He was posting on a blog that is run by a good friend and ticking her off. Since pissing off people in Nashville is of no consequence to me I let him know what I thought of him. I tried to make him see that although he can call himself a songwriter, he is not a poet. Any idiot can string words that rhyme together. It's not rocket science. I wanted him to admit that the best songs come straight from the heart, the bastard would not do it. If he had given me his phone number this fight would still be going on.
He is a hack. He makes money by rhyming words that the general public find somewhat endearing. All he has to do is walk to the mailbox and pick up his check. Miss Chelle Rose calls this "mailbox money". I'm not knocking the guy here, it's good work if you can get it. What gets to me is the superior attitude he had that day because Hank Jr. just recorded one of his songs.
The song was "That's how they do it in dixie". It's the perfect Hank Jr. song, I'll admit that. It's full of booze and requires no thought when listening to it. For him to claim he is better than others because of that just infuriated me. Below you will find some examples of songs that are truly from the heart. If you are not willing to think and feel while listening to music they may not be for you. Just please bear in mind MUSIC SHOULD BE FELT, NOT HEARD!!!!!!!!!!
First on my list of from the heart songs is "Wild Violets Pretty" by Chelle rose. It's my favorite of her songs. Even before I knew the story behind the song it tore my heart out. Haunting is the word that describes it best. I'm not going to tell you the story of the song here, it's not my place. If you want to know ask Chelle. If she likes you she just may tell you. She did not sit down to write it hoping for a #1 radio hit. She wrote it because her heart was aching and it's the way she knows best to let the hurt out. The song makes me choke up every time I hear it. For this I say my dear friend Miss Chelle is not a songwriter, she is a poet. Here is a link to this song. www.myspace.com/chellerose
Second is the song I call my favorite. "Have Mercy On me" be Steve Earle. At the time of writing Steve's life was consumed by drugs, guns, cops, ex wives and adultry. He put it all into this masterpiece. The despair he felt is clear in the chorus of the song. It says, "I'm a sinner lord can't you see, have mercy on me". Then the part of the song I believe is called the bridge, not sure about that, but it says "Tears are made to fall, heart's made to break, sometimes it feels like they just wanna know how much you can take". It's a pretty clear statement of how he was feeling at the time. God must have had a plan for Steve Earle, there is no other way he could have survived. Even if you are not a Steve Earle fan I urge you to check out his album called "The Hard Way". It's the most autobiographical album ever recorded by anyone, and it was recorded in 1990 his last album for 6 years, drugs took complete control of his life, and then prison took over for awhile. The whole album is from his heart, although his heart was very dark at the time. Steve Earle is a poet, one of the greatest that ever lived. Here is a link to this song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLJvbwC04Io
The third and final from the heart song is "Wine Into Water" by T. Graham Brown. He makes a good living as a songwriter, but he is also a poet. T. Graham Brown was a hardcore alcoholic and it was destroying his marriage and his life. One night at dinner his 4 year old son looked at him and said "Daddy please don't drink tonight". He did not drink that night, or ever again. This song is T. Graham Brown's autoboigraphy. You will FEEL this song, not hear it. The chorus of the song is this
"Tonight I'm as low, as any man can go, I'm down and I can't fall much farther. Once upon a time you turned the water into wine, now on my knees I'm turning to you father, can you help me turn the wine back into water."
The most amazing thing about this song is not only did it come straight from the heart of T. Graham Brown, but it's found it's way into the heart's of countless others, and helped them with their own struggles. It's now an anthem for recovering alcoholics. I'm sure at the time of writing TGB did not have this in mind, his heart was heavy and put his feelings on paper. That makes him a poet. Wine Into Water will live forever and help millions along the way. It's from the heart. Here is a link to this song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Y96-Lmo2eM
Well folks, here you have 3 songs to get you started. If you are content with what you hear on popular radio and don't want to think and feel by all means stick with it. However, if you want to know what REAL music is, and you want to FEEL it. Start with these. There is more out there, I'll be happy to help you discover real music, just ask.
Try to remember music is a living, emotional thing. If a song makes you feel emotion, no matter what that emotion is, it has done it's job.
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