I found myself listening to Gary Barlow on Radio 2, interviewing Robbie Williams. Lyrics can't be judged on their own, he said. Even the most ordinary words can take on a new life when sung the right way. Even some of the biggest sngs in the world, if the words had fallen off the tracks, might have become saccharine. Some of them have the simplest rhymes, like June, moon and spoon.
It's easy to dismiss some pop stars. But it would be wrong to do so. Seven solo number ones and seven band number ones means he knows what he's talking about.
Barlow also spoke to Paul McCartney. McCartney talked about how no two Beatles songs were ever the same (something picked up by Tim Dean in another entry where he talks about Mozart and how he never repeated himself, always creating music that was new and appropriate for each character. McCartney also talked about how the chords and lyrics of Beatles songs got more complex as they went on.
Other advice from Robbie and Gary worth taking: write a lot. The more you write the better you get.
A painter was asked how to be a better painter and he said "Paint more".
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