Re: NJC Lyricists as poets???

[Franklin Shea]

Andrew wrote>Generally, there is no difference between lyrics and poems, except that lyrics are traditionally sung and poems are either read silently or spoken. Would the words of a poem become lyrics if they are sung? I'm not sure. There was an album tribute to Shakespeare recently with songs by Rufus Wainright that changed Sonnet 39 into a song. Do lyrics become poems when they are written on a page? Again, I don't really know. "The Complete Poems and Lyrics" seems to indicate that they can.

Franklin> I beg to differ, Andrew. There is a WORLD of difference between a lyricist and a poet. The term lyricist would imply someone who is addressing the specific needs of a song - generally three (rarely four) chords meant to charm 16.00 out of a 14-25 year old. Repetition, hooks, "catchy" chorus are all part of the "game".

The test is can the words to the song be recited, without blush or embarrassment on the part of the writer, sans music and melody. There is a very distinctive word for one who writes poetry and can successfully put it to music. It's called prosody, and in literature it is the ONLY literary form considered higher than actual poetry. Here is an example of what I mean: Bob Dylan appeared on David Letterman a few months ago and sang a song. It was laden with repetition ad nauseum. Now it is common industry knowledge that appearing on David Letterman will generally boost the sales of whatever artist's CD by 45-80,000 copies a week for two weeks - this is a Soundscan proven fact. Now if Letterman were to ask Bob Dylan, "Bob, I know that you've made x-amount of millions from performance royalties (radio) off of this song, and that this broadcast will give a significant "bump" to your current sales. So kindly, will you recite the lyrics to this otherwise rather pedestrian, three chord song for us all so weh can better understand what makes it so valuable before you perform it?"

I GUARANTEE you, flat out, that Dylan would immediately walk off that stage - he'd be WAY to embarrassed to recite those lyrics naked (without music) - thus, he qualifies a lyricist. Now, not that that's good or bad (wink) but it is simply a fact. So the true test of poet vs. lyricist is IMO, can they, without blush or embarrassment, without dropping ANY of multiple repetitious "repeater" chorus lines, etc.,(in other words, the entire lyrics to the song) stand with a straight face and recite the lyrics alone to applause and appreciation. This is musical poetry, or (once again, there is actually a term for it) prosody.

The dictionary I have defines prosody as "poetical words and thoughts combined with melody,in such a manner as to SUCCESSFULLY lend further emotional significance to the poetry." That is why prosody is SO difficult. If you already have a beautiful poem - melody/music can only do one of two things to/for it: it can either detract from it, or enhance it - there is no middle ground, no other option. That is also why it is considered the ONLY literary form ABOVE poetry. A far more eloquent definition I have found is "Lyrical poetry, when viewed correctly, is the inevitable creation of the peers of all great prosody: words, thoughts, and melody. It is through poetry that thought becomes music's most elegant benefactor, as a song is born."- L.A. Cowboy. Copied from L.A. Cowboy's mp3 site at http://www.mp3.com/lacowboy

There are virtually no pure prosodists working in CONTEMPORARY music today to my knowledge, with the notable exception of L.A. Cowboy. Every intellectual (University English professor type) I know (I teach, among other things), familiar with his work acknowledges this.

Andrew> You'd probably have to consult a book of poetry rules for the answer, and there are many rules to the various different kinds of poetry, from iambic pentameter to odes, villanelles to limericks, haiku, sonnets and rhyming couplets.

Franklin> No need for the book of poetry rules - just take any song you appreciate and recite the ENTIRE lyrical contents of the song as if it were a bona fide, inspired (all poetry is assumedly inspired - that's what makes true poets through the ages so prominent) poem. You'll instantly know whether you are dealing with a lyricist or a poet - and there is a literary WORLD OF DIFFERENCE between the two.

Cordially, Franklin
NP: L.A. Cowboy - "Farewell"

"The crown of literature is poetry. It is its end and aim. It is the sublimest activity of the human mind. It is the achievement of beauty and delicacy. The writer of prose can only step aside when the poet passes." W. Somerset Maugham
Taken from the inside cover of the first L.A. Cowboy CD - "Farewell". A timeless "prosodic" classic from front to back - 100% certified "filler-free".