Paul McCartney

Have you ever noticed what gets discussed in articles about songwriting? Or in 90% of reviews or critiques about songs?

The words.

Words are pretty important in a song. Actually, let me revise that. Words are very important in a song. But you might have noticed that they’re not the whole story. A song just isn’t a song without the music. (For the technically minded, that’s called a poem…)

You might want to look up Felix Mendelssohn, who wrote a series of pieces called Songs Without Words. Kind of makes you think, doesn’t it?

My guess at why there is such an emphasis on words is that we’re all more or less experts with them. We use them all the time. They’re very useful for getting people to do things, letting them know how you feel, generally passing the time of day. I bet you can think of a hundred good uses you’ve already put them to today.

Look at you – you’re reading them right now… kind of spooky, don’t you think?

But writing songs is not writing poetry. Song lyrics might use poetic devices and approaches and stand up on their own. Classical songwriters traditionally started with a poem which they then set to music. (Often a ‘lyric’ poem that specifically lends itself that way). But these days songwriting generally refers to the combined creation of words and music.

Great songs are truly examples of a whole being greater than the sum of its parts. The music and the words together make an effect that is different to the one that either would have on its own.

I don’t want to get into a debate about it, but my personal opinion (and that’s all it is) is that the greatest songwriter on our planet today is Paul McCartney. There’s a writer whose lyrics are often highly poetic. By which I specifically mean that they frequently compress meanings, nuances, allusions and imagery into a turn of phrase that resonates and stays with you. Other dynamic elements are internal rhymes and unexpected, irregular phrase lengths.

Go take a look at Eleanor Rigby – an entire drama in three short verses. Or Here There and Everywhere. Or Penny Lane, Lovely Rita, Blackbird, Lady Madonna…

This is great lyric writing (but even this isn’t necessarily stand-alone poetry). But these songs aren’t just great lyrics. The music and the words together create the total impact and atmosphere of each song.

And – this is the really important point – they are dynamically related. In other words, the phrasing of the music drives the phrasing of the words (and maybe suggested the words). And the phrasing of the words drives the phrasing of the music (and maybe suggested its shape and rhythm.)

Well there you go. I’ve just added to the number of articles on songwriting that focus on the words. That’s because it’s easy – I’m using the same medium to express myself. But my plan is to delve down into this topic over a series of articles and expore how music and words relate in great songs, and hopefully contribute to developing some sensible discussion on the language of music.

Whether your event is a groundbreaking for a new store, an anniversary gala, an annual employee recognition program, or a glitzy holiday cocktail hour, its success boils down to planning. Winging it risks catastrophe, so don’t consider undertaking a special event without resources for the planning process.

The sooner you get started the better, and no event planner would dream of plunging into anything without a detailed timeline. Model your scheduling after this month-by-month countdown to make sure you’ve got everything covered.

Six Months Before

• After assessing what type of event you’re orchestrating and setting a budget, establish the specific location, date, and time, including associated details such as making deposits to secure the venue or signing contracts
• Break down the event into core components, such as logistics and public relations, and assign tasks to individuals
• Book catering or entertainment and consider your guest list and how guests will be invited

Five Months Before

• As your event begins to gel, determine the specific program. If you need a master of ceremonies, obtain one
• Hire a video and sound team and a photographer to record the event
• Get public relations material to use for promoting subsequent events, particularly annual ones

Three Months Before

• Plan your media relations campaign. This is also the time to weigh advertising options and to design collateral such as printed invitations, programs, posters, or fliers
• Tease the event with a save-the-date postcard so invitees can put it on their calendars
• Set a news release strategy
• If a meal or hors d’oeuvres are involved, firm up the menu
• If you have an MC, determine the script content

Two Months Before

• Have your collateral and news release in hand and ready to go
• Shop your event by preparing calendar announcements or radio spots
• Update your Web site with information about the event, including the time, place, and cost of attending

One Month Before

• If your event requires decorations and props, make sure you have what you need
• This is prime time for sending out invitations so have a plan for keeping track of responses and for following up with those who have not responded
• Target news release distribution at this time

One Week Before

• Prepare and distribute a media reminder or media alert and consider an e-mail blast to customers to encourage attendance
• Nail down all the outstanding applicable logistics, such as decorations, props, catering, and entertainment
• Verify and coordinate the program with the MC or main speaker (including the script), volunteers, employees, and dignitaries
• Check in with all service providers

Day Before

• Organization is the key to success, so keep a checklist of tasks
• Institute systems, such as an alphabetical guest list or a designated spot to distribute outstanding pay to service providers, for a well-run event
• Get decorations, signs, or props onsite
• Test the audio and visual equipment for glitches
• Have a written timeline and agenda for how the special event will unfold and share it with participants

Day of Event

• Set up the area early and do a dry run from start to finish, tweaking problem areas
• Be ready to roll a full 45 minutes before the event is scheduled and have participants ready 20 minutes before they’re on
• Designate a point person to handle any unforeseen problems
• Follow your agenda to stay on track
• Being flexible can help ward off surprises, so be ready to improvise
• Ultimately, your planning pays off now, so enjoy yourself

After the Event

• You can learn from a post mortem. Sit down with your staff and discuss what worked and what didn’t. Take notes and keep them handy for the next event
• File press clippings, video, sound, and photos as well as information on any contractors and organize it for future reference
• Thank those who helped work on the event and your attendees. If the event was a fund-raiser, make sure people know how much money was raised and that their help was instrumental in reaching that goal

She’s always been a singer whose records I’ve liked, though not been in ecstasy over.

Stacey Kent

By contrast I’ve been absolutely bowled over by Jane Monheit from the first note I heard her sing, so I was slightly underwhelmed when the gig kicked off with Jobim’s Waters Of March. Not only has Jane Monheit made this her own in my view, but the band’s arrangement seemed practically a note-for-note transcription of the one she uses (by Michael Kamen).

However there were some real gems in the set, particularly the new numbers written by Stacey Kent’s husband (and saxophonist/bandleader) Jim Tomlinson with lyrics by Kazuo Ishiguro. Writing great song lyrics is a very different art from writing great novels or poetry, but Ishiguro seems to have it completely nailed. His structures created some interesting musical forms – I especially liked the way that the obsessive repetition of the title phrase in I Wish I Could Go Travelling Again kept cutting across the expected phrasing of the music. Another Ishiguro-Tomlinson number, So Romantic, has a lovely ironic quality both in the words and the music.

The band was on great form. I was impressed by the pianist, Graham Harvey, and the dep bassist, Chris Hill. I also enjoyed Jim Tomlinson’s sax lines. He frequently reminded me of Stan Getz, which I guess is unavoidable if you’re going to play Only Trust Your Heart. But throughout the evening it was Matt Skelton’s drumming that I was particularly drawn to. It was inventive, colourful and sensitive.

As for Stacey Kent: her range isn’t huge. She doesn’t let rip. She doesn’t go in for florid improvisation or scat. But there’s a vulnerability  in her singing which creates a real intimacy with the audience.

That intimacy was clear in the two songs she sang in French. It reached its height in the encore, What A Wonderful World, which had a very effective arrangement. It made a fitting end to a great gig.