Crap Lyrics

Even the greatest songwriters (and Spandau Ballet) have had the odd bad day at the office. Or more likely, a bad few minutes in the studio toilets scribbling the first words they can think of on the back of their tranquiliser prescription shortly before the vocal has to be recorded. Johnny Sharp has trawled half a century of lyrics to find the funniest examples of crippled couplets, outrageous innuendo, mixed metaphors, shameless self-delusion, nefarious nonsense and flagrant filth. Not to mention unforgivable over-use of alliteration. Crap Lyrics is a humorous celebration (and occasionally, condemnation) of over 120 of the most ridiculous hooks, lines and stinkers from pop poetry through the modern ages. Johnny Sharp has spent 15 years as a music journalist, and several of those years writing for NME under the name Johnny Cigarettes, so he knows that ridicule is nothing to be scared of. He's serious as cancer when he asks: Are we human, or are we dancer? And where do we go from here? Is it down to the lake, I fear? While moving like a tortoise, full of rigor mortis? Whether you're a diplomat, or even down the Laundromat, if you have ever heard a song and thought 'You what?', this is the book for you.

Lyrics sheds light on all aspects of writing lyrics for music and will make lyricists and songwriters feel more confident and creative when they tackle lyrics. It's perfect for all songwriters: those who don’t like their own lyrics and find lyrics difficult to write, experienced writers looking for a creative edge, and those offering lyrics to set to music in a partnership. The book discusses channeling personal experiences into lyrics, overcoming writer's block, the right lyrics for a bridge, the separation between lyrics and poetry, exploring imagery and metaphor, avoiding clichés, and more. It also offers tips on the various styles of lyrics, from protests, spirituals, and confessionals to narratives and comic songs. New to this edition are artist and song references throughout to reflect musical history to date. Also, a new section provides examples of taking lyric ideas right through the drafting process, illustrating development and re-drafting and using a handful of contrasting approaches.

This book is unique in offering practical advice on writing song lyrics within a critically informed framework. Part I provides the theoretical underpinning, while Part II covers the creative process, pulling together all the best songwriting advice and offering practical exercises. Fusing creative guidance with rigorous criticism, this is an essential companion for undergraduate and postgraduate students of songwriting, creative writing and music. Lively and accessible, it is a one-stop shop for all aspiring songwriters.

This collection brings together contributions from both leading and emerging scholars in one comprehensive volume to showcase the richness of linguistic approaches to the study of pop culture and their potential to inform linguistic theory building and analytical frameworks. The book features examples from a dynamic range of pop culture registers, including lyrics, the language of fictional TV series, comics, and musical subcultures, as a means of both providing a rigorous and robust description of these forms through the lens of linguistic study but also in outlining methodological issues involved in applying linguistic approaches. The volume also explores the didactic potential of pop culture, looking at the implementation of pop culture traditions in language learning settings. This collection offers unique insights into the interface of linguistic study and the broader paradigm of pop culture scholarship, making this an ideal resource for graduate students and researchers in applied linguistics, English language, media studies, cultural studies, and discourse analysis.

Franco sees el Destrampado’s potential and recommends a promotion in the Villistas faction of the Pearl of the Pacific Cartel. Now Bartolome has given el Destrampado the important task of leading the troops in Zacatecas while General Angle takes a one-month vacation. El Destrampado uses his intelligence to win the state of Zacatecas. After a while el Destrampado manages to conquer many states until he earns the nickname of General Rodolfo Fierro. The Pearl of the Pacific Cartel is in control of a large territory in México. Then President Dick Kush sends a private military company of mercenaries trained in the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation in Fort Benning, Georgia. Nicknamed ReVeCa (Revolution of Venustiano Carranza) by the press these troops manage to eliminate the drug cartel leaders in México. Now el Destrampado is fighting the invaders with the help of the other drug cartels. He has seen a lot of bloodshed and death but he must continue his path to take care of his parents. Life might not be fair but he must continue forward till the end. Whether he ends up dead or not he must face death at every turn. His girlfriend committed suicide and he is still searching for a new love while he works in this dangerous job. Everything ends in disaster as el Destrampado runs away from a trap. A twist in life arrives with a business card. A new beginning with an opportunity to find love in a small village comes his way. Now he must decide whether he will choose peace or war when the lives of the villagers are threatened by the guys in ReVeCa (Revolution of Venustiano Carranza) who were sent to eliminate the drug cartels. (Word Count 68,163)

Steve Bornbach was a simple country boy growing up in central Wisconsin, U.S.A. Growing up in the beautiful township of Saratoga afforded many memorable stories; such as dirt track races, hillbillies on go carts, voices of women’ screaming in the night, wasps making music on hot summer days, a dry run full of water, fighting against snapping turtles, and much more. Teenage years became filled with loneliness, rejection, and pain, which became a catalyst for making wrong choices. This resulted in Steve becoming ensnared in a web of drugs and crime causing him to question what life is all about. What is faith and what do we put our faith in? God had a plan for Steve’s life and he has a plan for your life. Come take a journey with, “Faith that Doesn’t Burn.”

Tiny Timpson is Willy Mitchell’s best friend, they grew up together but drifted apart over the years. Willy agrees to meet Tiny for one last blast, he heads to the Royal Oak, in their childhood town, all while knowing in his heart that something isn’t right. Turns out, Tiny has terminal cancer and makes Willy promise to one day tell their story of growing up in the North of England during the Punk Rock era, and this is it, Northern ECHO, Boys Don’t Cry. It’s the seventies and dark clouds are surrounding Great Britain. A series of events has brought society and the economy to its knees. With few prospects for employment, the youth have become disillusioned. As the punk rock scene spreads over the Atlantic from New York, it transforms into a movement that soon becomes an unlikely catalyst and contributor to change. Caught up in the frenzy of such transformative times, Willy and Tiny take a sometimes humorous, eye-opening journey through one of the most interesting and challenging times in modern British history. Northern Echo: Boys Don’t Cry is a social commentary of the musical, political, and social revolution that occurred as two boys grew up in a northern town in England during the Punk Rock era. “Indie Author, writer, and storyteller Willy Mitchell masterfully tells this tale of two boys growing up on the crest of the Punk Rock wave, the disenfranchised youth, a crippled economy, the ‘sick man of Europe’, the Great in Great Britain had lost its shine. Northern ECHO provides insights to those times in this very personal story.

As the Seventies drew to a close and the media declared punk dead and buried, a whole new breed of band was emerging from the gutter. Harder and faster than their ’76–’77 predecessors, not to mention more aggressive and political, the likes of Discharge, the Exploited, and G.B.H. were to prove not only more relevant but arguably just as influential. Several years in the making and featuring hundreds of new interviews and photographs, Burning Britain is the true story of the UK punk scene from 1980 to 1984 told for the first time by the bands and record labels that created it. Covering the country region by region, author Ian Glasper profiles legendary bands like Vice Squad, Angelic Upstarts, Blitz, Anti-Nowhere League, Cockney Rejects, and the UK Subs as well as the more obscure groups like Xtract, The Skroteez, and Soldier Dolls. The grim reality of being a teenage punk rocker in Thatcher’s Britain resulted in some of the most primal and potent music ever committed to plastic. Burning Britain is the definitive overview of that previously overlooked era.