Friday, March 5, 2010

Music Written for Others

My friend Heather recently posed this question to me: Can music written for an artist by someone else be performed as passionately as it could be if they had composed the piece themselves? I think there are several determining factors when you pose a question like this. What is the relationship between composer and performer? Producer Linda Perry has written several songs for Pink, but they have developed a close relationship over the years that stemmed from Pink's devotion to Perry's music as a young woman. Pink felt an emotional connection to Perry's music and lyrics long before they ever collaborated together. Our emotions and experiences shape who we are, and that often translates with music, as well.
Perhaps, as a performer, you're given a piece of music that was not written by you. By putting your own heart and soul into singing and playing the piece, it in turn becomes a part of you.
On the other hand, when you see a teenager perform a love song that was clearly written by an adult, it can often be hard to swallow. The tween Disney group has yet to experience anything resembling love. There is nothing wrong with that, but they also don't have the experiences to draw upon, thereby making the performance difficult to believe.
What do you think?

1 comment:

  1. I think the dynamic between Linda Perry and Pink is really a special circumstance, one of which I wasn't aware of before, either, and one I have to say I find pretty fascinating. Pink herself is pretty fascinating, though. Rob really got into her when he read about her collaborations with Tim Armstrong, and how she basically recorded Try This on the back of their tour bus. She is definitely a talent.

    I have to agree with you though, on the tween set singing love songs, or anything involving a lifetime commitment. Like, this Justin Bieber kid... totally wigs me out. "One Time" has no business at all coming from his lips.

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