Words and Music by Dennis Livingston I WISH I COULD WRITE A SIMPLE SONG, with a melody that makes you want to hum along. There would be four beats to the measure to mark the time and the lyrics most assuredly would always rhyme. I'd put the title in the first line where it must belong, then repeat it in the last one so ya hear it strong. I WISH I COULD WRITE SUCH A SIMPLE SONG. But life is not so simple any more, if it really ever was. For example, it's hard to tell the pit from the peach these days, except that one of them doesn't have fuzz. Still I WISH I COULD WRITE A GOOD OLD SONG, with a thirty-two bar total it won't be too long. It would have sentimental nothings so tried and true, such as when you lose your love, you feel awf'ly blue. There would be phrases that repeat a bunch of tired cliches, like "the moon was bright in June" or "have a real nice day." But unfortunately more than one shaggy beast is slouching toward the town of Bethlehem. The center doesn't hold, things fly apart. It's hard to tell the saints from the confidence men.   From Tin Pan Alley to Silicon Valley relationships have gone out the door. After all, sometimes love is like a glorious waltz, more often like a farce filled with vaudeville schmaltz. It's hard to write romantic songs that don't sound false. Life is not so simple any more. Yet IT'S TEMPTING TO WRITE A SIMPLE SONG, there are still some rules to follow so you don't go wrong. If the harmony gets boring, that's a cinch to fix, I could reach into my grandpa's trunk of top tune tricks. Maybe modulate the song around a key or two, go from major sounds to minor ones right on cue, throw in a synchopated chorus, that way no one gets lost, leaving room for variations that you can't exhaust. Perhaps I COULD WRITE A SUPRISINGLY good old-timey, bound to please, guaranteed to set your mind at ease, dancable, laughable, light as a breeze, sure to generate a ton of royalties, simple, oh so SIMPLE SONG.     © 1998 Hallmark Music Co.   Back to previous page Back to SONGS main page