See, though -- even before that, though -- on the self-titled album, before Morrison got deeply involved with drugs, the lyrics are utterly uh-mazing. Just amazing. But, I think you're looking at it the wrong way, my friend. Whereas most songwriters write an experience of drugs, or "how they make them feel," Morrison did much more and dug much deeper. It's like he carved out a piece of himself. He created much more. He had a way with words; he was an artist. He painted pictures, he developed such an imagination. It's incredible.

Though, remember -- it's not always the topic and how over/under used it is... It's how it's written. [/b][/quote]Anthony:
Well stated - you make some good points about Morrison. I do remember reading that he starting writing a lot of poetry when he went off to Paris. There was a short period in Paris where he cut down on his drinking & got the creative juices flowing again.


TIS:
Your discussion regarding Billy Joel brings up an interesting point. Joel & other successful songwriters are able to make the listener feel as if they are walking in the shoes of the character or characters in the song.

"We Didn't Start the Fire" is like an oral history lesson of the 20th century. I love the line in "Piano Man" where the 'microphone smells like a beer.' As a listener, I appreciate such attention to detail.

That's why Springsteen's lyrics are so great. There is a song called "You're Missing" on Bruce's last album that describes the complete sense of loss of a widow/widower of 9/11. In fact, Bruce even talked to some of the surviving spouses to get the lyric right:

The coffee cup's on the counter
Jacket's on the chair
Paper's on the doorstep
But you're not there
Everything is everything
But you're missing

Picture's on the nightstand/tv's on in the den
Your house is waiting/for you to walk in
You're missing when I shut out the lights
You're missing when I close my eyes
You're missing when I see the sun rise