was in college.  I saw the email with Brad’s tip, so will look at that, too.

Barbara Poetry is an echo, asking a shadow to dance. -- Carl Sandburg
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Brad Dunsé

"When it comes to change, don't wind up like concrete...
all mixed up and permanently set!" --Unknown

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