Songwriting at It’s Best
Posted by Chip
I was watching the great new show "Spectacle" on Sundance Channel yesterday morning. This is Elvis Costello's show that's incredibly well done. This episode featured what we in Nashville call a "guitar pull" - basically where you and all your friends get around and play tunes into the wee hours.
Anyway, on this episode was John Mellencamp, Rosanne Cash, Kris Kristofferson and Norah Jones. Along with Costello, they talked about their songs and then played them in a very sparse, organic setting. Each of the performers played great songs - some new, some old.
However, Kristofferson demonstrated why he's absolutely one of the best. I have always loved "Sunday Morning Coming Down" - it's an absolute piece of art. And, there are a few lines in the song that are just amazing.
Here are a couple of the verses:
Well I woke up Sunday morning,
With no way to hold my head that didn't hurt.
And the beer I had for breakfast wasn't bad,
So I had one more for dessert.
Then I fumbled through my closet for my clothes,
And found my cleanest dirty shirt.
An' I shaved my face and combed my hair,
An' stumbled down the stairs to meet the day.
Amazing - you can really sense the loneliness of the person in the song. But, the best line in the song is yet to come.
I'd smoked my brain the night before,
On cigarettes and songs I'd been pickin'.
But I lit my first and watched a small kid,
Cussin' at a can that he was kicking.
Then I crossed the empty street,
'n caught the Sunday smell of someone fryin' chicken.
And it took me back to somethin',
That I'd lost somehow, somewhere along the way.
When you hear "caught the Sunday smell of someone fryin' chicken" - can't you just smell it. To me, it's one of the all-time greatest lines in songwriting.
Another Take on the Holiday Sales Slump
Posted by Chip
I kept hearing today about the numbers report from the National Retail Federation. Apparently, holiday sales were down 2.8% in 2008. Here's the report:
US Holiday Retail Sales Fell 2.8%: NRF
Here's my take - at least from the perspective of my household. We finally had an excuse to cut back on holiday spending. Frankly, over the last several years we have way over spent during the holidays. And, we used the economic situation as an excuse to cut back. We didn't really have to - we chose to. I've talked to more than a few people and they have confirmed that they did the same thing.
Now I'm not saying that there isn't a problem with our economy. It's very real. But, there are maybe a few more issues relating to what's really going on.
Beware of What You Put in Your Corporate Docs
Posted by Chip
Here's an interesting article about a class on what not to put in your corporate documents and emails:
Course shows companies what NOT to put in writing
Dangerous Documents offers such helpful tips as: Instead of writing, "We'll meet on Thursday to destroy the documents," it's better to say, "We'll meet on Thursday to implement our document retention policy."
Very interesting what gets archived these days, isn't it?
I Early Voted for the First Time Ever
Posted by Chip
I talked to a guy at lunch yesterday that told me the early voting lines in Franklin were really short. So, I thought back to the last Presidential election and the fact that I waited in line for about 2 hours to vote. So - what the heck - I gave it a try.
Suzanne and I were in and out in 5 minutes. It was great and I got it out of the way. If you're in Franklin, TN - head over to the Factory and get it done. It's important. It's your right. And, it's a privilege. Regardless of who you're for or against - just do it.
Are You Not Getting All of Your Work Done?
Posted by Chip
Here's an interesting article I ran across this morning:
10 Reasons You're Not Getting Your Work Done
Are you having trouble getting all your work done? Is there a project you can't seem to find time to finish, or something you haven't been able to get started? If it doesn't seem you'll ever be able to cross everything off your "to do" list at work, see if any of the following are keeping you from getting your job done.
1. You have too many distractions.
A recent survey by the research firm NFI Research found that 66 percent of senior executives and managers say e-mail is one of the biggest distractions in the workplace, followed by the crisis of the day and personal interruptions. According to the bosses surveyed, other workplace distractions include unexpected meetings, phone calls, Web surfing, socializing, instant messages and noise.
This is a pretty spot-on list. American workers are at an all time high in productivity. But, we're all too busy to really get things done.
White Papers = Leads
Posted by Chip
I am a huge proponent of using white papers in conjunction with an online lead generation program. Here is a great case study talking about a great white paper campaign: How to Turn Your White Paper Promo Into a One-two Punch to Generate Better Leads.
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