MUDDY HONKY

Didn’t Will i Am/Black Eyed Peas record all 3 final songs?

Beautiful tribute, thank you and sorry for your loss.

I remember doing the audio/mixing for these guys in the late 1990’s on the Auraria Campus in Denver when they played at the campus food court.
Long time ago…

I am new to American Songwriter. This may be a silly question; When submitting lyrics, why don’t you want the melody aspect of the song?

I guess all-caps just wasn’t enough.

Thanks for trying Billie. Some people will never understand.

I met Bucky when he played for Steve Wariner. We played a lot of basketball at Steve’s parents’ and pulled several practical jokes on the road when I went on a few trips with them. He was extremely talented and funny, and such a nice guy. We bonded even more when we realized we had a few other mutual musical friends and interests. I haven’t been on FB lately due to so much arguing, etc. I am so saddened to hear the news, but so grateful for the beautiful heartfelt tribute. Thank you, and also, I am sorry for your loss, too.

Hello, I’m thinking about entering into the American Songwriters Lyric Contest, but I would like to know, are we suppose to send to song in music along with the lyrics.

I actually prefer the Gordon Lightfoot version on his stellar album ‘Sit Down Young Stranger’. And as far as songwriting goes I am forever blown away by three songs on that album. ‘Sit Down Young Stranger’, ‘ Saturday’s Clothes’ & of course ‘If You Could Read My Mind’. That’s usually the first album I listen to every Saturday morning.

Thanks for looking into the story behind this song. I was recently discussing it with someone and we were wondering about that. It is one of those songs that, while truly iconic, definitely has a sinister edge to it. Whether he intended it or not at the moment of invention, it’s there. It’s sinister as a love song or as a reflection of the political era. I guess sometimes what a song ends up meaning is out of the hands of the writer.

I believe Sting when he says he knows the song was probably about something else but wasn’t aware of it at the time. Your subconscious or Jung’s collective unconscious, (Sting has spoken of Jungian philosophies in the past) contribute quite a lot of meaning in between meanings. I’ve experienced the same and it’s astonishing. I really don’t think it’s revisionism in this case. But a deeper understanding of something unexpected.

Beautiful insight into the hearts and minds of some of the greatest lovers of all that is good in the world. What an amazing journey they made together.

The real Lady A is world class. She is a fantastic human and an incredible voice in the music community. This is infuriating. I am heartbroken, angry, at a loss as to what to do. What do we do?! How can we fix this?!

This is why I’m glad I got this subscription. This is the stuff I wanted to read! What a great article and thought!

John was crystal clear in his message. So glad he shared his love with the world.

I think part of writing a conversational lyric is making sure the words sit on the melody with conversational emphasis. Making sure it’s “reMEMber” and not “REmember.” I think it makes the song easier to understand. But I hear this incorrect emphasis all the time these days. How important do you think it is?

Greetings! Thank you for Songwriter’ U! As a new member, new artist, new to the Musical Industry it is so great to find out that support is out their to educate and equip taking this song writer beyond her wildest dreams! Again from me 2 U Thank U!

PS Any information for creating lyric sheet formative Reference tracks in order to forward linkages professionally?

This is a wonderful reminder. Thank you for sharing. I often get lost in trying to craft the poetry…forgetting where the song is going.

Yeah? Cut me a break. All of this bandwagon jumping virtue signaling doesn’t come across genuine.

cool! love chris & tina . great you had this talk.

I really like this song except for the two places where Charlie uses the word “proud” wrong. Apparently he didn’t know what it meant.

This is a great article. I have felt this way many times. I have written and recorded many of my songs to completion(the future revision thing, It drives my wife insane) For every one complete, there are at least two wav files or notebook pages crying for me to nourish them and it hurts down to my soul. I like to think of them as my children, none are perfect, I have short ones, fat ones, skinny ones, stupid ones, four with no lips, one was born with no big toe but he gets around without it. My point is, I love them all and that’s all that matters. This gave me inspiration to head down to my studio and see if I can get one of my neglected spawn to crawl,well maybe I should see if one will move first.
Thank you,
Muddy Honky

John Denver is one of the most gifted artists in history. Not only, as the article points out, a supremely talented songwriter, but also a phenomenal performer and singer. Many people aren’t familiar with his later material — tastes had changed and he made some poor career decisions and didn’t get much airplay in the 80s and 90s — but his voice got deeper and richer. He was one of the finest vocalists in American popular music. If you are skeptical, check out the Harbor Lights Concert, 1995. A finer performance you will never hear.

In terms of his material, I encourage everyone to look beyond the hits, solid as they are. He did a wide variety of material and was a hell of a stylist. There are treasurers there — let’s hope that the culture is wise enough to go looking for them.

It’s also worth pointing out that he was a rennaissance man, as a human and as a performer. He was a solid actor, a comedian with incredible timing (check out his “magician” comedy sketch with Dick Van Dyke, even a decent dancer. He was a classic entertainer, something we don’t really have anymore.

And he did it all with analog recording equipment and no auto tune.

RIP John. You are missed.

Wrote a chorus and was about to go to bed, only for it to be forgotten. I read this article, stayed up til midnight, and finished the whole song! Was definitely the inspiration and push I needed.

The theory of C Major as an “innocent” sounding key held up nicely with the exception of Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab” and Michael Jackson’s “Beat It.” Even if I try to ignore the lyrics, those two songs just don’t sound “innocent” to me without academically forcing myself to try to think of them that way (i.e. confirmation bias).

Fantastic article.