CBC Radio 2 question
 

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Who do you wish you could write like?

Posted by Li Robbins on Tuesday December 7 2010

Have you ever sat down to write a song? I sense some nods, and maybe guilt/frustration triggered by thoughts of unfinished songs lying in the drawer.

Obviously it's not easy. Even Leonard Cohen said (and I'm paraphrasing here), "If I knew where the tower of song was, I'd go there more often." But one Canadian has a good idea about kick starting the process.

Singer-songwriter Lowry Olafson encourages school kids to write their own songs.

Best are some of the song titles, as quoted in a business article about Olafson. They range from "the contrarian '21 ways to bug your teacher' to the more inspirational 'It only takes one to change the world.'" And now, Olafson is apparently taking the idea elsewhere. He's been recruited by corporations to "help business executives write a song about what matters to them and their organization." Interesting...

But back to you. If you've ever tried to write a song, you'll know the starting point is sometimes easy: A fragment of a lyric; a melodic line that pops into your head. But then, there's the small matter of completing the rest of the song.

But in some ideal, perfect songwriting world, if you could write great songs, who would you want to write like? Or maybe you already can write great songs, in which case we want to hear your songwriting tips. So, spill 'em!

Would you model yourself on the aforementioned Leonard Cohen? Gordon Lightfoot? Or someone from a younger generation -- say Hannah Georgas, perhaps, or Hawksley Workman? Let us know!