Phil,
The one thing I can assure you about songwriting. Just because you haven't heard it doesn't mean it hasn't been done. Actually I've heard that story line dozens of times and even wrote it myself about eight years ago in a song called "SECOND TIME AROUND." It was based upon two friends of mine from Birmingham, Gordon and Margaret Anne Rickles, who were married for 28 years, divorced for ten, then have been DATING back together for the past 20 years. I was explaining to Jules Bloeth, one of our former members here, from Atlanta, a way to get away from "writers block." I told her to drive around and find business signs or billboard slogans to spur her imagination. To show her how, I did it myself.
Down on the way to Gulf Shores on 59, near the beach at all those outlet stores, is a store called "Second time around". It is a consignment furniture store where people redecorating their condos sell their old furniture. "Second time around..." get it? I wrote the song based on that, then had one of my many computer failures and lost it. But I did write it. Was a good exercise, but limited appeal, so I never went any further with it.
The idea of boy meets, girl, loses girl, gets back together, etc. had been done many times and some had been semi hits, although I can't remember any particular song now, just growing up hearing that story line. Was really big in the 70's. The main reason you haven't heard it in many years, maybe 20 or 30, is basically WOMEN EMPOWERMENT.
When women started getting more and more a sense of themselves instead of some eye candy for a men, female artists were more about MOVING ON in a relationship and GETTING OVER the previous guy. They were WOMEN, HEAR THEM ROAR!!! The women would basically go, "You go sister, dump that jerk!" Guys, who would do it ended up sounding whiny wanting an old flame back and they were headed more for the hook up, than moaning for their lost woman or even trying to get her back. It's what I term "DDSS" or "Depressed Dude Singer Syndrome". Again, it is done, but just not that much any more because people's ideas of relationships have changed.
The other reason is that it is difficult to do. In order to have the "break up" you have to have a reason for the break up. That means there is an aggrieved party. So someone has to look bad. Then, getting them back together takes more details, and it is just harder to do in a three and a half minute song. That is why the main place you see it are in the one and a half hour movie, particularly the "HALLMARK channel" or Disney movies. As you noticed, you saw several of them. Also sitcoms and half hour television (actually 22 minutes and commercials) will do them often, as a plot device seems like someone is ALWAYS breaking up and getting back together. Again, easier to do that and show it during a twenty two minute or one and a half hour movie. Not so easy in a 3 minute song.
But that doesn't mean YOU SHOULDN'T TRY IT. That is the point of songwriting. The challenge to say the same thing we have heard or seen OR LIVED a billion times, in a fresh and interesting way. As usual, the Devil is in the details.
But the overall thing to remember is that with BILLIONS AND BILLIONS of songs written, if YOU can think of it, a lot of other people can too, and as you see it in other formats, it has been done. Any life experience of real people are going to be done often, whether we personally see it or not. That is one of the things people always try to get me with when they sit down. "I bet you've never heard this..." And I always have. And can usually show them where it was written. Most of the time BEFORE THEY WERE BORN. So just understand it is out there.
Don't let that stop YOU from trying to come up with a new version. Someone will always do that.
MAB
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