“I’ve been fortunate. I’ve had about 500 of my songs recorded. I’ve had 42 top 20 singles and 25 of those songs ended up being number ones which means nobody knows who the **** I am.” So says songwriter Bret James at the beginning of the documentary It All Begins With A Song. It’s the perfect start to a film which explores the history, practices and personal stories of Nashville’s hit songwriters, from the golden age of the Grand Ole Opry to the present day. Directed by award-winning filmmaker Chusy Haney-Jardine, the film is currently streaming on Amazon Prime. 

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It All Begins With A Song falls in line with other music documentaries, such as Standing In The Shadows of Motown, 20 Feet From Stardom and Hired Gun, which cast a spotlight on those whose musical contributions are heard but seldom seen. The songwriters profiled in the film have written some of the biggest hits of all-time for a stunningly diverse array of artists, including Elvis Presely, Aerosmith, Garth Brooks and Rihanna. Though revered by their fellow writers and rewarded in publishing royalties, most could walk into the nearest Walmart without being recognized, even as one of their songs plays over the loudspeakers. Songwriting is an often lonely endeavor, fueled by hard times and harder work, but connects on an emotional level equal to any singer or instrumentalist. 

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Nashville has long been home to songwriters and publishing companies thanks to its status as the country music capital of the world. The Opry, which began radio broadcasts in 1925, reached listeners across the South and Lower Midwest and drew legions of hungry musicians. Legend has it that as performers came and went, aspiring songwriters waited at the Opry’s backdoor to pitch their latest songs. “An industry was born of entertainers being out on the road and not having enough time to write songs and that’s how Nashville became this epicenter of songwriting,” says singer and songwriter Rodney Crowell. 

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Thom Shuyler says the early Nashville scene happened on 4 square blocks in houses

turned into offices. The city is now home to numerous publishing companies and lures

young musicians and veteran transplants from across all genres. Songwriter David Hodges says he’s making the move from L.A. to Nashville because of the limitless reservoir of talent. “You go get a pizza, they’re going to have a songwriter’s night at the pizza place,” says industry executive Bart Herbison. “Every waiter that waits on you, every person that valet parks your car is a world class gifted musician or songwriter.” Personally, that sounds like one of the nine circles of Hell to me, but it is assuredly Heaven to many. “Move here,” says Garth Brooks like some sort of one-man business development welcoming committee, “They take you in man.” 

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“Songwriting is a bitch and then it has puppies,” a Steven Tyler quote, flashes on the screen. Others describe songwriting as personal therapy, a form of prayer, clairvoyance, akin to getting beaten up and “hopping in a little spaceship and taking a trip,” according to the great John Hiatt. “I wish I knew how to write a song,” he says. Instead, he plays guitar every day and hopes something comes. Bret James says waiting for inspiration is “a good way to be a poor songwriter.” Many in Nashville keep regular business hours, hammering out musical motifs and filling notebooks with song titles and lyrical ideas. 

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The days of the solitary singer-songwriter in his lonely room have given way to writing sessions where publishers team songwriters and pitch different artists and lyrical themes. “We need a hit chorus and we need two verses. It needs to be simple but it needs to be profound,” songwriter Lee Thomas Miller breaks down the process, while Kelly Lovelace says these sessions typically include different specialists to spur an idea, build the track, craft the melody and write the lyrics. “Most everybody in Nashvilles does not know how to do the whole thing,” says Lovelace. 

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Songwriters Jessi Alexander and Connie Harrington talk about their songwriting collaboration, “I Drive Your Truck,” co-written with Jimmy Yeary and a hit for Lee Brice in 2012. Harrington was inspired by a story she heard on NPR about a man, Paul Monti, who still drives the truck belonging to his son Jared who died serving in Afghanistan in order to feel close to him. The songwriters later make a surprise visit to Monti to play the song in his Massachusetts living room with lots of tears all around. While meant to convey the emotional payload of the best songwriting, it also feels somewhat exploitative, though that’s in keeping with any number of classic country songs.  

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Executed with professionalism and affection, It All Begins With A Song provides illuminating insights into the songwriting process that will appeal to music fans and budding tunesmiths. It’s also rather insufferable at times, as a chorus line of musicians toot their own horns and pontificate upon the towering mass of their own genius. However, the proof is in the pudding. The assembled talent pool is truly impressive. You might not know their faces but you sure as hell know their songs.

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Benjamin H. Smith is a New York based writer, producer and musician. Follow him on Twitter:@BHSmithNYC. 

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External Links : 

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https://itallbeginswithasong.com/

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https://decider.com/2021/09/10/it-all-begins-with-a-song-review/

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