The current craziness in the UK about the European situation prompted me to write the saddest set of lyrics ever for a new song “No more street parties” Even by my standards this is a dark and depressing set of lyrics…
My terrific writing partner Jessica Bowie immediately was able to offer a suitably sad melody and the result is a wonderful track that will be recorded and played in our live set. It certainly won’t be the first track in a live set as it doesn’t really set the right tone, but it will definitely appear alongside the other protest songs from the new EP.
Since forming The Small Change Diaries in 2014, I listen to music differently and think “Would I have been happy writing that?” Often the case is “not really” and I find myself listening to less music than in days gone by and being more selective about what I choose. I increasingly pick songwriters who provoke new ways of thinking and feeling. These include Richard Thompson, Tom Waits, Martin Simpson, Steve Earle,Nick Cave, Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello, Joni Mitchell. Leonard Cohen, The Smiths, Mary Margaret O Hara and Ani Difranco. Richard Thompson in particular has written some dark lyrics and openly announces many of his live set as “depressing!”
I was delighted that one of the first reviews for “Protest Songs” included the comment “The four songs, starting with ‘Not One Of Us’, are upbeat and cheery sounding on the surface – but the light heartedness – which comes about because of the prominent use of ukuleles – covers up for the deep, sometimes dark lyrics.” I’m all for “dark lyrics” and music that has some emotional impact rather than a lot of the X Factor style production line efforts that in my opinion are almost always instantly forgettable.
Years ago I took my wife to see Leonard Cohen live in Manchester. At that point I confess to not being a Cohen fan and was somewhat apprehensive about two hours of “laughing Len” To my total surprise with ten minutes I was totally bowled over and loved the live set, which was a master class in audience engagement. Just like Thompson, Cohen is known for downbeat and some would say depressing songs, but give me that any day over Ollie Murs and crew!
I have a theory that a lot of great writing comes from a place of human comment and often that can be a place of angst. I can give many examples of an artist’s best work being created when they were in a dark place. Consider “Blood on the Tracks” by Dylan written after his divorce, “Tonight’s the night” by Neil Young after a band member died, two of my all-time favorite albums. Similarly, Tori Amos’s “Little Earthquakes” was great and she never reached such heights and Mary Margaret O Hara’s “Miss America” was her sole album aside from a few great Eps. All this material was written from a dark place and often the record companies held their heads in their hands when presented with such material. Fortunately, there are enough discerning individuals who want original songs that connect at a human level and of course many such songs have stood the test of time.
