Songs are like kids. Once they fly the coop they have a life of their own
I EXPERIENCE pure delight every time I hear a new cover version. And it doesn’t matter whether it’s a slickly produced, high-budget, cover version on a major label or a rough amateur effort posted casually on YouTube. Just hearing someone else’s interpretation of one of my songs always reveals something new and unexpected in a song that, despite the fact that I wrote it, now has a life of its own.
I remember the first time I heard Barenaked Ladies’ cover version of my song, McDonald’s Girl, which was their first hit in Canada (after my version was banned by the BBC). It was so different than my original but, hearing their fun interpretation of it, I wound up with a huge grin on my face.
Songs are like little kids, Once they fly the coop, they have a life of their own. Some are better behaved than others, but you gotta love ‘em all. American singer-songwriter Dean Friedman has topped the charts and been banned by the BBC during a career spanning four decades.
looked back with him career – it then went on to be covered by artists and bands all over the world, yielding a number one for the Blenders, helping to launch Barenaked Ladies’ early career and spawning hundreds of viral YouTube videos by college and high-school a capella groups.
Thirty years later, the McDonald’s Corporation finally called me up asking to license the song for a national T V and Radio campaign. I said, sure, but what took you so flippin’ long? I C AN’ T properly express how thrilled I am that such amazing songwriters as the legendary Chris Difford, of Squeeze, and the great Richard Digance and incredible talents like Boothby Graffoe and Tracey Curtis and Kal Lavelle and Fiona Bevan and Boo Hewerdine have all agreed to join me in taking part in these two micro-music-festivals!
Each of the above artists is truly awesome, in their own original and inimitable way. And I don’t say that lightly or with hyperbole. I could listen to these folks all day. In fact, come to think of it, that’s exactly what I plan on doing at both SongFests. I THINK almost every songwriter that has children inevitably goes through a stage of writing silly songs to distract, or entertain or calm their kids at bedtime. By the time our kids, Hannah and Sam, were off to school, I had a collection of silly kids songs.
One of the songs, Smelly Feet – about a kid named Pete who forgot to change his socks – became a local kid favourite anywhere I performed it. So, one day, I thought to myself, hmmmm… I’ll bet I could string some of these silly songs together into a silly kids musical.
It was billed as ‘Smelly Feet – a children’s musical that really stinks! ‘ It was a hit at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and toured the south of England. Since then, I’ve written two more kids musicals, Smarty Pants and The Legend of Finn McCool, about Ireland’s most famous giant.