Chapter 2. The Completed Song

So far we have discussed only the structural requirements of the popular song. Assuming that the new songwriter has mastered the initial technique of composing a lyric, melody, or both, there are still a few points that he should be acquainted with before he is ready to present his song to the publishers. Among the questions that may be in his mind are: "When starting a song, shall I begin with the lyric or with the melody?" "If I can only write lyrics, or if I can only write the melody, where shall I find a collaborator?" "Can I interest the publishers in an unfinished song; i.e., melody without lyrics, or lyrics without melody?" "In what form should the song be presented to the publishers?" "Should the composer have a knowledge of harmony?" These questions will be answered on the following pages. Starting the Song. Very few songwriters, including the professionals, are capable of writing both lyrics and melody. As a general rule, the songwriter may either have a special talent for writing lyrics, or be a natural composer. It is only on rare occasions that one comes across a songwriter who combines both talents and is able to do both jobs equally well. The new songwriter who believes that he has a flair for both words and music should make a serious attempt at honest evaluation to determine whether or not he has more talent in one field than in another. If he finds that this is true, he should, of course, specialize in the particular field in which he shows the most ability.

Neither the lyric writer nor the composer can afford to disregard or neglect the associated field. For example, it is important, when composing the melody, to be fully acquainted with the lyric requirements, to set up a strong melody line for the title, to arrange the rhythmic pattern so that the words, when written, can be easily sung and so that the singer will have time to pause and breathe at the end of phrases. It is equally important for the lyric writer to adhere to a strict structural and rhythmic pattern which will enable the composer to build up a strong melody line, which will build up the "A" phrase and title, and which will offer the proper change of pace and mood in the "B" or "C" sections of the chorus.

There is no set rule for starting a song. This depends entirely upon the individual's work habits, the source of initial inspiration, and many other factors. In writing the lyric, it is quite common to start from the title, or from an idea offering a new slant on the treatment of a familiar subject.

The original idea may come from any number of sources. For instance, the following true story is often cited to show how a good title may be inspired. Some years ago when Rodgers and Hart were in Paris, they were riding with a girl in one of the famous pre-war French taxi-cabs. Suddenly the taxi skidded and headed straight for an oncoming car, swerving just in time to avoid a head-on collision. As the three passengers picked themselves up from the floor of the cab, the girl caught her breath and said, "Oh, my heart stood still!" Rodgers looked at her thoughtfully for a moment and then said to his partner, "There, my friend, is a swell title for a song." When My Heart Stood Still finally appeared in "The Connecticut Yankee," it became an overnight hit.

Occasionally the initial idea for a song will arise from a situation which strikes the songwriter as being good song material. Some years ago, Sammy Stept was listening to a radio program describing the peaceful lives and customs of people in Norway, Holland, France, and other countries before the German invasion. As he listened, he visualized the setting for a stirring war song. Shortly after this incident, Sammy and Eddie Delange finished the lyric for This Is Worth Fighting For.

Although song titles and song ideas occasionally result from the inspiration of the moment, the average songwriter who is intent upon turning out a steady stream of publishable numbers, obviously cannot wait for an "inspiration" to come his way. In this connection, George Gershwin once wrote "Out of my entire annual output of songs, perhaps, two, or at the most, three, came as a result of inspiration. We can never rely on inspiration. When we most want it, it does not come.

Therefore, the composer does not sit around and wait for an inspiration to walk up and introduce itself. What he substitutes for it is nothing more than talent plus knowledge. If his endowment is great enough, the song is made to sound as if it were truly inspired."

The same general theory applies both to lyric and melodic composition. The initial melody might be the result of pure inspiration such as in the instance of Shoo, Shoo, Baby. The song originated when Phil Moore was trying to comfort his friend Lena Home, the torch singer. Lena was worn out from rehearsals and was bemoaning her fate. Phil, sitting at the piano attempted to "kid Lena out of her grief." He played a few chords on the piano, saying, "Shoo, Shoo, Lena. Take it easy, kid, shoo, shoo." The chords broke into a catchy tune while Phil elaborated on the theme, singing, "Shoo, shoo, Lena, everything's going to be all right." The "gag" was successful and so was the song that finally evolved from this initial inspiration.

Some composers may often start with the title of a song and work out melodic combinations until they hit one that just fits the title. Irving Berlin often composes tunes in this manner-which may explain why his words and music are always so happily blended. Berlin will take a title phrase such as "What'll I Do?" and "fool around" on the piano until he hits a melodic pattern that definitely suggest the words. From there on, the path is easy.

More often, the composer has no initial inspiration for his song. He is merely intent upon writing a melody-any melody-that will have commercial possibilities. The basic idea might originate after playing a few chord progressions, or by experimenting with melodic combinations until a fortuitous one comes his way. Some composers have the knack, or natural talent, for evolving a good tune after only a few trials and errors. Other composers must experiment for a good while before they can evolve a commercial tune. Here, again, the procedure depends almost entirely upon the individual's talent and normal work habits. Later on, in this book, we will analyze the work of some of the better-known professional songwriters and discuss their methods of composition.

Collaboration. With very few exceptions, the average successful song is the result of collaboration between two, three, or even more, lyricists and composers. Occasionally we will come across an Irving Berlin or a Cole Porter who is equally adept at words and notes, but this is the exception rather than the rule. The old saying, "Two heads are better than one" can be applied particularly to the field of popular songwriting.

Some composers and lyricists prefer to "shop around" for collaborators, feeling that their songs might become stereotyped if they team up steadily with any individual. However, Tin Pan Alley has made "the song-writing team" famous and some of the best-known songs are the result of this type of collaboration. Some of the well-known teams are: Harold Adamson-Jimmy McHugh, Richard Rodgers-Lorenz Hart (since Hart's untimely death, Rodgers has been teaming up with Oscar Hammerstein II). Some of the old-timers were: Leo Robin-Ralph Rainger, Harry "Warren-Al Dubin, and Mack Gordon-Harry Revel.

There are, of course, quite a few professionals such as Johnny Mercer, Arthur Schwartz, Frank Loesser, Charles Tobias, and Eddie DeLange who do not adhere to steady collaboration with any other songwriter.

There are quite a few factors, in addition to natural ability, that are required for a successful songwriting team. The two songwriters must not only be able to "click" perfectly on lyric and music ideas but they must be able to get along with each other temperamentally. Quite a few songwriting teams have "blown up" because, even though they were able to turn out a steady stream of hit numbers, they could not get along with each other as individuals.

It is usually advisable for the new songwriter to avoid setting up a permanent team until he has experimented with different collaborators and has finally found one whose ability and temperament are best fitted to his own.

Finding a good collaborator is often one of the greatest problems of the new songwriter. The best arrangement that he could make, of course, would be to team up with a professional songwriter. This may often be accomplished by contacting the professional or by having a publisher make a contact for him. To do this, however, he must convince either the professional or the publisher that his work warrants professional collaboration,

The most feasible plan is to team up with another new songwriter-one, who shows definite ability and promise in his particular field. Finding such a song partner is sometimes accomplished by word-of-mouth- asking friends, and friends of friends until the desired collaborator is found. Another method is to insert a small advertisement in local papers. Such an advertisement should not only state the situation clearly-that a lyric writer or melody writer is required for collaboration on a song-but should also mention that the collaboration is to be on the basis of equal division of royalties if and when the song is published.

This is an extremely important point. There are many unscrupulous individuals (and many of these, unfortunately, have had published songs to their credit) who will offer to set words to music, or compose melodies for lyrics for a fee. This type of collaboration is never successful. Further on, in this book, we discuss these "song sharks" in greater detail. For the moment, however, one point that the new writer must always bear in mind is that successful collaboration should be on a share-and-share-alike basis. The honest songwriter has sufficient faith in his own, and partner's ability to take the chance that the finished song will be published and that his own work will then be properly rewarded.

Presenting an unfinished song. It often happens that the new songwriter is unable to find a good collaborator. The question then in his mind is whether the lyric without the melody, or the melody without words, has any sales value.

Although the average publisher is more interested in the finished song than in the melody or lyric alone, he may be persuaded to find a collaborator, providing the work shows unusual merit. Generally speaking, it is easier to interest the publisher with a good tune than with a good lyric. This is usually because it is easier to write the words than the music, and because a strong melody line will carry a weak lyric much better than a strong lyric can carry a weak tune.

The unfinished song is of no practical use to the publisher. He is interested solely in publishing and exploiting the finished product. Furthermore, the average publisher always has on hand a sufficient number of complete songs offered by professional songwriters to fill out his current catalogue and to keep his song* pluggers occupied. It is quite obvious, therefore, that he will not accept an unfinished song from a new writer unless the work is so outstanding that it warrants the extra time and trouble required to locate the professional songwriter who is able to finish the song.

Professional songwriters, also, are not interested in collaborating with a new writer unless it is merely "to help out a friend" or because the work shows sufficient promise to warrant his time and attention.

Summing up, the average publisher or professional songwriter is not particularly interested in an unfinished manuscript unless the lyric or melody strongly indicates that proper collaboration will produce a sure-fire hit.

Presenting the song. In selling any product, it is always advisable to present it in its most acceptable and attractive form. This particularly applies in the song-writing field where the competition is high and the market is fairly limited. If the new writer approaches the publisher with such excuses as, "This will sound better when transposed to another key," "The song needs to be 'touched up' a bit by one of your staff writers," "This really needs a good harmonic accompaniment to put it over," etc., he is merely indicating that the song is weak and is prejudicing the publisher against the number before he has been able to reach his own opinion.

If the songwriter is presenting the song personally to the publisher and is able to play the song in a professional manner, filling in his own accompaniment, then perhaps, all that is required is the straight melody line (without harmonic accompaniment) and the lyric. On the other hand, if the songwriter must depend upon a staff pianist filling in the accompaniment, it is generally preferable to have a skilled arranger or musician sketch in the proper accompaniment before the song is submitted to the publisher.

It is unnecessary and inadvisable to spend a good deal of money for a top-notch arrangement. In the first place, there is always the chance that the publisher will not be interested in the song and that therefore, the expenditure will be wasted. Secondly, every publisher has his own arranging staff or uses the services of well-known, free-lance arrangers. These arrangers are not only called upon to make orchestrations, but also to doctor up the harmonic accompaniment for sheet music copies.

The main point for the new songwriter to bear in mind is that the song, when presented to the publishers, should be able to stand on its own merits. If the melody line is sufficiently strong to stand up under the casual interpolation of a staff pianist, or if the songwriter or a friend is able to perform the number competently, then the song may be sold on the basis of merely the melody line and lyric. If, however, interest of the music depends, to some extent, on the use of certain chords or harmonic progressions in the accompaniment, these should be, at least, indicated before the song is brought to the attention of the publisher.

Harmony. Although all published songs are provided with harmonic accompaniments, the songwriter is not required to be adept at harmonic theory. In fact, many professional songwriters are unable to write more than the bare melody line. The song, in such cases, is usually turned over to a professional arranger who will fill out the proper chords and harmonic accompaniment. Odd as it may seem, there are some professionals who are unable to read or write music! They can, however, "work out" a good tune on the piano or some other instrument, and depend upon some collaborator to write down the notes and fill out the accompaniment. It has been Irving Berlin's practice, for many years, to create tunes on his piano while a "musical stenographer" notes down the melody.

While a knowledge of harmony is, therefore, not requisite, it can. be extremely useful to the composer. In actual composition, the composer may often evolve a melody from a succession of chord progressions or he might bolster up an otherwise weak tune by a strong and unusual harmonic accompaniment. A knowledge of harmony is also useful in progressing from one key to another or in determining the proper method to end a musical phrase. Many composers achieve unusual effects through the use of minor harmonies either in the melodic line or in the accompaniment. Use of harmony also enables the composer to add variety to a somewhat monotonous melody or to fill out the time space when a note is held for several beats.

To these extents, a knowledge of harmony can be extremely useful to the composer. If it is at all practical, the composer should try to supplement his knowledge of music with some study of harmony. Quite often, local music teachers are willing to give lessons in harmony if properly approached.

Harmony can also ruin a song if it is not used with some discretion and good taste. If the tune is evolved from chord progressions, there is always the possibility that it may depend too much upon the accompaniment. Many new songwriters who are thoroughly acquainted with harmonic theory fall into this trap. The result, of course, is a weak tune, for the melody should be appealing if played without any accompaniment whatsoever. Such writers may also be tempted to write in a complicated, and over-ornate accompaniment which is not only difficult for the average person to play but which makes it impossible to distinguish the melody line. This is often the case with some professional "swing arrangements" which leave the melody so far behind that they lose all individuality and meaning.

Selecting the song type. The professional songwriter always keeps a "weather eye" on the market. Since he depends upon song writing for his livelihood, he knows that it is important to keep abreast with song trends and to concentrate upon those types of numbers that meet the current public demand.

It is just as important for the new songwriter to follow the same rule. If he approaches a publisher with a waltz song at a time when waltzes are unpopular, he is "behind the eight ball" before he begins. If he produces a new novelty number when the public is "fed up" with novelty numbers, he will lose out, even though his song has outstanding qualities. If he comes in at the tail end of a fad of western numbers with a new song in that classification, the publisher will not greet him with open arms.

The song market is constantly changing. The fad that is current today may last for another month or two months, or it may be replaced by another fad overnight. The songwriter should therefore make a steady practice of listening to the types of songs plugged by top-name bandleaders and should try to model his own song to "fit the groove."

There are, of course, certain types of numbers that have a steady market. These are: the fox trot (in preference to the waltz), and the "straight" song; i.e., fairly conventional treatment of lyric and melody.

The production number written specifically for musical plays or pictures is definitely not the amateur's dish. This type of song is always written by well-known professional songwriters who have an established name and record and who have been selected by the producer to write the musical score. Many of these, such as Arthur Schwartz, Jerome Kern, Richard Rodgers, Oscar Ham-merstein II, Frank Loesser, and others, have specialized in the production field and are thoroughly experienced with this highly specialized type of number. We will have more to say about production numbers further on in this book. The new songwriter should know, however, that these numbers are generally written with a specific script situation in mind or are tailored for the voice or personality of a particular singer or performer. Many production numbers become popular even though the production, itself, may be a failure. Despite this fact, however, these numbers required the initial impetus of the production to get them started on the road to popularity.

Novelty songs, if well written, have an excellent market value, providing they conform to current popular taste and tempo. Oddly enough, it is usually in times of stress that novelty songs have their greatest vogue. For instance, The Music Goes Round and Round hit the public when the last shackles of "The Depression" were being shaken off. It became a hit song overnight. Mairzy Doates made its fame during the days of the pre-invasion jitters and the public accepted this nonsense song as an excellent means of "blowing off steam."

A successful novelty song is extremely difficult to write. Any subject is fit material for such a song, provided it is treated in the proper manner. The treatment, however, requires clever rhyming and a mature and appealing sense of humor on the part of the lyricist, and a tune that is both catchy and simple. The melodies of most novelty numbers have a certain folk-song quality. They have a strong melodic line which is somewhat repetitious but which has a striking rhythmic pattern that prevents the melody from becoming monotonous.

Novelty songs usually require the collaboration of two or three collaborators. Cole Porter is one of the few professionals who can write both words and music for this type of number, but Porter's songs, including his famous You're The Top are still in the production-number category. A good instance of the manner in which these songs are written is shown in the history of Mairzy Doates. Milton Drake got the original idea for the song from a nonsense rhyme first written in the fifteenth century. He called in Jerry Livingston to write the music, and Al Hoffman to help him with the lyrics. After considerable experimenting with words and tunes, Mairzy Doates took the form of a commercial song.

Although novelty songs have a fairly steady market, they require so much ingenuity and skill both in the lyrics and in the melody, that the new songwriter should stay clear of this field unless he has an unusual and sure-fire lyric idea.

The ballad type of song recurs in occasional fads but is not insured of a steady market. This, as you will recall, is the type of song that is classified as "corn" by the publishers and bandleaders. Distinctly old-fashioned in choice and treatment of subject matter, and in the melodic treatment, songs in this category are, as a rule, limited in appeal and, therefore, difficult to exploit. Ballads have not been particularly popular for the last few years but this does not indicate they are completely "out of the running." Experience has shown that when a ballad once "clicks," it generally has a longer life than other song types. The song, however, must be outstanding and must have a melody line that is unusually strong and sweet.

There is another type of popular song that should be discussed at this time. This is not actually a "song" in the true sense of the word since it generally has no lyric. It is known as the "specialty number" and is actually an instrumental number in dance rhythm. It is intended, primarily, for orchestra performance and is usually written by some member of the band. Among the specialty numbers that have reached prominence are Raymond Scott's Toy Trumpet, Power House, 18tb Century "Drawing Room; Duke Ellington's Mood Indigo and Black and Tan; Reginald Forsythe's Serenade To A Wealthy Widow.

If the new songwriter is sufficiently talented to turn out an acceptable specialty number, he should contact a top-ranking band. Publishers rarely accept this type of number until its popularity has first been confirmed through actual performance.

In selecting the type of song that stands the best chance of exploitation and sale, the songwriter should be guided, to a considerable extent, by his own natural talents. If he finds that he has a particular knack for writing fast rhythm numbers, then that certainly is his field and he would be making a big mistake in trying to write a slow ballad number simply because that type of song happened to be the current fad. So also with the lyricist. If his specialty lies in humorous situations and clever rhyming, he should "stick to his last" and not attempt to collaborate on a song having a straight lyric treatment.

The majority of songwriters, both professional and amateur, are able to vary their style and to turn out good songs of different types. Irving Berlin, for example, is equally adept in writing straight ballads, or fast patter songs. Walter Donaldson, who can turn out a good sob ballad at the drop of a hat, can also write a modern humorous number such as Keeping It Private. These are only two out of a list of hundreds of professional songwriters who have the facile talent of writing successful songs in distinctly different categories.

It may take considerable experimenting before the new songwriter is able to determine the extent of his own talent. As a general rule, when beginning in the field, he will find that one type of lyric or melody is easier for him to handle than any other. He should specialize in this type until he has thoroughly mastered structural technique and is able to create original material without much effort. He can then afford to experiment with other types of songs and he will usually find that constant practice in songwriting has broadened his scope so that after some time he is able to write songs of different types with equal ease.

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