Cold Chisel: Lyrics Any Copywriter Can Learn From
My answer? Cold Chisel's songwriters - particularly Don Walker and Ian Moss - were excellent writers; I wish I were half as good!
The very fact that you might question my choice shows how good they are; Cold Chisel enjoy the status of one of Australia's greatest ever pub rock bands, but most people - even fans - overlook the quality of their lyrics. That's because the lyrics do their job so well. They're elegant without being pretentious, and evocative without being 'soft'. They meet the needs of their audience perfectly. (And isn't that what every writer aspires to?)
Take, for example, "Bow River" (the song that inspired me to write about Cold Chisel today). Penned by Ian Moss, Bow River celebrates an escape to the Australian desert and the northern tropics.
But what's important about this song isn't so much the destination - although many Australians do identify with the Australian outback; it's the way in which Moss strikes a chord with the Australian working class. He successfully combines youthful romanticism, profanity, escapism, contempt for authority, slang, and visual, aural and tactile imagery. The result is an elegant piece of writing that captivates its target working class audience, yet still lends itself to fast-paced, raucous vocals and a hard rock arrangement.
Take a look at the lyrics below (quoted from the Cold Chisel website). Of course, as with all good song lyrics, you have to hear them in context to fully appreciate their inherent meter and timing, so whether it's your first time or - like me - you're revisiting after a long absence, it's well worth a listen... Bow River
Ian Moss Listen now to the wind babe
Listen now to the rain
Feel that water lickin' at my feet again
I don't wanna see this town no more
Wastin' my days on a factory floor
First thing you know I'll be back in Bow River again
Anytime you want babe, you can come around
But only six days separates me and the great top end
I been working hard, twelve hours a day
And the money I saved won't buy my youth again
Goin' for the heat babe, and a tropical rain
In a place where no man's puttin' on the dog for me
Waitin' on the weekend, set o' brand new tyres
And back in Bow River's just where I want to be
Listen now to the wind babe
Listen now to the rain
Feel that water lickin' at my feet again
I don't wanna see this town no more
Too many years made up my mind to go or stay
Right to my dying day
I don't wanna see another engine line
Too many years and I owe my mind
First set o' wheels headin' back Bow River again
First thing you know I'll be back in Bow River again
Got the motor runnin', got the rest of my days
Sold everything I owned for a song
So anytime you want babe, you can come around
But don't leave it too late you just might find me gone
Listen now to the wind babe . . .
I don't need the score
I'm goin' through the door
Gonna tell the man I don't want no more
Pick up a fast car and burn my name in the road
One week two week maybe even more
Piss all my money up against the damn wall
First thing you know I'll be back in Bow River again
Ah, it's music to a copywriter's ears (if not to the vocally trained).
Related Tags: copywriting, copywriter, audience, songwriting
* Glenn Murray is an SEO copywriter and article submission and article PR specialist. He is a director of article PR company, Article PR, and also of copywriting studio Divine Write. He can be contacted on Sydney +612 4334 6222 or at glenn@divinewrite.com. Visit DivineWrite.com or ArticlePR.com for further details, more FREE articles, or to download his FREE SEO e-book.
Your Article Search Directory : Find in ArticlesRecent articles in this category:
- Writing The Best Ad Copy Possible For Newspapers
Learning how to write ads for Newspapers is a very important skill a small business owner should mas - Top Suggestions To Become A Far Better Proofreader
Proofreading is a process which involves rectifying several spelling and other grammatical mistakes - Greatest Training Strategies
When you have ever been to a health care provider, the first thing they do is convince you to do low - What Everybody Ought To Know About Publishing
Imagine picking up your daily newspaper and fiding blank pages. Or turning on the 6 p.m. news to be - Get Your Creative Juices Going
Writing an article doesn't just mean putting down thoughts into words then typing and writing it. A - Article Review Test- Facing And Passing The Article Review Process Easily
Article review test is an important step that any new writer has to take in order to write for an ar - Adopting Good Writing Tactics For High Search Engine Rankings
Search engine optimization of the site is responsible for improving the accessibility of the site on - How Big Should Your Headline Be?
I've recently seen this demonstrated in a split test I put together on the entry page of my web site - Crafts Articles - How to bag maintenance
cheap chanel purses can not help but have a subtle cortical surface wounds, hand temperature and m - Classified Advertising: Follow The Aida Formula For Success
Writing classified ads really is easier than you think. All you have to do is follow a simple formul
Most viewed articles in this category:
- Sales Letter Writing
When writing a sales letter, it is important to have a good attitude in order to sell your product o - Why Copywriting Doesn't Work
Once upon a time I had an ad critiqued by one of the world's few copywriting geniuses.Not a freelanc - Secret to Writing Killer Copy
The point of contact is any place where your potential client has the opportunity to see your market - Increase the Power of Your Sales Letter in 2007
Writing a good sales letter can be frustrating. Looking around at some examples you find that most - 3 Keys To Effective Sales Letters
Today I want to talk a little bit about sales letters. You've probably read tons of sales letters d - Newsletters: 4 Mistakes People Make
68% of customers stop doing business because of perceived indifference through lack of communication - How To Write Killer Sales Letters That Will Help Flood Your Inbox With Cash
A powerful, well-constructed sales letter is undoubtedly one of the most lethal tools in an internet - How To Write Advice Marketers Must Have
How to write sales copy advice is easy to find in the marketing world. All marketers know they must - Seven Webcopy Essentials To Boost Sales In 2007: How To Engage Online Visitors
Relevant webcopy is the key to engaging your website's visitors and converting more sales in 2007.Fo - Discover the Winning Ad Headline That Skyrockets Traffic, Sales, Profits & Subscription Rates
You may have heard that a good headline is what you need at the top of your sales page to get your v