SONGWRITING LESSONS from JOHN LENNON - Write a Song, Right Now - Part 3

[@Laenia__]

really insightful vídeo. Thank you so much for your approach in lennon's mind

[@RobertCassard]

Glad you enjoyed this, Laenia. I hope you enjoy the other parts of the songwriting series.

[@jamesdeagle]

Sincere, clear presentation! James Deagle

[@RobertCassard]

Thanks, James! Lots more Beatles-related content for your enjoyment: What the Beatles Taught Me - Complete Playlist kzbin.info/aero/PLJUm5NcjSm4h46M-IlNy7xudjxDz8rCZT

[@gibby6904]

Thanks for the great video Robert! For some reason you weren't showing up on my feed and I haven't been that active with music lately so I've missed a lot of great videos....I have some catching up to do....I did finally by a Zoom recorder but haven't figured it out yet... (my tecnophobia)....I do remember the Beatles on Ed Sullivan as a kid......these are all great songs....Im a Loser And No Reply are standouts.. .thanks again for all you do for us .......

[@RobertCassard]

Thanks, Gibby, I’m touched! Glad you’re enjoying catching up... No pressure, but I just (quietly) started a Patreon page. I’d be honored to have you as one of my first patrons based on the value you get from my videos, but only if it’s not a stretch for you. www.patreon.com/robertcassard Cheers!

[@georgescannelli3814]

Well Robert, part 3 was really interesting. Especially about being honest, truthful, and down to earth regarding song writing. . Your example/analogy was perfect using Lennon & McCartney. I did not realize how opposite their views and lyrics were until you brought them to light. Something to think about. I always knew the songs, but never considered how there was the “black & white” effect with lyrics. I thing your point about trying the songwriting concept of being truthful and honest can potentially bring out the best of the writer’s capabilities as pertaining to both their talents along with confidence. I think many musicians that try this will end up surprising themselves. Well done

[@RobertCassard]

Thanks, George. I hope it inspires you to try your hand at some lyrics that convey your deepest truth!

[@henriquebulcao]

Really nice. Totally agree

[@RobertCassard]

Thank you, Enrique!

[@Hippyme]

This is great thank you.

[@RobertCassard]

You’re welcome, Nick. I hope this series inspires some great songs!

[@JiggyJiffy]

Great video

[@RobertCassard]

Glad you enjoyed it, Alex. You might enjoy seeing how Lennon inspired (and actually played on) a new song I'm writing and recording: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bIe1f6OIjJx9jKM And here's the video where I add the guitar solo to the song: kzbin.info/www/bejne/g6a1lnRjf5aci5I

[@BillRizer333]

#3 Green per Bob Dylan

[@justiceforjamespaulmccartney]

Very good video. Thank you.

[@RobertCassard]

My pleasure to make it! I’m working on an original song right now that uses an unreleased clip of John Lennon playing the Mellotron. I’ll be releasing a video about it soon.

[@justiceforjamespaulmccartney]

@@RobertCassard 👍

[@justiceforjamespaulmccartney]

Can you make a video about James Paul McCartney (1942-1966)? I think Paul was at least at the same level with John Lennon.

[@HL09128]

No doubt about the blatant honesty...I always liked that too in his writing. His buddy was pretty damn good (at just about everything) and must still be in the running for the yet and still unmade choice of my favorite song writer. :-) No doubt as well, from anybody, that the body of both their Beatles works benefited from not only their collaboration but also from their competition and from their friendship...they were teenage mates that loved and respected one another....Usually. I haven't really thought much about the positivity of Paul against the dour outlook of John, but Yes, as you point out, John's "black cloud" writing style seems to be a powerful counterpoint to Paul's more positive style. Interesting. I feel fine would go against the usual John grain I suppose. Great point about the POB album...one of my favorites. Even as a kid I was struck by the rawness of the emotion and pain of those songs. Apart from the primal scream thing he was exploring at the time, I wonder if it was also John totally letting loose with no Beatles, and possibly even no George Martin, to restrain him in any possible way. Great video! P.S., I just looked over my iPad...turns out the majority (I might even say the vast majority) of Beatle songs that I do at gigs are John's songs. I never even stopped to think about it before.

[@RobertCassard]

Thanks for sharing that, Steve. At some point, I plan to do one or more videos comparing the songwriting and melodic styles of Lennon and McCartney. It was the perfect marriage, whether writing together or separately. Like a variety show that only required two performers to get infinite variety. Interesting that John dominates your songs at gigs. That’s true of me as well...not that I don’t love numerous Paul songs, too.

[@HL09128]

@@RobertCassard Maybe if I really stop to think about it and search my soul I do think John was a better songwriter. But saying that sounds like I love one of my parents more than the other. :-) Well, really, it's probably because John's songs are usually more energetically expressive. And I like to keep things hopping at gigs. Although, I routinely get the most applause when I play "My Love". So, I don't know. BTW, I would love to watch that video comparing their styles. Liked: Like a variety show that only required two performers to get infinite variety.

[@RobertCassard]

I’m broad terms, McCartney appeals to the romantic in each of us, and Lennon to the poet. Or something like that anyway...

[@HL09128]

@@RobertCassard Yeah, I'll buy that all day long.

[@lesleyjane7785]

for the most part you're on it, 'I used to be cruel to my woman, I beat her and kept her apart from the things that she loved'... that's not John's that's 'Paul's'.

[@RobertCassard]

Do you know that for sure, Lesley? I know that Paul wrote the bulk of the song. But I’ve read that Lennon contributed the line "can't get no worse." Lennon said in an interview that the line about "being cruel to my woman" was true, because he was angry and violent towards both women and men. I guess that doesn’t prove he wrote that line, but it implies that he did.

[@lesleyjane7785]

@@RobertCassard Well, am I sure? Reasonably sure. I was friend with Pete Shotton while he was alive, and I am sure, that he gave John the "HEY!" in You've Got To Hide Your Love Away... and I am sure that George wanted to give Pete (Shotton) his Maserati sports car, because Pete said to George While My Guitar Gently Weeps was the best song on the album (White Album)... I'm also sure about a few other things, which I will not mention. But this? Okay, it could have been John, or it could have been William. Little is known about him after all. Except that he came in as a ringer and goes out a bloody blown fuse, and it's understandable. Genius in his own right, has to hide who he actually is. That'd do it to anyone. But okay, you called me out on that, I am not entirely sure... it could have been John wrote that line. Whatever the fuque. Eat JESUS OLDMAN Records. Made of the Finest Ingredients. Available on SoundClick. www.soundclick.com/jesusoldman And Have a Great Day. It Will Be A GREAT DAY To Have.

[@RobertCassard]

@@lesleyjane7785 you’re certainly closer to greatness than I am! Thanks for the fun stories.

[@lesleyjane7785]

@@RobertCassard what about you, Robert. Do you have a music site? I just gave you mine. I am Jesus Oldman. Lesley Jane is my 'artist formerly known as'...

[@RobertCassard]

@@lesleyjane7785 I’ll check out Jesus Oldman. My main music site is guitardiscoveries.com. From there, you can get access to my solo stuff and my band Cosmic Spin. I appreciate you checking it out!

[@cevinmusiksidabutar5609]

so john lennon crate emo music

[@RobertCassard]

You could say that, Cevan!

[@kevinjoseph517]

by 1970 he was in a huge decline...sometime in ny city etc. he said yoko almost ruined his music.

[@RobertCassard]

I’m not aware of John ever saying that Yoko was anything but inspirational to him. As for 1970, that was also the year Plastic Ono Band came out. 1971 was Imagine. Two high points for me - not a decline by my standards, Kevin.

[@MichaelForbes-d4p]

Duke Ellington wrote 3000 songs

[@RobertCassard]

That’s prolific!!!!

[@marsweirdestcitizen7971]

learning to be mean making life easy for being me Can't help you anymore no I'm not able to do it even more have works on my own you may cry fall on my knees it's hard to say it but I'm not sorry just a little mean words spit no demons exist don't need sympathy let me be mean you may cry fall on my knees it's hard to say it but I'm not sorry just a little mean

[@RobertCassard]

All right, nioosha! I’d love to hear the words in the context of the whole song. Any chance you have a recording to share?

[@marsweirdestcitizen7971]

@@RobertCassard kzbin.info/www/bejne/jamxmoWhe9qsq68 I just started playing guitar so it doesn't sound quite good but it's the general idea

[@RobertCassard]

@@marsweirdestcitizen7971 ​ Going for it! Your strumming and chord changes are solid. Keep it up.

[@andrewwazagow9120]

Like most , this is another cheating effort with misleading promises. It is analysis of lyrics of some songs , and actually even only mentioning the titles. The promise was to talk about how the songs by John lennon were created -- and the most important and mysterious thing in the songs , particularly the Beatles songs IS A MELODY. So people are looking for the way how those wonderfull melodies were composed. But , lo and behold , there is not one word about that. But before I put the thumb down , aim going to check other two parts - may be there is some mentioning of musical processes.

[@RobertCassard]

Hi Andrew. thanks for the comment. Sorry if you thought I was cheating or giving misleading promises. I promised only that we could learn one thing from Lennon, which turned out to be honesty and directness. This is part 3 of a 5-part series mostly about getting past the fear associated with starting to write songs. Sounds like you entered right in the middle. The earlier episodes, Jagger & Richards and Stevie Nicks, have a more musical focus. No, I didn’t attempt to teach melody writing. But I covered a lot of ground and I hope you find some value in the series. I’ve been thinking about doing a comparison between Lennon and McCartney’s melodic styles, but I would never presume to teach HOW to write a melody. That’s each songwriter’s unique contribution and a mystery for the divine!

[@andrewwazagow9120]

@@RobertCassard Thanks for this honest clarification. By the way , I think , that once I've read somewhere that John and Paul had a custom to play famous hits without singing the melodies ,just the chords , and were trying to sing different tunes , sometimes changing the rhythm , experimenting. Was that a knd of training in creativity ? I just wonder.

[@RobertCassard]

@@andrewwazagow9120 Playing chords from famous hits and creating different tunes for them is a BRILLIANT way to develop the ability to write melodies and rhythms. The majority of hits in the past few years have all used the same four chords of the scale: I IV V vi. In the key of C, that would be C F G Am. They get varied in rhythm, the order they're played in, and the home key. But in many many cases, it's basically the same four chords of the scale. So, in a very literal sense, most modern hit songs are created exactly the way you describe Lennon and McCartney practicing their melody writing!

[@andrewwazagow9120]

@@RobertCassard Sooo .....why haven't you had mentioned this before ? As i recall you only mentioned something about "divine" influence .... Just kidding. Yes, I think that could be the key to their stunning success. Of course they were incredibly talented as well. Characteristically they (John and Paul ) didn't use that same frame of mind when they were taking on Georges songs. Only after he introduced Eric Clapton as additional authority , his previously presented to them "Something" was "rediscovered" by these two conceited creators. Seems like they needed an authority of another musical genius. ( And let us not forget the role of George Martin ). This was probably also at the root of a strange phenomenon that their latter songs were much weaker than the "beatles" period. On their own , without serious competition their talents paled - seems like. Anyway I appreciate all of your honest opinions. Keep warm.

[@RobertCassard]

@@andrewwazagow9120 Thanks for weighing in. You sound like a Geioge Harrison fan. If you haven't seen it, you might enjoy by song blowup of Here Comes the Sun: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mHWwpZSffZuHiqs

[@catthomas3097]

I have written a exposing song about myself lately actually, i fucking hate it but it might actually be my best song xD

[@RobertCassard]

There you go, Cat. I’d love to hear it if you have the courage to share. But either way, getting real seems to appeal to a whole lot of listeners…

[@catthomas3097]

@@RobertCassard haven't recorded it yet, but I'll link it to you when it's released

[@RobertCassard]

@@catthomas3097 Please do!

[@bobbest8627]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/g37QdXmwnMira9Usi=haOGWbwGloWNY16w During the pandemic, I got in with a group of guys who are real musicians and performers, but they let me hang with them. When they recorded this song, I thought it was just a demo, but to my surprise it wound up on their CD. You can hear I’m not a musician or a singer, but it fits what you say about exposing yourself. I’m just a 66-year-old guy who decided he wants to write songs The story behind this song is actually better than the song. I got thrown in jail for 10 days kind of by mistake. Then this other guy heard me raise my voice to my father on the phone. He threaten to kill me if I ever did that again. Turned out his dad died about a week before and he told me when he gets out of here he has no one left to disappoint. I thought that would make a good song. Even though The Beatles on my religion by songwriting sensibilities, come from Kris Kristofferson and Jerry Jeff Walker. And I’m being very brave Posting it here. Love your podcast.

[@RobertCassard]

Right on, Bob Best! Thanks for mustering up the courage, and congrats on the release of an original song that's so solid and real. I hear the Kris and Jerry Jeff influence, but maybe even more Steve Earle and John Prine. "My cousins are afraid of me" has to be my favorite line. Cheers!

[@bobbest8627]

@@RobertCassard thanks Robert for allowing me to do this. Someday I’d like to re-record that song with a pedal steel and somebody else singing. There’s a couple of other songs on that Cd that were by me… you could hear the difference between me, and my other friends that are real performers. But I feel real lucky and grateful that these guys embraced me. Just as I feel grateful that I stumbled onto your channel… Thanks again

[@RobertCassard]

@@bobbest8627 I'm happy you had that experience and are willing to share its fruits. BTW - Stumbling upon cool inspirational stuff is the goal of all my KZbin surfing...