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American Songwriter News
Creator Profile Avatar for American Songwriter News

American Songwriter News

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American Songwriter is an American bimonthly magazine covering songwriting. Established in 1984, it features interviews, songwriting tips, news, reviews and lyric contest. The magazine is based in Nashville, Tennessee.
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Those who have followed Eric Clapton for a while likely know him for his contributions to rock and blues. However, if you know his story, you’re also no stranger to Clapton’s personal battles with addiction. Clapton actually revealed that, between 1973 and 1981, his addictions especially impacted him musically. He explains that this was due to “the state” he was in at the time of recording these projects. “I would like to have gone back and extracted all of the alcohol out of my body,” he said in a 1989 interview. “I can listen to that album and say, ‘Well, there’s coke on that one. There’s brandy on that.’ I can hear the state that I’m in.” He even admitted, “It’s a little embarrassing from about 1973 to about 1981, I was engaging in a lot of stuff far beyond what my health could allow.” Clapton’s solo albums that were released during this time included 461 Ocean Boulevard, There’s One In Every Crowd, No Reason To Cry, Slowhand, Backless, and Another Ticket, if you were curious.

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6 hr

On March 27, 1987, the Irish rockers headed up to the roof of the Republic Liquor Store, located at the corner of 7th Street and Main Street. There, U2 was filmed performing “Where The Streets Have No Name,” a song from the group’s then brand-new album The Joshua Tree, multiple times. Footage of the performance was used for a music video for the tune, which was released as a single in August 1987. U2 played “Where The Streets Have No Name” several times, in the process giving the tune its live debut. The band also performed a few other songs, including the Joshua Tree track “In God’s Country” for the first time live, as well as their classic 1983 anthem “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” and a cover of The Impressions’ “People Get Ready.” U2 also started to play “Pride (In The Name Of Love),” but local police pulled the plug on the performance. The band announced plans to shoot the video at the downtown location earlier that day. The performance also served as a warm-up for the band’s upcoming

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7 hr

While Cledus T. Judd was a famous country music singer, his approach to the industry was a little different. Instead of releasing songs about heartbreak, revenge, or the warmth of love, he parodied hit songs in the genre. And since the 1990s, he has offered some unique versions of country’s biggest hits. They included “I Love NASCAR” and “How Do You Milk a Cow.” Although most of the genre loved his Weird Al Yankovic persona in country, apparently, Ella Langley and Sony weren’t big fans. With Judd spending decades in the genre, he was excited to give Langley’s hit song “Be Her” the royal Cledus treatment. The product was “Meet Her” and seemed more like a compliment to Langley than a joke. But no matter what, Judd found himself dealing with Sony. “I got a letter this week … from Sony Music New York that said, ‘Hey, take the Ella tribute video down off your social media, off the platforms everywhere. Get it down.’” Sharing a video about the entire incident, Judd explained how shocking

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8 hr

The hard rock and surprisingly political song “Street Fighting Man” by The Rolling Stones was released on this very day, August 31, back in 1968. It’s a bit of a fan favorite after all these years, though many a Stones fan listened to the song retrospectively for the first time. And that’s because the tune itself wasn’t a particularly high-charting one. So, how could that be, considering 1968 was basically the year of massive protest anthems and political songs? It appears as though the majority of radio stations in the US were just too afraid to air it, leading to lackluster numbers on the Billboard charts. “Street Fighting Man” boasts quite a few lyrics about violent revolution. Naturally, US radio stations were a bit nervous to air it. With lines like “Hey, think the time is right for a palace revolution / But where I live, the game to play is compromise solution” or “I’ll kill the king, I’ll rail at all his servants,” it was hard to ignore how surprisingly extreme, though not un

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8 hr

Lionel Richie is battling some health issues. Following his Aug. 29 concert in St. Louis, Missouri, the American Idol judge checked himself into the hospital, according to TMZ, which cited sources. The outlet reported that Richie wanted to have some tests run, and that doctors are concerned about possible dehydration. People further reported that Richie is currently in the ICU. The singer is hoping to leave the hospital on Sept. 1, according to the first outlet. Concertgoers told TMZ that Richie appeared to struggle towards the end of his show, and even requested that a chair be brought out for his final song. Richie’s latest hospitalization came two months after another health scare. Back in June, Richie told the crowd that he felt dizzy on stage. He initially tried to continue on with the show, but wound up cutting the concert short. At the time, TMZ, citing sources connected to Richie, reported that paramedics met the American Idol judge backstage. After examining him, he was

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9 hr

“Ocean Front Property” is a clever song. It turns heartache on its head with a bold bit of sarcasm. Moreover, it’s based on an actual scam. Conman George C. Parker convinced several people to buy the Brooklyn Bridge from him. Songwriters Royce Porter, Dean Dillon, and Hank Cochran took things a step further, hawking oceanfront views in landlocked Arizona. Dillon, who co-wrote many of George Strait’s biggest hits, did not like this song, according to Songfacts. “I thought it was horrible,” he said of the chart-topper. “I didn’t like to write funny songs. That didn’t do anything for me. If anything, I tend to delve into the dark side of life more than I did the funny side of it,” he explained. “After we were done with it, I thought, man, this is junk. I thought it was hokey and I didn’t know if people’d get it or not,” he recalled. “I think about four months later, it came into the charts. That whole album came in the charts at No. 1. Sold a million records the first week it was out, t

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9 hr

On this day (August 31) in 1974, Dolly Parton’s “Love Is Like a Butterfly” debuted on the Hot Country Songs chart. That November, it became her third consecutive No. 1 single after “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You.” The space between the single’s success and her departure from Porter Wagoner’s TV show was proof that she could thrive as a solo act. Parton started her recording career with Monument Records, where she released several singles. Only a few of those charted, though. In late 1967, she became the “girl singer” on The Porter Wagoner Show. Before long, Wagoner orchestrated her move to RCA. In 1968, she released Just Because I’m a Woman, her first album on the label. While the most successful singles didn’t reach the same heights as her hits with Monument, all of them charted. Most landed within the top 40. Parton continued to have charting singles through the rest of the 1960s. Her popularity continued to grow as the 70s progressed. “Joshua” became her first No. 1 in 1970

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10 hr

Hoping to use her stardom to help those in need, Olivia Rodrigo fashioned the Daisy Chain Fields Music Festival. Taking over the Great Park in California, the singer welcomed top names like Chappell Roan, Devon Again, and numerous others. With proceeds donated to numerous charitable organizations, the festival not only raised over $20 million but included a special tribute to Dolly Parton, featuring Sarah McLachlan. As the world mourned the loss of Dolly, McLachlan and Rodrigo joined forces for a special performance of “Angel.” And when needing a definition of an angel, there was no better example than Dolly. But McLachlan’s song centered on the dangers of trying to escape the struggles of the world with drugs. Understanding the pain that fans felt when Dolly passed away, McLachlan and Rodrigo appeared to pick the perfect song. And while “Angel” wasn’t written for Dolly, the emotional lyrics took on an entirely new meaning as the two singers celebrated a woman who spent her life li

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11 hr