"I would never say that". That is a common phrase that songwriters need to get used to hearing, if you're sending your songs to very many people. Over the years, I have heard that phrase many times from artists and producers. I have also made that comment about songs that I have reviewed by other writers.
Several years ago I had to change a lyric for a major label artist because of the phrase "All of the sudden". That artist had never heard that phrase and told me that they would never say that. They wanted to say "suddenly". Unfortunately, "suddenly" didn't fit the meter of the line, so I had to write a whole new line for the song, that would still fit with the subject that we were talking about. I didn't get this information about the re-write, until the artist was in the studio putting vocals on the project. So, I was under the gun to come up with something else, fast. I'm just glad that they asked me to make the re-write and didn't go with their first instinct and use the word "suddenly". That would have sounded like I just couldn't find the right word for the line if they had recorded it that way.
But I really can't shake a finger at the artist. I have done the same thing when critiquing a song. Several years ago, a young man brought a song to me with the title "Say A Prayer For Me". I had never heard that phrase before. My Pentecostal raising taught me that prayer was something you are diligent about. I associated the word "Prayer" with words like "Fasting, Intercession and Travailing". I was taught that "Prayer" was not something that you "Say", but something that you do. The term "Say A Prayer" sounded very weak and watered down to me. It sounded to me as if you were asking someone to recite a poem or the Pledge of Allegiance. My critique of the song was quite harsh. I thought he either needed to re-write the whole idea, or throw the song away and start over with a new idea altogether. But to my surprise, he got the song published by a major publishing and recording company.
It wasn't till after I had heard that song had been published and recorded, that I began to hear the phrase "Say A Prayer". I heard several people saying it. I don't know if
I had never heard it before, or if I had just never paid attention to it before. But "all of the sudden" I found out that "Say A Prayer" was a common phrase.
There have been other phrases that struck me as odd over the years. I was in a co-writing session one time with two very prominent writers several years ago, when one of them came up with the phrase "In my Heart of Hearts". I had to ask them what that meant. I had never heard it before. But both of the other writers assured me that it was a common term, so we put it in the song. They must have been right, because we got two major label recordings on that song with that phrase in the second verse.
A few years ago I was writing with another very well know writer. We were writing a song based on the Bible story of the Man at the Pool of Bethesda. The man was lame.
I wanted to use the word "Lame", to describe our spiritual condition before we met Christ. My co-writer opposed that word. He said that he and all of his friends only used the word "Lame" as a synonym for the word "Stupid". I was using it to mean "Crippled or Broken". I tried to assure him that not everyone would associate the word "Lame" with "Stupid". He gave in to my argument and the song went on to be recorded, and peaked at #1 on the charts, with the word "Lame" in it.
I had a song turned down by a major artist one time because of the word "Manifested". The artist told me that the word "Manifest" is a Pentecostal word that non-Pentecostals never use. The song was talking about how Jesus was the "Manifested" son of God. The song never touched on denominational doctrines. It simply stated that according to the book of John, Chapter One, that the Word became Flesh, and dwelt among us. The Son of the Living God was "Manifested" before us. My publisher was Baptist, and had already approved the song to be pitched. I asked several of my non Pentecostal friends if they found that word offensive, and none of them did. But the artist just couldn't get past that one word.
Even though you may be writing your songs in English, always remember that certain words can mean different things to different people. Even though we all speak the same language, we are separated by regional, cultural, and even denominational differences. Even within your own house, your family members may not all agree on the properuse of a word or phrase. When I had my wife proofread this article before I mailed it, she could not believe that I ever said "All of THE sudden" instead of "All of A sudden". So we looked it up. My wife was right. "All of A Sudden" is the proper idiom. She is gloating over that fact right now. She just loves being right. But the information that we found stated that "All of THE sudden" is also commonly used in newspapers and newscasts. The article stated that if more people start using "All of The Sudden" it would become the preferred idiom. But grammatically speaking, one is as proper as the other. So at least I was a little bit right.
Just SAY A PRAYER for me the peace will be MANIFESTED in our home!
As writers, we need to have an open mind toward the possibility, that a phrase or word may mean something else other than what we think it means. When in doubt, ask someone about it. Extend your vocabulary to include different cultural and denominational terminology. Make some new friends outside your own regional, or denominational background. It may help you understand a little more about how other Christians perceive this Christian lifestyle.
Until next time, keep on writing!
Daryl Williams
http://www.darylwilliamstrio.net
Author: Daryl Williams
| Author's Website: http://darylwilliamstrio.net
Written: 04/01/2007
| 
Category: The Songwriter
Comments: 5
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It's also a good idea to look at your song after the emotion of the songwriting moment has ended. The song doesn't always seem the same as it did when the emotions were hot. The song has to be able to stand even when the emotions are not there.
If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit
- Galatians 5:25.
I've heard the phrase "all of a sudden" plenty of times, but like your artist, I don't think I've ever heard "all of the sudden" either. :o)
—Making hay while the sun shines—
sgnforum@musicscribe.com - BLOG - SGHistory.com
Hey Daryl,
Can you write a song titled "What Do You Got?"
That phrase was worn out on the TV series _ER_ and now it's used in every "thriller" from the most popular like _Lost_ and _24_ to the shows that get canceled after just one season like _Invasion_ and _Vanished_.
Whenever a new TV series comes out, I always watch the pilot episode and note the time the phrase is used first. Odd are someone in charge will ask, "What do you got?" much more often than "What do you have?"
—Making hay while the sun shines—
sgnforum@musicscribe.com - BLOG - SGHistory.com
Daryl,
It was after speaking to my un-churched grandmother, that I realized all of the christian phrases I grew up with meant nothing to her and I needed to learn to be more universal. It was a lesson to me in sharing God's love in both my speaking and songwriting.
Thanks for the great article!
Melissa
Congratulations on the Songwriter of the Year Award - I guess you said a few things right!
Love,
Tim, Sally, Rachel, and Rebecca
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