An interview with Harriet Schock in the Lyrical Line Newsletter talked about how she views her songs.
. . .she pointed out that it is relatively easy to dazzle people with a clever line, when the song has little substance…
She has a new song that fits this paradigm perfectly. The first line is, ‘Starbucks Starbucks burning bright, first Starbucks I see tonight.’ The song is clever and popular, she told me, but it gives her less satisfaction than her other songs that speak more to our emotions.” (Issue #18)
Click here to hear the song:
A songwriter needs to decide what he wants to do with a song – who the ultimate audience will be. For example, if he writes a song for fun, he may just play it for family and friends or at the local coffee house. In some cases, that may be enough.
Conversely, he may have the goal of having a national career. Suddenly, his songs will be measured by different standards. Standards that will influence how he and others see his music in terms of success.
Many music markets exist, having a wide range of styles. Therefore, how you craft a song can vary widely. The critiques of 32 Flavors reflects this.
Each BSW member measured the song’s success in terms of his own internal vision of what success means. Some saw success in terms of being a pro songwriter. Others saw success in terms of personal expression and creativity. (Though they don’t have to be mutually exclusive.)