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STRATEGY FOR THE DAY: Sit tight.

I'm working on a book on songwriting. Hopefully have a publisher but it's not locked in yet. I love writing about songwriting so, even though it's not always easy, it is always exciting and challenging, never boring!

Visit my MySpace page to hear (and buy) the new version of "Sandy Grey". Soon to be available on iTunes, I hope.

For a short time, "Married To The Muse" is available as a FREE download at iLike.com. Sign up and become a fan! Thank you very much.

Nick Drake "Fruit Tree" Album Notes: I was very pleased to be asked to contribute to the liner notes for the Fruit Tree box set which was released in November-December '07. Joe Boyd (Nick's producer), Robert Kirby (arranger), and John Wood (engineer) contributed their memories of the sessions so I had to figure out what was left to say that would be relevant. I was asked to write about each of th 31 songs from the three Island albums... but how was I going to do that? Nick never talked about the meaning of his songs. He never wrote about any of them or left rough drafts as far as I'm aware. When Nick's friend Jeremy asked what "Three Hours" was about - since he was mentioned by name in the lyric - Nick ducked the question, mumbling something like "Well, if you don't know..."

Bob Dylan has famously refused to talk about the meaning of his songs or who they were written about, preferring to let listeners experience the songs without preconceptions. I'm not sure whether this is what Nick intended for his own songs or whether he was simply uncomfortable exposing his private life to the public.

One thing I've always felt about songwriters, both from observing myself and from looking at how others handle autobiographical information, is that lyrics can be molded - just like any words - to tell the story the writer wants to tell, whether it's true or not. It may simply be the way the writer wants to see things. We all do it; we tell little lies to others and to ourselves that conform to our self-image. But, although lyrics can lie, the music never does - melody expresses the emotion behind the lyrics with absolute truth. A good songwriter won't write a melody that lies; he can't.

So I looked to Nick's melodies for insights into the songs: The rising and inevitable fall of "Day Is Done" which suggests the existential absurdity of Sisyphus, underscoring the lyrics' sense of futility. The child-like pleading of the high verses in "Fly" arguing with the adult voice in low verses and who wins that contest. The minor-to-major emotionally shifting sands of "At the Chime of a City Clock" "Things Behind the Sun," and "Poor Boy." The warmth and sensuality of the rhythms underlying the stark lyrics of "River Man" and "Harvest Breed." I felt that I got more insight into who Nick was from going deeper into the music than I could ever get from reading any biography.

In the end, what amazed me most was that even after writing about every song in the box set, when I was asked to talk about Nick's use of prosody at an event in L.A., I found even more surprises in "River Man." I don't think I will ever come to the end and that makes me feel very good, sad and regretful that he's gone, but very happy that his songs continue to speak for him.

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Read Notes On Songwriting by Robin Frederick for more information and insights into writing songs that reach out to listeners.

Copyright 2007 Robin Frederick. All rights reserved.