Is it our duty as songwriters to not talk about ''people'' in our songs?

[grimtraveller]

I did play it for the subjects and they recognized themselves - actually enjoyed it.

Did the girlfriend like it ?
Did she ever return, did they get back together and how did the child turn out ?

 

[grimtraveller]

it's possible to write anything in songs

I agree technically, but there are all kinds of lyrics I wouldn't care for and wouldn't listen to the songs as a result. But yeah, there isn't anything that can't be written about. Notwithstanding the bounds of good taste ~ wherever they may lie {it'll be different for each person}.

 

[spantini]

Did the girlfriend like it ?
Did she ever return, did they get back together and how did the child turn out ?

Oddly enough, she was the first to hear it. I was sitting on my bed giving it a run-through on my Ovation when my nearly-closed bedroom door slowly opened and there she was, smiling and sheepishly saying "That sounds good. What are you playing?"

I was a bit apprehensive - just for a second - then I explained it was a new song about the four of us. She sat next to me, asked me to play it again. When it was over she said she really liked it a lot. I explained what it was about and she snickered a little as she got up to leave. Pulling the door closed, she smiled and said she'd like to hear more of my songs.

That was it. A couple of weeks later she took off with the baby and I haven't seen or heard from either since. They never got back together. He got another live-in girlfriend and bought his own house a few blocks away. I moved back to my home-state and immersed myself in my band and the beginnings of home recording.

I haven't seen any of them in almost 40 years now. No idea how the baby turned out.

Hell.. there's gotta be another song in there somewhere..

 

[Mick Doobie]

Avoiding "you" and "I" can at times provide greater freedom to express what you want to say. For example, attributing your own thoughts, feelings, frustrations & anger, or perhaps even self criticisms to a fictional or representative character "him" or "he" can free you to say what needs to be said, free you from the restraints of the subjective to the clarity of the objective. In that way you can also turn a pitiful woe is me testimonial or expression of derision into a tale of a sympathetic or loathsome character. An age old tactic is the utilization of a fictional name other than the person to whom in real life you are actually referring. Or simply say "he" rather than "you". On the other hand, "you" might be the perfect word.

There are no rules, keeping in mind most people shy away from overt self pity and/or meanness. The path you choose is determined at least in part by your intended audience, of course. Some people write for themselves, which is fine.

 

[Serendipity Records]

Hey, just discovered this thread today. Very interesting... This should be required reading for songwriters