Singing and songwriting used to be all about the artiste‘ – that lone ranger singer-songwriter who was so cool, so complete that she didn’t need help with her songwriting, thank you very much.
But times have definitely changed in Nashville and co-writing is the norm. In fact, most hit songs have no less than two writers, with some hits boasting four or more writers (think Ever Be written by Bobby Strand, Chris Greely, Gabriel Wilson, and Kelley Heiligenthal).
Why is this trending now?
For one thing, recording artists are writing their own songs like never before, but most realize they need help. An artist is often a great vocalist and communicator, but sometimes needs help getting out on paper what they feel in their hearts.
Wordsmiths like long-time Word Music writer, Tony Wood, come alongside artists to help them get to the root of their most important thoughts and help form them into the compelling hooks and eventual songs you hear on the radio.
Tony Wood, for instance, has had twenty-nine (that’s 29) #1 hit songs and counting. He’s written for Point Of Grace, Michael W. Smith, SELAH, 4-Him, Sandi Patty, Natalie Grant, Avalon, Ginny Owens, Mark Schultz, Brian Littrell (of the Backstreet Boys), Matt Redman, KUTLESS, Steven Curtis Chapman, Chris August, Mark Hall (of Casting Crowns), Group 1 Crew, Big Daddy Weave, Pocket Full of Rocks, FFH, Mandisa, Chris Sligh, Mark Harris, Francesca Battistelli, Colton Dixon, Nicole C. Mullen, Larnelle Harris, All Star United, Building 429, Jason Crabb, Joy Williams, Hawk Nelson, Jaci Valesquez, 33 Miles, Steve Green, PASSION, Gaither Vocal Band, Phillips, Craig & Dean, Royal Tailor, About A Mile, Petra, 7eventh Time Down, Kari Jobe, Anthony Evans, Wayne Watson, Meredith Andrews, Kim Hill, the Museum, Oak Ridge Boys, Don Moen, Rush Of Fools, Kathy Troccoli, Lincoln Brewster, OBB, Moriah Peters, Matt Wertz, Mike Donehey (of Tenth Avenue North), 1 Girl Nation, Aaron*Jeoffrey, Sidewalk Prophets, Guy Penrod, Booth Brothers, Cindy Morgan, Mark Lowry, Geoff Moore, Greg Long, Ricky Skaggs, Travis Cottrell, Kerrie Roberts, Clay Crosse, Scott Krippayne, Talley Trio, Bob Carlisle, Nichol Sponberg, Bill Gaither, Babbie Mason, Christy Nockels, Ian Eskelin, Steve Camp, Jonny Diaz, Russ Taff, Gold City, Ray Boltz, Jill Phillips, Paul Baloche, Aaron Shust, Leeland Mooring, Rob Mathes, Wayne Haun, Michael English, BarlowGirl, Sheila Walsh, Warren Barfield, Joseph Habedank, I AM THEY, Amber Nelon Thompson, Ronnie Freeman, TaRanda Greene, Brian Free and Assurance, NEWSONG, Susan Ashton, Veritas, Jim Brady Trio, Jody McBrayer, Matthew West, Tim Rushlow, Jessica Simpson, All Things New, Todd Agnew, Ronan Tynan, Legacy Five, Janet Paschall, Nelons, OBB, Kim Boyce, Gary Chapman, the Martins, Charles Billingsley, Russ Lee, Michael O’Brien, GLAD, First Call, Imperials, Karen Peck & New River, TRUTH and others.
And… almost all of these are cowrites.
If you’re unfamiliar with Tony, you certainly know his songs. To hear how he thinks about songwriting and to get some quick insights, check out Tony’s interview on The Song Revolution Podcast here.
And secondly, as the old maxim goes, two writers are usually better than one. Where one may be strong in writing lyrics, the other may be stellar in melodies. I realized a long time ago that a lot of people can write better music than me, so I learned to concentrate on coming up with hooks, titles, and the best possible lyrics. Sticking to my strength has made the cowriting efforts profitable and emotionally rewarding over three decades.
So – should songwriting be a solo sport? Probably not, though there are a few rare exceptions.
Next week we’ll bring some valuable tips on how to pursue cowriting and how it all works. After all, being the “lonely artiste'” probably isn’t going to help you get where you really want to go as a songwriter.
