Notes_Norton

Dream On — Aerosmith

Sometimes I don't get the association either.

↑↑↑ Didn't say anything about learning to land ↑↑↑

Dream Dancing — Zoot Sims (Cole Porter song)

One Cup of Coffee — Bob Marley and The Wailers

If I were the washer, I'd bolt, to keep from being screwed, because staying around would be nuts.

I don't know about that. 

I'm a full-time musician, and I'd say I work more than 40 hours per week.

• I gig
• I set up and tear down gear
• I learn new songs and make the backing tracks myself from scratch (drums, bass, comp parts) - very time sonsuming
• I write aftermarket styles for the audio-accompaniment app, Band-in-a-Box
• I'm promoting my duo and BiaB biz via my e-mail list and social media
• Even listening to the radio/YouTube/CDs and other sources is work, part 1. Do we need to learn this song? Can we? 
• Even listening to the radio/YouTube/CDs and other sources is work, part 2. What makes this a good song? Is it the melody holding the pitch while the background chords have ascending voices? Is it that the 2s and 4s are so far behind the beat? Is it because the B section too the song out of the tonic key in an unusual and delightful way? And so on and on and on and on ||: and on :||

Basically, I'm working 24/7. I'll even wake up mid-night and scribble something I need to do on the pad by the bed.

I'd say something similar happens via a professional songwriter.

There is a story about Doc Pomus, He had polio as a child, and as a result, couldn't dance. He got married, at his wedding reception his bride was dancing with just about everybody. Still at work, he penned (and later refined) his song Save The Last Dance For Me, by the Drifters. I can see him at the reception writing, “But don't forget who's taking you home, And in whose arms you're gonna be, So darlin' Save the last dance for me”.

When you are self-employed, you get to pick which 16 hours of the day you are going to be on the job.

Insights and incites by Notes ♫

Understatement ...

Sometimes I don't see the association, but then, perhaps I'm just dense.

Association: Brimful reminds me of coffee in a cup. So here is a nice rendition of the old jazz standard:

Black Coffee — k.d. lang

I saw a beaver movie last night, it was the best dam movie ever.

15 hours ago, Brian Walton said:

Never once met a songwriter that actually works 40+ hours a week, every week, for years on songwriting.  

When I was working for Motown, I met Eddie Holland. He, his brother, and Lamont Dozier made a career of writing songs and producing records. They also made a fortune. 

I suppose teams like Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller or the Gerswins, and others, spent a lot of time writing songs.

Sometimes I think the death of the professional songwriter and the necessity for the artist to write their own songs has made pop music a little worse. Think of the songwriters of the Brill Building or Tin Pan Alley who spent their careers writing, rewriting, and polishing their songs. Making a career of how to make the song better, without having to take the time out to tour, record, rehearse and so on. 

Bacharach/David, Otis Blackwell, Boyce/Hart, Mann/Weill, Pomus/Shuman, Sedaka/Greenfield, Goffin/King, Hamlisch, Spector, Greenwich/Barry, and so many more.

That's not to say there aren't some very talented people who can both write and perform their songs, I just think that we lost something when that became a requirement.

Elvis Presley, Gene Pitney, Bobby Darin, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Aretha Franklin, Tom Jones, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Andy Williams, Ella Fitzgerald, Barbra Striesand, Diana Ross, and so many more wouldn't have graced our eardrums if they were required to write their own songs.  Conversely, so many great songs wouldn't have been written.

Notes ♫

22 hours ago, pwalpwal said:

i'm still contributing but not in a helpful way

Who said anything about that? 

If helpful was a requirement, we'd all be very scarce around here.

Same cartoonist. 

Holiday For Strings — Spike Jones

(with a cowbell solo)

When I was a kid, I absolutely loved Spike Jones

Didn't notice 'till you mentioned it.

||: pwal :|| is still a big contributor to me, even with that teensy-weensy post count.

||: Get up and Boogie  Get up and Boogie (That's right)

Get up and Boogie  Get up and Boogie (That's right)

Get up and Boogie  Get up and Boogie (That's right)

Boogie Boogie :||

From Silver Convention, that's all the lyrics, and repeated ad nauseam. And it was a big hit.

Perhaps I should write songs. My hackneyed lyrics were better than that.

Notes ♫

Jo Jo Gunne - Chuck Berry