The Somewhat Delayed Song Thread

[cloughie]

Have you ever thought about song length and lyrics and how lazy some songwriters are. Not that they are not talented - there are some excellent tunes and very clever lyrics BUT so many of them are just one verse repeated. Now this is fine when they are sung with a band or have a cleverly arranged piano accompaniment and an inventive middle eight. By the the time the repeated lyrics come along the audience has forgotten what they are, but when sung unaccompanied, then really another verse to continue the story would really be useful, otherwise if the repeat is avoided then the song may be quite short.

[Lat-Literal]

Have you ever thought about song length and lyrics and how lazy some songwriters are. Not that they are not talented - there are some excellent tunes and very clever lyrics BUT so many of them are just one verse repeated. Now this is fine when they are sung with a band or have a cleverly arranged piano accompaniment and an inventive middle eight. By the the time the repeated lyrics come along the audience has forgotten what they are, but when sung unaccompanied, then really another verse to continue the story would really be useful, otherwise if the repeat is avoided then the song may be quite short.

Well, yes, but they are still good as tiles in an award winning mosaic.

[johncorrigan]

Have you ever thought about song length and lyrics and how lazy some songwriters are. Not that they are not talented - there are some excellent tunes and very clever lyrics BUT so many of them are just one verse repeated. Now this is fine when they are sung with a band or have a cleverly arranged piano accompaniment and an inventive middle eight. By the the time the repeated lyrics come along the audience has forgotten what they are, but when sung unaccompanied, then really another verse to continue the story would really be useful, otherwise if the repeat is avoided then the song may be quite short.

I've always found that Randy Newman leaves me wanting more, cloughie. I used to think that he would take a song so far and then leave it to you to make up the rest.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PZB6TWNw-o

Small and perfectly formed...but I want more!

[teamsaint]

I've always found that Randy Newman leaves me wanting more, cloughie. I used to think that he would take a song so far and then leave it to you to make up the rest.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PZB6TWNw-o

Small and perfectly formed...but I want more!

Never really thought of his songs that way, JC, but I think you are right.
Baltimore is a favourite of mine.

[Lat-Literal]

Dorris Henderson:

Rotterdam Blues - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dJifvHWC1A
Strange Lullaby - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjsylZDs5RY
No More My Lord - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Fg8d5w09lw

Jack The Lad:

Turning into Winter - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQCmya7Ofvc

[LeMartinPecheur]

Abject apologies for lowering the tone but...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJB6vnYEZMY

[gradus]

I slightly prefer the Britten/Pears recording.

[cloughie]

I've always found that Randy Newman leaves me wanting more, cloughie. I used to think that he would take a song so far and then leave it to you to make up the rest.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PZB6TWNw-o

Small and perfectly formed...but I want more!

You could be right John, some of his songs merit another verse or two, but at least his songs tell a good story, often with a sting in the tale! ...and there always appears to be a personal note, but having said that he passes another test in that others have done excellent interpretations in the covers of his songs eg Alan Price, Manfred Mann in the Mike d'Abo era and one of my all time favourites Judy Collins' 'I think it's gonna rain today'. I was really thinking in my original statement of the 'American Songbook' eg Cole Porter 'So in love', Rogers and Hart ' My heart stood still' and many others. Then you look at some Rock 'n' roll classics a bit short on lyrics. How many times is the same verse repeated in 'Hound dog' ? Maybe a topic for another day on this thread is diction and clarity of lyrics, which with many modern songs and singers is very poor.

[johncorrigan]

Abject apologies for lowering the tone but...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJB6vnYEZMY

[Globaltruth]

I slightly prefer the Britten/Pears recording.

And also

[Lat-Literal]

Kate Bush - The Sensual World - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1DDndY0FLI

(Mmm......"yes")

This Woman's Work - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSCQPSrlNbk
A Coral Room - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mp6V5B9WJng
Sunset (her best) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDWQs2mYG_E

(Re the last two, how odd that Rolf Harris should feature on the best pop/rock album of 2000-2010, should that point override it?, no, it stands so far above it)

[Lat-Literal]

'Sampling Incorporated'. I thought I would tune in to 6 Music today and listen to one record just to see what it happened to be.

It was this one - a great Scot and the cousin of Grant Shapps MP - very good news for me but most under 40s need not apply:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WyChNh_p-E

(@ Chris Hawkins - some unearthly hour)

It's the same tune as this one, of course.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95zxtaKQBBc

Frame's was a typically intelligent comment on 1980s Tories. Whether it merited a philosophy on Britain as a whole is doubtful:

http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2014/08/leader-scottish-greens-you-don-t-need-alex-salmond-vote-yes

(Unresolved anger about The S.28 "Killing" of Georgie may not be best answered by The Killing of "St" Georgie in the Union flag)

[Lat-Literal]

I'm Shining Like a New Dime:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6yk9wWNB08

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AvjLVY7XDY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqkru7jlMAI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ja2evWhGWHA

http://fizzypopphoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/FIZ5557.jpg

https://metrouk2.files.wordpress.com...jpg?quality=80

[johncorrigan]

I'm Shining Like a New Dime:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ja2evWhGWHA

Thanks Lat...I came upon a vid of Mr Waits on C4's The Tube from back in the mid-80s. Rather wonderful - gets a bit messy towards the end as the contributor keeps trying to include 'In the Neighbourhood'...but a fabulous TW performance and a wonderful band.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpxaPCNcU1g

[Lat-Literal]

Thanks Lat...I came upon a vid of Mr Waits on C4's The Tube from back in the mid-80s. Rather wonderful - gets a bit messy towards the end as the contributor keeps trying to include 'In the Neighbourhood'...but a fabulous TW performance and a wonderful band.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpxaPCNcU1g

Thanks JC, that performance is very good - I remember The Tube well from C4's first and best decade, just as the first decade of commercial radio was its best.