Write Away Magazine - June Issue

Issue No:6 

The Lyric Writers Magazine 

JANIS JOPLIN 

‘Mercedes Benz’ 

REGULAR FEATURES 

Introducing - Bill Halloran 

Lyrical Do Not - Daryn Wright 

Song Lyrics - Trevor Dimoff 

Lyricslinger - Simon Wright 

www.writeawaymagazine.co.uk

In This Issue... 

Chris 

Tavener 

Pages 20 - 23 

Features 

10 Mark Townley 

14 Ann Kenney 

18 Nick Briggs 

26 U2-360 

28 Cranberry Merchants 

30 Jim Plunkett 

32 Charlotte Elizabeth 

34 Chris Tavener 

Regulars 

04 Lyrics Doctor 

06 Daryn Wright 

08 Trevor Dimoff 

12 Bill Holloran 

16 Simon Wright 

24 Paul Sykes 

36 Matchmakers 

34 

02 


T jÉÜw YÜÉÅ g{x Xw|àÉÜAAA 

Welcome to Issue 6 of Write Away Magazine. The only 

lyric writers magazine you’ll ever want to read, bringing 

you a new host of talented artists from around the world. 

I’d urge you all please to take a moment and check out the 

links included with each article to respective websites and 

music. Some amazing talent not to be missed. 

A warm welcome to my new regular writer Bill Holloran. 

You can find Bill’s first article on page 12 in this issue. 

Bill is a blues player from The Wildcat O'Halloran Band.... 

Find out more about Bill from his website 

www.wildcatohalloran.com 

A big thank you to all of my regular contributors too. Your 

input is what makes Write Away Magazine so special. 

And a huge thank you to Mark Townley for the third and 

final installment of SPLAQ - Please do take a moment to 

check out Mark’s music, you won’t be disappointed. 

I’m always looking for exciting new articles and regular 

features on lyrics. If you’ve something for consideration 

in a future issue please drop me an email... 

jane@writeawaymagazine.co.uk 

Jane xx 

DON’T MISS NEXT MONTH’S ISSUE 

A CELEBRATION OF USA ARTISTS 

RELEASED ON JULY 4TH... 

www.writeawaymagazine.co.uk 

03

The Lyri 

Jeff Hanke from 

Minnesota asks how to 

write a compelling and 

engaging first line, and Ann 

Kenney from London wants 

tips on writing a second 

verse. On some level, these 

are really the same question, 

and the short answer is, 

“Know what your song is 

about.” It seems like the most 

basic thing possible, but you'd 

be surprised how often people 

write without really knowing 

what they want to say. In 

my day job as a magazine editor, 

I sometimes get 900-word 

stories from reporters, and 

when I ask them, “What is this 

about?” they don't have much 

of a response. Once you figure 

out what your song or article 

is about, it will almost 

write itself. You simply have 

to ensure that every line--even 

every word--works to support 

your idea. 

When writing songs, I typically 

start from a lyrical hook, 

which is sometimes the title, 

sometimes the first line, 

sometimes the refrain (and 

sometimes all three). These 

can be fairly obvious: 

“Heartbreak Diet“ (a song 

about how your stomach can 

suffer along with your heart) 

or “My Girlfriend's Got a 

Chainsaw“ (about a poor sod 

who's cheating on his lumberjack 

girlfriend... big mistake!). 

Others are less evident. A 

few years ago, my sister-inlaw 

was wearing a T-shirt with 

a simple map of a place 

called Block Island (off the 

coast of the U.S. state of 

Rhode Island), but to me it 

looked like a porkchop. I said, 

“Why are you wearing a T- 

shirt with a porkchop on it?” 

And she said, “Most people 

say it looks like a teardrop.” 

My response, of course, was: 

“Porkchops and Teardrops... 

I'm sure there's a country 

song in there somewhere!” 

So I had what I thought was a 

cool lyrical hook, but no idea 

what the song might be about. 

I soon realized it had to 

describe the nexus between 

food and heartache (do you 

see a pattern here?!). I wrote 

a line about a woman who 

“thought it was smart/to feed 

his heart/by stuffing his belly.” 

But I wanted to set the scene 

of a traditional family man, 

and create something of a 

humorous tone. Hence the 

first line: ”He was a man who 

brought home the bacon/And 

the ice cream too/A great 

provider of celery and 

cider/And plenty of beef for 

the stew.” 

In the pre-chorus, he skips out 

on dinner: “Said he'd found 

someone new, a perfect soul 

mate/Who don't smell like 

onions and make him put on 

weight.” That sets up the 

chorus, “All she was left with 

was porkchops and 

teardrops...” 

For the second verse, I wanted 

to spin the narrative forward, 

portraying the woman 

as the heroine and giving the 

man the comeuppance he 

deserved. So I introduced his 

new paramour, who fed him 

nothing but natural foods, and 

“pretty soon he withered 

away/Could bring home the 

bacon no more.” The first 

woman, meanwhile, “She 

cried and she cried/Then she 

baked and then she fried/Then 

she found someone new, a 

perfect soul mate/Who loved 

smelling onions and putting 

on weight/She forgot about 

them porkchops and 

teardrops...” 

Until I figured out what the 

song was about, it would have 

been impossible to construct 

the narrative. But once I had 

an image of my characters in 

mind, it was easy to craft a 

story around these two, with 

each line supporting the plot. 

Think back on some of the 

best songs of the past halfcentury, 

and you'll find that 

their first lines grab the listener 

and set the tone for story. 

Dylan starts Like a Rolling 

Stone with the line “Once 

upon a time you dressed so 

04 www.writeawaymagazine.co.uk

cs Doctor 

fine/You threw the bums a dime in your 

prime, didn't you?” That introduces the plot 

and the protagonist of the story, a woman 

who has misstepped in some way, with double 

internal rhymes. ”Please allow me to 

introduce myself/I'm a man of wealth and 

taste” takes you straight to the heart of 

Sympathy for the Devil, in which Lucifer portrays 

himself as a victim of God's perfidious 

scheming. And Patti Smith eases into Gloria 

by singing “Jesus died for somebody’s sins, 

but not mine,” a song about the bravado and 

bluster of youth (at least that's my interpretation). 

If you deconstruct the rest of those songs 

(and countless others), you'll find that the 

lyrics propel the narrative forward, sometimes 

with an unexpected wrinkle introduced 

in the second or third verse, and sometimes 

taking a relatively straight path to the end. 

But in most great songs, the writer knows 

what he or she is trying to say (even if it's 

not always entirely clear to the listener), and 

each verse, chorus, and bridge underpins 

that idea. 

Happy SongwR x iting 

The Lyrics Doctor 

Note from the editor... 

If you have a lyrics - related 

question you’d like answered 

please email it to me and I’ll forward 

to The Lyrics Doctor. 



05

Lyrical Do Not # 4 

Have you ever heard the word 

hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia? 

What does it mean, and why is it important 

to lyrics? 

Everyone has a fear of something, be it 

internal or external. For some people, 

they have a legitimate fear of long 

words. Words that intimidate your 

listener are not always a good 

approach. Few listeners want to be 

bothered with finding the definition of 

words in your lyrics. You could, 

however, help the listener by also 

including the definition in your lyric, 

such as found in 

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. 

Large words, uncommon words, and 

words that are difficult to understand 

should be avoided because they tend to 

distract the listener. If the distraction 

is too great, it can take away the 

effects of your hook. 

Keep your lyrics in common language 

conversation and try to avoid making 

your listener feel inferior 

THE EIGHT SENSES IN LYRICS 

It is important to paint a good picture in 

your lyric so your listener can imagine 

a scene while listening to your music. 

There are eight important senses to 

know and understand, and they fall in 

two groups. 

SENSE 1 – Hearing. Anything that 

speaks about sound will fit this, such as 

the breeze whistling through the trees. 

SENSE 2 – Smelling. Anything that has 

a scent, odor, or smell. Maybe you can 

smell the rain, a fresh baked apple pie, 

or mildew in a weathered shack. 

SENSE 3 – Tasting. Nothing is better 

than mama’s cooking. Mentioning a 

common food will automatically tease 

the taste sense, such as mint chocolate 

cookies. 

SENSE 4 – Seeing. This is any visual 

object. Red solo cup, a bottle of wine, 

a pink dress, or yellow roses are great 

examples of this sense. 

SENSE 5 – Touch. Anything that 

involves physical contact, such as 

touching my skin. Mentioning how 

something feels to the touch such as 

soft, rough, or delicate is a touch 

sense. 

SENSE 6 – Sixth. I know what your 

thinking. Here you are reading this 

article, wondering how in the world you 

can write a sixth sense into your lyric. I 

know you can do it. Using this example, 

or stating you are finishing someone’s 

sentence before they get the 

words out is a fine example of sixth 

sense. 

SENSE 7 – Organic or self. This is what 

you are feeling inside of you, such as a 

heartbeat, muscle cramps, broken 

bones, a head ache, or feeling cold. 

SENSE 8 – Kinesthetics. This is the 

abnormal feelings you can get, such as 

feeling dizzy, butterflies, feeling of 

06 


Daryn Wright 

falling, anxiety, or similar. 

GROUP 1 – Visual image 

group. This group consists of 

the first five senses, smell, 

sight, hear, touch, and taste. 

It uses simple language that 

easily gets the imagination of 

the listener with little effort. 

GROUP 2 – Self awareness 

image group. This group 

utilizes expressions that dictate 

how you feel. This group 

requires the listener to relate 

to the lyric words. 

When selecting the use of a 

self awareness image, you 

should make it a well known 

term, or couple it with a visual 

image, such as IT GAVE 

ME GOOSEBUMPS. What the 

lyric does not say, can be 

done with the vocals and 

vocal melody. Have you ever 

heard someone sing that 

gave you goosebumps? That 

is how it works. It can be 

intentional. When writing 

more modern type lyrics, 

practice using a combination 

of all 8 of these senses to 

paint a clear picture of what 

is happening in your lyric. 

Written by Daryn Wright 

https://www.darynwright.com 

https://www.reverbnation.co 

m/darynwright 


07

How To Write A 

Finished Song Lyric 

By Trevor Dimoff, 

epicsongwriting.com 

To complete your song lyrics, you have to put your 

song sections, the chorus, verses and the optional 

pre-chorusand bridge, into a song structure. 

Understanding the functions of each song section 

helps you put them in the best order to finish a song 

that creates an emotional impact on your listeners. 

Your audience has expectations from your popular 

song because of the countless popular songs they 

have listened to and loved. When you don’t fulfill 

these expectations, they won’t relate to your song. 

Basic Principles of Song Structure 

The chorus is the main point of your song. 

The verses contain the plot, the beginning, middle 

and end of the story you tell through your song. 

The optional pre-chorus serves to connect the end 

of each verse to the chorus. 

The optionalbridge is a relief from the rest of the 

song, it provides a different perspective on the story 

of your song and often contains the resolution of the 

story in your song. 

Listen to songs you love in the genre you’re writing, 

If they have a pre-chorus &/or a bridge, use them in 

your songs. 

Shorthand 

I=introduction 

V=verse 

PC=pre-chorus 

C=chorus 

B=bridge 

O=outro (ending) 

The fundamental structure in a song is an alternation 

between V and C, so two verses = V C V C 

A Pre-chorus connects the end of the verse to a 

chorus, so with a pre-chorus = V PC C is a building 

block. 

A bridge is usually framed with a chorus before and 

after it, so C B C is a building block. 

A song with 2 verses, a pre-chorus and a bridge is 

usually V PC C V PC C B C 

Occasionally a PC is inserted after the bridge: 

V PC C V PC C B PC C 

Add a musical introduction and/or an ending to complete 

your song! 

Musical Examples: 

These are the six songs that I referenced in previous 

Write Away articles: 

How to Write a Bridge 

(March 2019) and 

How to Write a Pre-Chorus 

(May 2019). 

Pick at least two of your favourites songs and follow 

along while you listen to them. Don’t just read this 

section… listen.... 

Shape of You, Ed Sheeran 

I V PC C V PC C B C 

I=4 bars of music from the verse 

One More Night, Maroon 5 

I V PC C V PC C B C C 


Rolling in the Deep, Adele 

I V V PC C V PC C C B PC C 

I=2 bars 

Delicate, Taylor Swift 

I V PC C V PC C B C C 


C is 8 bars with 4 bars of extra that is omitted for the 

last 2 choruses. 

Numb, Linkin Park 

I V PC C V PC C B C C O 



Trevor Dimoff 

O=4 bars of music from the verse 

All of Me, John Legend 

I V PC C V PC C B C O 


O= 8 bars added to the last C 

Conclusions 

Song structure formula is relatively simple in popular 

songs. Followthe typical song structure, instead of trying 

to invent something new. Instead of trying to be 

“creative” with the song structure, focus your creativity 

on lyrics, story and message in the song. Despite the 

different genres and styles in these examples, all of the 

example songs use the same song structure with only 

minor variations: 

I V PC C V PC C B C 

Next Month… 

Songwriting Reference Tracks: 

How to improve your lyric writing by studying songs you 

love! 

Trevor Dimoff is a songwriter, songwriting teacher and 

the founder of 

epicsongwriting.com 

You can read more about writing lyrics and music for 

song sections… 

https://epicsongwriting.com/popular-song-parts/ 

Songwriting Credits 

All of Me - written by John Stephens / Tobias Gad 

Delicate - written by Taylor Swift / Max Martin / Karl 

Johan Schuster 

Numb - written by Brad Delson, Chester Charles 

Bennington, Dave Farrell, Joseph Hahn, Mike Shinoda, 

Robert G. Bourdon. 

One More Night - written by Adam Noah Levine, Johan 

Karl Schuster, Max Martin, Savan Harish Kotecha. 

Rolling the the Deep - written by Adele Adkins, Paul 

Richard Epworth. 

Shape of You - written by John McDaid / Steve Mac / 

Edward Christopher Sheeran / Kandi L. Burruss / Kevin 

Jerome Briggs / Tameka D. Cottle 


09

5 Essential Elements 

for Successful 

Songwriting - I Call 

it S.P.L.A.Q! (Part 3) 

By: Mark (Markus T) 

Townley (c) 2016 

ARTIST(S) 

Lets now focus our attention to 

who is actually going to sing, 

record and perform your song. 

If you are singer / songwriter then 

you have this covered. But then 

there is always the possibility that 

another music artist could do something 

different and amazing with your 

song or even just your words or 

lyrics. Its going to be a matter of 

choice and preference on promoting 

yourself also as a songwriter vs performing 

artist. Some do this really 

well, most in my experience as they 

progress tend to get into more collaboration 

with songwriters to give 

some more options and variety as to 

what they are going to record and 

perform. 

In addition to the feature artist (be 

that vocal soloist or even instrumentalist) 

do also then consider the quality, 

skills and talents of the lyric writers 

and musicians that will make up 

the backbone of your song. This will 

depend on the style and genre and 

purpose of the song, whether it is to 

be a simple guitar or piano tune or a 

more full band production. Every 

person who contributes to a song is 

an artist in their own right, by mindful 

and respectful of each and every 

part and person on your song - they 

will all make a difference (and without 

getting too philosophical, the collaborative 

output will be much 

greater than the sum of the individual 

parts - such is the magic of 

music). It is rare that someone can 

be great at everything required for a 

hit song today but is of course going 

to be a balance of budget and 

resources also. They key point is to 

think about how you can achieve the 

best contributions within your means 

to put your song production together. 

This also comes back to my point on 

Purpose on whether you are open to 

simply your words, lyrics or music 

being picked up by any musician / 

artist to interpret and produce into a 

new song of whether you have and 

want specific ideas regarding your 

song. It is important as a song writer 

that you be clear and comfortable on 

this. This also becomes important for 

song copyright management and royalties 

(which again is another separate 

article topic) and I wont go into 

all of that here. Please do take the 

time to discuss this (and ideally 

agree in writing) with any proposed 

performance artist(s) and producers 

of your songs in terms of co-writing, 

recording and/or performance royalties. 

The other key point about Artist(s) of 

your songs is that they will strongly 

set the tone and personality of your 

music and the association of your 

songs will sit strongly with the feature 

performing artist. Their role is 

equally to input their personality into 

you song and improve the appeal to 

listeners. 

Again as a songwriter you may not 

have (or want to have) the complete 

choice in who might record and perform 

your songs and bring them to 

life but I encourage you to consider 

this and do some research on the 

proposed recording / performance 

artist for your songs and be comfortable 

with the association and relationship 

that this will mean for you. 

A bad performance of great song is 

equal to a great performance of a 

bad song! Think about the performing 

artist as the amplifier of the story 

and message you always wanted to 

tell with your song. A discussion 

with the performing artist on Style, 

Purpose and target audience 

(Listeners) would also be a good 

thing! 

If you are the writer and artist then I 

encourage you to think about both 

elements; is this a great song to be 

recording and/or performing and 

separately for the performance 

artist, how can you really make the 

words and music appeal to the listeners. 

QUALITY 

And finally, last and by no means 

least lets talk about songwriting and 

also song production quality. How 

can I say this politely? Cheesy cliche 

lyrics, out of pitch instruments and 

vocals or bad audio recording will 

very likely reduce your immediate listening 

audience by at least 80%! If 

you think of people scrolling through 

typical Facebook feeds and reading 

and listening to say the first 10 seconds 

of a post (as an unknown writer 

/ artist to them) then listeners and 

likes are going to be based on this 

first 10 seconds which will then 

determine if they continue on listening. 

As a passionate supporter of indie 

music and new writers and artist I 

find myself scrolling though these 

pages and sites very often and doing 

the quick 10 - 20 second listen to 

many different songs. I am then 

sometimes caught in a bit of personal 

dilemma (particularly when people 

ask for honest feedback) because 

sometimes my initial reaction is not 

good but then I think of the devastation 

and outrage if I was to actually 

to post back a comment saying “this 

is rubbish!” Whilst the music industry 

can be a confronting and brutal 

business, I am always mindful of 

where people are at on their own 

writing and learning journey but at 

the same time I think that reasonable 

intelligent people should also be 

aware of what is being posted and 

reflection of their own song posts 

and publishing for their personal 

brand. Of course everyone is also 

entitled to their own opinion and perspective 

however I believe I (and 

most others) also have a good understanding 

or relative songwriting quality 

across genres. 

My comments and reactions on the 

songs I hear are also based on what I 

read about where the writers and 

artists are at personally. If you are 

15 and posting your first song, having 

learned guitar for the last year 

(and the Purpose of your song and 

post is for constructive feedback) 

then you have set the scene well. If 

you just post or publish a song, with 

no context, as a more experienced 

artist and songwriter (and it is badly 

recorded, out of tune with cliche 

lyrics) then you have opened yourself 

up more widely to quality criticism 

and have potentially not set yourself 

up for success (and remembering 

that the most polite way for people 

not to comment is “not to 

comment”at all). Let people know a 

bit about you and where you are at. 

I also understand and accept that 

there are different online forums and 

sites for all types of writers and 

artists, from beginners to experienced 

professionals so I think the 

key point is to mindful of what and 


Mark Townley 

where you post your songs and 

importantly to give the readers and 

listeners some context on why you 

are posting or publishing your song. 

Finally on the point of songwriting 

and song production quality (mainly 

aimed at the music producers and 

artists) the new digital age has 

meant that a good home studio can 

be set up now for few hundred dollars 

capable of putting out very good 

quality song production. There are 

many great songs being put out there 

now on a USB microphone and 

Garage Band. For a few bucks more 

you can get into some better music 

production software, audio interface 

and better microphone (for less than 

a day in a professional recording studio). 

Considering also the quality of 

the headphones and speakers that 

many people will be listening to your 

songs on. They will be much less 

interested in how many milliseconds 

of reverb you have on the snare drum 

or delay on your guitars and much 

more interested in how the song 

sounds overall from a melody, lyric 

and structure perspective and an 

interesting (in tune) vocal! 

Let me also say that for a professional 

commercial song production that 

the role, quality and experience of a 

professional recording studio and 

engineer cannot be matched in a 

home set-up. My point is that for new 

writers and artists (with limited budget) 

the difference in investing a little 

bit to get a much better initial quality 

song production product is very 

much worthwhile and could accelerate 

your chances of getting the listeners 

and likes to take you to the 

professional studio. 

So whether it be your words/lyrics, 

melody, chords, instruments, vocals 

or overall sound recording, please do 

pay attention to the best quality you 

can achieve within your immediate 

means. As the saying goes, first 

impressions do count, so if you can 

take a little more time or a few more 

dollars invested in the production, 

then I suggest that will be very worthwhile 

to really give your songs the 

best chance at initial success. Find 

people who can and will give you 

some “honest” constructive feedback 

and take that on board (especially 

the common themes and messages 

in the feedback rather than any one 

person) remembering that ultimately 

it is your song, your music, your message 

and story that you want to get 

out there in your own style also 

. 

Conclusion (Outro) 

So there you have it, the S.P.L.A.Q. 

guide to songwriting (think Style, 

Purpose, Listeners, Artists and 

Quality) and you should be well set 

up for some success, relative to 

where you are at with your own goals 

for your songwriting journey! 

I trust this has provided some food 

for thought and useful information to 

apply to your current songwriting 

(and some inspiration to continue to 

improve your skills). 

The good thing about songwriting, is 

that if you get stuck or are not happy 

with the progress, you can always 

just put it on hold and start another 

one! And remember, you don’t have 

to go it alone, there are always people 

ready and willing to help and collaborate 

- because they understand 

the journey you are on also! 

I look forward to listening to your 

new songs soon! 

Best wishes, 

@MarkusTMusic 

https://open.spotify.com/artist/4Zti12 

t0EPObqkqcU1PeX9?si=FPpXt06BSg 

mDsKms5x1ZrQ 

www.musindie.com 

Note from the editor.... I’d like to offer a huge thank you to Mark Townley for allowing me to 

include this fantastic songwriting guide in my magazine. It’s sure to help many people as they 

continue on their own songwriting journeys. I’d urge you to check out his music on the links. x 

Mark Townley 

Founder & Executive 

Director at 

Ideas2outcomes, 

Founder & Executive 

Director at 

CircleSource & CEO 

& Co-Founder at 

Musindie. 

Studied at Montash 

University 

Lives in Melbourne, 

Victoria, Australia 


11

Songwriting - Is There A W 

If you ask a sculptor what 

their latest work "means", 

the traditional art wisdom 

says you'll be deeply dissatisfied 

with the answer. After 

all, that particular artist has 

clearly chosen to express 

whatever unique insight and 

whatever private pain they 

have....in clay. If they wanted 

to work in words, they 

would have been a writer. 

Logically then, we would 

expect a more satisfying 

answer when posing the 

same question to our friendly 

neighborhood songwriter. 

After all, that person works 

in words, and actually 

spends hours trying to succinctly 

distill complex experiences 

into short, yet powerful, 

verbal snapshots. That 

are, for lack of a better term: 

"catchy". With some kind of 

musical notes glued on for 

the ride. With, as in any 

other art form, the ability to 

at once seem completely 

familiar and natural--while 

also fresh....even revolutionary. 

And, as in any other 

field of human excellence, 

the ability to inspire admiration, 

even awe, the "Wow! 

Can a human being actually 

do THAT!!" response. Uhoh, 

dear reader....as the 

semaphore flags on my parents' 

cocktail glasses used 

to spell out: "You are standing 

into danger"--this may be 

harder than we thought. 

Harder than we thought 

indeed, because, analogous 

to our first case, if the songwriter 

felt the need (and ability) 

to express his or her personal 

reality in straightforward 

prose, they surely 

would have worked in prose! 

Not rhyming jingles! And 

they CERTAINLY wouldn't 

have dragged that old emotional 

button-pusher MUSIC 

into the equation. Having 

embarked on this attempt to 

analyze this odd human 

activity, we are, in one 

sense, immediately defeated....one 

central truth of the 

matter is this: no one really 

knows where these artistic 

impulses originate. Having 

admitted defeat, however, 

we can attempt to describe 

the part of the elephant we 

can detect in our part of the 

room. So we soldier on. 

People inquiring about songwriting 

often start with this 

question: Music first? Or 

lyrics first, music built to 

match afterward? For me, 

it's almost always lyrics first. 

The rhythm of the phrases 

will usually suggest a rhythm 

for the accompaniment, and 

eventually, some chord 

changes and such will suggest 

themselves. Not quite 

as simple as "You see, Sally, 

major keys are for HAPPY 

songs, and minor keys are 

SAD" ( in fact, somewhere 

on my website there's a rant 

12 


Bill Halloran 

iring Diagram For That? 

about the whole twisted 

world of blues, based on the 

possibly racist (certainly 

Eurocentric) assumption 

that the flat third and seventh 

must mean that the 

Africans are sad.....but i 

digress).....sorry, I'm back 

now....ANYHOW, some 

chords suggest themselves, 

and we're off! In fact, tearing 

the daunting task of 

attempting to write a song 

down to a manageable trick: 

I'm looking for a title. Just a 

title. If the title is powerful 

enough to suggest one brilliant 

insight into the human 

condition (or just a fun 

insight!), the goddamn thing 

writes itself! And one 

insight is about the correct, 

pointed amount of wisdom 

that can conveniently fit into 

a 3 minute pop song. 

Don't make me drag 

Aristotle and his unity of 

time, place and action into 

this article, 'cause you know 

I'll do it, you know I'll do it! 

But old Ari could turn a 

phrase or two, depending on 

whatever vintage he and 

Plato were throwing back. 

Check these titles, submitted 

for your approval: "I Second 

That Emotion"........"I Feel 

Like Breaking up 

Somebody's Home" ...."I 

Hope the Russians Love 

Their Children Too" (ok, I 

cheated on that one...title 

shortened to 

"Russians"....for good measure, 

I'll throw in my own "If 

You Ever Need A Friend, Buy 

A Dog", and perhaps " If 

God Can Make That, No 

Wonder He's In Charge". 

Each of those sets a scene 

vividly enough that, as songwriters, 

we're OFF! Filling in 

the blanks....a thrust here, a 

riposte there....hell, pull out 

the rhyming dictionary and 

we'll polish this up in 15 minutes! 

Songwriting articles often 

extol the benefits of co-writing.....careful 

with your feelings 

there. There are "pros" 

who write with other pros 

they've just met....insert joke 

of your choice about the 

pornography industry, but if 

you're the sensitive type, 

choose someone gentle to 

co-write with. I used to cowrite 

with a friend, and we 

kind of unofficially started 

using "well, maybe it needs 

a bridge" instead of "that 

song sucks"....a bridge IS a 

contrasting counter-melody, 

right? Anyhow, your friend 

may have an idea but no 

place to go with it (not a frequent 

occurrence) but will 

more often be a brilliant help 

polishing what you've got... 

www.wildcatohalloran.com 

To be continued next month.. 

www.writeawaymagazine.co.uk 13

I’ve been writing songs for 10 years 

off and on with bands, and in a duo 

for several years for performance, 

but more recently have applied myself 

to writing lyrics professionally aimed at 

commercial collaborations for synch (TV 

& movie) work and for artists. 

\ÇáÑ|Ütà|ÉÇ? Xwâvt 

Growing up in our house we were surrounded 

by music with a vast collection 

of vinyls from my parents, older siblings 

and myself an avid collector of singles 

in those days. Subsequently musical 

inspiration came from Dolly Parton, 

Jonny Cash, Gladys Night, Bob Marley, 

Debbie Harry and Annie Lennox to name 

but a few. I’ve always been attracted to 

a great lyric, and every song that 

becomes a favourite will have that line I 

can point to that hooked me in first. 

I am inspired by moments, phrases and 

people watching. I like the process of 

writing by hand. I aspire to tell timeless 

stories through song like my inspirations 

above. 

Songwriting courses abound, and 

attending one or two immersive bootcamps 

is great, but my advice is shop 

around. Retreats are great for focused 

songwriting if you are not able to write 

regularly. Songwriting magazines and 

YouTube deconstructions of hit singles 

can give you different insights into 

different techniques. I’ve had loads of 

great advice and peer reviews from 

online lyricist/songwriting groups and 

singer-songwriter circles. Being open to 

14 


Ann Kenney 

à|ÉÇ? cxÜáÑ|Ütà|ÉÇ 

learning something new everyday helps 

to write better songs. 

Without question, the most repeated 

phrase I have heard and read is that 

“great songs aren’t written – they are rewritten”. 

Crafting the song so that it’s the best 

lyric, evocative and original is the difference 

between a good song and a great 

song. This takes time, grit and bags of 

imagination. 

Getting your great song out there 

requires access to great musicians, producers 

and artists, so networking is a 

must. Professional memberships can 

help with this, and online networking 

works too, but there is still room for face 

to face networking and making real 

friendships that will stand the test of 

time. 

Great musical content is still needed by 

an ever-expanding music and media 

industry, and great songs will be found. 

So the best advice I’ve heard so far has 

been do your best work, get your best 

work out there. 

www.annkenneysongs.com 

https://www.facebook.com/annkenneysongs/ 

https://twitter.com/annkenneysongs 


15

Finding Inspiration From 

Live Gigs 

Lyric writers love playing with words, and 

the holy grail can be to create a lyric 

dripping in literary sophistication. There’s 

a danger though that what looks great on 

paper won’t easily translate into a 

coherent impactful song. 

A good testing ground for whether songs 

work is to play them live. And for lyricists, 

it’s good to get to gigs to soak in the 

atmosphere and feel and hear what types 

of songs triumph in that live environment. 

Getting to music concerts 

It’s been ages since I attended any concerts. 

Life’s been busy, but I made a resolution 

to get to some shows. The first was 

American band Enuff Z’nuff, and the second 

was Swedish band the Electric Boys. 

Both were rock bands I’d loved from the 

1990s and I was thrilled to see that they 

were playing a local venue, Bannermans, 

in Edinburgh. As chance would have it, 

both bands were supported by an excellent 

UK-based band, Last Great Dreamers. 

I immediately realised what I’d been 

missing out on. The excited buzz from the 

crowd, the camaraderie that exists 

amongst rock fans, and the thrill of hearing 

loud live music! It also brought home 

aspects of songwriting that sometimes 

are overlooked. 

So here are some observations and tips: 

1. The crowd aren’t judging songs on 

every single word 

Lyric writers often go through Hell figuring 

out what word to use at a particular part 

of a lyric. Or they are aghast at the 

thought of rhyming the same word at the 

end of two lines. Many of us probably 

have work-in-progress lyrics that are 

stuck because we can’t resolve these 

conundrums! 

But in that live context the audience can’t 

hear every word. And they aren’t 

bothered about a stray word here or there 

as long as the song sounds good. The 

lyric is still very important but it supports 

the music, not the other way around. 

Learning: Do strive for fantastic lyrics but 

don’t let the quest for perfection prevent a 

song from being created. 

2. A catchy chorus or strong hook steals 

the show 

Coming out of my recent concerts there 

were certain songs that got stuck in my 

head. nOr, to be more precise, specific 

parts of certain songs. nFor example, I 

had the chorus to the Electric Boys’ song 

‘Mary in the Mystery World’ stuck in my 

head for days. 

‘Mary in the mystery world / She sets my 

soul on fire / Mary’s such a mystery girl / 

And no-one takes me higher / Mary’s my 

desire’ 

Those kinds of earworms are a great 

gauge of the success of a song. And 

they’re often built upon a volume of 

repetitions that lyric writers may not think 

to include. A good example is the Bruce 

Springsteen hit ‘Born in the USA’, which 

has a chorus of: 

‘Born in the USA /I was born in the USA / I 

was born in the USA / Born in the USA’ 

I suspect if Bruce had posted that lyric on 

a Writers’ critique forum he would have 

got an avalanche of criticism, but as a 

song it works … and has made lots of 

money for him! 

Learning: Sing your lyric, don’t just read 

16 


Simon Wright 

it, and consider whether it has that ‘stuck 

in head’ quality. Don’t be afraid of repetition. 

3. Song structure is important 

Beginner lyric writers often focus on the 

words and the story they are telling 

without thinking about how songs are 

constructed musically. The verse sections 

they create may differ distinctly in terms 

of number of lines, length, syllable count, 

and in the way they sound when sung. 

Collaborating with musicians helped me 

understand that songs need to have 

structure and the words must be capable 

of being sung to a repeating musical pattern. 

(You’ll hear the term prosody used, 

normally where a musician is commenting 

why your lyric isn’t capable of being 

sung!) 

And this lesson is further hammered home 

when you listen to songs being played live. 

You may be listening to a song that you’ve 

never heard before but if the band (and 

song) is good you will be anticipating the 

next repetition of the chorus or of the 

music that underpins each verse. 

die based on the band members’ ability to 

perform them in a more raw state. 

So if you have got as far as being involved 

in the creation of songs, then seek out 

opportunities to hear them performed live. 

It will help you to refine the lyrics and the 

music as you observe how they fare in that 

setting. 

And, as a final comment, keep going to 

gigs as they will further ignite your passion 

for lyric writing. I certainly came 

away from the Enuff Z’nuff and Electric 

Boys gigs absolutely buzzing and eager to 

write lots more rock lyrics! 

About Simon Wright 

Simon is an Irish lyric writer who lives in 

Scotland. He collaborates with musicians 

across the world to turn his lyrics into 

songs. Check out his website 

LyricSlinger.co.uk 

and follow @TheLyricSlinger on Twitter 

Learning: Make sure you are clear on the 

song structure for every lyric that you 

create. And that each repeating section 

(e.g. verses, chorus) is consistent. Doing 

so will make it much more likely that 

musicians will want to work with your 

lyrics. 

Why hearing a song live is a true reflection 

of its quality 

When we listen to a song on the radio, the 

chances are that a lot of time and money 

have gone into making sure that it sounds 

as perfect as it possibly can. There will be 

lush production values, layered vocals 

from the singer, maybe boosted by autotune. 

But when a song is played live the 

same luxuries don’t apply. Songs live or 


17

THE PIECE MAN 

The Piece Man 

By Nick Briggs 

Alone in your room. Your'e silent as the 

night 

Never saying much, you've learned not to 

fight 

They’re saying. it's good you are at home 

Tell me what's good In a heart of stone 

Chorus 

And you've Learned not to Scream 

Holding tightly to a dream 

And you know what to do to survive 

And you call yourself the pieceman 

You give everyone a piece man 

It's breaking my heart and, 

That's the way it is 

Yes, and you call yourself the piece man 

It's breaking my heart and 

We’re so far apart, but that's the way it is 

We've scrapped all our photos. And 

Turned them into dust 

Fired all your fears, painted your metal 

with our rust 

Tore up all our maps, stole the keys to your 

door 

Put you on a boat, and cast you far from 

shore 

Chorus 

So hold on to your all values, to what you 

believe 

Life is a magician with good things up its 

sleeve 

When you make a journey, be sure to 

enjoy the view 

The total strength within you, comes from 

being true 

Athistle. Bare feet. Three years old 

and crying. That is my earliest 

childhood memory. And then came 

the pneumonia. I remember that too. 

It seems to me that our earliest memories 

are often painful ones. And I guess that’s 

the way survival works. 

Perhaps it is that way with songwriting too. 

I became a songwriter by accident. After 

almost 20 years of marriage, everything 

was broken. Daily life was painful. I was 

no longer living with my children. 

One day my eleven year old son said to 

me, “Dad, I call myself the pieceman.” He 

explained that it wasn’t “peace “ it was 

“piece” because, as he said, “I try to give 

a piece of myself to everyone.” 

That phrase went round and round in my 

head. He was hardly a man yet. It cut me 

through and burned. 

One day I picked up the acoustic six 

string, struck a C chord and I began 

singing and changing chords as I went. 

Although I had a poor sense of timing and 

rhythm, the words spilled out of me. The 

melody came instantly. It was unplanned, 

effortless, a pure expression of what I felt 

at that very time. 

I scribbled down the words and chords. I 

thought “Wow, that’s exactly how I feel. 

And then I realised I had written the first 

verse of a song. The rest followed in similar 

fashion. The hook came from my son’s 

imagination, not my own, “I call myself the 

Pieceman” 


Nick Briggs 

With a few tweaks, the song was written. 

I played it through, tears streaming 

down my cheeks. I was not 

singing about my son, I was singing 

to my son. It was written from the 

heart. I could hardly believe it. 

Somehow, I felt better after I had belted 

it out a few times. 

It was my first song. Emotional. It 

was real. I didn’t foresee that anyone 

else would be likely to hear it. 

Equally, I was sure that it was a one 

off and that I would never write 

another. 

That did not turn out to be the case, 

but it would be a while before another 

song would come so quickly. 

https://soundcloud.com/user- 

148909283 


19

Lord, Won’t You Buy 

Me A Mercedez Benz 

Mercedes Benz 

Janis Joplin 

Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz 

My friends all drive Porches I must make 

amends 

Worked hard all my lifetime no help from 

my friends 

So oh Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes 

Benz 

Oh Lord, won't you buy me a color T.V. 

Dialing for dollars is trying to find me 

I wait for delivery each day until three 

Oh Lord, won't you buy me a color T.V. 

Lord won't you buy me a night on the town 

I'm counting on you Lord please don't let 

me down 

Prove that you love me and buy the next 

round 

Oh Lord, won't you buy me a night on the 

town 

Songwriters: BOB NEUWIRTH, 

JANIS JOPLIN, MICHAEL 

MCCLURE 

1970 

It’s Thursday, Oct. 1, at the Sunset Sound 

recording studio in Los Angeles. Janis Joplin 

asks producer Paul Rothchild to roll tape. 

She has a song she’d like to sing. 

The services of backing band Full Tilt Boogie, 

present and ready for action, will not be necessary. 

Joplin steps to the microphone and 

makes a declaration. “I’d like to do a song of 

great social and political import,” she says, a 

twinkle in her eye. “It goes like this.” Then she 

begins to sing, exercising soulful control over 

her enormous, whiskey-soaked voice: “Oh 

Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes-Benz? / 

My friends all drive Porsches, I must make 

amends …” 

“Mercedes Benz” is a lonely blues tune about 

the illusory happiness promised (but rarely 

delivered) by the pursuit of worldly goods, a 

hippie-era rejection of the consumerist ideals 

that Joplin saw growing up as a self-described 

“middle-class white chick” in Port Arthur, 

Texas. She had come to California in the early 

’60s and quickly earned a place as one of the 

leading musical lights in a generation that 

shared her utopian anti-materialism. When 

Joplin sang, in the second and third verses of 

“Mercedes Benz,” for “a color TV” and “a night 

on the town,” she knew all too well that neither 

would bring her peace. “It’s the want of 

something that gives you the blues,” she once 

said. “It’s not what isn’t, it’s what you wish 

was that makes unhappiness.” 


Janis Joplin 

https://youtu.be/i-4AheUl6ls 


21

Janis Joplin 

19/01/43-04/10/70 


Janis Joplin 

She began finding the words to express that 

complex impulse while on tour on the opposite 

side of the country: in New York City, during a 

game of pool with friends Rip Torn and Emmett 

Grogan. The two were singing a memory-mangled 

version of a song by poet Michael 

McClure. Mostly what they remembered was 

the first line: “Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a 

Mercedes-Benz?” Joplin loved it and began 

singing along herself. 

Once back in California, Joplin and friend Bob 

Neuwirth took the fragment of McClure’s lyric 

and fleshed it out into a full song. Joplin 

called McClure at his home in San Francisco’s 

Haight-Ashbury district, seeking his approval. 

“Would you sing me your version?” he said. 

She did. “Well, I prefer my version,” he 

responded, and proceeded to sing his original 

through the telephone line (accompanying himself 

on autoharp). “I prefer my version!” she 

informed him with a cackle. It was settled: 

The two renditions would coexist in peace. 

When Joplin set about preparing to record a 

new album in late summer 1970, the stakes 

were high. She had made her name as the firebrand 

frontwoman of San Francisco’s Big 

Brother and the Holding Company from 1966 

through late 1968, but her subsequent solo 

career had not been as well received. She now 

entrusted her fate to Doors producer 

Rothchild, who began by insisting that she 

record at Sunset Sound—not at her record label 

CBS’s own studio, as was required of its artists 

at the time. CBS president Clive Davis reluctantly 

allowed the rule to be transgressed. 

In the following weeks, Joplin and Full Tilt 

Boogie powered through the recording of 

strong new songs like her own “Move Over” 

and Kris Kristofferson’s country-flavored “Me 

and Bobby McGee.” By Oct. 1, 1970, the 

album was practically in the bag—in addition to 

“Mercedes Benz,” the only other recording 

Joplin bothered with that day was an ersatzcocktail 

rendition of “Happy Trails” intended as 

a present for John Lennon’s 30th birthday 

eight days later. 

“It wasn’t a sad and tragic time,” Rothchild 

recalled in 1992 (three years before his death). 

“Fun was the underlying thing.” But the jovial 

atmosphere in the studio hid a secret: After a 

period of abstinence, Joplin had resumed the 

heroin habit that had dogged her throughout 

much of 1969. She explained to a friend that 

she was only using it to keep from drinking so 

much during the making of the album; alcohol 

hangovers hindered her performance in the 

studio. 

On Oct. 3, Full Tilt Boogie laid down a backing 

track for the Nick Gravenites tune “Buried 

Alive in the Blues”; Joplin was set to lay down 

her vocal the following day. Work finished at 

around 11 p.m., and the star returned to her 

room at the Landmark Motor Hotel. There she 

passed away from a heroin overdose during the 

night. She was 27. Rothchild and company 

fought through their shock and grief to spend 

the next two weeks applying the remaining 

overdubs needed to complete the album. The 

result was dubbed Pearl, after a nickname she 

had lately adopted. 

Outside the hotel on the night of her death sat 

Joplin’s car: not a Mercedes, but a Porsche she 

had bought in 1968 and paid friend Dave 

Richards $500 to paint in psychedelic colors. 

The hippie icon who sang, “My friends all drive 

Porsches,” was herself well aware of the real— 

if fleeting—pleasures to be found behind the 

wheel. 

“She’d go against traffic on blind curves, with 

the top down,” Rothchild recalled, “laughing, 

‘Nothing can knock me down!’ 

By Chris Neal 

Published with permission 

From Performing Songwriter 

Issue 116 

March/April 2009 

Category: Behind The Song 

www.PerformingSongwriter.com 


23

JANIS JOPLIN’S VOCALS 

PAUL SYKES 

When we think of dominating, powerful rock 

voices in the 60’s, a few names stand out 

and have stood the test of time. Amongst 

these is Janice Joplin. I’ve always thought of her 

as the female Robert Plant (Please don’t kill me for 

that). Raw, powerful and her voice helped define 

a whole generation. 

To this day, she is regarded as one of the all time 

great singers and even years after her passing, 

new singers these days are occasionally compared 

to her. Such is the status she attained within 

the industry. 

From a coaching point of view, she’s not one I’d 

instantly go to as an example of technique …. And 

that’s the exact point of this article. 

One of the things aspiring singers (and many 

polarized coaches) do is try to arm wrestle someone’s 

voice into a particular sound. You know? - 

the ‘proper’ way to sing. Whilst the singer may 

now be technically proficient, unless performance 

AND emotion is created, they may end up soulless 

in the process. 

There are a number of basic rules of singing 

tuition. Firstly, do no harm. Any technique that 

leaves a singer hoarse or sore is poor technique, 

because the vocal folds are being stressed. The 

most powerful of excellent voices don’t do this. 

Secondly, no artistic bias. The diversity of successful 

voices out there is virtually infinite. So 

long as the singer is singing safely, and it sounds 

cool, it’s appropriate. Did Janice hurt her voice 

while she was singing? We will never know. But 

there’s one thing she did and this is my third 

point… 

Behind every lyric is an emotion and behind every 

emotion is the intent of the writer. 

When a singer sounds technically great but 

doesn’t captivate the audience, guaranteed they 

don’t understand the song or they don’t know how 

to emote correctly. Nearly 100% of the time when 

I ask an aspiring singer what the song they are 

performing is about, they have no idea. When we 

get to the source of the writer and discover the 

emotion that’s appropriate for the song, they 

instantly know what to shoot for when they’re performing. 

Vulnerability is the path to this. The singer that 

stays emotionally reserved will never be able to 

generate truly amazing performances. 

The primary purpose of any artform is to cause an 

emotional reaction. Said another way, I don’t want 

your head to intrigue my head, I want your heart 

to touch my heart. Whether it’s looking at a photo, 

walking into a beautiful building, reading a book or 

listening to a song, win our hearts and you’ve won 

the game. And this is exactly what Janice Joplin 

did. 

http://vocalprocourses.com/ 

https://www.facebook.com/vocalpro.com.au 

Instagram.com/vocalpro.com.au 

She knew how to tell the story. Every, Single, 

Time. As writers, you’re very aware of the blank 

sheet of paper that stares back at you when you 

decide to write a song. Slowly, you get a concept 

that turns into ideas, that turns into words, that 

turn into verses, choruses and rewrites as the 

song takes form and gets closer to your intended 

message. 


One of my favorite songs 

is the first song I ever 

wrote called “how did 

we end up this way” . I had just 

gotten out of a long marriage 

and it was the first time I was 

living alone , and it was hard. 

As I was reminiscing, looking at 

pictures of the past, my feelings 

were so overwhelming that 

the lyrics just came to me. Like 

some relationships, as in this 

case, we just started drifting 

apart. 

The opening line says "How did 

we end up this way, When we 

been together forever" We had 

created a family and life, which 

seemed like what was suppose 

to happen, but our true love for 

each other was really missing. 

Another line says "I thought 

you were my everything, I realized 

it's just a dream" which 

says a lot about how different 

we both really interpreted our 

relationship. This is a true relationship's 

kind of song that I 

feel a lot of people can relate to 

and understand. 

https://itunes.apple.com/album/i 

d1448423269?ls=1&app=itunes 

www.brauninger.net 

Twitter- @bronzie9 

Instagram- bronzie_girl 

Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/brauningermusicfanpage/ 


Bullet The Blue Sky 

In the howling wind comes a stinging rain 

See it driving nails 

Into the souls on the tree of pain 

From the firefly, a red orange glow 

See the face of fear 

Running scared in the valley below 

The sky 

The sky 

Bullet the blue sky 


Bullet the blue 


In the locust wind comes a rattle and 

hum 

Jacob wrestled the angel 

And the angel was overcome 

You plant a demon seed 

You raise a flower of fire 

See them burning crosses 

See the flames higher and higher 

The sky 

The sky 





Yeah, alright, hold you 

Bono also describes creating a character 

who, as he saw it at the time, was 

paying for the war, with the lyrics: 

See, this guy comes up to me 

His face red like a rose on a thorn bush 

Like all the colours of a royal flush 

And he's peeling off those dollar bills 

Lapping them down one hundred, two 

hundred 

And I can see those fighter 

planes 

I can see those fighter 

planes 

Across the mud huts where 

the children sleep 

Through the valleys and the 

quiet city streets 

We take the staircase to the 

first floor 

We take the key and slowly 

unlock the door 

A man breathes into a saxophone 

Through the walls we hear the city groan 

Outside it's America, outside it's America 

So I'm back in my hotel room 

With John Coltrane and a love supreme 

And in the next room I hear a woman 

scream out 

Her lover's turning off, turning on the television 

And I can't tell the difference between 

ABC News 

Hillstreet Blues and a preacher on the 

Old Time Gospel Hour 

Stealing money from the sick and the old 

Well, the God I believe in isn't short of 

cash, mister 

I feel a long way from the hills of San 

Salvador 

Where the sky is ripped open and the 

rain pours 

Through a gaping wound, pelting the 

women and children 

Pelting the women and children 

Run, run in to the arms of America 

Songwriters: Adam Clayton / Dave Evans 

/ Larry Mullen / Paul David Hewson 

Bullet the Blue Sky lyrics © Universal 

Music Publishing Group 


U2-360 

U2 - Bullet The Blue 

Sky Article by John 

Brown of U2-360 The 

Ultimate U2 

Experience Tribute 

Band 

Bullet The Blue Sky was the 

fourth track on U2’s fifth studio 

album The Joshua Tree 

released in 1987 which was 

awarded the RIAA’s highest certification, 

Diamond, with 10 million units sold. 

I grew up listening to U2 from the age of 

around 13. I remember hearing ‘Bullet the 

Blue Sky’ and ‘Where The Streets Have No 

Name’ and just falling in love with U2’s 

music and lyrics. The Joshua Tree had 

many great U2 songs such as ‘Where The 

Streets Have No Name’, ‘With Or Without 

You’ and ‘I Still Haven’t Found What I’m 

Looking For’, all of which we perform live in 

U2-360. 

Bullet The Blue Sky was written after u2’s 

singer Bono spent time in El Salvador at the 

time of War within the country. While with 

an American movement who were offering 

solace to refugees, Bono witnessed the firebombing 

of villages in the distance which 

deeply upset him, knowing lives were being 

lost and being someone who read the religious 

scriptures Bono felt affected. These 

brutal actions were being sanctioned by 

religious people and so he used the language 

of the scriptures to describe the situation. 

Website: www.U2-360.com 

Facebook: 

https://www.facebook.com/TheU2Tribute/ 

Email: info@U2-360.com 


27

The Black Maria 

. 

The Band: 

The Cranberry Merchants 

are Steve and Dianne 

Moore, a husband & wife 

rock duo from Atlanta, GA. 

The Song: The Black Maria 

Making Rock & Roll… 

History! 

In 1893, Thomas A. Edison 

set up the world’s first 

movie studio at his laboratory 

complex in West 

Orange, NJ in a makeshift, 

tar paper covered building 

nicknamed “The Black 

Maria.” The earliest motion 

pictures on the new film 

medium via his kinetograph 

were shot inside of this 

building, with talent ranging 

from vaudeville acts to 

boxing cats. This song celebrates 

the history of The 

Black Maria and the first 

eclectic mix of movie stars 

to take the stage. 

Links: 

Music Video: 

https://youtu.be/V1XPIS2oE 

5Q 

Band Website: www.cranberrymerchants.com 

The lyrics: 

“The first motion picture 

studio ever set up in the 

world was in the yard of my 

laboratory of West Orange. 

The building revolved to 

follow the sun. We dubbed 

it The Black Maria.” 

Roll ‘em! 

Decades back in a tar 

paper shack 

Edison animates the photograph 

Tin Pan Alley and technology 

meet 

Renaissance, freak shows, 

and everything between 

In The Black Maria... 


Chiaroscuro world 1893 

Blacksmith demonstrating 

history 

Can-can, to Corbett, contortionist 

acts 

Kinetoscope lab rats for 20 

seconds flat 

Bears from Hungary reluctantly 

danced 

Strong man strikes audacious 

stance 

A West Orange lot is where 

it begun 

In a building that turned to 

follow the sun 

Round and round and 

round she goes 

Where she stops, nobody 

knows! 

Shooters, and speakers, 

and bar room brawls 

All answered to the first 

casting calls 

Human subjects of superfluidity 

From the genteel to utter 

stupidity 

Romance, violence, even 

burlesque 

Porter wanted none but the 

best 

You gotta hand it to the 

gent so inspired 

To book cat boxing in The 

Black Maria 


Take a knee, kiddo, here’s 

Al with the skinny.... 

“in these late 80’s, I invented 

the motion picture camera. 

The recording camera 

is what made motion pictures 

a success.” 

Ah, we’re cooking with gas 

now! 

The price of production, 

they spared no expense 

Six hundred thirty seven 

and sixty seven cents 

The world of motion pictures 

And all its pretention 

Has been brought to you by 

The father of invention 

The kinetoscope does for 

the eyes what the phonograph 

did for the ears! 

“Mary had a little lamb, its 

fleece was white as snow, 

and everywhere that Mary 

went, the lamb was sure to 

go.” 

Nothing to sneeze at! 


The Cranberry Merchants 


29

FORGOTTEN 

Are we forgotten 

Forgotten 

Dim lights conceal the madness within 

Long endless hallways of torture and sin 

Prescriptions take hold igniting the rage 

Of the forgotten locked up in a cage 

Are these walls these walls of despair 

For their good does anyone care 

What the hell what the hells going on 

To the forgotten hopes fading hopes gone 

Pills and needles break up the silence 

Dysphoric souls revolt with violence 

As toxic poisons rush thru their veins 

In this place where insanity reigns 

Insanity reigns 

Forgotten forgotten 

Abused and condemned 


Until the end 

Forgotten 

Interns led by deranged physicians 

Administer lethal narcotic munitions 

Inside these walls where evil presides 

Inside these walls all innocents dies 

All innocents dies 

Pills and needles break up the silence 

Dysphoric souls revolt with violence 

As toxic poisons rush thru their veins 

In this place where insanity reigns 

Insanity reigns 




Until the end 




Until the end 




Until the end 

Until the end 

Until the end 

All are forgotten 

All are forgotten 

Until the end 

THE “FORGOTTEN” SONG 

Every day, the question still circulates in my 

mind. Do I have what it takes to be considered 

a lyricist? Ten years ago, I sat down 

with a pen and paper, and the idea for my 

song “Forgotten” was conceived. At a small 

desk in a hotel room, I started the process 

with a specific sound in mind. It had to be 

dark, gripping, and contain powerful vocals. 

From there, I penned the first line. As I recited 

the line over and over in my head, I kept 

writing other ideas down as fast as I could. 

It was exhilarating! This was my first 

attempt at writing lyrics, and I was having 

the time of my life! As the hours and days 

passed by, the storyline became clear to 

me. The theme and setting would be: Life 

inside the walls of a fictional insane asylum. 

Spending every moment of free time over 

the next few months, I researched rhyming 

words and synonyms for previously selected 

words th 

the comp 

away. Th 

dust. Wh 

connect 

kept telli 

of this ye 

ing arou 

song sam 

EXACT s 

so many 

Rocka St 

Steve, an 

he review 

together 

JP23Lyr 

Jim Plun 

JP23Lyr 

https://yo 


JP23Lyrics 

at would best fit the flow. When 

osition was completed, I tucked it 

ere it sat for ten years gathering 

ere would I go with it? “I have no 

ons within the music industry” I 

ng myself. Fast forward, to January 

ar (2019). I was aimlessly searchd 

on the internet and discovered a 

ple. I was stunned! This was the 

ound I had envisioned for my lyrics 

years ago. It was Steve Dillon of 

udio. I quickly reached out to 

d we began corresponding. After 

ed my lyrics, we decided to work 

completing my ten year journey. 

cs 

kett 

cs@Gmail.com 

utu.be/zaSMKHYnFzw 


31

SHATTER LIKE GLASS 

Verse 1 

How did we get this far 

How did we not recognise 

All those unreachable miles 

All that’s between us now 

Is the laughing of this clown 

Not enough words 

Too many fights 

Chorus 

Take you aim 

Pull the trigger 

Fire and watch me fall 

See the tears roll down my 

face 

But know this ain’t my curtain 

call 

You know that this won’t 

last 

I will rise again 

Pull the bullet from my heart 

Watch me turn my back 

As you Shatter Like Glass 

Verse 2 

Silent Days and dreamless 

night 

Shadows fall around us now 

Living with hope for tomorrow 

Look into each others souls 

searching for the answers 

now 

Rising anger makes us lose 

control 

Chorus 

Take your aim 




face 


call 

Know that this won’t last 





Extended Chorus 

Take your aim 




face 


call 

Know that this won’t last 





Shatter Like Glass 

Watch you Shatter Like 

Glass 

Written by Charlotte 

Elizabeth & Stuart Landon 

Performed by: Stuart 

Landon 

Charlotte Elizabeth is a 

33 year old songwriter, 

artist manager 

and event planner from 

Staffordshire, UK. 

Music has always been a 

huge part of her life with 

country music being a particular 

love. However, like 

most stories you hear, 

Charlotte wasn’t raised on 

country music but instead 

spent her weekends listening 

to her parents choice of 

music. Those sounds came 

from The Carpenters, 

Foreigner, The Beatles and 

REO Speedwagon amongst 

others. 

Charlotte admits that a 

career into music was 

something she accidentally 

stumbled across. 

“I was at a country music 

gig writing a review for a 

magazine when I got talking 

to the band after the show. 

They told me that they didn’t 

have management and that 

they weren’t really sure how 

to progress. I jokingly said I 

would do it and I suppose 

the rest is history! 

I didn’t have the first clue 

about music management 

but I have always been 

interested in music, in learning 

and developing new 

skills so I worked hard to 

learn the industry. I could 

see what other people were 

doing and I could see what 

was and wasn’t working so 

tailored my approach that 

way” 

After working with this band 

for a while, Charlotte was 

inspired to try her hand at 

songwriting. Again, it was 

the usual conventional 

approach... 

“I was first diagnosed with 

cancer at the age of 16 and 

whilst it was such a hard 

time and had a huge impact 

on my life, I really tried to 

turn it into a positive experience. 

I wanted to put that 

experience into words and 

release a charity single for 

our local hospice. Working 

in the music industry, I 

already knew a lot of artists 

who I considered asking to 

help me. 

One of my friends told me 

‘you can’t do that’ and ‘you 

aren’t a singer so you will 

never release a song’ but 

true to my stubborn nature I 

found a way. 

Once I started writing 

though I couldn’t stop. A 

single was written and 

record and then another 


Charlotte Elizabeth 

and by the time I had finished, 

I had an EP on my 

hands. My EP ‘Survive’ was 

released in February 2017 

and debuted at number 4 on 

the iTunes country chart. 

I held a sold out launch 

party and donated all the 

money to our local cancer 

hospice Douglas Macmillan. 

From this EP, was my very 

first co-write with someone 

who is now essential to my 

story. 

Back in 2016, I met an artist 

called Stuart Landon and 

his band Angels With Dirty 

Faces when they were supporting 

a group that I managed 

at the time. 

We only got to say hello that 

night but watching Stuart’s 

set was amazing. The musicianship 

of the band, his 

vocal and his songwriting 

just hit me. He won me over 

straight away. 

We were friends on 

Facebook, and a couple of 

weeks later, he saw that I 

was looking for another 

artist to work with and he 

sent me a message. I had 

just finished writing some 

lyrics but I was worried 

about sending it over to 

him. I mean, he was majorly 

talented and I was this 

unknown songwriter. I told 

him if he didn’t like it we 

could just scrap the idea. 

Later that very same night, 

he came back with a demo 

and I knew in that instant it 

was the single we had to 

release. 

Shatter Like Glass was 

born. 

The song is about being in a 

damaging relationship but 

finally finding the strength 

to walk away from it. It’s 

that idea that you can go 

through every day emotionally 

hurting each other but 

then one 

day you walk away. You 

remove that barrier that is 

stopping you from leaving 

and you walk and break 

free. 

We released the single on 

14th October 2016 and it 

was straight into the country 

charts at number 4. The 

day we released ended up 

being the same day The 

Shires, Ward Thomas and 

‘Forever Country’ which 

was the CMA 50th anniversary 

song was released. 

We later learnt that if we 

had released the week prior 

we would have hit number 

1. So of course I was slightly 

disappointed as I have 

such an ambitious and 

determined streak in me!! 

However, I was so happy to 

have this song out and the 

feedback was amazing. The 

song went on to receive 

Semi Finalist position in the 

UK Songwriting 

Competition. 

The other amazing thing 

that happened was that I 

became manager to Stuart 

Landon. 

We have now worked 

together for 3 years this 

years and we just keep 

going from strength to 

strength. We have had some 

amazing experiences and 

there is so much more to 

come. 

He is genuinely one of the 

most incredible artists 

around and we have a great 

bond and trust which is 

hard to come by in the 

music industry. 

We released his debut solo 

single ‘I Can’t Take It 

Anymore’ last September 

and it hit number 1 in both 

the UK Country iTunes and 

Amazon charts. 

He then went on to release 

his EP ‘Outmanned, Never 

Outgunned’ in December 

2018. This EP still remains 

on this day in the All-Time 

Best Sellers iTunes country 

chart. 

I have had some great experiences 

as both a songwriter 

and as a manager and 

last year, I flew to LA and I 

was lucky enough to talk to 

Colin Lester who is the 

manager to Craig David and 

he gave me a lot of advice 

and guidance. 

The music industry is one of 

the most difficult, cut throat 

industries to be in but I 

believe if you work hard, 

are passionate about what 

you do and have the commitment 

to learn your trade 

whilst remaining flexible to 

the changes that are always 

happening, there is no reason 

that you can’t achieve it 

all. 

www.charlotteelizabethsongwriter.com 

www.stuartlandon.co.uk 

Shatter Like Glass: 

https://open.spotify.com/tra 

ck/0mZF8WXn4rNxvSF9mG 

ayQP?si=QcdeqzchT9aHVV 

ucMlaCNA 


Bottle It Up 

As a child I was a cryer 

On a Moaning Myrtle scale 

Mufasa's death was a downer 

Free Willy made me wail 

My daddy was my hero then 

He'd light my way 

He'd dry my baby eyes and then he'd say 

You've got to bottle it up son 


Don't ever show you're hurt or scared 

Shut up kid, no-one cares 


If you carry on like this son 

You'll be disowned, you'll die alone 

Move on, be strong 

Man up 

(Aww what a guy) 

That mantra manifested 

In the manner of a man 

With all the sugar sweetness 

Of a dried up bowl of Bran 

When life would throw a punch at me 

I'd punch it back 

Whenever I'd feel weak's 

When I'd attack 

As 

a 

Don't ask what's wrong, just sing along 


Man up 


Man up 

Hi, I’m Chris Tavener, a satirical singer-songwriter, 

originally from Northwich in Cheshire. I’m best 

known for my witty lyrics with folk and rock inspired 

music. Think Bob Dylan meets Tim Minchin or Paul 

Simon meets Monty Python. 

I’m also a prolific live performer who performs up to 

300 gigs a year. My unique voice and guitarplaying 

style has seen me garner attention from 

BBC 6 Music, BBC Introducing, Jamie Lawson, Carl 

Barat of The Libertines and many fans across the 

country. Manchester Academy selected me to 

perform a huge support show for Peep Show's 

Super Hans and I played The Lowry Lyric Theatre 

for Children In Need in December 2018. 

Also in 2018, I took on a 3-week European tour to 

The Netherlands, Germany and France, 

playing songs at 15 headline shows. That was quickly 

followed by a UK Tour, visiting 14 different 

cities to perform ticketed headline shows, right 

across the UK. The response was overwhelming 

and I’m now writing material for a feature film documentary, 

the social media giant Viral Thread 

and for Great Ormond Street Hospital. 

Bottle It Up 

Because I bottle it up jack 

It's all water off a duck's back 

You'll never find out how I feel 

This duck is made of steel 

Because I bottle it up jack 

You'll find that a hard nut won't crack 

I feel alright, now I scream inside 


Man up 

What's the matter? (Nothing's the matter) 

What's the matter? (I said nothing's the matter) 

What's the matter? (Why does something have to be 

the matter, I don't understand) 

What's the matter? (Will you stop asking me that 

question?) 

What's the matter? (Nothing is the matter! Just 

leave me alone! Leave me alone!) 

'Cause I bottle it up man 

'Cause I bottle it up man 

You'll never find me in a slump 

I'm as happy as Melania Trump 

Because I bottle it up man 

Yeah I bottle it up man 

As a songwriter, I've never been interested in writing 

about myself. Although many find that their 

best songs come from distilling a personal emotion; 

I've always been more keen on depicting a 

character or a story. In line with the Jim Croce, 

Randy Newman, Ray Davies and Tom Lehrer school 

of writing; I'm interested by the quirks and foibles in 

people's personalities. 

I approached things the same way when I was 

asked to write a song for a new documentary 

focusing on men's mental health. 

'Bottle It Up' is the story of a man in denial. I wrote 

the song from the perspective of someone 

indoctrinated into a masculine, stiff-upper-lip attitude 

towards life that encourages him to cover 

up any emotional sensitivity. It's an unnatural state 

for him to be in, since as a child, he wasn't 

afraid to show people the way he was feeling. 

Eventually, the wearing of his invisible mental 

disguise begins to take a visible toll on his life. 

He boasts about his impenetrable emotional armour 

“You've got to bottle it up jack/it's all water off a 

34 


Chris Tavener 

duck's back 

“You'll never find out how I feel/this duck is made 

of steel” 

All the while there are signs that he might be kidding 

himself: 

Like over-using the prefix – “man”. 

“That mantra manifested in the manner of a man” 

Or when we get a look inside his methodology: 

“Whenever I feel weak's when I attack” 

Then eventually cracks start to form: 

“I feel alright, now I scream inside/Move on, be 

strong, man up” 

The bridge section of this song deals with the people 

around him. As he continues to conceal problems 

with his mental health, it begins to affect 

those closest to him. Backing vocals on the studio 

version sing the question “What’s the matter?” To 

answer would be to compromise his whole outlook 

on life, to shatter his protective bubble. Instead he 

tries to divert the conversation away from himself. 

Eventually the incessant questioning becomes too 

much and our troubled man tries to shout them 

down with one more chorus. In this story there is 

no happy ending. He carries on running away from 

his problems and the people that might offer him 

salvation from his unhealthy way of thinking. 

While comedy and satire are my chief devices for 

telling this story, I like to think that the lyrics will 

have an impact on the way people think about their 

mental health. Men in particular are encouraged 

not to let their feelings and emotions show. 

I feel this song is a small part of that growing 

movement to get men to open up. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bgY5GNtvjQ 

www.christavener.co.uk 

www.facebook.com/christavener 

www.youtube.com/christavener 


35

MATCHMAKERS 

Lyricist Christopher looking to work with 

musicians, singers and producers. Will 

tackle most genres, pop, folk, country, 

r&b, rock, electronic, jazz and a combination 

of these. Ambition to produce 

commercial music and hopefully enjoy 

the ride. 

Experienced lyricist, Hampshire area 

UK. I’m looking for someone who can 

take my lyrics and work them into a finished 

song. 

rbortkiewicz@hotmail.com 

Cc060369@aol.com 

I am a lyricist/top liner looking to collaborate 

with artists/musicians/producers for 

songwriting. Based in London/South East. 

I can meet and work together, or take an 

instrumental, develop a lyric and top line 

melody for it, or looking for musicians who 

want to develop the instrumental for lyrics 

or lyrics with a top line. I can write for different 

styles but enjoy folk/country/pop ballad 

mostly. 

adkenney@gmail.com 

Looking for a lyricist collaborator for 

song writing. I write and produce 

songs in many styles (country, ballabs, 

soft rock, and electronic loop based 

compositions). Find me on Soundcloud 

under EXPATJAT. Happy to work on half 

completed songs or with lyrics. 

Contact me 

atitcombe@gmail.com 

Experienced lyricist (able to play some 

instruments and do midi-fi production) 

seeks collaboration with a female vocalist. 

Style singer/song writer, r&b, country, 

folk, pop. 

Coolparadigm@gmail.com 

Lyrics Doctor - I’m a writer, editor, songwriter, 

musician who can help you tell the 

stories you really want to tell. Song structure, 

imagery, rhyme, alliteration and 

more. to ensure that every word does 

everthing it’s meant to do in the song. 

Mostly alt country and rock, but all genres 

considered. To contact me title your 

email Lyrics Doctor and email Jane the 

editor. 



My skill set: strong, conceptual lyrics; 

melodies; slinky, hypnotic grooves; 

fresh music with pop accessibility, and 

yet, has substance. I'm a producer and 

audio/acoustic design engineer. I'm 

building a songwriting and film score 

recording studio as we speak. 

My major failing: chords/progressions. 

If you are a lexicon of styles and have 

the talent to compose strong, catchy 

stuff--then I'd like to hear from you. 

What collaboration could look like: the 

chords/progression box must be 

checked, but if a partner can write, 

sing, play instruments, produce, engineer--the 

better. This not a territorial 

contest but a partnership that produces 

outstanding results. Synergy. One project, 

multiple projects or an eventual 

partnership. I have the talent to recognize 

hits and get stellar performances 

out of people. 

David Sutherland, musician, based in 

the UK. Happy to work remotely. All 

rounder with lots of musical ideas 

and lyrical starts, looking to 

exchange ideas. Comfort zone is 

acoustic/Americana but happy to 

explore beyond that. Facilities to create 

basic demo recordings. 

https://soundcloud.com/davethebass/sets/americana 

davesuth@blueyonder.co.uk 

I live in Duluth, MN USA; 

jzpowers1@yahoo.com 

I am a songwriter from Kankakee, IL 

(USA), looking for 

singers/musicians/producers to write for 

and collaborate with. I can best reached 

at 

dakjmis@gmail.com 

If you’d like to appear on these pages 

please email me 



37

The Lyric Writers Magazine 

In next months issue... 

USA Special 

To Celebrate 

4th July... USA 

Artists On 

Show... 

Subscribe for free... 

To receive every issue in your inbox 

The only lyric writers magazine you’ll want to read 

Advertise With Us... 

info@writeawaymagazine.co.uk 

Amazing deals on all our 

packages tailor made to suit 

your requirements

Write Away Magazine - June Issue

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?