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TheLove
King Creosote
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Mark Robertson goes to the source and asks ten songwriters about the fine art of writing love songs
How do you approach writing about love?
Kenny Anderson aka King Creosote: \\'ith
Ill} heart on the accelerator and in} head on the lH".il\L‘\. liiiiotional turmoil is exactl} \\ hat _\ou need to get the pen mo\ ing. htit \\ hcthei‘ it's ne\\ loxe or the losing oi" lo\e. lt‘c‘lllig.“ override experience and common sense. Malcolm Middleton, formerly of Arab Strap, now solo troubadour: [i it happens and the sentiment is there. there are l\\tt routes open to me. The iii'st is captured h} songs like "luck It. I l.o\ e You‘ \xhich is sell-protecting: ‘I'm here ii~ _\ou \\ ant tne htit I'm not reaII} hothei'ed ii" )tttl don't lt‘c‘l the sattlci. Secondl}. it's reall_\ liherating to eiiihrace all the cliches and just go i‘or it. I iind it hard \\ i‘iting a lo\ e song \\ here I don't distance m_\ sell or ptit tip an} dei‘ences. It's a Scottish male thing I think.
Emma Pollock, Scottish indie chanteuse: I tend to steer clear oi \\ riting ahotit the stihiect in too transparent a \x'a}. It’s so cliched. .»\s a lot of my l_\rics talk ahotit relationships. ho\\e\'er. I guess it comes into pla_\. htit not as the main i‘ocus.
Karine Polwart, feted scribe of understated folk songs: I guess I‘m going mostl_\ i‘or understatement. \\ hich isn‘t one oi the defining qualities oi a [me song? So mine are songs from mothers to sons or to dead or d} ing loxers rather than straight ahead romantic ai‘i'airs.
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Karine Polwart
Composer Craig Armstrong: \\ iitiiig ahoiii lo\c depends \et'_\ much on \\ hat l_\ pe oi lone tou're \\i‘itiiig ahotit. 'l he ltittl't' ahstiact is easier. l‘iii cui'reiith \\ thing a short opera xx itli Ian Rankin called .lt'HItI/(ltl. In an act oi passionate rage .lesualdo kills his \\ iie aiid hei lo\ er. 'l‘hat's a particular kind oi one
Are there any processes you go through that are particular to this kind of song?
Aidan Moffat, former Arab Strap don and Scotland’s prime music mediator on affairs of the heart and loins: | l';tl'c‘l} \\ i‘itc ahotit an_\thiiig else. so lot the the songs are oiteii e\pi'essiiig something that's diiiiciilt to sat in the real \\oi'ld. something that \xould iiia_\he \L'L'ttl [tile in \\tit’tl\ alone. Hi the} c‘itltstsi til altei'thoughts. things I should'\e said at the time. 'l‘he} 're a \\a) oi coping \\ itli a had situation. .-\nd I suppose I ieel that ioi‘iiiiiig these thoughts into a song goes them a potter that the} \\otlld lack an} \thei‘e else.
Kathryn Williams, English folk songstrel: l'iii iie\ei‘ quite sure \\ hat is going to happen oi come otit \xlien I start writing. ()iice | hcgiii I can start misting things htit iirst oii it's al\\a_\ s a iii}stei'_\. When I “as \ti’itiiig '( 'oiiie \Vllli \le‘ ii‘i‘om the neu i‘ecoi‘di I imagined heiiig at a part} a lie“ )eai‘s ago and the huttei‘i'lies lt‘c‘llllg‘ itli lU\L' ahout [ti sittt‘l.
What (if anything) have you learnt about love, lust and relationships from writing about it?
KC: l.\L‘ lL‘til'llL‘tl littl 1H c’ttllltisc‘ llit‘ lli’\l l\\ti and to he \er} selecti\e ahotit the third. AM: I think sou can oiil} i‘eall} learn ahotit _\otirseli rather than the ahsti'act concept oi lo\e. htit _\oti do iiiid that \ ii'ttiaih no one is
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Kathryn Williams
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l’ ." mm" “a? .j .1 1' [.344 ‘2‘: Malcolm Middleton
unique \2.‘ .ill seezii to go tliioiigli the same emotions and tiiiiiioil .it some poiiit iii oiii li\es. inch is nth} lot e ieiiiaiiis the theme oi lliit\l stilt‘_,'\ ‘.‘.llll'\'il
Mark Eitzel of San Franciscan heartbreakers American Music Club: \ttllillij.‘ \\.itei does iiot ilov. iipliiil. \hi. people .iie hoiiiig laiii a sh} peisoii.
EP: \oiie oi ti iiiakes .iiij. iiioie seiise iio iiiattei hoe. iiiaii_\ tiiiies _\oii ‘~.'.lllt' ahout ll lote ieall} is the most ito'.'~.eiiiil eiiiotioii. athetlici ll.\ iii the toiite\t oi i.:iiiil\. iiieiids. lii‘.t'i\ oi e\eii soiiiethiiij' iiioie taiigihle like .i choice oi Kiicallittt tit l.i\iititite plate
Peter Pepper. vocalist with aspirant power pomp rock kids Palladium: \\ hen I look at songs I \‘.lHlt' a le\‘. seats .igo. apart iioiii heiiig iiihhisli the). '\‘.t'lt' talking ahoiit things that don't ieall} iesotiate \‘.llll iiie litm
KP: l \\tllc' ahoiit \that I"-.e learned railiei than leaiii through the \‘.iilll1'_'. hit I liaxe leaiiied that songs liakc .iti altia/ittj; capiictl} lit ctittttccl \\ itli people iii \‘..i'\ s ).oti can scai‘cel} iiiiagiiic as a \‘.iitei' and o‘. er '.\ hich _\ou haxe no control. Dean Owens, Scots Americana master and hopeless romantic: l'\. e learned that lot. c and lust ate the easiest tltttt}; in!” people to relate to in music 'I he song can al‘ika}s take _\ou hack there to that teeliiig. It can also he cathartic. It can do )ott tlic ‘.‘.ot‘ltl til poi id to listen to a ".Kitlltl'c'lltill} llic'l.tllc'llttl_\ lo\.e soiig.
MM: I don‘t thiiik anyone lcai'iis aii_\thing iroiii lo‘. e songs. the} ‘ic siiiipl} saiet} hlaiikets that
people ‘.'sl‘,'._i‘ theiiisel‘.es in when the} need too.