SongWriting

American Idol Song Selection

2008-04-17T10:53:00.000-07:00

Jason Castro does Hallelujah and gets a big boost, while Chikezie goes out on an obscure Luther Vandross song. A great chef can't do much without the proper ingredients, and a singer is only as good as the song. Here's our advice on what the American Idol contestants should be singing.

Make It Your Own

Whether you make a new arrangement of a well-known song or choose something more obscure, the trick is to pick a song that people will identify with you, and not the original singer. Try to pick songs with unique character that people will identify with you. When Kristy Lee Cook wowed the judges with God Bless The USA, it helped that most viewers didn't picture Lee Greenwood singing it. You probably know these songs, but don't know who sang them:

I Can Dream About You
Baker Street
Dancing In The Moonlight
Fooled Around And Fell In Love
Counting Blue Cars
Don't Dream It's Over

Pick Something Different

George Merrill and Shannon Rubicam of Boy Meets Girl wrote Whitney Houston's hits How Will I Know and I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me). Says Shannon: "I want to see surprising song choices, and of course song recognizability is a big factor because people want to compare a vocalist to the original to determine their versatility and level of talent."

Take a chance with these songs:

Walk On The Wild Side
Different Drum
Beth
China Girl (punch the line, "I'll give you television")

Futz With The Arrangement

George Merrill of Boy Meets Girl puts it this way: "I love it when I hear a song in a different tempo, with a new cool rhythm, and clear melodies with less vocal pyro... usually simpler instrumentation seems to turn out the best in these live moments."

Even though he poached it from Chris Cornell, David Cook's spare version of Billie Jean was a great call, and Jason Castro drew high praise for his ukulele Over The Rainbow, which he got from the Hawaiian singer Israel Kamakawiwo'ole. Here are some gems that haven't been used yet:

Bizarre Love Triangle - Listen to the Frente! version. A very sweet song when you strip the beat.
I Want It That Way - Vanilla Fudge proved that you can wring out the emotion of this song in a way the Boys Bands can't.
Torn - Use the original Ednaswap version as a template.
Short Skirt/Long Jacket - Tweak the Cake arrangement and you'll give the judges something to remember.

Which brings up a good point:

Don't Try To Be Whitney

Songs made popular by distinctive singers like Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey or Janis Joplin will inevitably lead to unfavorable comparisons. Says Shannon: "A Whitney Houston song could be done with an entirely different styling. For example when we performed 'I Wanna Dance With Somebody' at a songwriter's concert long ago we did it as a ballad, and it transposes nicely... as many songs do. Whitney does set the bar higher than most can reach though. It's easy to forget how good she was (hopefully still is) with the plethora of newer young singers who were raised on vocal gymnastics, until you hear her previous recordings."

Adds George: "The folks that choose to sing like Whitney inevitably come up short, because she did it better than anyone ever will! So, fiddle with it, make it work in a ska rhythm, or break it down to an acoustic guitar folkie version... much more exciting to hear a song you know so well with a unique twist. Simon likes that too!"

Learn From Karaoke

You would think that Karaoke offers a great way to field test the songs, but they're different beasts. Kimberly Starling of Karaoke Informer says: "The typical good karaoke songs tend to lack the uniqueness needed for an Idol contestant to stand out. Also, good karaoke songs are often less challenging musically."

According to Kimberly, here are some songs that can sound great with Karaoke Joe on the mic, but Idol contestants may want to avoid:

Crazy (Patsy Cline)
Sweet Caroline
Santeria
Friends In Low Places
What's Up
I Wanna Be Sedated (works every time, anyone can sing this)

Steve Douglas of Ultimate DJ and Karaoke in Kansas City adds: "I have found that American Idol actually influences what songs Karaoke singers choose to sing. They expose TV viewers to songs that they normally wouldn't hear on their normal radio station. American Idol contestants also have help from knowledgeable music and or vocal coaches."

Avoid The Overdone

Some songs have been performed on the show so many times that judges and viewers are numb to them. You're looking to stand out, so don't sing these:

Unchained Melody
Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now)
Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me
Anything by Journey or Stevie Wonder

Lighten Up

The viewers vote, and if you sing something fun, there's a good chance they're going to like you. Not every song has to be a heartfelt scorcher. Try one of these:

Vacation
Lump
Bad, Bad Leroy Brown
The Longest Time
Mickey (or "Kitty" if sung by a guy, which is how the song was originally done)
Keep Your Hands To Yourself
Float On

Distinctive Debuts

2008-04-07T07:11:00.000-07:00

Songfactor's Choice is a forum on our Message Boards where the citizens of Songfacts decide the Top 5 in a particular category. In this episode: Distinctive Debuts. It's not always experience that counts. Here are the five debut albums we selected as the greatest of all time.

Are You Experienced? - Jimi Hendrix Experience (1967)

Jimi Hendrix's stylistically innovative work from his debut album and every preceding album, have earned him and kept his fans loyal right up to the present day. His well deserved fame as one of the greatest guitarists of all time is still as relevant today as it was in the sixties. He was and will remain one of the greatest rock legends of all time.

~ Lea

Third Stone From The Sun (songfacts)

(pronounced 'lĕh-'nérd 'skin-'nérd) - Lynyrd Skynyrd (1973)

This is the album that gave birth to a genre in 1973. The phrase "Southern Rock" hadn't been uttered until these guys came onto the music scene. Their sound was raw, and hard rocking, blues/rock flavored with a bit of country. Their original lyrics were sweet southern poetry, as told from the view of a Southern redneck boy. Every song on this release was a winner. The last (and eerily prophetic) track, will forever be a Rock 'n' Roll anthem, and provided us with that shout heard in live venues from coast to coast, North or South, from the album's release, until today ..... "Play Free Bird, man !!"

"If I leave here tomorrow, would you still remember me?" Yeah, Ronnie, we remember.

~ Lucky

Free Bird (songfacts)

Ten - Pearl Jam (1991)

Often standing in the shadows of Nirvana's Nevermind, one shouldn't underestimate this album's influence in the development and popularisation of Grunge and Alternative Rock. Ten was and remains one of the defining albums of the first half of the 90s. Hard rock riffs combined with Vedder's deep lyrics which address dark themes such as gun violence, frustration, loneliness makes it a must-have in every music collection

~ Farin

Even Flow (songfacts)

Appetite for Destruction - Guns N' Roses (1987)

The 1980's were known for many things. One of these things were something called "hair-bands." Loud rockers with hair that made most females jealous. There were many bands opening the doors to this new music style and at just the right time appeared Guns N' Roses with their album "Appetite For Destruction". The album was an instant hit. Sitting upon the top ten charts across the world for months and selling faster than bottled water in the desert nearly every track was a hit. From "Night Train" to "Paradise City" and the ever popular "Welcome To The Jungle" the voice of Axl Rose (William Bailey) and the lead guitars of Slash (Saul Hudson) gave the band the edge over all others. Still today the original cast of Guns N' Roses can be heard from car stereos and i-pods alike.

~ Rayzor

Sweet Child O' Mine (songfacts)

The Court of The Crimson King - King Crimson (1969)

In 1969 psychedelic rock was a trendy genre; "ITCOTCK" is psychedelic but it´s mainly progressive-rock, with bits of minimal and not so easy to listen.
Robert Fripp and Pete Sinfield created an athmosphere that opened the door to further experimentation, while selling lots of copies. Not an easy task.

~ Edna

In The Court Of The Crimson King (songfacts)

Women Gone Wild

2008-03-05T20:21:00.000-08:00

Songfactor's Choice is a forum on our Message Boards where the citizens of Songfacts decide the Top 5 in a particular category. In this episode: Women Gone Wild. Which women have put their indelible stamp on modern music, either through their voice, their songwriting style, or their musicianship? Here are the results with clips selected that best demonstrate the choices.

Janis Joplin

The Great Rock Discography writes of Janis: "But for her death, she would probably have become the greatest female singer of all-time, here powerful 3-octave vocals having the capacity to transform the most run-of-the-mill tune into a tour de force."

Nominated by Sweet Jane, who writes:
Janis took hold of the rock and roll world with a strong embrace and held tight until she died. She was ballsy with a voice that took you into her soul. Her short time in the music world was a powerful one. With all her in your face presence on stage and sassiness, she still had a childlike sweetness about her that made you love her even more.

Cry Baby (Live)

Ann & Nancy Wilson

Like most of the others on this list, the Wilson Sisters made a smooth transition to Pop stardom. If you haven't heard their '70s output, however, you're missing out on some of the most stimulating Rock of that era.

Nominated by RonJonSurfer, who writes:
Oh the feeling these ladies brought out in a young teen's jeans...and soul. Ann and Nancy Wilson started out of the Seattle area and headed for stardom. These girls proved that hard rock wasn't just a boys club. Their combination of hard rock tunes packaged in the shell of two hot sisters was a smash. Their album Dreamboat Annie launched them into the upper level of touring rock bands. That album brought us the rock classics "Magic Man" and "Crazy On You." Led Zep was their main influence.

Crazy on You

Aretha Franklin

Aretha got a little upset when Beyonce referred to Tina Turner as "The Queen." Nothing against Tina, but Aretha is royalty. She of the unmistakable and mighty voice also has a very impressive list of songwriting credits and 45 Top-40 hits (Turner has 14). The diva attitude is somehow endearing is a woman of her talent.

Nominated by Lucky, who writes:
Franklin isn't nicknamed the Queen of Soul for nothing. Be it soul, R&B, gospel or jazz, Aretha was at home. As a singer, songwriter, and pianist, she reached down into her own soul, and spoke to every man on behalf of every woman. Women felt strong and proud of who they were through Franklin's music. Men could only dream that a woman would react with such depth of emotion toward them. Year after year, song after song, performance after performance, she proclaimed herself the Queen, and we love her for it. The song is sexy, shows off her terrific voice, the way she lowers the timbre, and just reaches in and grabs you. I defy you to listen to this and not dance in your chair.

Baby I Love You

Linda Ronstadt

Ever hear the expression, "She can sing the phone book"? That's Ronstadt. She had the good sense to use a backup band on her 1972 album that would become The Eagles.

Nominated by Shawna, who writes:
She went from country to pop, was one of the first females touring when she began with only Maria Muldaur and Emmylou Harris also touring. Linda Ronstadt cleared the path for people like Stevie Nicks to do her thing, and she should be recognized for it. Linda's soaring soprano in one of her most beautiful songs.

Blue Bayou (Live)

Debbie Harry

The Go-Gos or The Runaways could have easily made this list, but our vote was for Debbie Harry, who also paid her dues on the sweaty club scene before leaving her mark as one of the great frontwomen in music.

Nominated by Ryansgirl, who writes: As the lead singer of Blondie, Deborah Harry put a beautiful face on the ugly world of punk. She was tough and cool and almost otherworldly. Her influence can be seen even today on a new generation of female artists.

Heart of Glass

Get more of the Songfactor's Choice in the forum.

Republicans vs. Songwriters

2008-02-17T08:25:00.000-08:00

The Boston leader's beef with Mike Huckabee is only the latest conflict between a songwriter and a Republican. John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity have all used theme songs written by people who are their political opposites. Can they do that?

When Mike Huckabee used "More Than A Feeling" at his campaign rallies, Boston leader Tom Scholz fought back the only way he could: by blasting Huckabee in the press for using the song without his consent. In a letter to Huckabee that Scholz also sent to Rolling Stone, he claimed to be an Obama supporter and that he would not support a candidate who is "the polar opposite of most everything Boston stands for."

Huckabee is a bass player, and has a band called Capitol Offense. This gives him the opportunity to show his contemporary side by playing at his events - think Bill Clinton with his sax on The Arsenio Hall Show. Former Boston guitarist Barry Goudreau is a Huckabee supporter and joined him on stage performing "More Than A Feeling" as some events, which apparently was more than Scholz could take. Scholz wrote the song and Goudreau didn't play on it.

Like any cover band, Huckabee doesn't need permission to play the song. His campaign correctly pointed out that when he plays "Sweet Home Alabama," it doesn't imply an endorsement from Lynyrd Skynyrd. But this is politics, and image is everything. As we seek clues to how these people will behave if elected, we look for authenticity and congruency. Getting scolded by a songwriter doesn't bode well.

When they're not playing Toby Keith or Lee Greenwood, Republicans have a hard time finding songwriters who support their cause, and every now and then one of them squawks. Earlier in the campaign, John Mellencamp took exception to John McCain's use of "Our Country." Tom Petty objected to George Bush playing "I Won't Back Down" in his 2000 campaign, and while Bush did stop using the song, he won the election by squeaking out a victory in Petty's home state of Florida. In his 2004 re-election campaign, Bush raised the ire of Foo Fighter Dave Grohl when he used "Times Like These." Grohl responded by campaigning for his rival, John Kerry.

It's not just the Republican candidates who seem to enjoy the work of songwriters who don't support their views. Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh uses "My City Was Gone" by The Pretenders as his bumper music. The song was written by Chrissie Hynde, who was a student at Kent State University during the 1970 shootings, and has political views that in no way jibe with Limbaugh. Sean Hannity, who is the other leading voice on conservative radio, features "Independence Day" by Martina McBride on his show. The song was written by Gretchen Peters, and it's about a young girl watching her mother get abused by her father. Says Peters: "They have to pay me every time they play it, and I don't have any control over whether they play it or not. I don't agree with the guy on anything, but they do pay me. I guess I feel it kind of puts me in slightly better position to support the causes I believe in."

So what's a Republican to do? John McCain started using the theme from Rocky after Sylvester Stallone endorsed him. Mitt Romney used "A Little Less Conversation," and Elvis didn't object. Huckabee uses local bands and lets them choose most of the songs at his events, which went well until the Boston incident.

Democrats usually enjoy more support from popular musicians, something John F. Kennedy used to his advantage when Frank Sinatra sang "High Hopes" on his behalf in 1960. These days, many popular musicians are rallying around Barack Obama. Hillary Clinton has the support of Celine Dion and used her song "You And I" in her campaign, but in the music community, Obama's got the juice. His musical supporters put together an inspirational video based on one of his speeches called "Yes We Can." Musicians understand the value of a hook line, and "Yes We Can" is as good as it gets - an organic tag line that is memorable and irresistible. It's Obama's "Eye Of The Tiger" or "I Hope You Dance." Will.i.am, Scarlett Johansson, John Legend, Ed Kowalczyk and Nicole Scherzinger all appear in the video along with several other celebrities.

The Grammy Awards in 2007 resembled the Democratic National Convention, with the Dixie Chicks winning big. There was an overwhelming anti-Bush sentiment and an outpouring of support for Al Gore, who presented the Best Rock Album award. This year, there was no specific political talk, but it was clearly an Obama crowd. Obama even won an award - for the audio recording of his book The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream. It was the same award Hillary Clinton won 12 years earlier for her audiobook It Takes a Village. The last award given out at this year's ceremony went to Herbie Hancock, who in a surprise victory won for Album Of The Year. Hancock, who appears in Obama's video, said in his speech: "This is a new day. It proves that the impossible can be made possible. Yes we can."

Rating the Campaign Music

2008-01-28T14:13:00.000-08:00

From inspiring to bewildering, the 2008 presidential candidates are trying a variety of songs on the campaign trail. We rate them on their selections (links take you to the Songfacts).

#1) Barack Obama

Main Songs:
Move On Up - Curtis Mayfield
City Of Blinding Lights - U2

Others Used:
Think - Aretha Franklin
(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher And Higher - Jackie Wilson
Lovely Day - Bill Withers
Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours - Stevie Wonder

Mayfield's classic "Move On Up" is as uplifting as they come, and the kids will relate to it through Kanye West's rewrite, "Touch The Sky." U2 is always reliable, and Aretha's "Think," while it is directed at a romantic interest, gives crowds a chance to yell "Freedom!" Obama took some heat for "Signed, Sealed, Delivered," as it implied the arrogant air of inevitability he criticized Clinton for, but it's a Soul classic, as are his other selections. Interesting that he's the only candidate using much black music.

#2) Mike Huckabee

Main Song:
Whatever the band is playing

Others Used:
Free Bird - Lynyrd Skynyrd
Unwritten - Natasha Bedingfield
Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd
R.O.C.K In The USA - John Mellencamp

Huckabee plays bass in a band called Capitol Offense, and he seems to understand music better than any other candidate. At most of his events, Huckabee has local musicians perform and leaves the songs to them, often joining them on bass for a little Skynyrd. Good move, as it localizes the music and provides some nice photo-ops.

#3) Ron Paul

Main Songs:
Hope for America - Steve Dore

Others Used:
Various other custom recordings with names like "Ron Paul For The Long Haul"

Paul is kicking it old school by letting his supporters create songs for him. Back in the 1800's, candidates often commissioned custom songs for their campaigns, but in modern times, familiarity is usually the way to go. Ron Paul is certainly original, and it's great to see him going counter-culture when it comes to his music. Someday, a well-funded candidate will pay Diane Warren to write a custom song that will get lots of airplay on Adult Contemporary radio and lead that candidate to victory. Paul doesn't have that luxury, so he'll settle for his fans turning "New York, New York" into "Ron Paul, Ron Paul."

#4) Hillary Clinton

Main Song:
You And I - Celine Dion

Others Used:
Suddenly I See - KT Tunstall
American Girl - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic - The Police
Takin' Care Of Business - Bachman-Turner Overdrive
Blue Sky - Big Head Todd and the Monsters
9 to 5 - Dolly Parton

Clinton's campaign had a "contest" where her supporters were asked to select her campaign song. It was more like her staff taking suggestions, as the winning choice was Celine Dion's "You And I," a song we refuse to believe anyone actually voted for. The song was created specifically for use in an Air Canada advertising campaign, which makes it both manufactured and Canadian. Celine's song didn't go over so well on the road, so Clinton's people dumped it. The other choices are better, although "Suddenly I See" has played out on numerous TV shows, and "American Girl" might be a little too complex, especially when Petty sings, "If she had to die... trying." BTO's "Taking Care Of Business" has the opposite meaning of the title, as it's really a slacker anthem, but this being politics, most people won't go below the surface. Clinton is relying a little too heavily on imports: Dion and BTO are Canadian, Tunstall is Scottish and The Police are from England.

#5) John McCain

Main Songs:
Johnny B. Goode - Chuck Berry
Take A Chance On Me - ABBA

Others Used:
All At Once by The Fray
I Won't Back Down - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
I Will Hold My Ground - Darryl Worley
Let's Get It Started - Black Eyed Peas
Theme From Rocky - Bill Conti

ABBA? Really? It's a catchy song, and we understand that the only significance is the title, but even that sounds like a bad pickup line. There's just something about a Swedish Pop group that is not presidential. "Johnny B. Goode" makes a little more sense, but not much. It was based on Chuck Berry's life, and tells of a boy who "never ever learned to read or write so well." The Rocky theme is probably his best bet, as the only lyrics are "Gonna Fly Now," and McCain was endorsed by Sylvester Stallone.

These candidates are out of the race, possibly as a result of their music selections.

Mitt Romney

Main Song:
A Little Less Conversation - Elvis Presley

Others Used:
Simple Man - Lynyrd Skynyrd
Heart Of Gold - Neil Young
More Than A Feeling - Boston
Sweet Caroline - Neil Diamond
Don't Stop Believin' - Journey
You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet - BTO
Such Great Heights - Postal Service
Right Now - Van Halen

Romney is using the remix of "A Little Less Conversation," which provides the Elvis swagger with a contemporary production. A Romney staffer filled us in on the selection: "The song underscores Governor Romney's promise to bring change to a broken Washington. He believes there needs to be more action to address our nation's challenges, with less talk and partisan bickering." The other songs are simply good tunes, stuff you want on your party playlist. Romney is certainly not a "Simple Man," and it's unlikely that Neil Young would approve of a Republican using his work, but combined with Neil Diamond, Van Halen and The Postal Service, you've got a great little mix.

John Edwards

Main Songs:
Pride (In The Name Of Love) - U2
Our Country - John Mellencamp

Others Used:
I'll Take You There - The Staples Singers
Times Like These - Foo Fighters
Land Of Hope And Dreams - Bruce Springsteen
A Change Would Do You Good - Sheryl Crow
Shining Star - Earth, Wind & Fire

U2 wrote "Pride (In The Name Of Love)" in honor of Martin Luther King Jr., but it does have that rise-up-and-conquer feel. Mellencamp is a good fit for Edwards, but "Our Country" was appropriated by Chevy, and now we can't stop thinking of Silverados when we hear it. That's the main problem here: we don't think of John Edwards when we hear these songs, as they've been milked for a variety of commercial purposes.

Rudy Giuliani

Main Songs:
Rudie Can't Fail - The Clash
Music from the movie Rudy

Others Used:
Eye Of The Tiger - Survivor
Stand Back - Stevie Nicks
Fly Like An Eagle - Seal
Life Is A Highway - Rascal Flatts
Best Of Both Worlds - Van Halen

At least he didn't use one of the many songs inspired by 9/11, but he does have some pretty aggressive selections in his set list. In 2000, Giuliani criticized Hillary Clinton for playing "Captain Jack" - with its lyrics about drugs and masturbation - when she announced her run for senate. Someone might want to tell him that in the Clash song, "Rudie" is a "Rude Boy," which is a Jamaican term for a juvenile delinquent that shows up in a lot of Punk and Reggae music.