The question today is: Has production become more important than songwriting in today's music? It's not a new question, but it's important to revisit from time to time. I actually saw a discussion of this on Reddit and it got me to thinking about it again.
Let's first separate production from arrangement. Arrangement involves the musical part of the song; who plays what where and for how long, whereas the production is the more technical aspect; volume, effects, mastering and everything in between.
The hardest part about writing a song is finishing it. Wouldn't it be nice if they all just flowed out of us in one, sweet sitting with no editing necessary? More likely is the fact that we'll have to work at it to get it done. When you find yourself struggling to finish a song, consider these five points:
Sometime in late December last year my family and I went to see the movie "Saving Mr. Banks" which was basically the true story of how the movie Mary Poppins came to be. The most memorable scenes for me were when the two songwriters would come up with these brilliant songs for the movie and performed them for author P.L. Travers, the writer of Mary Poppins. Travers was a reluctant (that's an understatement) participant in the whole process, with Walt Disney actually having spent 20 years trying to convince her to let him do the movie around her book. The songs were an integral part of their attempt to persuade her, and she was a tough customer!
Disney movies have always had wonderful songwriting, right out of the old world of the Brill Building in New York where songwriters would go to work every day doing nothing more than write and compose. And even if most of the time these songs were directed more at children, there is nothing "dumbed down" about them. A great example of this is the song "Under The Sea" from the animated Disney movie "The Little Mermaid". "De seaweed is always greener in somebody else's lake."
This song is a wonderful study in creative lyric writing. For me, the bridge is especially brilliant; imagine trying to rhyme all kinds of sea creatures with instruments and creating a whole band out of it! "What do they got, a lot of sand? We got a great crustacean band!" It's not often you see the word crustacean in a kid's song. That's what is also great about this song, as I mentioned before, it doesn't talk down to kids.
Musically, the whole Caribbean feel is perfect. The character Sebastian has a Jamaican accent, and the song's main musical phrase is all steel drums. It's in the key of C with a pretty straight-forward chord progression, and in the last chorus, it modulates up for two lines, resolving back down to the original key in a splash (pun intended) of brilliance.
If you haven't heard it, or can't remember the last time you did, just listen again and enjoy (lyrics below). ~ IJ
The seaweed is always greener in somebody else's lake You dream about going up there But that is a big mistake Just look at the world around you Right here on the ocean floor Such wonderful things surround you What more is you lookin' for?
1st CHORUS: Under the sea, under the sea Darling it's better down where it's wetter take it from me Up on the shore they work all day Out in the sun they slave away While we devotin' full time to floatin' under the sea
Down here all the fish is happy As off through the waves they roll The fish on the land ain't happy They sad 'cause they in their bowl But fish in the bowl is lucky They in for a worser fate One day when the boss get hungry Guess who's gon' be on the plate
2nd CHORUS: Under the sea, under the sea Nobody beat us fry us and eat us in fricassee We what the land folks loves to cook Under the sea we off the hook We got no troubles, life is the bubbles, under the sea under the sea Since life is sweet here we got the beat here naturally Even the sturgeon an' the ray They get the urge 'n' start to play We got the spirit, you got to hear it, under the sea
BRIDGE: The newt play the flute, the carp play the harp The plaice play the bass and they soundin' sharp The bass play the brass, the chub play the tub The fluke is the duke of soul (Yeah) The ray he can play the lings on the strings The trout rockin' out, the blackfish she sings The smelt and the sprat they know where it's at An' oh that blowfish blow
LAST CHORUS: Under the sea, under the sea When the sardine begin the beguine It's music to me What do they got? A lot of sand We got a hot crustacean band Each little clam here know how to jam here under the sea Each little slug here cuttin' a rug here under the sea Each little snail here know how to wail here That's why it's hotter under the water Ya we in luck here down in the muck here Under the sea!
