Elvis Presley did not write lyrics but he had an amazing career singing songs about what others had experienced. To write songs about other people's experiences or feelings; just imagine how that experience would effect you. I just wrote a song called "My Baby Left Me For The Postman". I have never had a dog named Ann or had a dog that was run over by a car. I did however run over a dog many years ago, and the owner came out and was just crushed. He just sat there holding the dog in tears. It was remembering that that was somewhat the inspiration for the song. Today singers are also writing their music more; but many of the older performers were not prolific writers. But they could take a song and like Elvis did with "My Way" it becomes their own. It is like the Elvis song You Gave Me A Mountain; the lyrics say; he was born in the heat of the desert and that his mother died giving him life. He later sings that his wife got tired of the heartache and took his baby boy; when he only had a girl. Elvis is probably the greatest ever to be able to do that at such a level; if he sang a song you believed he wrote it. A great singer can sing the phone book, and a great writer can write it. Many songs that Elvis did have been recorded over and over by multiple artist. In my own opinion what makes a great song is not just how close someone is to a situation; but it is that they can tell a story about said situation and leave people wanting more. Elton John doing the music for Lion King is another example of someone just being able to take what someone gives them to write about and then writing it; not necessarily what he has experienced and make great music from it.

My Tunes

Psalm 57:7 My heart, O God, is steadfast, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music.