‘Waterloo Sunset’, ‘New York, New York’, and even ‘A Land Down Under’; some of the most iconic songs of all time have been about specific places.
But how do you go about taking the environment you are in, and turning it into a song?
The University of Worcester’s Dr Paul Newland will explore the role of place in music in a talk titled ‘How to Write a Song about a Place’ at The Hive next month.
Dr Newland has published lots of research about film, place, landscape, architecture, and sound, and he’s also an accomplished songwriter and musician.
He said: “Songs can create a sense of a place that the listener can imagine straight away.”
He continued: “That first line can create a sense of a place that the listener can imagine, and then you travel in your mind to that place, and you can inhabit it for three or four minutes while you’re listening to the song. I’ve done some research about it and that’s what the talk will be about!”
He added: “How many songs are there about Worcester, or about Worcestershire? And what would it take to write that song and create a sense of place that the listener picture?”
There’ll also be discussions about the songs which come to mind when we think about songs about place.
Dr Newland said: “I’ll be getting the audience to think about the songs they know which are about places and what it is about them that they love.”
Anyone keen to learn how to write a ‘Penny Lane’ or a ‘Warwick Avenue’ about their hometown or street can book their free place at the talk.
The event is on the 6th of June in The Studio at The Hive from 7pm-8:30pm, to book your place please follow this link.
For information on courses at University of Worcester visit www.worcester.ac.uk or for application enquiries telephone 01905 855111 or email admissions@worc.ac.uk