I think what Joni has demonstrated is that there are elements connecting all the arts, and she has boldly resisted the relentless attempts to be pigeon holed. And Dylan once said he hated the word poet, and would rather be called a trapeze artist.
When someone who read my lyrics told me that words were my forte, I wrote this one: Forte "Words are your forte" Well, that's just a limit To keep you from painting Or dancing within it. A hole for the pigeon, A box for the heart. I see the illusion They are from the start. I saw me a man's man With shoulder-length hair. He knitted an afghan. He built me a chair. The sting of the critics. The spring of the trap. "We like all the old stuff, So keep doing that." Well, I'm over forte So maybe I'll write And maybe I'll crochet Or build you a kite. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Victor Johnson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "Franklin Shea" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Friday, November 22, 2002 6:16 PM Subject: Re: NJC Lyricists as poets??? > 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". Sorry but you are completely wrong. Lyric writing is an art within itself and the type of song you are speaking of is a tiny fraction of what exists in the world as lyrics- it certainly doesn't fly as a definition of what it means to be a lyricist and comes off as somewhat pretentious. It is very difficult to write good lyrics and the fact that they are put to music does not make them less worthy than poetry. It is just different, period. There are brilliant lyricists just as there are brilliant poets...Neil Peart, Robert Hunter(lyricist for the Grateful Dead), Joni Mitchell, Tom Waits, Bernie Taupin, the list goes on... Also, just because a song is simple and has simple lyrics does not mean it did not take great skill to write. In fact, it is very difficult to create something that is very simple and yet comes across as brilliant. Neil Young and James Taylor in particular have mastered the art of writing simple songs that are incredibly deep and powerful. I wouldn't knock James Taylor so much. Many of his songs may seem simplistic on the surface but they are more complex than they seem. Just as there are good and bad poets there are good and bad lyricists. And IMO, lyricists would like to be known as lyricists and not something else, as if lyric writing is somehow a lower art than poetry. Victor NP: Joni Mitchell "Nothing Can Be Done" --- Victor Johnson --- [EMAIL PROTECTED] Visit http://www.cdbaby.com/victorjohnson Look for the new album "Parsonage Lane" in March 2003 Produced by Chris Rosser at Hollow Reed Studios
