Chansons à concept
Lesson time: (3min 1sec)
Course preview
This lesson is part of the course Song Studies : les secrets d'écriture de 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 est l'un des auteurs-compositeurs vivants les plus à succès du Royaume-Uni. Il est l'auteur des chansons que l'on connaît de la radio, du cinéma et de la piste de danse. Des chansons que l'on connaît de nos fêtes et de nos mariages. Des chansons que la moitié du monde peut chanter note pour note. Des chansons qui nous ramènent dans le temps là où nous étions. Des chansons qui nous emportent au-delà du quotidien, là où nous aimerions être ; 'Angels' ; 'Let Me Entertain You' ; 'Strong' ; 'No Regrets' ; 'Millennium' ; 'Rock DJ' ; 'Feel', pour n'en citer que quelques-unes. "Guy a été la première personne du métier à me prendre au sérieux", dit son partenaire d'écriture de longue date Robbie Williams. "La première personne à voir l'artiste que je savais pouvoir devenir". La liste de ses autres collaborateurs se lit comme la royauté de la musique pop. Au fil des ans, Guy a écrit et produit pour Diana Ross, Tom Jones, Tina Turner (dont la reprise brûlante de 'Feel' doit vraiment être entendue pour être crue), Kylie Minogue, James Blunt, Scissor Sisters, Rufus Wainwright et Mark Ronson, parmi bien d'autres. Il se pousse sans cesse, cherchant de nouvelles entreprises créatives, dont l'une fut de créer un opéra folk pour enfants d'après la nouvelle d'Oscar Wilde 'The Selfish Giant', qu'il a dédié à sa défunte mère, Pat. Le spectacle a été créé au Vaudeville Theatre du West End de Londres en 2018. En 2019, Guy a publié son premier album de piano solo, 'Go Gentle Into the Light', un recueil de quelques-unes des chansons les plus aimées qu'il a écrites avec Robbie Williams, le single 'The Road To Mandalay' dépassant les 6 millions d'écoutes. Il a produit l'album officiel du BBC Children in Need 'Got it Covered', avec des stars telles qu'Olivia Colman, Jodie Whittaker et Helena Bonham Carter, qui a atteint la première place des charts britanniques. Guy et Robbie Williams se sont associés à Chris Heath pour composer la musique et les paroles de l'adaptation musicale par la RSC du best-seller de David Walliams 'The Boy in the Dress', créée sous les acclamations de critiques cinq étoiles (The Independent, What's On Stage) au Royal Shakespeare Theatre, à Stratford-Upon-Avon. Guy a produit le plus récent album numéro 1 au Royaume-Uni de Robbie Williams, 'The Christmas Present', et a coécrit le single 'Time for Change'. Il vit avec son épouse Emma et leurs quatre enfants à Camden et dans le Sussex, où il savoure "le bon vin, la bonne cuisine, le cinéma et à peu près tout ce qui est français". "Et l'écriture de chansons, bien sûr". read more