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Familiarity or Originality?

© Cindy Lee Haddock

FAMILIARITY OR ORIGINALITY?

The debate is never-ending on this topic. There are pros and cons on both sides when it comes to songwriting. Which side you prefer to take really depends on each situation and song for most of us, though. Here are a few morsels to think on when you decide which way to act when you write a particular song…

SONG TITLES

This is perhaps the most important part of your song, in many ways, so if you plan to pitch this tune either to the industry as a piece you want to sell or to a radio station for your own airplay, this decision can make or break your art. If you use a title that has already been used, you run the risk of being labeled a copycat, or being confused with other similarly titled works. It hasn’t hurt The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and Pat Benetar to all three have a hit called “Heartbreaker,” for example. I don’t think most fans would have any problem knowing which was which, either, but these were all top-notch acts, not beginning songwriters. If you have a song with the same title as a number-one hit, think carefully before launching it under that title, because I have heard many reps at song pitches knock a song before even hearing it simply because it had a similar title to that of a popular song—will yours stand up to that test? Using a familiar line can actually help, though—many a hit has been launched because it had a title that recalled a pop phrase of the time or a line from a familiar saying.

On the other side of the coin, using a strange-sounding phrase or word in or as the title can be just as troubling. I’ve read interviews where a rep tossed a demo without even listening to it because he thought the title was too contrived or “special.” Sad, but true, but many industry execs are that shallow, so you have to expect rejection in many cases for the most ridiculous reasons, none of which having to do with the content of your work. If you think you’ve got a hit in a song you feel really must be titled “The Stink,” for example, by all means, feel free to use it, but be prepared for every possible bad permutation you, your friends and your enemies can dream up to make fun of it. It certainly didn’t hurt Disney with “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.”

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