the AMP Issue 28

“I’ve always felt that with true talent, and a commitment to hard work, it is possible to achieve enduring respect and appreciation. In other words, I don’t take my fans for granted.”
— John Fogerty

In This Issue... [13 pages, less than 20 minutes to read] You'll Get...

• RECOMMENDS— Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song

• the 100 GREATEST SINGER SONGWRITERS of All Time— John Fogerty 

Fun Feature 
• MONDEGREEN— Wait! What's a Mondegreen? 

• BACKSTAGE PASS— "... the award is the work." Taylor Swift

• GUEST ARTICLE— The Good Fan by John Dalton  

• PS from PS— Do Your Job (continued) 

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Here’s the playlist

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• RECOMMENDS— Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song

“You look around and you see a world that’s impenetrable, 
that, uh, cannot be made sense of. 

You either raise your fist, 
or you say ‘Hallelujah! 

I try to do both."

And in Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song, the man and the movie do both. 

Those words quoted above begin the trailer (tap the link) for Hallelujah: Leonard  Cohen, a Journey, a Song, and they reappear at the very end the film, as well. The synopsis says, the film, "is a definitive exploration of Singer Songwriter Leonard Cohen as seen through the prism of internationally renowned hymn, Hallelujah. This feature-length documentary weaves together three creative strands: The Songwriter and his times; the song’s dramatic journey from record label rejection to chart-topping hit; and moving testimonies from major recording artists for whom Hallelujah has become a personal touchstone. Approved for production by Leonard Cohen just before his 80th birthday in 2014, the film accesses a wealth of never-before-seen archival materials from the Cohen Trust including Cohen’s personal notebooks, journals and photographs, performance footage, and extremely rare audio recordings and interviews. 

Featuring: Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley, John Cale, Brandi Carlile, Eric Church, Judy Collins, Bob Dylan, Glen Hansard, Sharon Robinson, Rufus Wainwright and many others.

Selected: Venice Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival,  and more 

Comment: I am— since college in the late 60s— a Leonard Cohen TrueFan. Tea and oranges an' all. Bird on a wire along with the Sisters of Mercy. So you're welcome to consider my enthusiastic recommend biased, because it is. That said, this doc is a really good film. Really. And not simply as the title suggests all about one song. But all about one extraordinary Singer Songwriter's life and work. Shortcut: Watch it. Worth it. One  of the best of it's kind, ranked up at the top of its class with Searching For Sugarman. — John Fogg 

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• the 100 GREATEST SINGER SONGWRITERS of All Time— John Fogerty 

"I work hard at that, but the fact that there are a lot of good songs means there are also a lot of really bad songs I’ve written that you never hear."

John Cameron Fogerty, born on May 28, 1945, is a seminal figure in American rock music, renowned for his role as the lead singer, lead guitarist, and principal songwriter for Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR), as well as for his successful solo career. With CCR, Fogerty crafted a series of unforgettable hits that became anthems of an era, blending rock with swamp pop, country, and blues influences. The band, comprising  Fogerty, his brother Tom Fogerty, Doug Clifford, and Stu Cook, soared to fame in the late 1960s and early 1970s with nine top-10 singles and eight gold albums. Their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993 cemented their legacy in the annals of music history. 

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"Creedence Clearwater Revival cranked out hit after hit, proving themselves to be a timeless talent with enduring popularity. At a time when prog rock dominated the San Francisco music scene, Creedence Clearwater Revival’s roots rock was an offbeat standout. Their country sensibility made them possibly the most popular band in America, with nine Top Ten singles in three years." 
— Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1993) 

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Fogerty's creative genius behind CCR's success cannot be overstated. He penned and produced hits such as Proud Mary, Bad Moon Rising, Fortunate Son, and Who'll Stop the Rain, which not only showcased his distinctive voice and guitar skills but also reflected the social and political turmoil of the times. His ability to write songs that resonated with the public's consciousness while maintaining commercial appeal was remarkable. 

Despite the band's success, internal tensions, particularly regarding Fogerty's control over the band's musical direction, led to its dissolution in 1972. Following CCR's breakup, Fogerty embarked on a solo career, demonstrating his versatility and resilience. His solo achievements include the hit album Centerfield, released in 1985, which featured The Old Man Down the Road, a testament to Fogerty's enduring talent for crafting compelling, narrative-driven rock music. Centerfield was not just a commercial triumph but also a critical one, celebrated for its nostalgic reflection on baseball and  Americana. 

Fogerty's legal battles, particularly over the rights to his music, underscored his solo career. His victory in Fogerty v. Fantasy, a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case, was a significant personal and professional vindication, allowing him more control over his creative output and ensuring his musical legacy. 

Beyond his musical achievements, Fogerty's dedication to the craft of Songwriting and performance has been a constant. Known for his work ethic and perfectionism, he has consistently prioritized the quality of his music over the trappings of fame. This dedication is reflected in his meticulous approach to live performances and recording, earning him respect from peers and critics alike. 

In recent years, Fogerty has continued to tour, record, and influence the music industry. His albums Blue Moon Swamp and Revival have been lauded for their craftsmanship and authenticity, with Blue Moon Swamp winning a Grammy for Best Rock Album in 1997.  

His autobiography, Fortunate Son, published in 2015, provides an insightful look into his life, struggles, and successes, offering inspiration to aspiring musicians everywhere. 

Fogerty's journey from CCR's explosive success to his solo career highlights not just a talented musician but a resilient artist navigating the complexities of the music industry.  His ability to reinvent himself while staying true to his roots is a testament to his enduring appeal and relevance. For singer-songwriters, Fogerty's career offers valuable lessons in creativity, perseverance, and the pursuit of artistic integrity.

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To visit on the MusicThisDay.com website, tap the link: The 100 Greatest Songwriters Of All Time.

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• MONDEGREEN— Wait! What's a Mondegreen? 

Most people have probably listened to a song and, unable to clearly hear a lyric, replaced the correct words with something that sounds similar, whether it makes much sense or not. This is known as a mondegreen. The Dictionary definition reads,"a word or phrase that results from a mishearing of something said or sung."  

The word "mondegreen" was coined in 1954 by the American writer Sylvia Wright. In an essay for Harper's Magazine, Wright explained how, when she was a child, her mother would read to her from the Reliques of Ancient English Poetry, a book of poems and ballads. One of her favorite poems contained the lines, "They have slain the Earl Amurray, / And laid him on the green." Wright, however, misheard "laid him on the  green" as "Lady Mondegreen." The words stuck in her mind and made sense in her child's mind. And so, the word "mondegreen" was born of itself. 

Children are a particularly rich source of mondegreens. In America, it’s not uncommon for school kids to butcher the National Anthem with, "José, can you see..." Or even the  Lord's Prayer: "And lead us not into Penn Station." 

Adults are also accomplished in the art of mondegreening, especially when it comes to songs— and especially when the singer has a habit of singing indistinctly, like Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain or R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe. In the next couple of issues of the AMP, we'll feature a few classic mondegreens from famous songs, such as this first one below.  Have fun. 

Bad Moon Rising by Creedence Clearwater Revival 

Original Lyric:  
There's a bad moon on the rise 

Mondegreen:  
There's a bathroom on the right 

Of course, directions to the nearest bathroom are almost always useful. Clearly, that was not what Grammy-nominated Songwriter John Fogerty wrote for Creedence's classic song. Yet the misunderstood line is so common that lead singer Fogerty sometimes sang the lyric for fun during live performances— and still does. 

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• BACKSTAGE PASS— "... the award is the work." Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift was awarded Album of the Year at this past Sunday's Grammy Awards show in  Los Angeles for her album Midnights, making her the only artist ever to win Album of the Year four times. Midnights, Fearless, 1989, and Folklore have all won the achievement. 

In her acceptance speech, Swift spoke of her love for her art and the craft. 

"I would love to tell you that this is the best moment in my life. But I feel this happy when I've finished a song or when I've cracked the code to a bridge that I love or when  I'm shot listing a music video, or when I'm rehearsing with my dancers or my band or getting ready to go to Tokyo to play a show," she said, teasing the 2024 start of The  Eras Tour next week. 

For me, the award is the work.  

All I want to do is keep being able to do this. I love it so much. It makes me so happy. It makes me unbelievably blown away that it makes some people happy who voted for this award too. All I want to do is keep doing this. So thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to do what I love so much..."  

Do what you love and... Will all and everything follow? Don't honestly know. But Taylor Swift does provide proof of the truth that success— even astronomical success such as she enjoys— does leave clues. 

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• GUEST ARTICLE— The Good Fan 

The Good Fan 
...and the futility of likes, follows, and shares, in the age of everything by John Dalton, Jan 22, 2023.

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I love The National. They're one of my favorite artists of all time, and about as close as anyone has come to breaking my ‘no act has more than three truly great albums' hypothesis (yes it's a real thing, and no you can't disprove it). Every year The National are in my Spotify Wrapped, regardless of whether or not they've released new music; I've racked up hundreds of hours of listening time. 

Yet, despite my dedication, I had a realization the other day that outside of the royalties accrued from my decade-long Spotify subscription, I haven't directly contributed any money to the band whatsoever. I've never bought a vinyl or any other item of merchandise, and I'm yet to see them live. Does this make me a bad fan? 

Each month via streaming platforms I discover dozens of exciting new artists, that I'd be keen to hear more from, yet so often find myself missing impactful ways of supporting them. 

Streaming, sharing, and liking feels hollow, and contributes little, whereas, being brutally honest, I don't yet want to commit to a monthly Patreon, buy redundant mp3s, or purchase an expensive vinyl. I just want to know that more than half a penny is going towards supporting them in making more music. 

And herein lies the elephant in the room of being a modern fan; the vast majority of our digital interactions with our favorite artists are entirely meaningless.  

Is it even possible to be a good fan, in an era when the value we add to culture is based on how long it captures our attention, as opposed to the passion it instills in us or our enjoyment of it? 

Truth be told, I often feel like I'm lacking opportunities to engage in a difference-making way with the artists I love. Toward the end of last year, I discovered an artist and album that I adored and paid a handsome £50 ($62.69 USD) to have a vinyl sent over from the US, half of the cost going on shipping. Surely there must be a worthwhile, universal action in between £0.006 (0.0075 USD)per stream, and dropping £50 on merchandise? 

For the past decade, we've allowed the attention economy built by social media to convince us that streams, likes, pre-saves, and follows are meaningful engagements—  when in reality they've often replaced the actual change-making actions that one could perform to support an artist.  

It's astounding how quickly we've gone from ‘buy my album' to ‘watch this TikTok until the end'. These actions that we've been convinced are impactful, only move the dial when performed by hundreds of thousands of fans, and with a regularity that releasing music seldom affords. 

Where these platforms have really pulled the wool over our eyes, is that these actions are meaningful, but for the platform, not the artist. 

Asking fans to perform actions that don't actively benefit anyone is antithetical to the nature of releasing music. Each piece of output is treated as disposable content, and to justify the release of further content, one must ensure that their previous content feeds the algorithm in a manner deemed acceptable. Intentional digital behavior should have value to it, but condensing these fan behaviors to superfluous interactions, of which an artist needs tens of thousands in order to mean anything creates the most discriminatory and inessential pyramid scheme. 

There is no shortage of plucky start-ups promising artists visibility over the data they generate; ‘data is gold' and all that; all the while charging artists for their service—  when in reality it's not data generation that artists are missing— it's the ability to turn these data points and interactions into ‘gold'. It's long been my issue with Spotify for  Artists and similar counterparts— plenty of pretty data points but no tools to do anything with it. 

Outside of the top 1% of the artists in the world, most don't need to analyze every data point to build a cohesive, targeted strategy.  

Most artists just need the ability to earn from their music and surrounding brand at a quicker and more substantial rate than streaming services currently allow; without inheriting unsustainable overheads. 

What's more, much of the positive fan behavior that currently exists, happens away from the point of consumption. I'd much rather that meaningful interaction be one I can execute in the moment and immediately; in the same place where my listening happens.  

It goes without saying that fixing the streaming ecosystem goes hand-in-hand with all of this; in particular a clear differentiation in royalty rates between intentional and passive behavior. At the point my engagement with an artist switches from algorithm-driven, to intentional, surely this change in motivation should be reflected in the compensation the artist receives. 

Wouldn't it be wonderful if when clicking the 'heart' on Spotify, that the artist received some tangible reward for creating a song that moved someone, as opposed to it simply tickling the dreaded algorithm?  

Now that the industry at large has settled on a model that fixes accessibility issues and entirely lowers the barriers to entry, it's time for labels and artists to demand a better fan experience to surround the music; one that furnishes purposeful value in both directions. 

Being a fan and witnessing the tangible difference your support results in is one of the most rewarding parts of engaging with any cultural output.  

I can't help but feel like in our race to have everything, all of the time, we've been tricked into losing sight of what being a fan truly means. 

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About John Dalton 

"In April 2010 I started a music blog from my boxy university halls bedroom, with zero intention, skill or expectation. Setting off a bizarre and brilliant turn of events, it set me down a path that helped direct everything that came after. 

"Now, almost 14 years on, I found myself longing for a place to share the wonderful new music that finds its way into my life, alongside some of my general thoughts and rambling about the state of the music industry. 

Hopefully, you'll discover something you enjoy; and hey, if you do, go buy a t-shirt or a vinyl— it's tough out there. 

Tap the link to Subscribe to John Dalton on Substack. 

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• PS from PS— Do Your Job (continued) 

In last week's Issue 27 of the AMP, I made a point about how important it was in your career to DO YOUR JOB. Then I asked you all how to answer the question, 'What's  your job?' Clearly, you cannot do your job if you don't know what your job is. Here are  some of the most common responses I get when I ask Singer Songwriters, 'What's your  job?' Are any of them what you would say to me? 

•"I'm a Musician" or "I'm a Singer-Songwriter." This is the most straightforward and aspirational answer. And the most popular. It directly acknowledges their primary creative pursuit and identity as an artist. 

• "I'm an Artist." Some people prefer a broader term like 'artist,' which encompasses not just their music but also their overall creative expression and ethos. 

• "I Work in [Another Field], But I'm Also a Singer-Songwriter." Hear this a lot. Many Singer Songwriters have day jobs in completely different fields and pursue music in their free time. They mention their day job first due to its role in supporting their livelihood. 

• "I'm a Performer." I don't get this answer often. Sadly. It tells me that most Singer  Songwriters aren't focusing on the live aspect of their career, nor highlighting the performance side of being a musician. 

• "I Write Songs." Some emphasize the Songwriting aspect of their work, especially if they see themselves primarily as composers or lyricists. 

• "I'm Trying to Make It as a Musician." This response is way-too common among folks who are still striving to achieve a full-time career in music. It reflects both their ambition and the reality of their current situation. 

• "I Do Gigs" or "I Play at [Venues]." Focusing on gigging reflects the practical side of being a musician, especially for those who regularly perform live. 

• "I'm a Freelancer." And I ask, 'What do you freelance?' This response can encompass various aspects of being a musician, including performing, recording,  teaching music, and being a roadie. Yes, it does encourage being asked, 'What do you freelance?' 

• "I'm Still Figuring It Out." Love this one. An honest answer that comes from those who are in the early, exploratory stages of their music career. 

• "I Create Music." At least it's a creative response and emphasizes the act of creation in their work. Always makes me ask, 'What kind?' 

These responses reflect the diverse ways between their artistic identity and the practical aspects of their career with which Singer Songwriters view and describe their profession.  

However none of the above— and each one has real value— was the answer I was looking for— looking for, because, I say, it's THE single most important aspect of your job as a Singer Songwriter. And that's the acquisition of fans and the developing them into TrueFans. Sure you need to write songs, record songs, and perform songs. Yet even if you do those things perfectly, without fans, you have nothing. 

So, Job #1 is: Acquiring and Keeping Fans and TrueFans. 

That said, this got me thinking about how you answer the question 'So what do you do? What's your job.' I'll take that on next week. 

Until we talk again. 

Thanks for reading. Give us your feedback.

And PLEASE, if you've got any Singer Songwriter friends, pass the AMP on, because... It’s Time... for a Change. Big Time. Past Time...