Most hit songs today are credited to more than one writer, and I can easily see the advantages of working with others. You get an instant critique during the writing process, you get to mine the experiences and tallent of others, and when you finish you have more than one person pitching the tune to an expanded social network.
And you cetrainly can’t argue with the success of such teams as Lennon and McCartney, Rodgers and Hammerstein, and Becker and Fagan.
But when I’ve tried co-writing in the past it just never worked out well. Like having too many cooks in the kitchen, it’s tough to get everyone to agree on a groove or a lyric or a melody line.
It may be that I’m just too much of a control freak.
But when my friend Greg Taylor asked me to collaborate on a song he was working on I agreed without much hesitation. Greg and I were members of the Boone, NC chapter of the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) for many years. We are very familiar with each other’s writing styles, having shared our original songs both at the workshops and during public performances.
Greg had the melodic framework for “Pick Myself Up” worked out and I just provided some help with the lyrics. We had the song pitched in Nashville a year or so ago and I didn’t think much about it since then.
Then I got a copy of Greg’s new CD “Love Machine.” The song, “Pick Myself Up” is one of 13 tunes on the album and it sounds great. Greg has put together a terrific cast of musicians and vocalists to really show off his original tracks and stellar keyboard playing.
I just may have to rethink this collaboration thing.
To get a copy of the CD go here (http://www.infinitelimits.net/cds/lovemachine.html).