Songs You Want to Sing!

I've been thinking for some time that the way to support yourself while you struggle towards a difficult-to-get-into career, is to compose a Christmas song that then goes international so you can live off the royalties.  (So, again, congratulations to Kevin because, with the right marketing, I think he has a winner here.)

Talei and I often have this conversation:  how to come up with a song that people want to sing so you can live for years off it and don't have to worry about money as you go about pursuing the career you really want. 

Yeah, Talei too wants to be writer.  In her case, it's a novelist. And she's already started. Her first novel was completed when she was 16 and when she gave it to me for "first read" I kinda thought "Oh boy, please, please, please, let this show merit.  It's what she wants to do with her life, but what will happen if this only shows me she can't write." 

It only took a few pages before I realised I had nothing to worry about.  Not only did she show promise, she even went beyond "showing promise" because she was already fully THERE; "Just like a real one!" as we say in Fiji. She can plot, she creates great characters, great mise en scenes, great dialogue, but she can even take it beyond by throwing in structural motifs and deeply embedded symbolism.  AND her words feel nice to read because she's got an instinctive feel for syntax, narrative beat and rhythm, and, as a bonus, a rich dolche.

She hasn't got a publisher for this novel yet.  The poor darling screwed up her courage, sent it to one, got rejected and was pulled down into a months-long deep, deep funk - "Think of it like she's just been dumped by her boyfriend." I explained to her mum who simply didn't get what her problem was! -  and hasn't yet dared to try again.

She has, by the way, had short stories published since and I think that's her way of getting known in the market.

But, altogether, the kid's really got it and she's going to make it.  But, in the meantime, she's got to set herself up in another career to support herself, which really doesn't interest her at all. And thus we have this very cynical conversation: What song can we come up with that people will WANT to sing?  And what are the existing songs that fill a niche on particular occasions that folks can't help but sing.

Number one on our list is the obvious:  "Happy Birthday to You!"  You can't top that one for a song that fills a niche on a particular occasion.

However, with all the others, it's only the chorus that counts:

But Number two is also obvious:

 See what I mean?  

Last Thursday night, the lawyers 

leap on the bar to let loose 

 a spirited rendition of

"We are the Champions"

In fact, Queen has written so many of these "must sing" songs, I think they were probably the most cynical songwriters EVER!!

Number three:



Number four:



Number five: 



Number six:



There are dozens more, but I guess that's enough so you get the idea.

Now, here's the hard bit:  what occasions exist that have yet to have their very own song?

And let's be very cynical about this because this whole exercise is a throw-away and thus IS cynical!