Hello Rand. Not to sure if this is what you were looking for but felt to share none the less. I admire how some have really disected particuliars of the 'song'. For the most part I know what I like but cannot always find the words to describe the 'why'>

When I was seventeen years old (1975) a very close friend, who passed away about 4 years later, had created a audio cassette of selected artists and played it on my cousins cassette player. He had some Bread, James Taylor, CCR, and other popular artists/bands of the time.

He also had “Sunshine On My Shoulders” by John Denver.

At this point of my life I was aware of what was going on in the music world by what was being played on the popular radio stations and by what our bus driver had playing on his system on our school bus.

I had never heard of Denver, even though he had been around a while by ‘75 but not as much in Montreal, and was just taken by the honesty in his voice and the simplicity of the lyric. In my seventeen years on this planet, and during that ruff time of teenage years (not the child, not a man) here was someone who hit a chord with me.

From the opening rift to the final statement he had me. This was a song.

That introduction lead me to writing and over the years it has been him that has influenced not only my passion for it but in how I structure most of my lyrics.

Denver taught me how to write simple, direct lyrics and to this day I still keep his melodies in mind.

Since 1975 I have composed over three hundred songs, some have been put out there and have been successful in their own way, others lay un-used but kept as examples of the how the craft moves up and down.

Interestingly enough even though he was and is my main diet of music I do not believe I have ever written a song like his or for him. (I found that what he did was write those songs for me.)

Douglas

Last edited by Doug Dude; 02/27/09 05:05 PM.
"Is this a practice? They are all practices." John Denver

www.soundclick.com/dougmurphy