Tag Archives: Kill A Word

The C.L.I.M.B.

The C.L.I.M.B. #57: Songwriting Chart Study #2

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This week on The C.L.I.M.B.: Brent & Johnny break down a few hits on the country singles chart (including Eric Church’s “Kill A Word” and Dierks Bentley’s “Black.”)  Let’s see what YOU can learn from hit songwriter success!

The C.L.I.M.B. Podcast Episodes 57 is live and ready for download!

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE C.L.I.M.B. ON ITUNES

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The C.L.I.M.B. stands for “Creating Leverage In The Music Business,” and that’s the goal of this podcast- to help singers, indie artists and songwriters like YOU to create leverage in the music business.  What is leverage?  It’s “strategic advantage; the power to act effectively.”  We want to help YOU make stuff happen in the music biz.

It’s exciting to see how folks are digging the show- and being helped on their CLIMB.  If YOU like it, we’d really appreciate it if you’d subscribe and leave a rating or review on iTunes.  Positive ratings and reviews help us to climb the iTunes rankings so more people become aware of the show and we can help more singers, songwriters, and indie artists like you make The CLIMB!The CLIMB iTunes review 3

CLICK HERE TO LEAVE AN iTUNES REVIEW

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If you aren’t on iTunes, you can listen to the show at our website:

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Thanks for your time. It means a lot to me, and hopefully it’ll be a lot of help for you!

God Bless and keep C.L.I.M.B.ing,

Brent

Brent Baxter is a hit songwriter with cuts by Alan Jackson, Randy Travis, Lady Antebellum, Joe Nichols, Gord Bamford, Ruthie Collins, Ray Stevens, and more. He’s written a top 5 hit in the US and a #1 in Canada… so far.

Cut/able Songwriting, Write Like A Pro

Cut/able Songwriting: Eric Church & “Kill A Word”

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So… how do you get a rough-around-the-edges rock ‘n roll country rebel to sing about “love and truth” and NOT be cheesy?  You write it like “Kill A Word.”

Let’s look at some of the songwriting lessons that make “Kill A Word” a cut/able song.

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Ok, I know what you may be thinking.  “Didn’t Eric Church write that song himself?”  Well… yes.  He wrote the song with Jeff Hyde and Luke Dick.  But that doesn’t change the fact that it still made the record- and the radio.

I’m sure Church doesn’t cut everything he writes.  So “Kill A Word” still had to compete- even if was just against other songs Church wrote.  There are valuable songwriting lessons to be learned here.  So let’s look at a few.

The song is in Eric’s neighborhood.

Eric Church is NOT a hippie.  He’s shown no sign of being the sit-in-a-circle-and-sing-kumbaya type of artist.  He isn’t a sissy, and his ideal fan isn’t, either.  So how does he build a song that is pro love-and-truth in a way that fits him and his fans?

His solution is to sing about love in the most violent terms you’ll hear on country radio this year.

He’s not a dreamy-eyed pansy handing out daisies.  No, he’s seen the ugly in this world, and he’s had enough.  He’s mad as hell.  He wants to take all the bad, drag it out back and put a bullet in it.  That fits his artistic brand.

Not every artist could (or would) cut this song- and that’s alright.  Different artists have different styles.  This angle and execution (pun intended) wouldn’t work for everyone, but it sure works for Church.

The song fills one of his G.A.P.S.

Every artist has G.A.P.S. in his or her catalog – (areas of opportunity in Growth, Achievement, Preaching/Positioning, Songwriting).  These are slots the artist hasn’t yet filled with a song.  “Kill A Word” fills G.A.P.S. by being NOT about love, NOT about music, and NOT about being a rebel or outsider.  It’s a topic he hasn’t really covered before, but it still makes sense for him as an artist.  It allows him to grow into a new space as an artist.  It adds some depth to his persona and to his catalog.

The song shows you what can’t be seen.

Country music is a very visual genre.  We like to “see” our songs when we hear them.  But how do you talk about fear, hate, regret, etc. and still give us imagery?

The songwriters chose to show us the various methods of execution!

Yes, it’s all metaphorical, but I still see teeth flying and bare hands around a neck.  Yes, those are dark images, but they’re very engaging and memorable.  They found a way to “show” us thing we can’t see directly (lies, hate, etc.).

These are a few of the elements that make “Kill A Word” a more cut/able song. If you’re ready to dive into concepts like an artist’s “Neighborhood” and “G.A.P.S.” – if you want your songs to be more “cut/able” (able to be cut) then you should definitely check out my new, expanded and upgraded version of “Cut/able: Lessons In Market Smart Songwriting.” Its five powerful lessons will help you write songs that artists want to sing, radio wants to play, and listeners want to hear! CLICK HERE TO WRITE CUT/ABLE SONGS.

God Bless and Enjoy the Journey,

Brent

Brent Baxter is a hit songwriter with cuts by Alan Jackson, Randy Travis, Lady Antebellum, Joe Nichols, Gord Bamford, Ruthie Collins, Ray Stevens, and more. He’s written a top 5 hit in the US and a #1 in Canada… so far.

Artist Insights, Songplugging

Artist Insight Report: Eric Church “Mr. Misunderstood”

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If you want your songs to get recorded by major artists, you need to understand those artists.

Understanding what an artist has recorded before can help you predict what he or she might record in the future. So, today, I decided to dive into Eric Church’s new album, “Mr. Misunderstood.” Here’s what I found, track-by-track.  (Note: “PUL’D” is a reference from my workbook “Cut/able: Lessons in Market-Smart Songwriting.” It means “Positive-Uptempo-Love/Depth.”  “Neighborhood” is also a reference from “Cut/able.”  Check out the workbook HERE.)  POV is “Point Of View.)

Artist: Eric Church

Album: Mr. Misunderstood

Producer: Jay Joyce

Label: EMI Records Nashville

“Mr. Misunderstood”

Writers: Eric Church, Casey Beathard

POV (Point of view): You/me

Timeframe: Present tense singing to “Mr. Misunderstood,” past tense about himself.

PUL’D: Positive, Ballad to Midtempo, Depth

Neighborhood: Rocker / indie. Fits his rocker image. Preaching to his choir: outsiders, musicians.

Subject: Music, life.

Notes: Sing-a-long “na-nas.” No repeating chorus, just the title. Lots of imagery. Speaks to the outsiders and musicians- clearly makes himself one of them.

 

“Mistress Named Music”

Writers: Eric Church, Casey Beathard

POV: I/me

Timeframe: Past

PUL’D: Positive, Mid-ballad, Depth/Life

Neighborhood: Bad boy. Alcohol & drug references. Rocker.

Subject: Music, Musician

Notes: Strong imagery, blues-sound, big guitar solo/classic rock long outro, big choir on intro

 

“Chattanooga Lucy”

Writers: Eric Church, Jeff Hyde, Ryan Tyndell

POV: You/me

Timeframe: Present

PUL’D: Positive, Uptempo blues rock, Love

Neighborhood: Rocker, rough side of the tracks, edgy

Subject: Music, girl

Notes: Blues, lots of imagery, soul falsetto, female gang BGVs

“Mixed Drinks About Feelings”

Writers: Eric Church

POV: Me/I

Timeframe: Present

PUL’D: Sad, Ballad, Lost love

Neighborhood: Drinkers

Subject: Lost love, drinking

Notes: Alcohol references, female lead (smoky voice) on 2nd verse, blues/soul

 

“Knives Of New Orleans”

Writers: Eric Church, Travis Meadows, Jeremy Spillman

POV: Me/I

Timeframe: Now

PUL’D: Negative, mid-uptempo, depth/life

Neighborhood: Tough guy, dark side of life

Subject: Murder about money

Notes: Good imagery, big driving feel, storytelling- takes on a character, big classic rock Bob Seger Springsteen epic

 

“‘Round Here Buzz”

Writers: Eric Church, Luke Dick, Jeff Hyde

POV: You/me

Timeframe: Now

PUL’D: Negative, midtempo, love

Neighborhood: Average Joe

Subject: You’re gone, so I’m hanging around our hometown drinking.

Notes: Good imagery, verse-chorus-verse-chorus-solo-chorus

 

“Kill A Word”

Writers: Eric Church, Luck Dick, Jeff Hyde

POV: Me/I

Timeframe: Now

PUL’D: Positive, midtempo, depth

Neighborhood: Tough guy with a heart of gold

Subject: Singer’s fed up with the negative junk in the world.

Notes: Tough, but positive. Violent language, but wants to make the world a better place. Dark.

 

“Holdin’ My Own”

Writers: Eric Church

POV: Me/I

Timeframe: Now

PUL’D: Positive, Midtempo, Depth/Love

Neighborhood: Rebel, but laid back.

Subject: Fatherhood, family, music, settling down.

Notes: Biographical (“troubadours”), mid-acoustic kinda beach/bouncy.

 

“Record Year”

Writers: Eric Church, Jeff Hyde

POV: Me/You

Timeframe: Now

PUL’D: Bittersweet, midtempo, lost love

Neighborhood: Average Joe

Subject: Music, lost love

Notes: Name drops artists from several genres: country, rock, R&B, soul. Ends up thanking the girl for leaving because it helped him rediscover all this great music. Starts off sad, ends up feeling positive.

 

“Three Year Old”

Writers: Eric Church, Casey Beathard, Monty Criswell

POV: Me/I

Timeframe: Now

PUL’D: Positive, Mid-ballad, Depth

Neighborhood: Average Joe, good guy, but not perfect

Subject: Fatherhood

Notes: Great images, lessons to a dad from his kid. Lighthearted, but deep. Jesus reference.

TAKEAWAYS:

The big theme is music- how it has and continues to affect Eric’s life. It’s the constant drumbeat in the background of these songs and the thread that holds the record together. Classic blues and rock sounds. He’s dark, an outsider… but he has a good heart. He lives wild, but is maturing. Church wrote on every song and has a small circle of cowriters on this record, mainly Casey Beathard, Jeff Hyde, and Luke Dick. Hyde has the most cuts. Eric tends to write all of his own stuff, so there’s little chance of an outside cut.  Path to a cut: work your way into cowrites with his cowriters, prove yourself and earn your way into the room with Eric.

What do you think? What insights would you like to add?  Did you enjoy this post? Would you like to see more Artist Insight Reports from Man vs. Row in the future? Let me know in the comments!

Pro songwriters know they need to study artists and the market to have their best chance at writing songs that get cut.  And if YOU want to become a pro, you need to think like a pro, too. In my FREE e-book, “THINK LIKE A PRO SONGWRITER,” I not only reveal several of the mindsets which separate the pro songwriter from the amateur, but also…

  1. How to get on a music publisher’s radar
  2. How the pros know who is looking for songs
  3. Six simple ways to make your songs more commercial
  4. And more!

To get your FREE, INSTANT download of “THINK LIKE A PRO SONGWRITER,” just click on the image below, or CLICK HERE!

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God Bless and Enjoy the Journey,

Brent

Brent Baxter is a hit songwriter with cuts by Alan Jackson, Randy Travis, Lady Antebellum, Joe Nichols, Gord Bamford, Ruthie Collins, Ray Stevens, and more. He’s written a top 5 hit in the US and a #1 in Canada… so far.