I Write and Nobody Knows My Name: Ghostwriters and Popular Music
In today’s pop music scene it is not uncommon for some of our greatest music heroes to use unnamed writers to help write their songs. Ghostwriters do the job behind the scenes to create another huge hit to put your favorite rock music artist back on top of the musical pile. It is not well recognized but there’s a lengthy history of ghostwriting inside the music world. Let’s take a look at some of the performers utilizing ghostwriters and how ghostwriting has influenced popular music year after year.
Did you know that Mozart had been a ghostwriter? He used to ghostwrite music and songs for the wealthy patrons of the arts. In 1939 Patrick Standford was a ghostwriter for various symphonies and motion pictures.
Within the movie business, music ghostwriting is fairly secretive. It’s considered unethical by numerous folks however it is extremely common. In the really early days of movies, a composer called David Raskin previously worked as a popular music freelancer for Charlie Chaplin. Chaplin was acknowledged as the score creator.
In pop songs, music ghostwriting is also a factor. Every now and then a seasoned songwriter is introduced to assist with possibly unskilled lyricists, or a person that might be struggling with writer’s block. Sometimes a freelancer will compose verse and songs in the style of a musician yet still get little or no input from the person acknowledged on the song sheet.
Sometimes a ghostwriter is credited as an associate or comparable innocuous term. More frequently, they just don’t appear anywhere-they are a genuine ghost. Sometimes legal action takes place when a musical ghostwriter attempts to claim royalties- generally after song turns into a hit. Sarah McLachlan got into a challenge with a musician who claimed that he had a considerable contribution to her debut album, “Touch.”
In hip-hop, ghostwriting keeps growing each and every year. In fact, it does lead to some controversy. Purists don’t like it, and point to the use of it as an example of “bad capitalism.” This is due to the notion of rapping as “expressing yourself” and that composing for somebody else is not pure “self-expression.” Some rappers like Chuck D of Public Enemy, Inc. believe that’s a mistaken view since not every person is a gifted lyricist and not everybody is equipped to be a vocalist. He says a rap song might require a lot more talents than a single individual has.
The vast majority Of ghostwriters have confidentiality conditions, or they may appear in the liner notes, and in some circumstances they are allowed to discuss their involvement out in the open. You may see a credit within the liner notes for “vocal arrangement,” which might mean it was a ghostwriter. A couple of years ago there were hip-hop ghostwriting services which appeared online, and provided artists with rhymes for free of charge.
Ghostwriting has a lengthy tradition in popular music, from Mozart to today’s coolest rappers. So long as the song is really a hit, the person that penned it will still have a job. And in the current American Idol-centric music world where unknowns and megastars alike are searching for the very best tunes, ghostwriters will continue to play a key role. The next time you’re whistling along to your favorite music there is a great chance your favorite rock superstar did not write a single note.
