tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12056722.post740298595916323317..comments2024-02-23T02:11:35.147-08:00Comments on Knocking From Inside: Lyrics and poetry, not to mention DylanTiel Aisha Ansarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03994169558252043919noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12056722.post-5839099392963217262007-09-15T10:26:00.000-07:002007-09-15T10:26:00.000-07:00Hello,thank you for your inspiring and intterestin...Hello,<BR/><BR/>thank you for your inspiring and intteresting thought.<BR/><BR/>Songwriting (or popular music in general) was one of the most successful and influential arts of the 20th century. But the folks at the universities always had problems with this genre. One reason is that the guys from the literature department usually don't know anything about music and their colleagues from the music department aren't that familar with lyric writing. So they prefer to see songs in the categories they know: you like Bob Dylan, call it "poetry", you like Gershwin & Arlen, call it "art song", you like Blues or Country, call it "Folk music" (another acceptable category, thanks to old Herder). So it's possible to give this kind of music academic respectability. Not at least "poet" (or "composer" or "Folk singer") still sounds better than "songwriter" to many ears. Interestingly German language doesn't even have an acceptable term for this profession. We only have "Dichter" (poets) and "Komponisten" (composer). <BR/><BR/>A while ago I bought myself an anthology called "American Poetry, The Twentieth Century, Vol. 1: Henry Adams to Dorothy Parker" (published by the Library Of America). The editors have included some song lyrics by W.C. Handy, Ma Rainey, Charley Patton, Irving Berlin & Cole Porter. These lyrics work quite well in this context (and at least Porter is more fun than most of the other "real" poets) although none of these folks have ever called themselves a poet or has claimed to have written poetry. <BR/><BR/>The Library Of America has published as part of their "American Poets Project" also a fine collection of Cole Porter song lyrics and they look quite good on page. So I presume Porter has now found his way to the pantheon of American poets. And it should not be forgotten that this kind of songwriting (Porter, Gershwin, Hart, Berlin, Harburg et al.) grew out of the so-called light verse tradition. The Oxford Book Of American Light Verse (1979) includes of course lyrics by these songwriters. So their works can of be defined as "poetry". <BR/>http://www.americanpoetsproject.org/volume/1931082944<BR/><BR/>But I can honestly say that I'm not that much interested if these guys (or modern songwriters like Dylan or Cohen et al.) are called poets as long as the songs are good. Songs like Berlin's "What'll I Do", Porter's "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye", Dylan's "Simple Twist Of Fate" or Cohen's "Famous Blue Raincoat" have touched me more than most 20th century poetry. So I really don't care if somebody calls it poetry or not.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com