What’s in a name?
According to Craig Bickhardt, It’s All (Almost) In A Name.
The subject is songwriting. More specifically, it’s the naming of songs. Craig discusses the value of a compelling song title, and the disappointment of a bland one. He argues that far too many songs these days lack compelling titles.
Let’s agree on one thing: the charts (not just country) for the most part look pretty boring these days whether they sound boring or not.
…
I’m not being cynical here– I’d still only write an idea I believed in and connected with from the heart, but some words and phrases are just more alluring than others, aren’t they? When it comes to evoking the mysterious, the romantic, the playful, the profound, it’s all (almost) in a name.
With the myriad of choices the fan faces these days, first impression are important. Bickhardt’s argument is basically that the song title is your first impression. When a fan is looking for new music on iTunes, the title is the first thing they see. If they’re listening on the radio though, his theory begins to break down, because the title isn’t so important then. I suppose that’s why he includes the (Almost) in his opening statement.
I decided to try a little experiment to test his theory. I opened my iTunes and set the view to List mode. I sorted by genre and scrolled down to the bluegrass section. Then I just quickly went through it thinking to see if interesting song titles would compel me to listen to one song over another.
My experiment failed. I think it was because I was too familiar with the melodies of the songs I was seeing. As soon as I saw “On and On” I sang it in my head, which kind of defeated the idea of judging my inclination to listen to the song based solely on the title.
Nonetheless, I think he may be on to something. As with any craft, paying attention to details can separate good from great. If two instruments sound equally good, but the finish work on one is clearly superior, guess which one most people will buy. So, should songwriters pay careful attention to the title? Sure. But I’m not convinced the title is a make-it-or-break-it detail.
Read It’s All (Almost) In A Name and decide for yourself.
Email This Post
| Print | Top | 0 Comments
As a songwriter Craig Bickhardt has had about as much commercial success as a person could hope for. His songs have been recorded by top artists in several genres, including cuts by Alison Krauss, Tony Rice, David Wilcox, Martina McBride, B. B. King, Ray Charles, Art Garfunkel, and many more.
On his...
In our modern age we are bombarded with many distractions. From cell phones, to email, to facebook, to blogs (did I just say that?!), our concentration is interrupted frequently throughout the day. Do all these interruptions and distractions make the task of writing a great song harder?
Craig Bickhardt...
As promised, here is the full 30 minute documentary on The Infamous Stringdusters, Four Days Of Infamy.
It was created by Nashville filmmaker Craig Havighurst of String Theory Media, and shot during a four day Colorado tour he took with the band in March. Craig shot the band on stage, backstage, in...
Country music superstar Kenny Chesney is climbing the charts right now with a song written by bluegrass favorite Ronnie Bowman.
Never Wanted Nothing More was written during a marathon writing session that took place between Ronnie Bowman and proven country writer Chris Stapleton. The two wrote a number...
As we reported earlier (12/31), WAMU's Bluegrass Country DJ Lee Michael Demsey saw in the New Year with his Top 40 Countdown computed on the same basis as the Bluegrass Unlimited National Survey.
The full list of 40 songs is shown below, but first there are a couple of observations made by Demsey...
Bluegrass legend Bobby Osborne has just released a his new CD, Bluegrass Melodies. Bobby has long been a favorite of mine. The smooth, clear quality of his high lonesome singing serves as a constant example of what bluegrass singing should sound like. Mr. Osborne does not disappoint on this new recording.
The...
The USA Songwriting Competition is now accepting entries for the 2006 prize awards, with a deadline for submissions of May 31. Prizes of cash and merchandise are awarded, both in 15 style categories, and for the top three songs overall.
There are three categories which may be of interest to bluegrass,...
This post is part of our occasional feature, Songwriter Profiles. If you have a suggestion for a bluegrass songwriter we might want to consider, please contact us.
Connie Leigh is what might be called the songwriter's songwriter. So many fellow writers have great things to say about her; Mark Brinkman...
Songwriter Louisa Branscomb's name is a familiar one in bluegrass circles. As a songwriter, she holds the record for the longest consecutive run on the Bluegrass Unlimited singles chart for the Alison Krauss recording of Steel Rails.
Louisa has a track (Fools Gold) on Back To The Well, the IBMA's...
Leave a comment
Comments are open and unmoderated for our registered users, only your first comment will require approval before publication. Comments do not necessarily reflect the views of The Bluegrass Blog. Obscene, abusive, silly, or annoying remarks may be deleted, but the fact that particular comments remain on the site in no way constitutes an endorsement of their content by The Bluegrass Blog.
You must