A-Lyric.com

Cover of CB Milton

If you’re into the Internet radio scene and dance music, you might want to check Club97 radio, transmitting from New Jersey. It’s run by Mike Delaney, the former president of the 2 Unlimited fan club in the US, and who has been following the dance, Eurodance, techno and House scene for more years than we’d both care to mention.

He interviewed me recently about what it was like writing lyrics for 2 Unlimited, CB Milton and others. As usual, I talked way too much. So maybe you’ll find something of interest amongst the anecdotes and ramblings. Check here for Club97 Radio. The show goes out Friday March 25 at 8pm CET or 3pm SET.

Something I didn’t think to do is ask people what they would like to know about writing for these groups (just remember, I didn’t write all the hits – far from it!). So feel free to post a question. I’ll link to the interview afterwards.

For Club97 Radio listeners, here are the tracks I mostly talked about: Nothing Like the Rain and It’s a Loving Thing (which has just been re-released in a mix by Phil Wilde).

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Pop punk maestros Blink 182 have added their names to the list of bands making a contribution to the crisis in Japan. Mark Hoppus is donating a number of items to an online auction. Goodies available include a T-shirt used in a video for “Dammit”, used backstage passes and the door sign from their MTV VMA award appearance.

Pride of place must go to the handwritten lyrics to their first major hit, “Dammit”. At the time of writing this, the four sheets are valued at $20,300 with six days still to go. Check the auction on eBay.

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There are songs out there that have seemingly always been there. What would Christmas be without the sounds of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”?

However, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times, the songwriter and lyricist Hugh Martin Jr, who penned the song in 1944 died at his home on March 11, 2011 at the page of 96. The song became famous through Judy Garland’s rendition in “Meet me in St Louis” (whose title song he also wrote).

It’s interesting to note that the song received two re-writes. In the first, the line “Have yourself a merry little Christmas, it might be your last…” to “Have yourself a merry little Christmas, let your heart be light…” The song had originally been written in the depths of World War 2. When Sinatra subsequently covered the song in 1957, the line “Until then we’ll have to muddle through somehow,” became “Hang a shining star upon the highest bough.” The song has since become a standard covered hundreds of times.

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Phil Wilde has been busy over the past few months overseeing remixes of CB Millton’s “It’s a Loving Thing“. The final radio edit is ready, with a glossy video to go along with it.

This is still one of the most popular CB Milton tracks (and one of the most successful lyrics I wrote). CB won’t be promoting it, unfortunately, as he has a separate career now. But you can catch Phil Wilde DJing if you’re lucky. I’ve seen some pretty nice comments about “It’s a Loving Thing” on YouTube over the years. Do you have any particular memories about this track?

Get the full lyrics here.

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Image via Wikipedia

Let’s be clear:  I think the answer is no, for a number of reasons. The web is alive with claims about Britney Spears “ripping off” song lyrics for her latest release, “Hold it Against Me”. The writers of “If I Said You Had A Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me” by the Bellamy Brothers told told The Daily Star: ‘Howard and I have no personal beef with Britney. She’s a talented gal. But professionally we feel completely ripped off”.

The issue, of course, is the title. However, the Bellamy Brothers can’t even claim ownership of the line, as it was first used as a one-liner by the Marx Brothers. The song itself bears no resemblance to the Bellamy tune. So I’d say, pass: Britney is entitled to use the title. If not, how many lawsuits would there be for “Because I Love you” or ” The Power of Love”? In fact, the Marx Brothers estate could have challenged the Bellamy Brothers years ago.

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Someone asked me the other day about the “new paradigm” for songwriters and musicians. I mentioned that increasingly, entertainment will be sponsored. This puts the transfer of money before the consumption rather than during or after. Then I caught the new Heineken ad, and was struck by the singer. Turns out, the new ad was shot around the promo clip of the Asteroids Galaxy Tour‘s new single called “Golden Age”. So the ad is a short version of the clip, or vice versa. Given the huge amounts of sponsorship already in music (notably Lady Gaga’s super-productions) I don’t really have a problem with that.
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I have to say that I love this idea. An artist in Saginaw, Michigan, has been decorating the town with lines from Simon & Garfunkel’s “America”. “We drove through the city and tried to find areas that symbolized abandonment: the broken railroad track, the empty school,” Eric Schantz told ABCNews. In one poignant note, he sprayed “They have gone to find America” across the doors of an abandoned college.

The lines are surprising, of course, when placed alongside the more mundane graffiti and tags. As they give food for thought, they also make you look more closely at the rest of the surroundings. Paul Simon’s manager asked for photos of the works. I’d be pretty flattered in his case.

The connection with Saginaw is an interesting one. What lyrics do you think would suit your town? I immediately thought of Shane McGowan’s version of “Dirty Old Town” for London (even though it was originally written by Ewan MacColl about the English town of Salford). Any other suggestions?

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The Times They are a-Changing

Collectors will surely swoop on the upcoming auction of Bob Dylan’s handwritten lyrics for “The Times They Are a-Changing” that will take place in Sotheby’s on December 10, 2010. The song is iconic, defining the mood of protest and change in the sixties. On top of that, the actual manuscript is suitably battered and worn – which only adds to the appeal.

I hadn’t read the lyrics of what is arguably his best-known song for some time, and must say that they are remarkably straightforward. Simple, even. Interesting that he wrote “by Bob Dylan” at the top of the page with the title at the bottom. Had he not decided the final title when writing the words? Also, he was apparently very careless with lyric sheets, discarding them once he had the words down by heart. So why write his name on them?

Anyway, collectors should be ready to cough up $200-300,000 for the manuscript. Something tells me that this is one auction that will meet its estimate price. Visit Sotheby’s for details and extensive notes.

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Britain’s PRS has organised a wonderful charity drive. On December 15 they will put up for auction the lyrics of classic songs handwritten by the lyricist themselves! The proceeds go to the Teenage Cancer Trust.

Pieces have been donated by world famous artists such as Sir Paul McCartney, Paul Weller, Jim Kerr, Sir Tim Rice, Julian Lennon and Annie Lennox. The pieces are in storage ahead of the auction which takes place at Bonhams Knightsbridge on December 15th).  As well as raising money for Teenage Cancer Trust the project hopes to create a lasting legacy of the music and song lyrics of our generation.

Click through for the list and further details. Remember, though, that buying the lyric sheets does not give you copyright of the actual lyrics!

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August Darnell, better known as Kid Creole, has announced a number of appearances in Germany. He will be appearing as part of the Night of the Proms events with other performers. Darnell is a songwriter’s songwriter, capable of turning out floor-fillers and touching ballads. Stylistically, he has always been influenced by the swing period of the 40s. His shows in the eighties featured up to 20 musicians on stage, with Darnell appearing in fancy zoot suits accompanied by the Coconuts. The whole vibe was reminiscent of Cab Calloway, although Darnell proved deft at adapting his tunes to the sound of the moment. During that period, he raked up a string of worldwide hits such as “Annie (I’m not Your Daddy”), “Stool Pigeon”, “I’m a Wonderful Thing” and “No Fish Today” but later faded from the public eye.

He still tours and writes. For details, check Kid Creole, although you’ll find more music on YouTube and DailyMotion.

Click through for the German concert dates:

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