Konzept-Songs
Lesson time: (3min 1sec)
Course preview
This lesson is part of the course Song Studies: die Songwriting-Geheimnisse von Guy Chambers
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Lesson transcript:
The Art of Songwriting: Insights on Lyrics and Concepts
So happens with feel that the lyric that Rob wrote the first time is the chill lyric. It didn't change one word. In fact, the vocal that's on the record is the first time he sang it.
That first take is the version on the record because he did try to sing it again, but he couldn't get into that emotion that he let go at that particular moment. Which is pretty staggering, actually, because it's an amazing vocal.
The Challenge of Songwriting
It hasn't always been that easy with our songs. We have had songs where the lyric has taken quite a long time.
- ROCK DJ is the one that immediately comes to mind.
- Oh, we wrote a song called Party Like A Russian. That lyric took about a year and went through over 100 rewrites.
I mean, "Party Like A Russian" is a good example of a concept song where you pick an idea.
Concept of "Party Like A Russian"
I thought it would be a good idea to have an alternative national anthem for Russia because we traveled to Russia a lot, playing for oligarchs. I thought, wouldn't it be great if we had a song that would be massive in Russia?
- We wrote it purely out of that.
- Well, we had the title "Party Like A Russian," which I think is quite a good title because they do know how to party really well over there, and they do it in considerable style.
The whole song is based around that concept, which is one way to approach songwriting.
The Validity of Concept Songs
I don't think there's ever enough concept songs out there. In other words, there are a lot of songs about breakups and someone's heart being broken. There are plenty of those songs, but there aren't enough songs about:
- A housing estate
- Breaking down on the motorway
These topics are just as valid.
A good example of a concept song is National Express by Divine Comedy, which is a song about getting on a coach.
- It's a coach ride, and all of the things that Neil, who wrote the song, sees on his coach journey.
- It's a really funny song and it's about the joy of travel. It's silly, but wonderfully silly.
Finding New Angles
Sometimes these songs are just as valid as so-called profound songs about having your heart broken or feeling insecure.
- Many songs focus on going to a nightclub and partying, which I find very boring lyrically.
- You've got to try and find a new angle.
So even if you think your life is really boring and where you're living is, you can write about the boredom of it. Of course, that might be just as interesting as writing about the jet set.
About the instructor
Guy Chambers ist einer der erfolgreichsten lebenden Songwriter Großbritanniens. Er ist der Autor hinter den Songs, die wir aus dem Radio, aus dem Kino und von der Tanzfläche kennen. Songs, die wir von unseren Partys und Hochzeiten kennen. Songs, die die halbe Welt Note für Note mitsingen kann. Songs, die uns in der Zeit dorthin zurückversetzen, wo wir einst waren. Songs, die uns über den Alltag hinaustragen, dorthin, wo wir uns wünschten zu sein; 'Angels'; 'Let Me Entertain You'; 'Strong'; 'No Regrets'; 'Millennium'; 'Rock DJ'; 'Feel', um nur einige zu nennen. "Guy war der erste Mensch im Geschäft, der mich je ernst genommen hat", sagt sein langjähriger Schreibpartner Robbie Williams. "Der erste Mensch, der den Künstler sehen konnte, zu dem ich wusste, dass ich werden könnte". Die Liste seiner weiteren Mitstreiter liest sich wie der Adel der Popmusik. Über die Jahre hat Guy für Diana Ross, Tom Jones, Tina Turner (deren glühende Version von 'Feel' man wirklich hören muss, um sie zu glauben), Kylie Minogue, James Blunt, Scissor Sisters, Rufus Wainwright und Mark Ronson und viele andere geschrieben und produziert. Er fordert sich beständig heraus und sucht neue kreative Vorhaben, eines davon war die Schaffung einer Folk-Oper für Kinder nach Oscar Wildes Kurzgeschichte 'The Selfish Giant', die er seiner verstorbenen Mutter Pat widmete. Die Show wurde 2018 am Vaudeville Theatre im Londoner West End uraufgeführt. 2019 veröffentlichte Guy sein Solo-Klavierdebütalbum 'Go Gentle Into the Light' – eine Sammlung einiger der beliebtesten Songs, die er und Robbie Williams gemeinsam geschrieben haben, wobei die Single 'The Road To Mandalay' über 6 Millionen Streams erreichte. Er produzierte das offizielle BBC-Children-in-Need-Album 'Got it Covered' mit Stars wie Olivia Colman, Jodie Whittaker und Helena Bonham Carter, das Platz 1 der britischen Charts erreichte. Guy und Robbie Williams taten sich mit Chris Heath zusammen, um Musik und Text für die Musical-Adaption der RSC von David Walliams' Bestseller 'The Boy in the Dress' zu komponieren, die mit Fünf-Sterne-Kritiken (The Independent, What's On Stage) am Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-Upon-Avon Premiere feierte. Guy hat Robbie Williams' jüngstes Nummer-1-Album im Vereinigten Königreich, 'The Christmas Present', produziert und die Single 'Time for Change' mitgeschrieben. Er lebt mit seiner Frau Emma und ihren vier Kindern in Camden und in Sussex, wo er "guten Wein, gutes Essen, Kino und so ziemlich alles Französische" genießt. "Und das Songschreiben, natürlich". read more