Taxi Say NO - But It`s In A Movie + Chart Success

[andreh]

Quote:Quote:...but you seem to be banging your head against a wall...Or read a bit about it! It's not that painful! http://www.taxi.com/transmitter/0410/ti ... index.html# Great links, gunter...thanks!

[bc]

Quote:...a large percentage of European country fans are not native English speakers and therefore won't pay as much attention to the lyrics as American country fans would. They might find your lyric to be "real country" because of the worn cliches, where most American country fans would go AARGHHH!!Bingo! During USO concerts, the Koreans in the audience used to applaud when I would tune up my electric guitar and hit a couple test bar chords. It could have been savvy sarcasm, or they just had the (what passes for) entertainment bar set a lot lower than the American GI's in the crowd -- who had a good laugh every time it happened. Hey, I respected the Korean's unsophisticated appreciation and sometimes even gave them a sheepish bow. But back in America I never got an applause for tuning my axe...well, maybe from my band Stu, you seem to have a good grasp of lyric meter, phrasing, etc... Take it from this ol' fightin' cock, your time is better spent using TAXI's screener talent pool to polish your lyric chops. That doesn't mean you have to agree with "every" word of every critique. But, taken as whole, these people can help improve your chances of writing a killer song. Cripe, I have written literally hundreds of fine songs -- with some success. But the one I'm working on right now enjoys the best lyrics I've ever penned. I humbly owe that to the solid advice I've received from the patient screeners who looked past my pi$$ed off ego and continued to give me insight into the world of top level professional radio friendly songwriting.I've spent too much time here; mostly because I think you're on the edge of a breakthrough. Continue to network and enjoy your European success, but at the same time, work hard to improve your lyric imagery and you'll see your songwriting improve by an order of magnitude.best,bc

[stuartleggat1]

matto[/quote] where most American country fans would go AARGHHH!! is it too much to ask for even ONE somewhat original line?? Hi Matto...You`re telling it like you see it and I always do the same...I get the distinct impression here that there`s real snobbery in your point of view. That simple, but catchy wee songs should be burried deep underground or something; that a song`s got to be jam-packed with original wording and melodies or whatever. I`m not quite sure what the term is...possibly intellectual snobbery. You probably write some very tasty and sophisticated tracks...wish I could too, but I`m a simple type of bloke who writes simple, but hopefully catchy, songs with some cliched to the hilt and some very original.Let me tell you why I have no time for this type of attitide.A few years back, I had a big-time jazz performer who opened for Sinatra and was derscribed by him as Scotland`s "best kept secret" wanting to record one of my songs.I let her hear my wee jazz-swing number and she loved it and wanted to get her producer/arranger to develop it in her own unique style.However, I knew her son and made the big mistake of telling him that his mum was going to do one of ma numbers. I`ll never for get the look of horror and the words of cheap snobbery that dribbled out his twisted mouth: "My mum only sings songs by Gershwin and people like that"...the thought of her singing a song by some unknown chancer from Glasgow genuenly bothered him big-time and he proceeded to put the mix in with her to put her off recording it and, eventually, got his way. His sister told me that he had been relentless in his slagging off the song to his mother and it worked. Here`s the direct link to the instrumental she had liked so much:http://www.songramp.com/mod/mps/viewtra ... ckid=40492 Some of mine are reasonably sophisticated and some are plain plain but, hopefully, catchy and memorable for whatever reason. "Blue" was full of well-worn everything, but I loved it along with many millions of others - even made my 2 aunties and my sister cry so it definitely had something - and I`m not referring to it being performed by a 13-year-old, `cause when I first heard and loved it and wanted to buy it, I thought it was an adult performing it.Finally; the European Country Charts are made up by the number of stations from every country in Europe playing your song; the more who play it; the higher it gets in this chart and not by some sort of voting system.Stup.s. Re: all them there hairdressers and waiters and shoe-shine boys who write catchy wee tunes... tell them to record them and get them played in Europe and they`ll end up havin` real fun counting the shekels they earn (best tip they`ll ever make, ah can tell you).

[Casey H]

Just to emphasize how high the bar is in Nashville, can anyone on these boards name someone you know, through TAXI or otherwise, who (as a relatively unknown songwriter) had a song cut by a well known or label-connected country artist? Many folks through TAXI or on their own have had film/TV placements. A few on this board are quite successful at that.... So, what about artist placements? Casey

[matto]

Quote:Just to emphasize how high the bar is in Nashville, can anyone on these boards name someone you know, through TAXI or otherwise, who (as a relatively unknown songwriter) had a song cut by a well known or label-connected country artist?You're right it's obviously a lot more rare, but there's Taxi member Elliot Park who has the #2 Billboard country song right now with Heartland's "I Loved Her First", and of course most people know about "Buy Me A Rose" by Taxi member Erik Hickenlooper and Jim Funk which was a number one hit for Kenny Rogers and later went top ten I believe for Luther Vandross.

[horacejesse]

Well, Stuart, the Taxi screeners were pretty consistent in their appraisals.I always have gotten good marks for lyrics from Taxi, but that has not been enough to get any of my country songs through their gate yet.I am the last guy anyone would ever call a Taxi apologist, but I do agree with their remarks on your lyrics. Bluntly, those lyrics would never make it past my wastebasket. I can't remember all the lyrics to Blue, but that song did at least have a singer's melody to help it.That said, your song does have a good, old-timey feel, and I was surprised that I still enjoyed it despite lyrics with no tread on them at all.I don't think a country songwrtiter has to be W.B. Yeats, but he/she should have better verbal skills than the Hunchback of Notre Dame.Every aspiring lyric writer should read classic poetry to see how real masters of language handle imagery and cadence. That is a suggestion I have never seen given on here.Time that is intolerantOf the brave and innocentAnd indifferent in a weekTo a beautiful physique,Worships language and forgivesAll by whom it lives. W.B. YeatsFifty years ago your song might have been played on American radio. But when one listens to country radio today, it is hard to imagine your song getting any play. Not that I approve of today's country hogwash--because I don't.Can't argue with success though. If you are having it and rightfully expect more, then you should disregard everything you have heard in this thread. And, pal, more power to you, and I do wish you success.

[stuartleggat1]

Hi horacejesse...have to say i like the way you put your point accross and really enjoyed the read...you gave your frank and honest opinion, but were generous enough at the end to wish me well with whatever success was happening and may yet happen and meant it...thanks for taking the time to read, consider and post your much-appreciated thoughts and the same to all who did likewise (`course, horacejesse, I totally disagree withe yer comments about the lyrics...lol).Success to all,Stu

[Casey H]

Quote:Quote:Just to emphasize how high the bar is in Nashville, can anyone on these boards name someone you know, through TAXI or otherwise, who (as a relatively unknown songwriter) had a song cut by a well known or label-connected country artist?You're right it's obviously a lot more rare, but there's Taxi member Elliot Park who has the #2 Billboard country song right now with Heartland's "I Loved Her First", and of course most people know about "Buy Me A Rose" by Taxi member Erik Hickenlooper and Jim Funk which was a number one hit for Kenny Rogers and later went top ten I believe for Luther Vandross. Yup, that may be 2 out of millions of songs submitted. That's not a knock on TAXI, just a dose of reality.Reality bites, I know... Casey

[horacejesse]

Hey, Stuart,Like Jack Dempsey said of boxing, "You always think you are going to win. Otherwise you coudn't fight at all."Same with songwriting. Who could sacrifice the massive time if they didn't believe in what they were doing? Almost any song can make it if it lands in the right market at the right time. And no matter how good they are, they still have to do that. It has also been proven many times that no matter how bad they are they can find success too.We can all take heart in that. Even our bad work has a chance.