Song "Writer" or Song "Maker"
There is a difference. I had never heard the term "songmaker" before. This term comes from Wil Nance, one of the more successful writers in Nashville. There will be 2 links at the end of this post for you, on to the song, "She's Everything", Written by Wil, and turned into a #1 hit by Brad Paisley. One link is to Brad Paisley's version (which is a little different than the way
Wil originally wrote it), and the other link is an interview Wil did with Songfacts, in which he introduces the term, "songmaker".
A little back story. I live in Ocala, FL. First, there aren't many songwriters around me, and second, there are no songwriter groups, except in Gainesville, about an hour north. Not really that far, and I do try to make all their meetings. Second, any writer I have met so far, does not co-write. Well, except the NSAI group I go to in Gainesville is trying to get us started co-writing. So, I pretty much do what I have always done; Write alone.
Now, let me back up again, and tell you, I was in Nashville a year or so ago, and went to a writers night where Wil was performing. After the show, I went up and re-introduced myself. He actually knows me from the Frank Brown Festival, he just doesn't "KNOW" me. I asked him if he had a CD for sale that was mostly him and his guitar, and not fully produced. He said, "not really", but did have a CD where he sang all the songs. So I bought the CD. Turns out, it was a songwriter's CD. By that I mean, every song on it also has the story behind the song. "She's Everything" is on that CD along with the story. And the story is, he went to a publisher, and every song he brought, the publisher asked if he had written the song by himself. Every answer was, "No. I wrote it with....". Finally, the publisher said he needed Wil to write a song by himself. About 2 weeks later, Wil finally finished, "She's Everything", which was a song about his wife. That publisher never got back to Wil, but some years later (I think), through a lot of RELATIONSHIPS, the song somehow got to Brad Paisley. But, Brad wanted to change some of the lyrics to be more about his wife. So, that is the song that went to #1.
Now, the reason for that story about Wil's song, was the fact he had to write it alone, and how difficult that was for him. Which brings me to a song I'm finishing up, and how many times I've re-written it. In Wil's song, he uses descriptions of inanimate object to describe his wife. Lines like, "She's a Saturn with a sunroof and her brown hair a blowing", and, "She's a red pair of tennis shoes, She's a holy pair of jeans". I'm doing the same kind of thing in the chorus of my song. I decided to try to find a Youtube of Wil playing that song. But, all I could find was the Brad Paisley version, for which there will be a link at the end. In searching for Wil's version, I found the link to Wil's Songfacts interview. The interview is about writing that song, and in that interview, the Songfacts 7th question is, "How much of that song is real life for you" That is where he introduces the term, "songmaker". He continues to use that term, contrasting it with "songwriter", for the rest of the interview.
Here is Brad Paisley's version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCjXaEbrLdw
So, are you a "songwriter" or a "songmaker". After reading Wil's interview, I've decided I am the lesser, "songmaker". Read the interview and see which you are.
Enjoy the interview. http://www.songfacts.com/blog/interviews/wil_nance_she_s_everything_/
phil g.