Patty Lakamp

I love that moptop and Polly got together on this and showed us two different ways to present a song. I like them both. Polly's lyrics are always just right, IMO. There's an honesty that comes through and grabs me every time. And of course, I'm a fan of whatever moptop does musically. Love the Byrds feel of this one. Nice job, you guys! Patty

Oh, my! I just now checked back in to look at this interview and see that there are some wonderful responses here! I apologize for not staying in touch. Thank you Rudi! I'm so glad you like the lyrics you have seen. I've written over 100 now and about ¾ of them have been put to music, so I'm just delighted with the way this hobby is working out. It is a lot of fun. To answer your question, I write both Lyrics-first and Music-first. When I write Lyrics-first, I have NO IDEA what the melody will be (I'm not good at that part at all!) So I just try to make sure the lines scan right and hopefully SOUND right for a song, and then I rely on the musician to do the hard part! Most of my Lyrics-first projects are collabs with moptop/Dominick on this site. After all this time, we have still never met in person! But he's great to work with and always seems to come up with just the right music and vocals. Plus he's very good at production. So I am very grateful for this collab. When I write Music--first, the musician I work with the most is Joey McMichael. He sends me compositions and lets me write pretty much whatever I feel like. I relate to his music and it seems very easy to write to, so I give him full credit for that. Hope that answers your question. And thank you so much for your kind words. Thanks, Joel. You're the funny one! 😀 This is definitely a hobby that keeps me happy and involved. No, I wasn't lurking! Sorry, just off somewhere writing more lyrics.....😋 Thanks all, for your encouragement. Patty

Thank you, Pahchisme Plaid and Songstuff, for suggesting this interview. You really surprised me, because I am not an experienced lyricist. But maybe that's the point: that forums like these can help writers at any level. I know the forums have been very helpful to me, and I love the collegiality of the people online. It's a big neighborhood of people with many different talents, but we all want the same thing: to produce a better product. Pahchisme Plaid was wonderful to work with. (If she PM's YOU next, say YES!) Thank you, Patty

last line: Making me sizzle like butter, hotter than hell. Seems to fit the theme better?

I know it's not original to me, but it's going through my head and I can't identify it. I sort of remember hearing it with soaring music. I'd love it if one of you could identify it for me. Do you know this melody_ - 7_31_17, 7.08 PM.m4a I am aware of these websites: midomi, WatZatSong, or musipedia but I'm not sure I want to sign up for one more site! Thanks. Patty

Mike, Interesting analysis of the 3 types. You think 2nd derivative is the most interesting. I would vote for 1st. I'd rather hear the angst(?) of the person going through this than a one-step-removed version of someone telling me about it. For example: Margaritaville, John Denver's Seasons of the Heart ("It's just some things that mean so muchAnd we just don't feel the same"); Dan Fogelberg's Same Old Lang Syne (Met my old lover in the grocery store,The snow was falling Christmas Eve") But I still love The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald (2nd) and others. Of course, there is no one right answer. Just what moves each of us. Patty

Robash love the Edmund Fitzgerald, too! I've posted several of my songs on the Lyric Critique Board, so I'd love your comments.

I'm Patty Lakamp and am so glad to have found SongStuff! I have always loved writing ANYTHING. I was an advertising copywriter for half of my working years (the other half was in the arcane world of municipal bonds—go figure!) Now in retirement, I’ve discovered lyric writing. I’ve only been doing this for about 6 months, but have entered my lyrics in some national contests and so far have won Two Honorable Mentions, which were real morale boosts. I want to get better and better, and have my songs produced. I would love to collaborate with a musician to make a complete product. I hope to contribute to SongStuff by critiquing lyrics responsibly and helpfully, and I will submit my lyrics for your comments, too. I’m particularly interested in songs about women, for women. Influences are Carly Simon, Streisand, The Beatles, Gordon Lightfoot, John Denver. Some might say “old;” I prefer “classic.”