by Ron Mason and Phyllis Sinclair

A Songwriter's Courage is Daring to be There!

“Express Yourself.” This simple lyric from Annie Lenox of the Eurythmics just about says it all for anyone who puts their heart into what they do. You may be an athlete who trains hard and competes even harder. Or a business owner who works long hours side by side with your employees. Perhaps a painter, writer, or songwriter who lays down your heart for all to see.

Whichever way we choose to express ourselves, the smiles from those we touch and the joy of sharing our gifts are the greatest rewards. Popular culture elevates songwriters and music stars to hero status, and indeed many of those stars that truly endure have helped shape our society and move our souls. These megastars are but the tip of the iceberg in the world of songwriting. Talented songwriters are everywhere.

Maybe it’s the girl next door, or the local car salesman. They are the grassroots of creativity in the world of music. It is an inspiring event when these fledgling artists gather for an informal jam or a singer-songwriter open stage.

But what is songwriting all about? Is it about becoming a great singing sensation, music star or pop-culture icon? Is it about writing perfectly rhymed lyrics? No. Songwriting is about living and feeling. It’s about experience and expression. It’s about questioning the accepted and accepting the questioned. Songwriting is a deeply emotional process that takes an enormous amount of courage.

Can you imagine where popular music would be if Leonard Cohen or Bob Dylan thought they didn’t sing well enough or have good rhymes? Thank goodness these legendary writers only cared about expressing what they felt and questioning what they saw. Thanks to Leonard Cohen we have famous lines from Bird on a Wire, “Like a baby, stillborn, like a beast with his horn, I have torn everyone who reached out for me.” Now, that’s a courageous admission.

Or, how about the line from Bob Dylan’s, Blowin’ In the Wind: “how many ears must one man have before he can hear people cry?" That is a deeply pointed question that took guts to ask. This is what songwriting is all about. Courageous musical expression! Both Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen were once the “boy next door," and the “guy that sang down at the coffee house."

We need songwriters just like them. Ordinary people, courageous enough to ask and express. Does a good song have to be deep? No. It just has to be felt. A line from the Arrogant Worms says, “History is made by stupid people. Clever people wouldn’t even try. If you want your name in the history books, then do something dumb before you die."

If you’re a songwriter come out and participate in the Medicine Hat Folk Music Club’s very first Songwriter’s Night at Café Caprice on Saturday, February 4th at 8 pm in the Aberdeen business district. This event promises to be a thrill for performers and audience members alike. Be brave. Hear you there.