About Songwriting
Loesser on Lyrics
11 May 04 email
On April 19, 2004 as part of your "Intersections" series, Ketzel Levine
interviewed Dave Frishberg who spoke about the influence Frank Loesser had
on him. I was very intrigued with the advice Mr. Frishberg conveyed during
the piece. The advice passionately focused on the listener and I found the
comments very helpful. I would love to learn more about the advice provided
to Mr. Frishberg from Frank Loesser. In addition, I would enjoy hearing
more from Mr. Frishberg himself in regards to what he feels contributes to
"the craft". Is it possible to forward this email to Mr. Frishberg?
Kind Regards, Jim
Dear Jim,
Yes, I agree with you that Frank Loesser's lecture to me that day was focused on how to make the listener listen and understand. Since music flows along temporally, the listener has only a fleeting glimpse of the lyric as it travels past. So Loesser stressed clear words in a purposefully designed progression that would lead the listener and command his attention. He cautioned me about vague images and puzzling language that would interrupt the listener's train of thought, possibly distracting him from the lyrics that followed. He pointed out that silence , pauses, and rests, when strategically placed, allow the listener to process colorful or startling lyrics, and leave him ready for the next thought.
That kind of approach appealed to me as a young songwriter, because it was an aid to writing. I'm not sure I'd endorse it as The Way, but I find myself almost instinctively "consulting" the prospective listener as I write lyrics. I think what Loesser said had a profound effect on my working methods.
Thanks for listening, assuming you're still awake.
Dave Frishberg
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A COMPOSER’S TYPICAL COMPLAINT
It irritates me to hear my songs distorted or revised.. I say this in full acknowledgment that I've made my living for the past fifty years by tampering mercilessly-- at times derisively--with other people's music. If there's a God, I hope he will forgive me. I'm sure Jerome Kern and Irving Berlin and the others will not.
2/20/05 MY RULES FOR WRITING LYRICS
[To a songwriter friend]
I'm checking out the two songs you sent. I have comments, as you no doubt expected.
Make your rhyme schemes consistent throughout for the sake of the listener. The listener perceives rhymes as parts of a musical pattern, and (unconsciously) depends on the rhymes to measure out the phrases. .Rhymes should occur consistently in their place from chorus to chorus, otherwise the song will feel unbalanced musically, and the listener's attention will wander. The idea is to control the listener's attention.
Don't strain for false rhymes like garment/ farm it; mantle/candle; element/relevant , because (1) it will cause the listener to mistrust you, and (2) it will break the listener's concentration.
When writing a lyric, try to start with a good title, preferably one you can use at least a couple times in the song . Very often your title will contain the germ of what the song is to be about Then make sure that every word or phrase or lyric element you employ works toward the fulfillment or "pay-off" of that title. Test this against good songs by really good songwriters, and you can see how each line belongs to that song--refers back to that title-- alone. I'm talking about Mercer, Lerner, Ira Gershwin, Cole Porter, Yip Harburg, Frank Loesser, Dorothy Fields, etc. This is, I admit, kind of old-fashioned and journalistic. But it is the Hopi Way.
Best wishes,
DF
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7/6/03 CHORAL COMEDY
[to a vocal arranger seeking material for chorus]
I've seen (and heard) some choral versions of some of my songs--most notably and recently the excellent charts written by Dave Barduhn who runs the music dept at Mount Hood Community College near Portland. Certain of my songs lend themselves to that treatment: Van Lingle Mungo, Zanzibar, Listen Here, Our Love Rolls On , Play Ball, for example. But very often the arranger will choose a song that I classify as "material" : My Attorney Bernie, You Would Rather Have the Blues, Gotta Get Me Some ZZZ, Can't Take You Nowhere, etc. and the songs don't work, even with artful arranging. These are songs to be sung "in character" so to speak, because the song is composed of reflective discourse, references, asides, attitudes, and other elements of personal conversation. The words need to be delivered rubato, to say the least. I think it's clearly awkward, if not impossible, to indicate character or tell jokes with a choir.
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Frank Loesser, my hero
To Neal McCabe 8 Mar 04
Thanks a million, Neal, for sending the complete Frank Loesser story. Only on the BBC could such a program be heard. Since I've listened to this, I'm even a bigger Loesser fan than I was before. Baby It's Cold Outside is the most masterful piece of material ever written. It's one of two songs I wish I had written--the other being Crazy by Willie Nelson. There are undoubtedly others, but these two come to mind. Loesser is so good he brings tears to my eyes even with the clever material. His lyrics are painstakingly constructed with the purpose of seizing the listener's attention and leading him through the song. Everything is designed to that end. As soon as the song begins, Loesser takes control, and he (not the singer) remains in control til the end. Other songwriters may have been control freaks, but no one realized it like Frank Loesser, because as you listen today he's still dragging you around by the ear even though he died forty years ago.
Listen to the score of Greenwillow if you haven't already. Tony Perkins sings the leading role, and he did a great job. Never Will I Marry is from this show. The score is composing of the highest order and the the most transparent simplicity. More impressive to me than Most Happy Fella, because it's more reserved and formal and American. The show has its own harmonic ethic --kind of modal, but seasoned with eccentric dissonance and odd melodic skips.
That's the thing about Loesser-- every show he wrote had its own distinctive sound and flavor..--- Guys and Dolls, Happy Fella, How to Succeed--the music and lyrics maintained a definitive character and point of view for each show. A song from Guys and Dolls would be out of place in Greenwillow. Etc etc.
What can I tell you? Loesser's my man.
I read in a biography of Loesser that his wife #2 Jo Sullivan was not popular among Frank's cronies, and she was referred to as "the evil of two Loessers." I'm sure he laughed.
Consider Loesser's famous lyric from 1948:
I'VE GOT SPURS THAT JINGLE JANGLE JINGLE
AS I GO RIDIN' MERRILY ALONG
AND THEY SING "OH AIN'T YOU GLAD YOU'RE SINGLE",
AND THAT SONG AIN'T SO VERY FAR FROM WRONG
Somebody had to point out to me that Loesser meant to say "ain't so very far from right." He really goofed that lyric and nobody ever noticed. I wonder if he had a sense of humor about it? I wonder if anybody had the balls to question him about it?
(How about: AND I KNOW SURE AS SHOOTIN' THAT AIN'T WRONG. You're welcome, Frank.)
But it's like "I could care less." It makes it own sense.
I'm sure Loesser could care loess.
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