Comments on: Your Take: Bad List, Good List?

By: Peter Kohan

Peter Kohan — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:04:12 +0000

Leeann had a comment above about the quantity of writers per track. I think it could be compared to when Hollywood studios get multiple writers doing drafts of blockbuster movie scripts and creating a flick which focus tests well, but lacks real soul and humanity. The publishers and writers have been conditioned to think “blockbuster” because that is what the labels are buying and what Country radio is playing.

At the same time, however, professional songwriters are highly prolific. Their work may be more varied, but if it never gets cut or released as a single, then it’s like the proverbial tree falling in the forest. I’m not opposed to anyone finding a formula for making a living out of making music, but it’s a bit disheartening to find out that, just like working a 9-5 job, a person can get pigeonholed into a certain role and not be allowed to show all of their talents due to organizational needs.

Or maybe I’ve just ventured into “talking out my ass” territory.

By: Jeremy Potts

Jeremy Potts — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:01:01 +0000

I don’t have an intrinsic issue with list songs - they’ve been a staple of many genres for decades (see Cole Porter’s You’re The Top and Let’s Do It spring to mind as two quality examples), they do seem to be popping up rather a lot in contemporary country as a crutch for lazy and superficial writers. I pretty much agree with Mr. C’s take on the state of country radio - excellent article.

By: Kelly

Kelly — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:54:42 +0000

This may be a tad obscure for the top 40 fans out there, but Hayes Carll’s “Down the Road Tonight” isnt only a listing of the people, events and things he has come accross in his time in Austin, Houston and Nashville (Beans and Biscuits in my cupboardard/listen to Ray Wylie Hubbard), but it’s hilarious too. What other song proclaims that “My Grandmama’s name was Stella/Michael Jackson peaked at Thriller”????

By: Baron Lane

Baron Lane — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 19:23:27 +0000

Charlie Mack, you’re my homeboy!

By: Baron Lane

Baron Lane — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 19:21:42 +0000

“list songs” are to contemporary pop-country music what canned beats are to contemporary pop-R&B music. It’s a cut and paste mentality to better insure hit creation. It’s not that it’s lazy (it is) it’s that when an industry puts costs containment and hedging risks over excellence you get conveyor belt product.

McDonald’s burgers are not the best but their cheap and you know what our going to get.

By: Dave S

Dave S — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 04:23:56 +0000

I don’t know a lot about songwriting, but I do know that my favorite country songs are NOT songs that contain lists.

By: bobby

bobby — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 00:38:03 +0000

I don’t think there is anything wrong with list songs, it seems to me like it just so happens that many list songs have shallow themes, and the lists don’t do anything to fix that. For example, Brad Paisley. Letter to me is a very good list song, but I’m still A Guy is very shallow. Compare the themes of the songs, and Letter to Me is much deeper, so the examples in the list support it rather than bring out the shallowness.

By: Leeann

Leeann — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 22:34:29 +0000

It’s nice to know, Rick, that there are people out there who are even more cynical than me.:)

By: Rick

Rick — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 22:22:57 +0000

The Top 40 mainstream country Muzak establishment has carved out a listening audience that absolutely adores “list” songs, so criticism on an artistic level although valid is largely irrelevant. The stuff targeted at Top 40 country radio has become merely a “product” designed by songwriters to fit certain parameters covered in the original post and the others in this blog. These listeners typically want to be touched in a shallow, sappy sentimental way, call it the “Hallmark syndrome”, so list songs strive to cover as many such listeners as possible. Its like shooting for the artistic lowest common denominator as a pragmatic approach to marketing this drivel to an appreciative audience.

Using lists is just one of the common features that have reduced the state of mainstream country music to its current sad state. Radio wants everything to sound basically the same so songwriters have no motivation to be inventive or original. Repacking the same old crap with a flashy new label is the road to success in today’s Top 40 country marketplace, so if songwriters want to earn royalties they know what they have to do.

PS - Sarah Buxton’s “That Kind of Day” was a delightfully creative list song, so I have no qualms if they are well executed….

By: Leeann

Leeann — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 22:01:07 +0000

The movie was Forest Gump. I don’t think we were supposed to believe his stories.:)

I meant “too” and not “to” in my previous post.