It seems that the most successful songwriters are the ones with the greatest interest in literature. It could even be argued that the musical development of the most accomplished ones is more a function of the stories and ideas they wish to express than the study of music theory, or anything of that nature. The words shape the music, therefore, and not the other way around. Over the next few days, I'll be trying to prove these contentions with the assistance of some well-known examples, including Steely Dan, Bob Dylan, Lennon and McCartney, David Bowie and Bryan Ferry.
Speaking of musical artists with literary ambition, I recently saw When You're Strange, the documentary about The Doors (Tom DiCillo, writer and director), and enjoyed it. It made me think of their career and music quite differently than I had before. In the next little while, I'm going to revisit their six studio albums and I'll be writing about the experience in this space.