Dolly Parton’s “Jolene”
Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” was based on a young girl who approached her early on in her career. She had red hair, green eyes and fair skin – Dolly asked her name….
Songs Worth Studying
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Suzanne Vega ‘Small Blue Thing’
Master of Becoming the Other! Becoming the other is a true form of transformation. Not only is Suzanne Vega’s ‘Small Blue Thing’ one of my favorite songs, it is…
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Joni Mitchell ‘The Magdalene Laundries’
On her 1994 album Turbulent Indigo Joni Mitchell has one of the most descriptive, powerful songs you’ll ever hear. She crafts a first person story about a young girl incarcerated in one…
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Rhyme Mastery: Lori McKenna ‘The Bird & The Rifle’
Lori McKenna’s “The Bird & The Rifle” is a masterclass in song craft. Not only is the rhyme pattern brilliant, but she illustrates how to use a metaphor to…
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Kacey Musgraves ‘Merry Go Round’
Kacey Musgraves, along with Josh Osborne and Shane McAnally, uses the play on words in ‘Merry Go Round’ bring the images and the story of “a life” from a…
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Adele ‘Chasing Pavements’
A recent comment on the blog got me thinking. The comment was downplaying the songwriter’s lyrics, mentioning they sounded as if they were written by a 17 year-old, because,…
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Adele ‘Hello’
Adele’s ‘Hello’ focuses on a telephone conversation/voicemail. The song brilliantly leverages the strength of direct address to create a highly personal moment, while the melody moves from ballad to power ballad…
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Eric Church ‘Talladega’
Artist Eric Church Album The Outsiders (2017) Songwriter Eric Church & Luke Laird Total Time 4:22 Structure V | CH | V | CH | BR | CH Talladega…
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Colter Wall Sings Ian Tyson’s “Bob Fudge”
Ian Tyson is one of the best cowboy song writers around. Maybe songwriters. His song “Bob Fudge” is an exceptional example of how to write from someone else’s perspective….
