The Voice and The Songwriters

The Voice has been truly enjoyable this season. I’ve always loved the premise of the show – singers being judged on the quality of their voice alone – and the change in chemistry that came with the addition of Shakira and Usher as judges has been welcome. This new mix, along with veterans Adam Levine and Blake Shelton, offers a definite charm, much less tension (real or imagined) and a refreshing sense of camaraderie.

Maybe I love this show because it reminds me of the music business I worked in back in the ‘70s and ‘80s – first at ABC Records (yes, there was once a label at ABC) and then at RCA Records (back when RCA Records was one of the majors, not just an RCA label under the Sony umbrella); in both cases I worked in the music publishing divisions of those companies. Tapes came in, sometimes discs; some with hand-written notes, most with cover letters, but rarely with photos. (This was, of course, in the days before MTV, when “Video Killed the Radio Star.”) Many received only a brief listen, but the thrill that came when you heard the first minute or so of a song demo or an artist’s audition tape that you knew was good was unlike anything else.

But while I’ve really been enjoying The Voice, something began to chafe a bit watching the show on May 6^th, the first night of their live rounds. Maybe it was due to the fact that I was paying a bit more attention, and really watching and listening. It started in the segment on Amber Carrington’s rehearsal with coach Adam Levine, who announced to the camera that the song he’d selected for her was “Stay” by Rihanna.

Hmm, I thought to myself, I didn’t know Rihanna wrote her own material. A few numbers later, Usher referred to assigning an artist “I Have Nothing” by Whitney Houston. Well yes, Whitney Houston had the hit on it – one of several hits from The Bodyguard soundtrack – but she didn’t write it. David Foster and Linda Thompson did. A few of the singer/songwriters whose material was represented were properly credited, although Phil Collins’ acknowledgement for “Against All Odds” came with the ouch! that the young contestant Vedo had never heard of him before. 

But it was on the last number of Monday night’s show when I knew I had to say something. In selecting the song “Feeling Good” for his contestant Judith Hill, Adam Levine referred to it as being ‘by’ Nina Simone. Yes, Ms. Simone recorded one of the many, many cover versions – probably upwards of fifty or more – but the song “Feeling Good” was written by Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse for their 1964 musical The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd. (My personal favorite was the version recorded by Sammy Davis, Jr.)

So I watched and listened to the May 7^th show with a honed ear. Again, singer/songwriters got credit: John Lennon for “Imagine”, Bruno Mars for “When I Was Your Man”, and Al Green was at least a co-writer on “Let’s Stay Together”. But when Blake Shelton gave Holly Tucker the song “How Do I Live’ for her performance – and referred to it as by LeAnn Rimes, my jaw dropped. (Again, LeAnn Rimes had the big hit with the song; however Trisha Yearwood’s version was no slouch on the charts, either.) But the song was written by Diane Warren. Diane Warren, writer of “Because You Loved Me,” “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” and dozens of other Top 10 records; she’s probably the most successful songwriter in American popular music in the last thirty years.

C’mon, guys. I expect this confusion from amateurs, but not professionals. Admittedly, I’m sensitive about this subject, and have been since back in my RCA days. I was handling the publishing on “I Write the Songs” when Barry Manilow covered it and rode it to the top of the charts. People still think Manilow was the songwriter, but some confusion is forgivable, since the lyric does say, in fact,I write the songs. But it was written by Bruce Johnston (that’s Johnston with a ‘T’, please note) known to most people these days as a member of the Beach Boys. Equating the performance of a song with the creation of a song is in the same territory as thinking actors come up with all that zippy dialogue by themselves.

 

So who is going to stand up for the songwriters and give them a little credit? Back when folks were buying discs instead of downloads, there was a least a reference to songwriters in the song listings or lyric reprints; but just try to find a songwriting credit on iTunes. And with what The Voice is doing, songwriters are not only not getting credit where it’s due, their work is being attributed to others in a confusing sort of way. 

So hello there, ASCAP! Hey, BMI! How about standing up for your writer members? I’m guessing that the behemoth publishers are more interested in blanket deals that insisting on some credits for their writers, and the independent publishers are David vs. this Goliath. 

I’m not saying the producers at The Voice have to make a big deal of it. But how about a little Chiron down in the corner, where they occasionally put a song title, I believe, during the earlier rounds. Put the title there, and underneath, in smaller type, put the names of the songwriters; the seasoned songwriters are accustomed to the small type already. The Voice producers have already created a supportive, encouraging environment for singers; I’m just asking that they widen their embrace a bit and recognize the contribution of people who are the creators of the music they are making on The Voice.

I think Mikky Ekko and Justin Parker are among the people who would appreciate the change. It turns out they are the writers on the song “Stay” that was recorded by Rihanna. 

Jeanne McCafferty is a writer, editor and book designer.  You can find samples of her work and find a link to contact her at www.jeannemccafferty.com.