Mystery : Are people asking themselves questions about you?
2008-11-22
Questions need answers.
Don't underestimate the power of curiosity. Once you get people to start asking questions, they need to know the answers.
In the book Stumbling on Happiness, Harvard psychology professor Daniel Gilbert did an experiment:
- he handed out a short quiz on common-life topics
- before taking the quiz, everyone was asked whether they would prefer a candy bar at the end, or to know the answers
- everyone chose to receive the candy bar
- then they took the quiz
- after the quiz was done, they were given the choice again: candy bar, or know the answers?
- everyone chose to know the answers, instead (giving up the free candy bar)
Conclusion of the experiment : once people have asked themselves a question, they can't stand not-knowing the answer.
Two brilliant Brian Eno quotes:
“Produce things that are as strange and mysterious to you as the first music you ever heard.”
What was the first music you heard? Do you remember the mystery?
My first album, when I was 10 years old, was The Beatles' “Yellow Submarine”. The crazy psychedelic sounds of “Only a Northern Song” and “It's All Too Much”. The weird lyrics of “Hey Bulldog”. So freaky. I listened to it over and over before getting The White Album, Revolver, and Sgt. Pepper's.
Late-period Beatles were quite a lot of mystery for a 10-year old. (Imagine at 10, trying to understand the lyrics to “I Am the Walrus”.) After that I got into Led Zeppelin, a bunch of Birmingham heavy metal, (Black Sabbath, Ozzy, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden), and plenty of others that were such a big dark mystery to a kid from Hinsdale, Illinois.
I still remember that as one of the most fascinating times in my life. I was completely obsessed with this mysterious music, spending hours a day, for years, wanting more, trying to figure it all out.
Didn't you?
Keith Richards' technique for being less obvious
When I worked at Warner/Chappell Music Publishing, Keith Richards, talking about songwriting, said:
“Lyrics are best when they're mysterious - like listening in to someone else's phone conversation when the telephone wires have crossed. You don't know the history or context. You don't understand the references. So it draws you in even deeper, trying to understand.
If you're too obvious and explain everything in your lyrics, you don't get that mystery. So what I do is this:
Write out everything I'm thinking, everything I want to say, but then cross out every other line, and write the song using only what's left, even though it doesn't make total sense.”
Digg shows how to make intriguing titles
digg.com is a site where people share links to things they find interesting. Everyone votes-up the submissions they find most interesting, and the top-voted ones rise to the top of the chart each day.
So, since Digg is proof of what thousands of people find intriguing, you can use it to find inspiration for song titles or subjects. Usually the title of the link is most of what makes it irresistably clickable. Lists like “The 7 Most Terrifying Disney Movie Deaths” - or oddities like “Bit by shark and hit by car, athlete perseveres”.
Of course this is taken to extremes by TV news channels, when they give the early-evening teaser ad that says, “Could something in your house right now be killing you as we speak? Find out later tonight on Channel 9 News!”
Are you making mystery?
- Can you create music that's even strange and mysterious to yourself?
- Can you make a song title (or band name, or album title) that's irresistably clickable?
- Does the first line of one of your songs ask a question that the listener needs to know the answer to?
- Does your music seduce people to the point where they start searching?
- Not just the music itself, but your images/artwork/communication around it?
- Can you make your listeners actually ask themselves a question about you, trying to figure you out?
Hi Derek --
Another excellent topic! I’m with Keith on lyrics, and I do try to create lyrics with that sense of mystery. I deliberately make sure that they don’t all make cohesive sense -- there are pieces of information missing from the story, or contradicting voices -- and I love how they seem to change meaning, even to myself, over time.
I’ve gotten to a point where I try not look at lyrics of other artists, too, for the fear that finding the answer spoils it for me. I like catching a phrase here and there and slowly unfolding the meaning.
To me, mystery is where it’s at. That’s what makes music worth getting to know deeply.
ari
Conclusion of the experiment : once people have asked themselves a question, they can’t stand not-knowing the answer.
this immediately strikes me as the wrong conclusion. surely it depends on the value of the question (answer) versus the value of the thing your being asked to exchange for the answer. an interesting experiment but not neccessarily relevant to marketing music.
Some music questions, some comforts..depends on where you are in life..but I also like to think about melody..just the right dissonance can ask as many questions as a good lyric..or a subtle musical reference (a lick from an old song) can also add depth..as far as selling the work and hooking in new listeners, these are great suggestions..brooksie PS My new cd is called "Anything but Love" ...any comments?
Great topic, and one that I have a first hand experience with. As a band, we (Hungry Lucy) had been doing weekly podcasts for a couple of years. This transparency and intimacy with our listeners was great. Ultimately, though, it destroyed the mystery and it felt like there was nothing left (at least, to me). My desire for openness and transparency is now tempered with a healthy dose of mystery and obscurity. This is doing wonders for my creative output as well.
See my blog post on the topic:
http://blog.hungrylucy.com/2008/09/13/creative-apnea/
I had a visual artist I respected tell me that you need to maintain a little mystery about yourself as well.
This is great. I have learned first hand about the mystery. As the commenters here say, though, in a world of mundane Twitter postings (which I just joined), is there a risk of revealing too much? Unless you’re Ozzy Osbourne pouring morning OJ with wildly trembling hands, is your daily routine that interesting?
P.S. Just read a great book, "Born Standing Up" by Steve Martin, about his standup comic career.
Thanks, Derek! Another great article. I want to come back to this one and reread it. It brings up aspects of composition I hadn’t considered.
Quite interesting, Derek. I would like to know what triggered this subject for you. What made you write about this?
This post echos what I’ve loved about Kurt Cobain and Chris Cornell’s lyrics.. the meaning isn’t always obvious., and in fact, whether intentionally are not, are ambigous enough to creat a sense of mystery.
Eddie Vedder is great with doing this as well, although its his vocal delivery that creaetes curiousity for many, since sometimes its hard to tell what he singing.
Dereck, I hope its OK for me to plug a great resource that I’ve worked a deal out with the author on - Its called "The Songwriting Genius within You" and you can find it at the http://www.snipurl.com/songwritinggenius. I’m listing it here b/c, as you will see on the recomendation from me at the site, I’ve used the techniques to improve my own lyric writing with phenominal, mysterious results. In fact, most of the new songs on the album my band and I will record this week have resulted from integrating the techniques shared in this great ebook.
I had a great music appreciation teacher who told us that, if something is surprising in music the first time you hear it, it should be even more surprising the second time you hear it.
bingo,
that’s exactly what i am doing with the music i create: both instrumental and cover vocal tunes.
i’ve been playing music for over 50 years. all the music i ever heard, infact, all the input my senses have ever received filters out into my music. it’s about time some one listened.
i’m also a student of free form radio (1966, kmpx in san francisco), no formal format or playlists (one reason i love all music.) you never expected to hear what was played next. there are no surprises with genrue based playlists, how boring: all blues all the time, reggae repeatedly, hip hop hype, repititous rap, faciltated folk, evaporating easy listening and so on.
www.alleyonemusic.com
thanks for listening
I see what you’re saying and it’s a very interesting thought to discuss and maybe even a hard question (for me) to answer in a clear and simple manner. I’ve been trained with classical music - no lyrics - just "pieces" as they are often referred to. Yet, the ones that are my favorite pieces, are those that carry a haunting melody. Examples, Debussy’s Clair De Lune or Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata). There is a sound to them that my ear appreciates - it’s a very individual and personal experience that I can’t quite fit into words. To try to convey this same message on a more contemporary platform, often, the songs that I like the most are the ones that I pick FIRST for the way they sound to my ear. Coincidentally, I learn the lyrics because I’ll enjoy listening to the song so much that the words stick in my head too - but all too often, I don’t pick them because of the words, or the story they tell or the feelings they evoke - it’s all about the music and the sounds of the colaboration coming together. I might be drawn to a melody - but I’ll LOVE the way a snare drum is tuned (Lou Gramm Just Between You and Me - my favorite snare of all). I’ll single out a piano intro in some contemporary song and that will stay with me and I’ll want more of that song.....Gary Moore’s compsition in the Loner - no words - just an amazing guitar piece with a melody of it’s own that stays with me. Zeppelin had many haunting sounds and melodies - the bridge in All of My Love for example...and today U2 is a band that mystifies me and their pulsing music haunts me and stays with me (Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses for example, or With or Without You). For me - it’s not the words that come first - it’s the music, or one single instrument, or one piece put together just right that pleases my ear - that keeps me intrigued and wanting more.
I share these thoughts because I know you channel musicians...and being a former, classically trained pianist who hasn’t spent any quantifiable time at my piano in over 20 years, I’m left with being a simple yet avid fan of music, driven by all of the sounds and melodies ... it’s the music that simply affects me, and perhaps there are others out there that appreciate the music for it’s melodic qualities versus the lyrics first - in that order. Does this make sense?
PS. My first album was when I was 9 or 10 too - High Infidelity by REO Speedwagon : )
Thanks Derek-
I read this and then took a walk to the store, thinking about mystery. Mystery is the reason why chromatic passing tones sound great in Jazz. Mystery is the reason why successful film composers want to do symphonies and operas.
Thanks for sending this. Fascinating! In case you'd like to know, my first was "Meet The Beatles". I was only 7, but it knocked my friggin' socks off. The rest is history...
Hi Derek, I love this email. This gives me something to chew on. Thank you very much, Rich Wyman www.richwyman.com
Your timing is impeccable. I'm heading to a recording studio in northern Minnesota to roll tape on hours of improvisation, searching for songs. I'll try to make them mysterious. Thanks again, Derek!
Terry Walsh
you shine thank you for sharing stay warm
denise
Nice one Derek.
Thanks!
Duff
Hi Derek,Thanks for all of your updates...I really get a lot out of each and every one of them. I find this one especially helpful but the mystery I have to know about this email is: what is the title of the image at the bottom and who is is credited to? It's really intriguing and goes perfectly with the content. Thanks and I can't wait until the next post.
Chad
Hi there Derek
It is so amazing that the topic of music that lives you asking questions is one of the clever things to do. I gow up having that thought in my mind abaout music, I always thought that music was meant to live the listener with question but because I thought peole would think I am out of my mind I shyed away. I am so uplifted to hear that it is ok to do that.
Thank you guys
Talking about mysterious lyrics to lure the listener, no lyrics to date in that mood has fascinated me as those on Bob Dylan’s "Highway 61 Revisited" To coin a phrase best summed up by a song title written by another great songwriter, its "Still crazy after all these years"
..very cool and interesting comments...I'll take the chocolate bar..I think..
Hi Derek, this is probably the best letter I have received from you, very intriguing!! Best, DJ
dj
Great blog - mystery is something I often strive for in songs - whether with music, or more often, lyrically. As I write from the subconscious, sometimes it all sounds mysterious
Looking forward to your next blog. Take care, ---------------------------
Jim Savarino
THATS A GOOD QUESTION --
I hope so!
Interesting take on music. I have always believed that the best lyrics leave enough holes in the story so that listeners can plug themselves into the story. It can be a pretty ordinary story. A masterful example of this is a song Garth Brooks did "Learning to Live Again Is Killing Me". I only heard the song once on the car radio but the construction was brilliant - the title is a teaser, too.
My wife and I are both songwriters who have agreed to appear in a songwriter session concert next fall. The deal is that the audience at the session chooses a subject for the following month, which is forwarded to the performers. So basically we will have four weeks to each write a song on some theme and have it ready for performance. I will consider this mystery angle. It's going to be a challenge for me to switch from historical broadside mode, where the song is like a piece of journalism!
Fred Gosbee
A painting- a song- a poem- a story- a book; what ever media available to meet that search that you talk about is a desire to make people feel appreciated for what ever gift that they have and- to be made a part of the converors respect and love- to be part of that persons life- in essence- that's what life is all about. That's why I try to write song.
-
I’m so bad at writing lyrix that my songs automatically become mysterious
I LIKE THE FIRST THREE YEARS OF THE BEATLES FAMOUS CARREER, FROM 1962 TILL 1965, WHEN THEY PLAYED ROCK AND ROLL HARD. CHEERS DEREK. MIKE VELARDE. www.musicadelamontanhamexico.com www.centroecologicocasadepiedramexico.info
Excellent topic Derek. I love it. I will use it for my new songs. I hope your are doing well and happy studying everything that you study
Florian
Derek, I wanted to thank you for sending out stuff like this, and generally being as devoted and giving towards artist's growth as you are. I've learned a lot over the years from you and your various outlets, and I always read up on what you suggest, as I see your success and the value in what you say. I might not be "super successful" on a national level yet, but I do know that without some of the things I've learned from you, I'd still be eons behind where I'm at now in terms of local success and growth.
I'm getting ready to tackle your ginormous book list over the next year or so... I love reading, especially stuff that can push me forward. So, all things considered, thanks for doing what you do. I love the fact that you're a successful businessman, yet also have a heart and a general attitude of helping rather than "getting over" on the world, as so many business-minded people seem to be.
Keep up with the good work, and thanks again. Rich/Luck (govt name/MC moniker)
2 words: early REM.
This a delicious blog and much appreciated. Artists need to be inspired, and curious and just a bit encouraged which as a mentor you do so well. You’ve given great suggestions.
I do think that the devil is in the details though and a great song can tell an entire story, take Suzanne Vega’s ‘Luka’, or while you’ve brought up Keith Richard, ‘Sympathy For the Devil’. Both songs clearly tell the story, but allow some form of the listener’s interpretation.
A good melodic hook can captivate the most bizarre of lyrics. Steely Dan comes to mind. Take Bodhisattva, it has a great hook, with a lyric that draws curiosity. Then again you’ve got ‘Throw Back The Little One’s” which allows the listener to truly interpret, with the biggest hook being the musical lick.
I say try everything, if deleting every other line helps the writer to see the story in a new light great-but I caution that this should be more of an exercise (although great spontaneous lines can be born in this way).
I remembered on my first cd there was a song that people who always ask me what does "Najane" mean. I remembered even asking the producer that wrote the song what does certain words in the lyrics mean.
So, I do feel that this information is so true. People love mystery and things that do not appear to be what they are.
Fear looked at in a mirror, or inside-out... Penetrated completely! Becomes our greatest power. Until one truly and completely experiences this, in it's entirity! of their own doing, ALONE! This shift will remain untrue!
Once this illusion is penetrated life becomes something completely different, instantly.
You get to become the divine light each of us always has been!
But from our first examples and throughout our whole life we are taught this lie by grown children who are still afraid, unsure and lost. Having spent their whole life living and teaching this lie of what we are as humans. over and over to each child they know. I have been forced to live alone from childhood, while very sad and lonely at times. Every time! The self will find the self. if given the freedom to do so.
But most commonly we are to scared inside ourselves to trust the unknown.
What is so funny about this is If you think about it the unknown is exactly what we choose when we "follow the Blind adults" as we become who we are, the new adults. Believe in the unseen, I promise its there. Everything in Life is up to you. Decide to be more....
Some very good thoughts indeed. It gives me something to think about as I continue to write my new album.
I'll play devil's advocate by offering the opinion that too much mystery leaves me cold. I need to be able to feel some intellectual or emotional connection with the lyrics in order to think it's a great song. Steely Dan provides some good examples - and don't get me wrong, they were one of my favorite bands. But so many of the songs simply look like giberrish when read verbatim. As a fun exercise, you can take a standard fishing report and put it to a tight rythm and innovative melody, and you've got something like a Steely Dan song. ("Limestoner very low -- nearly half the normal flow. Anglers advised to fish Green Weenies, Pheasant Tails and Hare's Ear nymphs, and Zebra Midges size 18 and smaller. Avoid spawning beds.")
For me, the great songwriters create mystery by cloaking their lyrics in artful metaphors and imagery. Andy Partridge of XTC is a master at this. Instead of coming right out and telling a story about how he boycotted his record label in protest, he'll write a song about a circus clown who resigns out of embarrasment and somber disgust. Robyn Hitchcock can write some pretty incoherent lyrics, but the sheer starkness (and somtimes Fellini-esque absurduty) of the images he creates keep me interested.
Yeah...mystery is what its all about.Thats what keeps your attention and draws you in.
Great blog Derek! I'm remembering getting caught up in Ray Lamontagne since he wouldn't talk about his life in interviews. His voice singing was so powerful, but his voice speaking was so reserved. I tried to find out everything about him, failing, but spreading the word. I still love his music, but I was even more hooked by the mystery of his life juxtaposed next to lyrics of "Jolene", etc.
Mysterious title: "Those Fierce, Dark-eyed Daughters" for an instrumental guitar piece.
generally speaking, things that are mysterious are more interesting than the obvious because, because curiosity as one of the human being qualities. It's good to the artist who created it as this may attract more attention, and also the listener/musician as who will learn techniques how to do the same; but it is not good in general be obsessed with things and want that much to know every thing as this may lead to pre-occupation, wast of energy and time, and harm to healthy cognition. I think that it should be taken moderately, and think yourself how to create such thing. read books about it, but not only in the music fields but also other dimensions such poetry, as that will inspire you creativity; read agatha christie and sience fiction, that will help I bet.
One of the songs I did on my first cd was similar. I did not write the lyrics, but I see why people always ask, "what does ? mean." I will apply this information on my second cd.
with mystery in music, you are engaging the listener's interest in you, and also their interest in themselves -- there's space for them to explore their own interpretations, ideas, and connections to their own lives in what you've said.
This is bad ass! thnx for the songwriting tips and tricks, love the keith richard's quote as well, so true. appreciate the good advice and interesting topics Derek!