Livingston Taylor - Liv Sings...On Songwriting (9 of 10)

[guitarmainly]

I have a few friends that speak about song writing with this much intensity. It's all well and good but I tend to avoid them. I build furniture with these type rules but I write songs with rules that change moment by moment.

[Buanand]

At 2:17 he looks like Clint Eastwood.

[smilesawaityou]

Ha. I love the idea of the topic and the music informing the artist. That happens to me in the visual arts. Sometimes, as a creator, we must simply follow the *muse.* How cool to hear L.T. talk about sometimes not having a choice in our creative process. We get carried along, and, as you can see, it's a beautiful, compelling thing in this video. Very nice.

[alphuez]

Wow is this insightful and compelling. Always loved his stuff (and was lucky enough to see him a few times in the very early 70's). But the way Liv talks here about BOTH the joy/surprise of great songrwriting AND the outside structures/pressures necessary to perfect and complete it is very interesting indeed...

[SweetCT]

The way he speaks and its personnality reminds me of Doc in Back to the Future....

[FlyingHorseKnuckles]

Oh my goodness, you are so right on this matter! I myself have become lazy in writing my own songs in that, with today's technology, it has become almost obscenely EASY to "sound" professional! I must go back to basics and find out why I love this craft as much as I do, and shamelessly coerce myself to do better!! Thank you Livingston. I hope you read this, and understand the force you are. ~Jon

[volandvasoliono]

this man is a genius

[volandvasoliono]

Eric Cartman?

[fletchermountain]

Liv- I like what you stand for. Love "Step by Step" and the song you recorded with Take 6. The Carmen song you referenced- the chorus was borrowed straight from Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 2 (the Adagio movement)- one of my favorite pieces of all time.

[kahunabear]

Another great Carolina tune. Livingston's enthusiasm is contagious and he seems to be experiencing a renaissance of creativity. Really good stuff.

[rickcee]

You are so right about that Eric Carmen song. I've always hated it as early potential arena operatic rock, which I detest. But, with a great release, with a visual hook--a bridge, it could have been magnificent. It would have been a pop anthem. Good catch, Liv!

[utubuser10]

there is a bridge in this song. it is purely instrumental but nonetheless serves as a bridge.  i think its failure to attain the status of a "classic" song is more due to the banality of the melody itself. mr. taylor is a brilliant man and seems to have a good handle on things but as is often the case with human beings, there is that tendency to categorize, formulate and package art for the sake of intellectual argument and convenience, and i don't think he should be so quick to pass judgement.