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Yep, they’ve done it again. Every publishing contract that I have ever signed obliges the publisher to request my permission if the song is to be used in a political campaign. Yet very often, politicians skip over that detail and decide to use music they like or think appropriate.

In a recent spat between The Eagles’ Joe Walsh and a politician of the same name, the composer has asked the politician to desist from using a re-written version of his song “Lead the Way”. The politician claims it is a parody, which I don’t think it is – it’s a clear re-write for political purposes.

It would be interesting to see what a court would say about this, but I doubt it will get that far.

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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.

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The British have this fixation with the n° 1 Christmas single that is quaint. Very often, a charity record gets the prized position (either that or Sir Cliff Richard). But for some time, X-Factor artists have been dominating the spot. So two fans of Rage Against the Machine are launching a viral campaign to reclaim the n° 1 spot from X Factor. They are asking people to buy a copy of “Killing in the Name” from December 13. It’s cute, but it is of course a blatant case of chart rigging at a large scale.

Do they have a chance? I don’t know, but I can safely say that this one will swamp Twitter and Facebook over the coming week! If interested, wait until December 13 to buy the single. Check the Facebook page. If you’re reading this after December 13, check Killing In The Name

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This is the reason it’s such a pleasure working with Perry Rose: his sheer musicality. Over a simple ukulele riff, he builds layers of piano and vocals (bear with him). He will be interviewed on Belgium’s Classic 21 radio on November 18 2009 at midday, with a show on Nov 21 in the Belgian town of Mons.

Perry Rose downloads

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Canada-based Serbian rapper Sin, featured on A-Lyric a few months back, has decided to use his real name Filip Filipi to coincide with the release of a new mixtape. “I feel the change is appropriate as I enter a more musically mature and genuine chapter of my career. I’m extremely satisfied and proud of the 10 mixtapes I’ve released as Sin over the last 4 years which include the Sizzerb and Rane trilogies as well as The Supreme Poet and Vijetnam,” he says. “Knowing my real name will be out there for all to see I will be pushed to produce more credible work which isn’t hastily put together.” His site is now FilipFilipi.com.

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There is much talk at the moment about the George Harrison “track” that was featured on British radio recently. The story is that Beatle biographer Hunter Davies came across a scrap of paper with some Harrison lyrics, “Silence (Is Its Own Reply)”, speculated to be about his relationship with John Lennon. During a radio show, the presenter Spencer Leigh suggested that Liverpool musician Dean Johnson could provide a melody for the lyrics, that you can find here. There has been considerable talk about this – lots of it pretty negative. Why?
Continue Reading »

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I just noticed that Dana Winner’s new album, “Between Now and Tomorrow”, has been released featuring “If You Want to Know Me” with lyrics by me. The album features English versions of a similar album released in the Benelux, and was recorded largely for release in her “second home”, South Africa. But this is not the first time she has recorded in English, nor recorded covers Continue Reading »

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Like many people, I would walk home from school singing daft theme tunes from television. The writer of two of these, the “Addams Family” theme and “Green Acres”, has just died in Los Angeles at the age of 93. Mizzy was the master of silly but catchy tunes, and was kept busy well into his 80s, as he wrote the soundtrack for Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man 2″ and many other shows.

The New York Times obit sums up his career well: “‘None of his output, however, could overshadow those snapping fingers in The Addams Family. And that was fine with Mr. Mizzy. ‘That’s why I’m living in Bel Air,’ he said last year on the CBS program Sunday Morning. ‘Two finger snaps and you live in Bel Air.’”

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As I reported here a while back, LyricWiki was recently served notice that it could no longer supply its lyrics to various applications. Rather than go the way of so many web-based initiatives, it is now being incorporated into Wikia and has negotiated a deal with Gracenote that will do two interesting things: serve up bona-fide lyrics and ensure some royalties go to the relevant publishers and lyricists.

As I have often said, most lyric sites are technically spam. They provide user-generated material that is massively copied from other sources. So any move towards more accurate lyrics on the web has to be applauded. The new set-up will mean that the considerable LyricWiki community will be preserved at a new address. “It’s good to know that our years of hard work won’t be evaporating any time soon!” said Sean Colombo. “This is a gigantic relief for me and I’m sure many of you as well.”

Details about the migration can be found on Wikia. And you’ll have to get used to the new address at Lyrics.Wikia.com.

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Mercedes Sosa, the Argentinian singer who became the voice of the nueva cancion movement of the 60s and 70s, has died at the age of 74. Sosa was an outspoken singer, who used her voice and art to champion the causes of the poor in South America, even though she tried to distance herself from specific political movements. She was harassed in her native Argentina (once even receiving a body search by a policeman on stage), but remained steadfast. After a period of exile in Europe, she returned to a hero’s welcome just before the fall of the Argentinian dictatorship.

Sosa did not write herself, but worked closely with people such as Chilean writer Violeta Parra, who composed her signature tune, “Gracias a la Vida” (Thanks to Life).

Although I mostly cover pop music on A-Lyric, I deeply regret that there is not more room for protest or politically-committed performers. Where have their audiences gone?

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