Everette:

You can always find exceptions. That's the wonder of pop music. As I say in my book...

... (if one of your songs) "finds its way onto the playgrounds of America, prepare to spend the rest of your days counting your moolah."

Sure, we'd all love to see little girls on the sidewalk jumping rope to one of our songs.

I know how hard Russ Zavitson battled to get "Achy Breaky" cut. Billy Ray Cyrus, with his mullet and basketball shoes, was the kind of instant cultural phenomenon that only comes along every decade or so. And, "Who Let the Dogs Out" was co-written by Desmond Childs (who has had more than 90 chart songs). If you or I had written those songs, they'd probably be distant, dusty echoes in the bottom of a box.

You can't go by two ditties that break the mold. For every nursery rhyme hit, there are dozens of wonderfully crafted songs. In order for a writer to get through the gate-keepers, he or she needs solid craft. Solid craft often comes from writing, getting feedback and re-writing -- over and over again. There's a lot of luck involved, too -- but, you'd better have your tools sharpened when you stumble upon that four leaf clover.

Rand Bishop
songwriter/producer/author - Makin' Stuff Up, secrets of song-craft and survival in the music-biz
www.makinstuffup.net

Rand Bishop
Songwriter/producer/author