Artist or artisan?

I had a quick drink down by Canal St Martin last night with someone with whom, if all goes well, I may soon be writing some lyrics for her upcoming album.

What I appreciate most about her proposed working method is that, although a talented lyricist herself - her recent album featured a great line about turning down the guitar and drums because, after all, "this is France, for fuck's sake" - she didn't seem to want to tell me what to write.

Sure, she gave me some vague ideas about the style of lyrics she appreciates, and she mentioned the kind of topics she's interested in singing about, but I've worked with people in the past who've been much more specific in their demands. More than once I've been given a verse-by-verse breakdown of exactly what I should say, turning me in effect from an artist performing a genuinely creative act into a simple artisan, polishing the singer's rough ideas into verse. Now, I understand that whoever sings my words needs to feel some kind of emotional attachment to the ideas they express, but you can imagine which of the two methods is more satisfying for me as a writer - and, most importantly, which one gives the best results!

I'm certain anything I write for this person will be tossed back and forth between us both so many times that she'll end up feeling just as much ownership over it as I do, but it's still heartening to feel that she is at least willing to let me take the first steps on my own.

I can trace the outline, and we can colour it in together.

In any case, I'm really excited about seeing what we can come up with, not least because I saw her perform at the Flèche d'Or earlier this year and, as I wrote on her MySpace page just afterwards, I've never been so blown away by the sheer force of music. This could be something really special.