Neil Sedaka
Three things that crossed my consciousness in the last few days have caused me to think about the craft of songwriting, which in my view has deteriorated over the last 50 years or so, with the decline being particularly noticeable of late. I'm not talking about the statement being made in the songs... there are artists making very worthwhile statements today, as there have been all along... but rather the craft of songwriting: making rhyming words actually rhyme, and having the accent on words set to a melody correspond to how they occur when spoken in conversation.
Watching "Late Night with David Letterman" last night, bandleader Paul Schaffer was reminiscing about the Brill Building, the New York songwriting factory that produced thousands of hits written by the likes of Neil Diamond, Carole King and Neil Sedaka. Although not usually thought of as being in the exalted company of earlier songwriters such as Cole Porter or Irving Berlin, the Brill Building songwriters nonetheless were responsible for a large number of hits in the '50s and '60s that to this day seem to be under-appreciated. Not long afterward, I happened to hear a classic song from that era, easily dismissed as a teenage girl's frothy fantasy, "Johnny Angel." One particular phrase struck me as memorably crafted: "Other fellas ask me out for a date/But I just sit and wait/I'd rather concentrate/On Johnny Angel." The consecutive rhymes, not forced but conversational in nature, and perfectly placed accents reminded me of what has become somewhat of a lost art in this day and age...as when, a short time later, I heard a commercial jingle for Comcast's Xfinity service that featured handfuls of weirdly accented lyrics and imperfect rhymes. Not to pick on them, as there are many offenders, but through sheer repetition, that level of craft becomes so familiar as to become acceptable, lowering the bar for songwriting in all genres. Much as language itself is being degraded by texting and short attention spans, this is probably inevitable, but it still makes me wistful for something that's gone away and likely will never come back. Thankfully, we still have the songs to listen to - whether on vinyl, CD or as a download - to remind ourselves of how good the "oldies but goodies" really were. Probably in the decades to come, many of these songs will be looked upon as "classical music."
http://http://www.bullseyecreative.biz/Audio.html
http://bullseyedan.wordpress.com
Whats On My YouTube Today?
Laughter in the rain
Here Are A Few Items From Amazon You Might Be Interested In.
 Waking Up Is Hard to Do List Price: Sale Price: $6.64 You save: $3.34 (33%)  Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days  |
 Neil Sedaka - All-Time Greatest Hits List Price: Sale Price: $4.87 You save: $3.12 (39%) Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days |
 Definitive Collection List Price: Sale Price: $7.64 You save: $2.35 (24%) Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days |
 Laughter in the Rain: Best of List Price: Sale Price: $10.56 You save: $5.42 (34%) Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days |
 Hit Maker Sale Price: $12.53 Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Not yet released |
 Music of My Life List Price: Sale Price: $6.69 You save: $5.29 (44%) Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days |
 Sings His Greatest Hits List Price: Sale Price: $2.55 You save: $4.44 (64%) Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days |
 Brighton Beach Memories - Neil Sedaka Sings Yiddish List Price: Sale Price: $12.44 You save: $2.55 (17%) Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days |
 Hungry Years List Price: Sale Price: $7.13 You save: $4.85 (40%) Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days |
Items recently purchased on this site:
Thanks for visiting!
Tags: neil sedaka, up, video, neil, neil sedaka lyrics