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Music and lyrics. Writing Prompt. Pop Culture
Rate-a-Record Vol.7 — Poetry in Motion
Songs that sail me away, catching the currents of fiction
The Rate-a-Record prompt, godfathered by Terry Barr and carried mightily by Paul Combs and others, continues to be a favorite title that gets my clicks.
The concept is simple. An offering of songs, generally two, though sometimes more, are presented for evaluation and rating. Scoring is via the American Bandstand system on a scale of 35 to 98. Read, listen and then rate in the comments.
Through this prompt, I have added many new and old artists to my playlists, confirmed that previous favorite artists have hidden gems, and others critically and commercially successful have yet to take hold — though I keep listening.
Sorry, Paul, I have yet to find a Morrissey song that moves me. However, to counter that, my wife is solidly on your side with Counting Crows, and when I vehemently disagreed, she stared at me as though a stranger had walked into her home.
Personal opinions aside, these short exposures to finds from other music-loving writers are time well spent. Each submission is a brief conversation shared with another human, and I hold firm to the concept that you can learn from…
