"There's a difference between a hit song and your best song and a lot of people don't get that," he recently told AP Radio. "The same people saying that are the same people that think Ashlee Simpson

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Songwriter Doesn't Mind Giving Away Work

Tue Dec 21,11:10 AM ET

Entertainment - AP Music

WASHINGTON - Some people can't understand why Butch Walker would give Avril Lavigne (news) a hit like "My Happy Ending" instead of keeping it for his own album, but the songwriter-musician says it's all part of his plan.

Known for penning Lavigne's recent single, as well as "Girl All the Bad Guys Want" by Bowling for Soup, Walker says he wants to be known for more than a throwaway hit song.

"There's a difference between a hit song and your best song and a lot of people don't get that," he recently told AP Radio. "The same people saying that are the same people that think Ashlee Simpson (news) is genius."

In addition to Lavigne, bands such as Midtown, Sevendust and American Hi-Fi have recorded Walker's songs.

Walker says he considers "Joan" his best song, a track off his new album, "Letters."

"But that song'll never get on the radio," he says. "It's graphic. It's too morbid" and lacks all the "drum loops and fancy whiz-nets."

Walker says he has a lifelong plan to continue writing and recording.

"I'm building a fortress around me so that when the end comes, they can throw their darts but they'll bounce off the wall because I wasn't just the guy known for the funny song by Bowling for Soup or the bitter pop song that Avril Lavigne had," he says.

___

On the Web:

http://www.butchwalker.com

― shookout (shookout), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 03:27 (twenty years ago)

Dude can write a hook. It must be said.

― Tantrum The Cat (Tantrum The Cat), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 03:29 (twenty years ago)

Some people can't understand why Butch Walker would give Avril Lavigne (news) a hit like "My Happy Ending" instead of keeping it for his own album, but the songwriter-musician says it's all part of his plan.

Um, because he'd rather get the royalties from a big teen-pop hit rather than record it himself and sell 5,000 copies? This is difficult to understand?

― milozauckerman (miloaukerman), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 04:56 (twenty years ago)

Everyone in this story seems to have some kind of platonic ideal of "hit" as if the "hit-ness" is contained entirely in the song and can be unleashed by anyone.

― Hurting (Hurting), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 05:01 (twenty years ago)

Yeah. I don't get it.

― derrick (derrick), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 05:02 (twenty years ago)

That headline's pretty dumb too, isn't it? "Songwriter Doesn't Mind Giving Away Work" ... uh, he's a songwriter, and his JOB(=WORK) is to write songs and get people to sing them.

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 05:12 (twenty years ago)

I like Butch, he's a character and his own albums are good stuff. Seems to have found the right balance, I have to say.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 05:45 (twenty years ago)

the balance between getting paid and, uh, being a singer-songwriter.

― Huk-L, Wednesday, 22 December 2004 06:55 (twenty years ago)

Um, because he'd rather get the royalties from a big teen-pop hit rather than record it himself and sell 5,000 copies? This is difficult to understand?

not to mention he can still record it for his own album anytime he wants to. so he's not exactly giving away something that he can't ever get back.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 07:00 (twenty years ago)

I like Butch, he's a character and his own albums are good stuff. Seems to have found the right balance, I have to say.

i've never heard any of butch's albums, and am curious: are his non-bowling-for-avril songs in general as good as, worse than, better than, or just totally different than the hits? or is he in denial about, or out of touch with, his actual best work? i'm not being judgmental about him, having never heard him. but i've heard millions of other songwriters grumble about their hits as if they were icky things not to be actually considered when evaluating their careers, and it always strikes me as weird at best and delusional at worst?.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 07:11 (twenty years ago)

There's his solo albums, there's the Marvelous 3 albums, then there's the Southgang albums way the hell back which I haven't heard and couldn't say anything about. But the solo and M3 stuff = enjoyable, catchy, entertaining, often humorous (one of the M3 albums ends with a bonus track that features some voiceover pro reciting the album credits over a jam). Dare I say, the type of thing that more (including more here) would pay attention to if they took the time to investigate.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 07:16 (twenty years ago)

thanks for the info!

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 07:22 (twenty years ago)

"Some people can't understand why Butch Walker would give Avril Lavigne (news) a hit like "My Happy Ending" instead of keeping it for his own album, but the songwriter-musician says it's all part of his plan."
"Um, because he'd rather get the royalties from a big teen-pop hit rather than record it himself and sell 5,000 copies? This is difficult to understand?"

"not to mention he can still record it for his own album anytime he wants to. so he's not exactly giving away something that he can't ever get back."

Plus of course there's the small matter that, by becoming generally recognised and acknowldged as someone who has written hit songs for several famous acts, he is inevitably going to raise his profile; and hence interest in him both as a songwriter and as a musician; and hence more other bands / musicians wanting to record his songs; and more people taking an interest in his solo work and hence turning up at his gigs and buying his records; and hence more dosh.

I think it's called "marketing".

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 13:36 (twenty years ago)

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