Sing (And Write?) For Your Supper
Today's post is from our friend HIM.
I am going to side-step a portion of what this could possibly be about in favor of a wider view. What, you ask? Singers who sing songs they didn’t write (or, in some cases, barely had any input into at all).
The most recent hub-bub regarding this relates to Dee Snider and his new solo effort. He admitted it. Didn’t write a single line on the album. He felt that Jasta and Co. captured his spirit; thus, he became the storm, or the hurricane, or what have you. I respect him for that. He owned what he didn’t own, so to speak.
Online scolds went ballistic. Sell-out. Lazy. You get the picture. Now, to be fair, some of us on this site have already discussed the quality of the songs on For the Love of Metal. But that isn’t my point. My point is: is there anything necessarily wrong with a singer not writing what he or she sings?
Obviously, there are shades of gray here too. Some singers provide minimal input (“God bless you all!!) and we still, more or less, regard them as standard-bearers for metal. Others are called in at a moment of crisis (sometimes called, caught in a mosh) and don’t really get a chance to make their mark . . . if they ever did or even wanted to do so. Still others own the writing process and/or collaborate with the rest of the band on getting the lyrics right (which results, one would assume, in more firepower overall).
Snider added a bit of dig in subsequent interviews: he noted that some of the people you thought wrote the lyrics for their songs didn’t. That is a bit more expansive, as it applies to a group that boasts they did, when they didn’t. And we obviously know, as fans of the genre, that a host of established bands (again, not just the singers) hired outside writers to polish up their songs. You wanted the best, you . . . well, you hired someone who was known for their song- and lyric-craft.
My take? It relates back to what I initially swatted away. The quality of the song, overall, is what matters. And some people listen to lyrics. I certainly do. Others don’t pay as much attention. I also think that some people are better at interpreting other people’s words and music (just as some covers are better and some worse). Dio’s songs are his lyrics. Diamond Dave is what he sings. That said, I don’t fault Stanley for finding that the best part of waking up, was lyrics in his cup (I couldn’t resist).
I think Snider deserves a pass on this latest tempest in a teacup. Others don’t, however. Your take?