Nov.14 ’63
Dear Sis and Gordon -
Enclosed find a little song. If anybody you meet wants to sing it, then put it in Broadside, If not, then I urge you to consider not putting it in. Even though it’s a lightweight song and I think Broadside needs to have a little lightness in it—the same problem Sing Out faced in its early days. Too many mad or bitter or yearning songs. It’s like looking through a hymnbook with nothing but worshipful songs. Or through a college songbook and finding nothing but giggly songs. I don’t mind worshipping or giggling occasionally myself, but not all the time.
However, this song, as Toshi said when I sang it to her, needs some improving. This is a famous old line among Songwriters. “It needs a little work.”
My fault too often has been that though I never finished 99% of my song ideas, because I couldn’t make my verses measure up to my original dream. But now I’m determined to at least try.
Anyway, here’s the best I can do.
I have read carefully through the four issues of Broadside you’ve sent. Some fine songs in them. But some poor ones, too, in my opinion. Jim Garland’s new effort was only well-meaning, I fear. However, maybe he needs some encouragement. Would it be possible to preface the inclusion of such songs (and maybe all songs) with a simple statement of who is singing the song and where? Thus a new song becomes a kind of a news item. The reader is not told so much “Here is a GOOD new song we think YOU ought to sing.”
Rather, the reader is told, in effect: “Here is a song which a certain person has been singing on such and such occasions.”
SOURCE Letter, November 14, 1963, during world trip, original held by R. Cohen.
In this light, many a trivial effort becomes interesting, and worth reading, if not singing. For example, I was fascinated to see Malvina’s song about the O’Connor family. This type of personal song has been written in past years, and I think should be written more and more. The writer obviously is not trying to write a song for all humanity to sing. Just herself and a few friends. She doesn’t expect it to last for all time. It’s for here and now. Poets in past centuries have written poems like this for their friends. I think Broadside should publish the O’Connor song, with a little article on this general subject of “personal” songs. The American Indians, you know, were famous for them. An individual often had his or her own song, which no one else ever sang.
Hastily, as usual, Pete