If you’ve been around here before, you’re probably aware that I hate most national anthems. I’ll make an exception for South Africa’s “Nkosi Sikeleli Africa”. For one thing, it features four different languages, and most importantly of all, it’s not a call to arms.

But as South Africa is hosting this year’s World Cup, the organisers have a problem: not enough people know the words to the anthem. So they have started a TV campaign to try and increase awareness. This gives us videos like the one above, which is a pretty cool way to present an anthem.

Factoid: South Africa has no less than nine national languages.

I’ve seen audiences get riled up about song contests, but rarely seen an orchestra almost run riot. Italy’s San Remo song contest is a prestigious event that celebrates the classic tradition of Italian canzone. What is surprising is that contestants have to face two juries: the orchestra playing behind the singers and the general public. The 2010 edition, which just closed, witnessed some incredible scenes, when the orchestra started throwing music sheets and booing when one of the contestants got through to the final three. TV presenter (and grandson of Italy’s last king) Emanuele Filiberto had given a comparatively poor vocal performance and should have been eliminated. But the popular vote got him through.

At the end of the day, however, the festival’s honour was saved when Valerio Scanu won the 2010 award, singing the ballad “Per tutte le volte che” (for all the times) written by Pierdavide Carone. The best man won this time at least.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t embed the scene of the musicians letting rip. But you can find a report on Euronews.

On 25th February Cancer Research UK’s Sound & Vision event will take place at the iconic Abbey Road Studios, celebrating rock, pop, the people who make it and the images it inspires. A range of memorabilia is up for grabs, including lyrics by Biffy Clyro, Tori Amos and a neat drum skin from Kaiser Chiefs with the lyrics of “I Predict a Riot”.

Find out more on the e-Bay page.

Eminem will be back in the UK for a show in 2010, the first in over 5 years. However, organisers were worried that the shows would be boycotted by the powerful Outrage gay rights group, who protested at previous shows and have been very effective in obstructing shows by Jamaican artists with overtly homophobic lyrics. So an agreement has been reached with the body, in which Eminem agreed not to perform lyrics that promote hate or homophobia and Outrage will not picket the shows or his hotel.

This inevitably raises the issue of censorship and free speech. But not that many poeple seem to be jumping to defend the right to be offensive.

One of my writing partners, Steve Willaert (known for his soundtracks for movies such as “Hell in Tangier”, “Stille Water” and “Vermist”, has just announced concert dates for an ambitious project he put together with a bunch of multinational musicians.

ChiBeJa features Chinese flautist (and Real World artist) Guo Yue, Japanese drum master Ryutaro Kaneko, dancers Gerlo Geverien and Christiaan De Donder and singer Chantal Kashala. It took me a little time, but I eventually worked out the name is an acronym of “China -Belgium – Japan”.

They promise to play extracts of “Stille Water” and compositions combining the multiple influences of the performers. More details can be found on the Eventually Productions site.

Click through for the concert dates.

ChiBeJa dates in Belgium, October 2010

* zaterdag 3 oktober 2009
CC Casino Beringen
* zaterdag 10 oktober 2009
CC De Plomblom Ninove
* zondag 11 oktober 2009
CC Ter Dilft Bornem
* vrijdag 16 oktober 2009
Arenberg Schouwburg Antwerpen
* zaterdag 17 oktober 2009
CC De Biekorf
* donderdag 22 oktober 2009
Schouwburg Kortrijk
* vrijdag 23 oktober 2009
De Spil Roeselare
* woensdag 28 oktober 2009
Stadsschouwburg Sint-Niklaas
* vrijdag 30 oktober 2009
Stadsschouwburg Brugge
* zaterdag 31 oktober 2009
Cultuurcentrum Hasselt

The infobahn is alive with Susan Boyle’s rendition (nice word, eh?) of the Rolling Stones’ “Wild Horses”. There is an overwhelming opinion that Boyle has now recorded one of the definitive versions of the song. This, however, is seen as sacrilege by others, who cling to memories of the Stones and Gram Parsons. This sort of fuss is frequent when someone decides to cover a song. Why? What’s the issue?

One of the most enduring myths in pop culture is the myth of the auteur. There is a strange obsession about artists singing their own lyrics. I think it comes from our desire to associate the performer with the song – as if most men could actually love you “all night long” or Marilyn Manson was as dark and twisted as he tries to make out (which I doubt – he’s remarkably well-read and articulate). To burst the bubble, all one has to do is think of some absolute defining moments in pop and ask: who cares who wrote them?

Who cares that Elvis Presley didn’t write “Hound Dog” (Lieber & Stoller)? Who cares that Edith Piaf didn’t write “Je ne regrette rien” (Doumont & Vaucaire)? Who cares if Jimi Hendrix didn’t compose “Hey Joe” (Billy Roberts)? Each made history and moved countless millions of people with their versions. What’s more, how would those songs sound if sung by their respective authors? The answer is easy: disappointing in most cases.

If it’s worth singing, sing it well
So I can’t knock people singing “covers”. It’s a tribute. If a song is worth writing, it is worth singing well. And for me, the better the singer the happier we should be. Yes, even if that singer is Celine Dion, Nana Mouskouri or in this case the winner of a TV show.

Coming back to “Wild Horses”, Boyle has indeed created a superb version. Yes, it’s a bit incongruous Susan Boyle slipping into a song made famous by Mick Jagger. But she breathes new life into the song. When you look at it from a songwriting perspective, “Wild Horses” is basically a magnificent melody and structure with dubious lyrics. I’m not sure how Boyle manages to put such emotion into Jagger’s mild misogyny, but she does. Being a nice guy at heart, I salute verses such as:

I watched you suffer a dull aching pain
Now you decided to show me the same
No sweeping exits or offstage lines
Could make me feel bitter or treat you unkind

Wild horses couldn’t drag me away
Wild, wild horses, couldn’t drag me away

But I’ll pass on the rest. We should be thanking Susan Boyle for her voice and heart. We need more of both in the charts.

Susan Boyle: I Dreamed a Dream

I met Jack Stafford once (so in showbiz terms he’s “a dear friend”, when he sells a few more records I’ll bill him a “very dear friend”). He’s a Brit currently living in Amsterdam and playing about 200 shows a year. Two things strike me about this vid of “Cedar Room” from the album “Long Live Love”: one, it’s a pretty cool song; and two, it’s a classic example of doing things small but well. Click through for the Jack Stafford Foundation tour dates in Germany, the US, Switzerland and Belgium.

Jack Stafford Foundation tour dates
Aug 7, 2009 6:00 PM Schlauerbauer Festival Wetzikon, Switzerland
Aug 8, 2009 5:00 PM Poetry festival Hengelo, Netherlands
Aug 8, 2009 8:00 PM Gebaude 9 @ Stereo-Summerland Fesitval Colgone, Germany
Aug 10, 2009 8:00 PM Cafe Gattlich Bonn, Netherlands
Aug 11, 2009 8:00 PM SubRosa Dortmund, Germany
Aug 13, 2009 8:00 PM Erbse Dillenburg, Germany
Aug 14, 2009 8:00 PM Kiste Stuttgart, Netherlands
Aug 15, 2009 8:00 PM Abendsegler Feldberger Seenlandschaft, Germany
Aug 22, 2009 8:00 PM Hafen 2 Offenbach, Germany
Aug 29, 2009 8:00 PM Intersoup Berlin, Germany
Aug 29, 2009 8:00 PM Kunstbaurkino Grosshennersdorf, Germany
Aug 31, 2009 8:00 PM Li-Wei Apolda, Germany
Sep 1, 2009 12:00 PM Cafe Galao Stuttgart, Germany
Sep 2, 2009 8:00 PM Steinbruch Duisburg, Germany
Sep 3, 2009 8:00 PM Spatz and wal Unna, Germany
Sep 4, 2009 8:00 PM Pferdestall Bremerhaven, Germany
Sep 5, 2009 8:00 PM Kassel Museumsnacht Kassel, Germany
Sep 17, 2009 8:00 PM The Space Hamden, CT
Sep 18, 2009 8:00 PM The People’s Pint Greenfield, MA
Sep 19, 2009 8:00 PM P.A.’s Lounge Somerville, MA
Sep 20, 2009 8:00 PM Burren Somerville, MA
Sep 21, 2009 8:00 PM The Red Door Portsmouth, NH
Sep 22, 2009 8:00 PM Radio Bean Burlington, VT
Sep 23, 2009 8:00 PM Langdon Street Cafe Montpelier, VT
Sep 24, 2009 8:00 PM The Monkey House Winooski, VT
Sep 29, 2009 8:00 PM Cafe Nine New Haven, CT
Sep 30, 2009 8:00 PM The Saint Asbury Park, NJ
Oct 1, 2009 12:00 PM Dewey Beach Music Conference & Festival Dewey Beach, DE
Oct 2, 2009 12:00 PM Dewey Beach Music Conference & Festival Dewey Beach, DE
Oct 3, 2009 12:00 PM Dewey Beach Music Conference & Festival Dewey Beach, DE
Oct 6, 2009 8:00 PM Tin Angel Philadelphia, PA
Oct 7, 2009 8:00 PM The Wonderland Ballroom Washington, DC
Oct 8, 2009 8:00 PM The Triple Richmond, VA
Oct 9, 2009 8:00 PM The Boot Norfolk, VA
Oct 10, 2009 8:00 PM MANSIONS 462 Chapel Hill, NC
Oct 11, 2009 8:00 PM The Acoustic Coffee House Johnson City, TN
Oct 12, 2009 4:00 PM WDVX Knoxville, TN
Oct 13, 2009 8:00 PM Caledonia Lounge Athens, GA
Oct 15, 2009 8:00 PM Preservation Pub Knoxville, TN
Oct 16, 2009 8:00 PM Music City Bar Nashville, TN
Oct 17, 2009 8:00 PM Ri’chard’s Whites Creek, TN
Oct 19, 2009 8:00 PM Record Bar Kansas City, MO
Oct 20, 2009 8:00 PM Vaudeville Mews Des Moines, IA
Oct 21, 2009 8:00 PM The Picador Iowa City, IA
Oct 22, 2009 12:00 PM Mojo’s Davenport, IA
Oct 22, 2009 8:00 PM The Frequency Madison, WI
Oct 26, 2009 8:00 PM Pike Room Pontiac, MI
Oct 28, 2009 8:00 PM The Bug Jar Rochester, NY
Oct 29, 2009 8:00 PM Perfect Wife Manchester, VT
Nov 19, 2009 8:00 PM The Aardvark Fort Worth, TX
Nov 20, 2009 8:00 PM Saxon Pub Austin, TX
Nov 27, 2009 8:00 PM The Corner Pub Conroe, TX
Dec 16, 2009 8:00 PM Lokaal Vredebreuk Den Haag, Netherlands
Dec 17, 2009 8:00 PM Pageturner @ Pakhuis Wilhelmina Amsterdam, Netherlands
Jan 7, 2010 8:00 PM Cult Bar St. Gallen, Switzerland
Jan 8, 2010 8:00 PM Musig Bistrot Bern, Switzerland
Jan 9, 2010 8:00 PM Atelier Art and Bar Wohlen, Switzerland
Jan 10, 2010 8:00 PM Fassbeiz Schaffhausen, Switzerland
Jan 14, 2010 8:00 PM Weekender Innsbruk, Austria
Jan 16, 2010 8:00 PM Triebwerk Wiener neustadt, Austria

You can find their tracks for sale on eMusic and CD Baby

I just finished working on a track for the Belgian singer Dana Winner, who has released a string of albums in the Benelux and South Africa. She is also near the end of a major tour. This morning’s e-mail included news that she has been nominated in two sections of the “Zomerhit” awards for Belgium’s Radio 2, in the Best Song category with “Beter van niet” and the summer hit with “Beter van niet” and “De vlinders achterna”. You can probably tell from the titles that I didn’t work on either of these! If you read Dutch, you’ll find all the info on the Radio 2 website. The finals will be held on August 8 at Westende on the Belgian coast.

OK, it’s a bit gimmicky but it could be interesting. US band Of a Revolution has launched a call to co-write a song on Twitter. They are asking people to submit lines that they will choose and collate and chop up into verses and choruses. Said frontman Marc Robege in Billboard magazine: “I do a lot of co-writing, I like to meet up with songwriters in New York City but I guarantee you there are kids out there living in Kansas City who don’t necessarily have the opportunity to get their lyrics out there. So it’s a pretty original idea and a cool way to get together and be inspired by people that keep in touch with us.”

By Kansas City, I presume that he means anywhere outside of a major US city. But you probably get his point. To find out more about the idea visit Of a Revolution. Or head straight to their Twitter page.

Thinking about it, they are going to have to re-write considerably to try and get a coherent song out of random submissions, as they haven’t given a meter (rhythm) or a length of line. Proceeds of the song will go to a charity. Still, it’s a fun idea.

June 1 is the deadline to apply for what looks like a great workshop. The Kinks frontman and songwriter is tutoring a week-long, residential songwriting course at Arvon Lumb Bank, UK, November 23-28th. This is a practical course for songwriters committed to producing “quality popular music” (it says here). You will write at least one song a day, either on your own or in collaboration with your fellow students. You should be able to accompany yourself on an instrument. Please send a demo of 3 or 4 songs by June 1st (by CD or MP3), with a brief informal CV of your songwriting experience. Priority will be given to those who have not previously attended one of Ray’s courses. There are 16 places available. Course fee £575 (all accommodation, food and tuition). Grants available for those on low incomes. Deadline: June 1st. Full details here.

London will host a songwriting week May 18-22 with a wide range of events, mixing the creative with career help. Speakers and performers include Tom Robinson, Sir Tim Rice and Mike Read, with presentations from associations such as the Musicians’ Union, Basca, the Music Publisher’s Association and others. The events look promising, with subjects such as “writing to an A&R brief”, “composing for advertising and games” and a talk from friend David Stark of SongLink (photo) on the stories behind the songs. What’s more, most events are free but you do have to sign up. For details, visit London Songwriters Week.

“Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” is the name of a musical being developed for Broadway at the moment. Directed by Julie Taymor (“Across the Universe“, “The Lion King”) and written by Taymor and Glen Berger, it will feature words and music by Bono and the Edge. It will be interesting to see how this works out. Will they add all the words? Or will the writer inject some dramatic key points? Writing songs and writing a musical are two different ball games, although I’m sure Bono is up for the challenge.

By the way, if you think you have what it takes, the production is currently holding auditions in the US between now and May. Check the website for details.

Incidentally, how come you write Batman in one word and Spider-Man with a hyphen? Any ideas, let me know.