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C O U R S E L E C T U R E American Singer-Songwriters of the 70s Notes taken on February 19, 2015 by Edward Tanguay |
1960s authenticity trend in rock music
when you write a song, the lyrics should be about something important and serious-minded
it shouldn't just be about I want to hold your hand, and she loves you yeah, yeah, yeah
Dylan lead the charge in that direction
came from the folk tradition
one of the critics of Dylan was that he took the "we" out of folk music and turned it into the "me"
naval gazing, thinking about his own thoughts
the Beatles began to act more and more like singer-songwriters as the 60s progressed
the importance of being earnest
you have to create the impression of sincerity and personal expression
you have to be understood by the listener that what you are singing is something that you really think, experienced or resonate with
nothing should get in the way between the singer and the listener
no extended guitar solos
no cool sounds that come into the picture
acoustic guitar and piano are the simple instruments to communicate this
it's about the song, the sincerity, and the performance of it
starts out in Chapel Hill, North Carolina
a new artist with a direct connection back to the 1960s
1969 album "James Taylor", with Apple Records
"Something in the Way She Moves"
Warner Brothers, good success
1971 "You've got a Friend"
one of the most important song writers of the 1960s
"Will You Still Love me Tomorrow"
hit after hit after hit
dry spell when the focus moved from New York to Los Angeles
also wrote for the Monkees
reemerges as a singer song-writer
with encouragement of James Taylor
"you can sing your own songs"
"I Feel the Earth Move"
influential singer for you female singers
after breaking up with Garfunkel
used the word as a metaphor for our memories
Kodak company insisted that it be acknowledged that Kodachrome was a trademark of the Kodak company
the BBC refused to play the song on the air because they thought they would be promoting a trademark, i.e. an advertisement
rivaled Carole King and Bob Dylan as one of the best American song writers
a boyfriend who is self-absorbed
would be especially delicious because she gets him to sing background vocals
a taxi driver's passenger turns out to be an old woman friend
1974: Cat's in the Cradle
one of the most studied songs when it first came out
has references to history of rock
1973: Bad Bad Leroy Brown
both number one singles in 1973