I Swear They Can’t All Be Zingers
But you know what will NEVER be a zinger? That thing you've been noodling with for a year and are too scared to publish. It probably won't be a zinger; but you'll never know unless you share it.
You’ll write (or record) words that people will hate.
You’ll write great stuff no one will read.
You’ll write what you think is crap that will take off like a rocket.
I was reminded of this yesterday, listening to Sirius in the car. The host on one of the country stations gave a short back-story about the song “I Swear.”
If you listened to the radio at all in 1993 and 94, you probably heard it – either the John Michael Montgomery country version or the All-4-One R&B version (embedded below for those who missed/don’t remember it – it’s a good song).
The song won two Grammy Awards in 1995 – Best Country Song and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.
But it took five years before it was picked up and recorded after being written in the late 80s by Gary Baker and Frank Myers.
Timing. Luck. The Tides. Who knows what cosmic confluence needs to happen before something takes off.
There’s only one guarantee – if you don’t write, if you don’t record; you will never have a hit.
What’s This About Zingers?
One of my favorite album titles is They Can’t All Be Zingers; Primus’ greatest hits compilation (why there’s a beaver playing banjo leading this article off is answered below).
The title always makes me giggle a bit, but also makes me think. Across nine studio albums, people loved much fewer of their songs than they recorded.
Think about any band you love – there are at least a few songs you don’t hate, but skip more often than not.
They can’t all be zingers.
Willie Nelson wrote “Crazy”; an absolute classic and definite zinger. He also has over 150 albums, with 75 plus solo studio albums. They aren’t all “Crazy.”
So you twiddling your thumbs because you “don’t know what’s going to work” is pointless.
If Hollywood studios miss with their films after focus groups and test screenings …
If even best-selling artists fail to connect with every song …
Then you are entitled to a few clunkers along the way.
Wait, scratch that, here’s the reality: you WILL have a few clunkers along the way.
And you just need one. Hit; not clunker. Gary Wills had a 30-odd year career as a singer-songwriter with two hits:
I enjoy Nick Hornby’s novels. In About a Boy, the main character lives an idle life because his Dad wrote a single hit jingle and he lives off of the royalties decades later.
Gary Baker did spent a 30-odd year career as a singer/songwriter with two hits to his name – “I Swear” and “I’m Already There” (recorded by Lonestar). Most of that career was was spent working out of the spotlight. You can make a living being quietly competent behind the scenes.
Not everything can be a zinger. Not everyone can be a superstar.
You will never know with 100% certainty what people are going to want to read (or listen or watch or whatever) from you.
So take a swing because you never know when you’ll connect.
I swear.
You won’t know what your zinger is until you start shipping. Newsletter-in-a-Box exists for people who know they should be showing up consistently but keep not doing it. I’ll help you build the thing and keep it going — and then keep you going. Done-with-you or done-for-you. Reply or email me at bryant@simplyusefulmarketing.co and tell me what you’re working with.
As for the beaver, one of my all-time favorite song titles is on this album: “Wynonna’s Big Brown Beaver.” Get your head out of the gutter! It’s not about THAT!
Before writing this, I would have bet money that it was Boyz II Men who covered “I Swear.”