by Ron Mason
It's the Song Between the Lines That Captures Listeners’ Hearts

Artists of any nature have tools that are essential to their craft; painters have brushes, sculptors, the hammer and chisel, or clay and water for potters. Writers, on the other hand, work with less tangible tools such as metaphors, similes, rhythm and rhyme. Poets, authors, and songwriters try to reach into that mysterious world of thoughts and feelings to create something to touch your soul.

Music in particular carries a powerful punch when a stirring melody, or groove, is matched with potent lyrics that are greater than the sum of their parts. Folk music, by its very nature, often captures this because its writers come from the grassroots. They write about our everyday lives. This is not to say that genres such as rock, punk, reggae and hip-hop are void of great songs. It is my view that any song that can maintain its power when played in its simplest, stripped down, form is a great song.

The songs that capture my attention and emotions the most, do not try to overwhelm me with complexity and wordiness. I once heard a music review on the songs of Guy Clark and the phrase “Economy of word” was used to describe Guy’s songs. The reviewer said that Guy could often say more in a few words than many could in a whole song. Artists such as Mary Gauthier, John Prine, Greg Brown, The Indigo Girls, Leonard Cohen, and Bob Marley are but a few in a long list of songwriters who possess that same economy of word. It is interesting that these, and artists like them, are seldom heard on mainstream radio. Thank goodness for CKUA!!

A successful 1950’s Nashville songwriter was once asked, “What does it take to write a great song?”

His answer was, “Three chords and the truth.” If we all were to look a little deeper, and ask ourselves which songs are closest to our heart or which move us every time, the answer is likely to be a simple melody with lyrics that speak the truth. Perhaps this is why traditional country music and the roots of blues still survive and thrive today. They are, after all, the parents of most popular forms of music we hear. It’s also curious that many of the most loved and recognized pieces of classical music contain simple themes and basic structures.

As a fledgling songwriter myself, I find that my greatest satisfaction comes when I find that one word or phrase that binds all of the others together in a tight circle. Whoever invented the Thesaurus deserves a medal! For me, that “song between the lines” is a physical and emotional feeling that can’t be denied when you hear the lyrical message or moving melody of a powerful piece of music. I find myself drawn to people who value the simple and real aspects of all types of music, and the joyful bond it gives us all.