It's The Song Not The Singer

According the popular '80's band, Survivor and who many call The Greatest Rock & Roll Band of all-time, The Rolling Stones, it's the singer not the song that matters. Survivor's 1984 song was called "It's The Singer Not The Song" and the Stones 1965 track was titled "The Singer Not The Song." I am sure that fans of the wildly popular cultural phenomenon American Idol would also likely argue that singing is the ultimate art.

But for me it has always been the songs themselves that stick. Songwriting is a craft that not many master. It takes music chops as well as lyrical prowess to create a great song. I am not deaf, however, and I do appreciate a great singing performances. But the song always comes first and my top ten list of favorite composers in no particular order stacks up like this:

1. Lennon & McCartney
2. Paul Simon
3. Brian Wilson
4. Bacharach & David
5. Holland/Dozier/Holland
6. Rodgers & Hammerstein
7. Irving Berlin
8. Cole Porter
9. Rodgers & Hart
10. Henry Mancini

Now here's where the fun comes in. I have done a little songwriting myself and since this blog is my very own I can mention a project called "More Songs About Cars And Girls" on which I co-wrote five of the original songs with my good friend, Marty Rudnick. I love the absurdity of the juxtaposition here. My songs mentioned in the same story with legends like Paul Simon, Brian Wilson, Lennon & McCartney etc. :-) BTW, Marty's album is chocked full of breezy pop that can brighten the gloomiest of days and instantly transport you directly to summer. It is available from all of the usual suspects like iTunes and cdbaby.

In a recent issue (RS 1119) of Rolling Stone Magazine the cover story was called "The Playlist Issue" and it featured top ten lists of 50 major artists in all categories of music. Being the list lover that I am I quickly grabbed a copy off the rack and was delighted at the wide cross section of artists and genres.


For songwriting they deferred to one of the best, Jimmy Webb. The title of his list was "Songs I Wish I Had Written" and here's how it stacked up:

1. "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" - The Righteous Brothers, 1964
2. "Anyone Who Had A Heart" - Dionne Warwick, 1963
3. "Goin' Out of My Head" - Little Anthony & The Imperials, 1964
4. "Gentle On My Mind" - Glen Campbell, 1967
5. "Baby, I Need Your Lovin'" - The Four Tops, 1964
6. "Penny Lane" - The Beatles - 1967
7. "Crazy" - Willie Nelson - 1961
8. "The Boxer" - Simon & Garfunkel, 1969
9. "Let It Be Me" - The Everly Brothers, 1960
10. "These Dreams" - Heart, 1985

Jimmy Webb's sidebar on Paul Simon, "As a writer he's next to God" and I agree wholeheartedly.

So this little article got me thinking what are the songs I wish I had written. My list is based strictly on creativity and not commercial success. What songs continue to knock me out no matter how many times I have heard them? The interesting thing about my list is I came up with only five songs. Normally when I make music lists it is nearly impossible to limit them just to ten. In no particular order here is my list of the songs I wish I had written:

1. "Born To Run" - Bruce Springsteen
2. "God Only Knows" - Brian Wilson & Tony Asher
3. "The Sound of Silence" - Paul Simon
4. "Yesterday" - Lennon/McCartney
5."Get Together" - Chet Powers

I am not about to quit my day job anytime soon to become a songwriter. But the fantasy remains strong that someday when I'm long gone one of my tunes will still blare out of a jukebox somewhere in a dive bar deep in the heart of the San Joaquin Delta.

MUST MUSIC: Marc Cohn's "Listening Booth: 1970"

Seldom does an album come around that catches my ears in its entirety. Fortunately, my friend, Steve Slaght, heard this one being tracked during the breaks at a recent Jackson Browne concert in Berkeley. Steve described it as mellow but great arrangements of classic tracks you don't often hear covered.

The sticker on the CD package quotes Jackson Browne, "I'm thunderstruck by what a great album this is." Not about to question both Steve and Jackson I bought a copy of "Listening Booth: 1970" by Marc Cohn.


Marc Cohn is best known for his 1991 signature song, "Walking In Memphis". This new album is his first effort in doing all cover songs and specifically from 1970 which he explains was the most influential year for him in music. In his liner notes he paints a vivid picture of a record store called John Wade in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. It was the glass enclosed listening booths with headphones where he took in the work of so many great artists. As he describes this time period "at least musically it still felt like the 60's and wasn't really the 70's yet." The golden age of the single was still very much alive and yet great singer songwriter albums also flourished.

Here is the line-up for Marc's homage to 1970:

1. Wild World (Cat Stevens)
2. Look At Me (John Lennon)
3. Maybe I'm Amazed (Paul McCartney)
4. Make It With You (Bread)
5. The Letter (The Box Tops)
6. The Only Living Boy In New York (Simon & Garfunkel)
7. After Midnight (Eric Clapton)
8. The Tears of a Clown (Smokey Robinson & Miracles)
9. No Matter What (Badfinger)
10. New Speedway Boogie (Grateful Dead)
11. Into The Mystic (Van Morrison)
12. Long As I Can See The Light (Creedence Clearwater Revival)

This new release is available from all of the normal sources including iTunes. However, you might just want to pick up the actual compact disc as it includes great liner notes and "vinyl feel" graphics to really complete the 1970 experience.


Thank you Marc Cohn for a fresh spin on some true classics. It's a great return to another time musically when singer songwriters reigned and the music really mattered. From my own personal listening booth 2010 with headphones on...