Blog
13
Jan
2010
Proof you can be an idiot and still make millions from music
Written by Ed Stone
Exhibit A: Singers Failing in ‘Live’ Performances
And Exhibit B. My favourite (or least favourite, in a way): What Four Chords Can Do
I can think of 3 possible explanations for this: 1) the people who write these songs don’t realise how how lacking in originality they are; 2) they do realise, but don’t care, or 3) they do realise, and cynically and intentionally do it as the “pop song writers hand book” says that this is the most popular of all chord progressions. Bring back the Beatles and songs on one chord, I say.
If you ever find me using a I, V, VImin, IV chord progression in one of my songs, you have permission to shoot me!
What’s amazing is how many of those in Exhibit B are my favourite songs! Really, going by that, they should all be… If you ever find me using a I, V, VImin, IV chord progression, give me a recording contract.
Comment by Louise on January 13, 2010 at 10:03 pm
Awe. We now see the grand debate about the song-writing craft. Ed is Chord Man… and these blogs are filled with legendary stories (in our little brains with our little lives) of him delighting in a dimished 7th, throwing 2,345 chords into Tommy Come Home, showing his talent to write beautiful choruses while staring at a piano, and confessing in his blog on being a scholar the for him, songs always start with a unique to world chord sequence … Ed is Chord Man.
And therefore he can’t believe the lazziness of all these songs writers who use the same bloody chord sequence — even if comparing Under the Bridge to Don’t Stop Believing is like comparing the Beatles to the Monkees! See, Ed, there are a few other differences: like melodies, tempos, musicianship, vocals, and ahem…lyrics. Oh, we see the young man in internal struggle: yes, maybe Fall at Your Feet and Down Under are somewhat different to Toto’s Africa. But they use the same chord sequence. That has to MATTER. THAT HAS TO MATTER. Chord man will not sleep well tonight.
(and yes this is cheecky from a musical idiot who thinks chords went out in the 70’s when jeans and chinos made a massive comeback.)
Bring on the debate! Let’s here it from Mr Tempo and Miss Melody!
Comment by Jimmy on January 14, 2010 at 10:00 am