The benefits of songwriting collaboration
In June, Rolling Stone.com released the results of a reader survey of the top ten songwriting duos in history. A quick look at the top five proves two things: England has indisputably dominated the market for rock royalty, and some of the best songs in pop and rock were created through collaboration.
1. Paul McCartney / John Lennon (the Beatles)
2. Keith Richards / Mick Jagger (Rolling Stones)
3. Elton John / Bernie Taupin (Elton John)
4. Joe Strummer / Mick Jones (The Clash)
5. Johnny Marr / Morrissey (the Smiths)
Clearly, there is no shortage of successful songwriters who prefer to work alone (Pete Townshend, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen). However, judging by the caliber of the music that has been created through collaboration, there is an undeniable argument that two heads are better than one when it comes to songwriting.
Beloved indie Liz Phair put this theory into practice and caused a stir when she chose to write songs for her 2003 self-titled album with Top 40 The Matrix production team. Phair, who enjoyed a loyal following and critical acclaim for previously published material, told Filter magazine: “I really wanted to be on the radio. And I don’t write those kinds of songs. I write things that are quirky or more personal. So collaborating was a way of getting some people to know what they are doing with chord structures, plus they are such talented and really cool people. “
Famed songwriter Dianne Warren told John Braheny about the professional advantages a young songwriter has from working with others: “When you write with someone else, you get their entire network of contacts and people they deal with. You have a double chance of getting something important things that happen “.
Traditionally, composers have had success sitting together with a piano and / or guitar to develop melodies and lyrics. While this method is the most obvious, it is not always the easiest. If you don’t have someone living relatively close by, you are faced with the task of traveling to meet musicians for writing sessions. Faced with this dilemma, some artists have looked for other ways to create songs together.
A few years ago, indie-electro duo The Postal Service “wrote and recorded most of their debut album, Give Up (Sub Pop), with no budget and living 1,000 miles away,” according to MTV.com. Band members Ben Gibbard (Death Cab For Cutie) and Jimmy Tamborello (Dntel) bridged the gap between them sending music back and forth by mail, with Jimmy handling most of the music and Ben responding with lyrics and melodies. . The Gold certified success of their album means the pair will repeat the songwriting formula for a follow-up release, this time exchanging song ideas over the internet.
It is not surprising that the Internet has become a good source for finding people interested in sharing lyrics and music. In 1998, NME reported how legendary artist David Bowie recorded a song with lyrics “written by American fan Alex Grant, who entered a songwriting contest hosted by Bowie on his website.”
A Google search reveals a number of sites dedicated to encouraging and connecting songwriters, such as MusesMuse.com, Songwriters101.com, and SongWriterForums.com. Going one step further, musicians have turned to YouTube to share ideas and invite collaborations. Said “chuckadile” release once included a full backing track, complete with lead and rhythm guitars, drums, and bass, with an invitation for viewers to create lyrics and melody.
With thousands of people turning to sites like Echoboost.com to share their music, you might find someone online right now with the same taste in music who is looking to collaborate with someone as you.