something I am grateful for today

Suede's second single, Metal Mickey, which was released twenty years ago today.

Proof that Suede (and Britpop) were picking up some steam commercially -- where The Drowners only charted as high as #49 in the UK, this single made it to #17. A buzz -- more like a rumbling, I suppose -- was definitely getting under way for these guys. Still not much real clue of what was yet to come for them, though...

[Hear it now!] (And please pardon the ad...) :\

highly opinionated music rant

Bob Dylan has a new album out, which means the media will be awash with another flurry of idolatry. So I may as well trot out my usual crankery for such times:

Dylan is routinely touted as one of our greatest songwriters. When such a claim is elaborated, it usually goes on about the insightfulness and groundbreaking nature of his lyrics. My point, which I never seem to hear mentioned by anyone other than myself, is this:

lyrics are not songs. Songs are songs.

Dylan rarely writes music. He is not a melodist. I'm not saying he has never written a melody -- I'm not even saying that he has never written a good melody -- but such writings are few and far between for him. The majority of his works consist of vague sing-speak. I'll also pick on Leonard Cohen as another example of a composer who is lionized as a great songwriter because he is a great lyricist, but who also sing-speaks his way through non-music.

To miss the point that writing a good melody with good harmony is a part of writing a good song is just... I dunno, it's wrong, that's all, it's just wrong.

I mean, why not declare any good poet -- or anyone who has a compelling way with prose -- as being “a great songwriter”, then? If the music doesn't matter, then why do we even need music in order to have songs?

Whatever: people will do what they do and like what they like. I will most likely stay huddled over in my corner, where I still believe that even a great piece of instrumental music can be a great song.