I had an epiphany last night.
Bear with me because I am sure that somewhere sometime during the last ten years this same epiphany was stated by someone but that it just went over my head. Here goes ...
It has always chapped my butt that songwriters who consistently write mega-hits for others, can't seem to write a mega-hit for Adam. From the very beginning this has been the case and it has driven me a little bit nuts. Surely, I think, people like Max Martin who have heard and analyzed many singers will be able to capitalize on the amazing vocal instrument that is Adam Lambert's voice in just the right way required to bring his brilliance to the people. Seeing Pharrell Williams on a commercial last night is what got me started on this tack again because he is one of the many that have tried but have largely ultimately failed.
Damn you Pharrell for not trying hard enough!
Anyway, I just could not understand it. Sure, there have been label issues, LGBTQ issues, radio issues; all of which we have discussed in great detail but still none of these things really addressed the fact that songwriters, while praising Adam to the high heavens, have not been able to really meet and exceed Adam's voice.
Last night it dawned on me that it is, in a way, partially Adam's fault. He wanted/wants to be pop star, so he went to the great songwriter's in that genre and said, 'write me a hit pop song' and they tried using the formulas that had worked for them in the past and are still working for them today with singers who are subservient to the song. But those formulas just can not possibly work for Adam because Adam transcends the song. It would be like Meryl Streep wanting to be a reality TV star. Sure, these shows are scripted and require some ability to act, to read and emote lines but the genre is so limited that it just couldn't contain the outstanding actor that Streep is. If she were to be in Big Brother for instance, it would just seem false. It would be obvious that she did not belong, it would be fake, she would not be able to act on that basic a level.
Another example would be an exceptionally beautiful woman whose genetics have graced her with a tall slender carriage, thick luxuriant hair, high cheekbones, full lips, and wide expressive eyes. Sure, make-up and clothes could enhance that beauty but she could not go without the extras and say, 'Look I am just like you'. It would ring false.
Adam needs to own his exceptional voice and show it off to its full extent, to hell with convention. He does this with Queen whose catalog plays to his strengths, but unfortunately, it is not his music. He needs to make-up his own genre and wow the pants off people. That would be real and organic. I truly think the public would respond.
I hope this is what he is doing with A4.
I guess you could say that my epiphany is that since Adam can sing rings around almost everyone, when he or others try to do the ordinary thing it rings false and holds him back. I hope he can work with songwriters who think outside the box.
Adam, let the beast loose!