Songwriting News: Kill Your Darlings (2024)

We hunkered down today and decided to experiment with a non-structured song. We resisted our pop sensibilities and incorporated many different unrepeated sections — a quantum leap out of our comfort zone. We might have to write three versions of the same song before we feel like we hit the mark. There’ll be elements in the versions we scrap that are wonderful and will never see the light of day. It’s been said that writers must “kill their darlings” — get rid of the most precious and

We hunkered down today and decided to experiment with a non-structured song. We resisted our pop sensibilities and incorporated many different unrepeated sections — a quantum leap out of our comfort zone. We might have to write three versions of the same song before we feel like we hit the mark. There’ll be elements in the versions we scrap that are wonderful and will never see the light of day. It’s been said that writers must “kill their darlings” — get rid of the most precious and

Musician Musician
Jun 26, 2023 - 15:00
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Kill Your Darlings

Did I tell you I broke my foot? I broke my foot. I tripped on the curb in the Trader Joe’s parking lot trying to avoid a producer I once had an unpleasant experience with. It’s all his fault. 

More than a few people have told me to sue Trader Joe’s. I can’t go there. I should have just walked past him and everything would be fine. I wouldn’t be hobbling around.

And so…I’ve been sedentary to say the least and I’m not good at sitting still and watching my ass grow. But like I tell my daughter when times are tough — “it’s Temporary.” In fact I’ve often thought about getting a (tiny) “T” tattoo’d on the inside of my left wrist to remind me — that all things pass. (Here’s my right wrist). As you can see I’m very daring with my tattoos.

Speaking of all things passing, since I’ve had time on my hands I watched the George Harrison Doc. (Living In The Material World) for the third time. Love the part where, as a middle aged man, George reacts to a clip of the Beatles performing “This Boy.” He’s transfixed. Sings the background vocals along with the clip and remarks that it was a good song! (I’ll say.) It’s one of my favorite bits in the film. If you’ve never seen it, what are you waiting for?

Anyhoo … I’m procrastinating telling you what I did today, just like Lucy, Adam and I have been procrastinating writing one-more-song for our musical which we (and some other pretty smart people) think it needs. Procrastinating … because writing an additional ‘number’ (as my father used to call them) is like having 95% of a pop song finished and knowing that the elusive last line can potentially pull the whole song together (which is what you want) but if it pulls the song in a slightly different direction, and the direction feels better. you’ll have to go back ???? and change what came before it. It’s a Rubik’s Cube. It can mean another week of back and forth when you were only one line away. And that’s just a 3-minute pop song. For a musical, we’re talking months. Years. 

I’ve been writing down lyrics for weeks. I was excited about them. I could envision how funny and rich this one-more-song could be. So much so that I was afraid to write it. The bar was high. What if we couldn’t come up with music I loved as much as the words?

Nothing a heaping bowl of popcorn can’t fix.

We hunkered down today and decided to experiment with a non-structured song. In other words, we resisted our pop sensibilities and incorporated many different unrepeated sections — a quantum leap out of our comfort zone. We might have to write three versions of the same song before we feel like we hit the mark. There will be elements in the versions we scrap that are wonderful and will never see the light of day. It’s been said that writers must “kill their darlings” — get rid of the most precious and especially self-indulgent passages for the greater good of the literary work. Like that. Not easy but necessary. And painful!

Well, count me in. I’m up for the challenge. Besides, I’m not going anywhere. I tried the iWALK. Which should be called the iFALL! Sent it back to Amazon after Adam put the whole thing together for me. It’s not as sturdy as the gal in the video would have you believe.

Then I rented a scooter but fell off that too - nearly fractured my hand. What can I say? I’m not good at broken bones.

I’m sticking with embracing the down time and cracking this new song. And remembering … “Temporary!” 

Here’s to our darlings. Especially George…

Thanks for reading my weekly musings. If you'd like to subscribe to my blog please click here. Listen to my album 2.0 etc… Get a signed CD or a copy of “Confessions of a Serial Songwriter.” And here’s My Serial Songwriter Facebook Page! ????

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