JPF Home Page Forums General Messages General Message Forum Is Songwriting Dead?

First of all, asking if songwriting is dead on a songwriting website is a bit preposterous.

Second, this is a place for real people with real names to share ideas and build community. December Rock Star, I encourage you to not post anonymously.

And in the spirit of this thread (stating opinion as fact): songwriting craft is only a tool to create decent songs when inspiration alone won't carry the day. Some days we sit down to write because we want to write... some days because we have to write. We communicate ideas/sentiments/etc... in song, not how crafty our lyrics are. If they happen to be crafty, then more power to you. Crafty writing is a means to an end, not the end itself.

Does it matter if Yesterday or Fast Car are crafty? No. Their success and the mark they left on our musical heritage speak for themselves. They communicated to the world... and in the case of Yesterday, we are still talking about it some 50 years later.

Mike D.