Wilson: And Ben had enough silly songs, that he could have been massively known for that. Ross: I've heard Ben Folds say he was glad that " Brick" was his hit, whereas Randy Newman had " Short People." "Are you making us eat our vegetables by playing your other stuff?" Sometimes you can get all the lucky breaks except for liking the song that makes you famous. If an artist doesn't play their big hit at concerts, I get so annoyed. You finally wrote a song dumb enough to be a hit." I was annoyed because I didn't think it was dumb at all! When I sent the song to my lawyer he said, "Congratulations. Wilson: It's funny, because there aren't many products you can sell with a wistful song about everything coming to an end. Ross: With synch opportunities, I think songwriters today are thinking in a more calculating way. And also, the guys in the band asked me to write a new song to close out the live show, so I took it as a commission. So to write a song about a bar wasn't a stroke of genius. That was my environment for a lot of days and nights. I was quoting a bouncer who said, "You don't have to go home but you can't stay here." I had been on tour for seven years at that point - not at arenas, but at bars. Ross: You climbed to the highest peaks with “Closing Time,” and it's still played every night at bars across the world. It's unusual to have someone also like Ricky Reed that will work in pop but also bands like Twenty One Pilots. Wilson: There are a lot of bands I work with in indie-alternative that don't normally collaborate, but it seems to work out that they find me palatable. Ross: You're a rare pop writer that also works with indie bands like Phantogram and Cold War Kids. Because you can convince yourself that you have a dope track, but realize later it wasn't a good song. And I try not to use the computer until it's really clear that there's a great song. The words are spinning out from somewhere you don't have control of - it's very irrational.
What year was semisonic closing time generator#
Wilson: If I can write eight bars where the lyrics and melody pop out at the same time, then I know it's a great song because the melody is a generator of actual words. Ross: It's time for the age-old question: Do you start with music or lyrics? But when I'm writing with other people, it's laughs, snacks and stories, taking breaks and gossiping about friends. It's lonely, kind of oblique and sad, but in a strangely nice way. When I'm writing alone, I feel like I'm floating on an ocean in a raft with no one else around. They're not even going to sing your second-best song. You actually have to give your best songs to other people - otherwise they're not going to sing it. Wilson: I started writing for others as a way to deal with my excess songs, but I learned over time that's not how it works.
What led you to start writing for others? Ross: You had a lot of success as a singer in a band. I sent it over, and it turned out to be the master. After awhile, the label was in a hurry to get the parts of the demo from me which was a 4-track recording- piano, vocal, and harmony in the bridge.
Months later, I heard an R&B version of it with drums and orchestra. I told her that since it was just a demo, we should leave it in. There were some high notes she sang in the chorus that she didn't like, but I thought it sounded amazing and so vulnerable.
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