Would you rather be remembered as a songwriter, or as a singer? Which survives longer, the songs, or the voice? -anonymous
Is it about the song, or is it about the way it’s sung? Or is it both?
Dolly Parton wrote “I Will Always Love You.” It’s a great song. She sang it with Vince Gill, she sang it solo in “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.” It wouldn’t have been forgotten. Never completely. But Whitney Houston took that song and made it exactly what it is today: an anthem. Dolly can sing, and she wrote one hell of a song… but be honest: which version do you consider the definitive version of that song? Whitney’s.
That’s all to say that there is no easy answer to this question. I love to sing, I love to write; I love them differently. I don’t know which will ever be more lasting, if either will be. I’m no Dolly Parton and I’m no Whitney Houston and quite honestly I don’t strive to be. I’m me. A person can make plans, but plans very rarely get carried through exactly as you expect.
I think some people will always remember me, 19 years old, vintage black dress and a flower in my hair, singing “I Got It Bad and That Ain’t Good” into a classic 40s style microphone. My father would prefer to remember me with a microphone in hand singing “Stars Fell on Alabama” to a shabby little Minnesota auditorium. But many of you, the people reading this, and some of my best friends, will remember me as the girl who wrote “Better Not Settle.” One or two might remember me as the girl who wrote “What If You Don’t.” Someone else might remember me as the girl with the ukulele and forget about the voice and the songs altogether.
I’ve recently accepted the fact that a girl can make music and be appreciated during her time and then be mostly forgotten about as the years go by. I’d give you examples, but hey, I don’t remember most of the people it’s happened to. I don’t expect to be Mozart or Patsy Cline. Some names will be remembered forever, some for a few tiny moments. And I guess what really matters is that I made the best music I could make, music I was proud of, and that I loved the rest of my life just as much as I loved crooning into a microphone.
It’s not about how many people remember you but which people remember you… and how you’re remembered? Well… just make sure it’s good.
precisely.