The Pop Song Professor Podcast

We answer two questions: What does "Level of Concern" by Twenty One Pilots mean? And why do people like it? With interviews from fans and breakdowns of these deep lyrics, this episode is all you need to be a "Level of Concern" expert!

Today we're talking to Melissa Bel, a longtime artist from Canada who met her partner in Las Vegas and moved to Great Britain. She's been all over the world, and she's been singing and writing songs the whole time, and for this episode of the show, we get deep into who she is as an artist.

Even if you haven't heard of her yet, (you likely will soon--she has high aspirations!) in this episode, I ask deep questions and try to help us all learn a little bit more about how a songwriter thinks.

"Big Boys Don't Cry" Music Video: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4\_Q7fk\_mmo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4_Q7fk_mmo)

Melissa's Twitter: [https://twitter.com/melissabelmusic](https://twitter.com/melissabelmusic)

_In the Light_ on Spotify: [https://open.spotify.com/album/690gLJaHMSXRrBdKn3fjjv](https://open.spotify.com/album/690gLJaHMSXRrBdKn3fjjv)

Melissa's website: [http://melissa-bel.com/](http://melissa-bel.com/)

People hate country music, but why? And how can we tap into these particular hates to put together the greatest (see: worst) country song of all time? Guest Garrett Vandenberg is going to explain how he did it for a video for the BlimeyCow YouTube channel. This episode is fun and incisive as we explore country music and how it fails.

Garrett's website: [http://garrettvandenberg.com/](http://garrettvandenberg.com/)

How to Write a Country Song (In 5 Minutes or Less): [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2l\_4pcabfQs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2l_4pcabfQs)

A Worship Song Written in 5 Minutes or Less: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQOnssuC6F0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQOnssuC6F0)

Messy Mondays: How to Write a Worship Song (In 5 Minutes or Less): [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhYuA0Cz8ls](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhYuA0Cz8ls)

Taylor Swift released a new album, and it's crazy. Will you like it? Is it deep? Is it good? These are the things we talk about today with special guest Friedemann Findeisen from Holistic Songwriting.

Today's episode is long in coming, but it'll be worth the wait! Thank you so much to my loyal listeners who are listening now. I explain my absence in the first five minutes and beg your forgiveness. You all are wonderful, and I'm so happy to finally be back!

~Cliff

Holistic Songwriting YouTube Channel: [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLtD67ljlaeXQMV4sb-YzNA](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLtD67ljlaeXQMV4sb-YzNA)

Holistic Songwriting Website: [http://blog.holistic-songwriting.com/](http://blog.holistic-songwriting.com/)

_The Addiction Formula_: [https://www.amazon.com/Addiction-Formula-Captivating-Commercial-Songwriting/dp/9082391309/ref=sr\_1\_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1510803853&sr=8-1&keywords=the+addiction+formula](https://www.amazon.com/Addiction-Formula-Captivating-Commercial-Songwriting/dp/9082391309/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1510803853&sr=8-1&keywords=the+addiction+formula)

_The Addiction Formula_ Audiobook: [https://www.amazon.com/Addiction-Formula-Captivating-Commercial-Techniques/dp/B076X4KL3X/ref=sr\_1\_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1510803881&sr=8-1&keywords=the+addiction+formula+audiobook](https://www.amazon.com/Addiction-Formula-Captivating-Commercial-Techniques/dp/B076X4KL3X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1510803881&sr=8-1&keywords=the+addiction+formula+audiobook)

This one's a blast from Tyler Joseph's 17-year-old past. In "Save" from _No Phun Intended_, he begs God to save him as he tries hard to keep himself together. It's a good song, and if you love Twenty One Pilots, you'll like this song!

Thanks for listening, everyone, and don't forget to shoot me an email at [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])! I love to hear from you!

Patreon: [https://www.patreon.com/ThePopSongProfessor](https://www.patreon.com/ThePopSongProfessor)

iTunes--Please Review: [https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-pop-song-professor-podcast/id1113653385?mt=2](https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-pop-song-professor-podcast/id1113653385?mt=2)

Please make a special point to listen to this episode. Friedemann Findeisen is a German songwriter and songwriting coach whose brilliant Artist Series on YouTube perfectly captures and explains the songwriting styles of bands like Twenty One Pilots, Coldplay, Ed Sheeran, and more. He's a great songwriter himself and coaches people from around the world on how to write their own songs. He's got a unique perspective on pop music, and in this interview, he explains A LOT of how pop music works on the music side of things and helps me (and hopefully you!) to better understand lyrics "holistically." :)

Here are some links we mention in the interview:

The Holistic Songwriting YouTube Channel

[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLtD67ljlaeXQMV4sb-YzNA](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLtD67ljlaeXQMV4sb-YzNA)

The Lyric Canvas (Songwriting Rubric)

[https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video\_id=9XjSVGFDieE](https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=9XjSVGFDieE)

The Blog

[http://blog.holistic-songwriting.com/](http://blog.holistic-songwriting.com/)

The Survey

[http://blog.holistic-songwriting.com/artistsseries\_survey](http://blog.holistic-songwriting.com/artistsseries_survey)

How Twenty One Pilots write a melody

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bduMzXKvegE&feature=youtu.be](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bduMzXKvegE&feature=youtu.be)

Contact Friedemann at [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])

Thanks for listening, everyone, and don't forget to shoot me an email at [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])! I love to hear from you!

Patreon: [https://www.patreon.com/ThePopSongProfessor](https://www.patreon.com/ThePopSongProfessor)

iTunes--Please Review: [https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-pop-song-professor-podcast/id1113653385?mt=2](https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-pop-song-professor-podcast/id1113653385?mt=2)

Today we have a special guest. Successful song reviewing YouTube Jon Compton from ARTV and Beyond ARTV joins us to go further in depth over Lorde's _Melodrama _album and his thoughts on it. I watched his YouTube video about it and knew that I had to have him on for this episode. Together, he and I talk about the merits and interesting aspects of Lorde's newest album.

Just fair warning, because this was my first time doing a long distance interview, the sound quality isn't always the greatest, but the info and opinions here are worth it!

Also, be sure to check out John's channel. It's going to be well worth it to subscribe to him!

ARTV's Channel: [https://www.youtube.com/user/AlbumReviewTV](https://www.youtube.com/user/AlbumReviewTV)

Don't forget to email me at [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) with your thoughts and to rate/review the podcast on [iTunes](https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-pop-song-professor-podcast/id1113653385?mt=2)! That would seriously help me a ton.

Time for a return of an old favorite. One year ago, I had Dr. Tess Stockslager on to talk about _Sigh No More _by Mumford & Sons, and today we're going to move one step forward and talk about _Babel_, another fantastic record from the band.

In this podcast, Tess and I discuss each song individually as well as the musical style and story arc of the album as a whole. It's a wonderful conversation, and we get into some real depth with these songs.

Can't wait to hear what you think!

Don't forget to email me at [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) with your thoughts and to rate/review the podcast on [iTunes](https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-pop-song-professor-podcast/id1113653385?mt=2)! That would seriously help me a ton.

Pop Song Professor Clifford Stumme and his guest Dr. Tess Stockslager take a long, close look at Mumford and Sons's album _Sigh No More _to map out how the album's songs work together to tell a story of frustration, anger, redemption, and victory. It's a podcast that you _really _won't want to miss.