In February, in what will forever be a highlight in what I hope will be my future of writing, I had the honor of interviewing lyricist Enoch Anderson. While we waited, sometimes not so patiently, for the release of Barry Manilow’s original album; 15 Minutes, it was a joy getting to know the one responsible for writing lyrics for thirteen of the album’s songs and having a behind the scenes “sneak peak” into it’s production.
There are many fascinating layers to 15 Minutes, stepping beyond the sheer enjoyment of hearing it. There’s a unique story-line, profound in it’s timeliness, about a subject becoming more top of mind each day. Barry’s powerful performance of potent and diverse lyrics, set to his own dynamic music, blending cohesively to create a tangible image of the character.
For me it’s reminiscent of classics like the Beatles; Abby Road; or Tommy based on the Who’s rock opera. .Add to this, a high level of intelligence, rare to pop albums. The songs of 15 Minutes raise empathy and awareness reaching beyond quick and easy instant gratification. This quality has led to mindful conversations regarding the concept and each song. So impressed by this, a teacher in France has created a lesson plan for her English language students to discuss the concept and aspects of the album as a vehicle for teaching language.
Now, two months since release of this extraordinary album, which is being referred to by many as a masterpiece in contemporary music, I have the pleasure of sharing another conversation with Enoch Anderson.
Helen Holdun Enoch, thank you so much for joining us again! I had complete faith 15Minutes would be pure genius. But hearing the finished product exceeds anything I might have expected; it’s brilliant, gorgeous and I’m absolutely blown away!
Seeing the album initially come in at #2, #7, #20 on charts all over the world, then hitting #1 on the Internet charts, and currently holding steady in Billboards top 200 and top 25 on it’s Independent charts, and two cuts released to high praise in the US and the UK, has got be a life altering experience. Have you been doing anything special to celebrate?
Enoch Anderson: Celebrations mainly took the form of trading some very happy emails back and forth with Barry and producer Michael Lloyd as the good news came in.
Interestingly, the albums tag line asks “Fame. Can you take it?” I have to ask, are your prepared for your own personal journey to fame? How are you handling being an “over night success” decades in the making?
Is anyone, ever? Seriously, lyricists don’t experience “fame” in the way performers do. Success hasn’t sunk in yet, but so many people have said success is more difficult than failure, I have to admit I’m intrigued. New challenges welcome – I’ve done about all I can with failure and obscurity, so bring on success!
Have your students, peers, friends begun to treat you differently?
I teach community college. but most of the students don’t know I’m a writer. The CD came out after the Spring semester ended. Some friends have been very happy for me, but the great thing about friends is you treat each other the same, whatever. It has been the online activity that has really a drastic change – for the first time, I’m actually seeing a response to my work.
I’ve listened to the album too many times to count, start to finish, and each time it’s still fresh and new in unearthing new emotions. I could spend hours talking about nuances that come to mind, each time. Fantastic music aside, 15 Minutes is definitely not background sound or white noise. It is intelligent and thought provoking. As I mentioned, a teacher in France, who is fascinated by the depth of the album is planning to use portions of the album in her class curriculum next semester. Do you think in a society that leans toward instant gratification, people will take the time to listen and get it?
It’s true that we’re a society focused on instant gratification, but I’m banking on the fact that right along with that comes a strong obsessive streak! It takes only forty quick obsessive minutes to listen to all the songs in order, and grasp what the CD’s about. Who doesn’t know what it’s like to feel invisible, to be treated like a nobody? Who hasn’t wanted to wring more excitement, more juice out of life? That’s what the first track, the title song, throws at you. After that, the question is, what happens if you really manage to transform your life? It takes less than an hour just to keep listening and follow that story through.
Though the obvious focus is about a fame, most of us will never know, I find, as I’m sure others do, poignancy in the lyrics as so much of them are adaptable to all of us who struggled to succeed, faced failure and then struggle to succeed again, be it professionally or personally. Who can’t relate to thinking “how long since anyone cared?” or “life goes on whether you don’t or you do”. Did you have that public appeal in mind during the creation process or has that come as a surprise bonus?
I don’t think in terms of “public appeal” – that’s for committees and focus groups. I try to nail the truth of the situation, express what it feels like. The “public appeal” comes if that strikes a chord in others, if they recognize the truth of it and respond.
The delivery of your lyrics as they combine seamlessly with Barry’s music in telling the story, not only makes the album unique, but takes us on a roller coaster of emotion as the character reaches his high, succumbs to his low and starts the climb back up, leaving us hoping he’s on the road back. Did you personally take on the mood of the character and live it as you dug in to write the vivid lyrics? Do you believe the songs credibility come from your personal experiences?
Not much of my own experience matches that story, except for the obscurity part! But yes, I take on the mood and live the “as if” of whatever the song is about. Imagination is a realm that no one really understands, but it isn’t restricted to the limits of personal experience. You’re not just studying some personal scrapbook when you do creative work – you’re looking out a big wide window at other worlds going past!
I just mentioned the cohesiveness of each song as a body, but another thing I love and find rare, is that each song can be pulled as a single, tells it’s own story and takes on another level of enjoyment. The question is, how are were you able to achieve what’s I would think is not only rare but extremely difficult?
I’m glad the songs come across that way. They need to stand alone. There’s no guarantee people will be hearing the songs in order – it’s a CD, not a live show. If you like a CD and want to get your friends excited, you’ll probably play them whatever track had the biggest impact on you, whether it’s the first cut or the eleventh one. They shouldn’t be sitting there thinking “Huh….?” and needing you to explain how it fits in – it has to pack its own impact.
Equally amazing, how do you switch gears in writing a touching, gentle ballad “Bring On Tomorrow”; angry rock “Who Needs You” and then the sadness of “Slept Through the End of The World”?
Luckily, I didn’t have to write them all in one day! Everyone shifts through a range of emotional levels and there are fever-pitch times in life when all that’s magnified. The hero of the story is living through a period like that – everything is intense and momentous for him.
Was there any song that was particularly difficult to wrap your mind around in relation to the flow of the story? Is there one that’s a personal favorite?
I knew I was on thin ice with “So Heavy, So High” because it’s not at all the kind of thing people expect from Barry. The story needed that song – the moment gravity kicks in, and the hero starts to spiral down from success – but Barry never had a history of drug use, Barry never had a crash-and-burn phase of that type. So I knew I was going to have to be brave to write it, and he’d have to be brave to record it.
A personal favorite? I’ll still say “Train Wreck.” Because it came at a time when I felt tapped out, had no idea how to present that moment of the story when the character hits rock bottom and starts to pull himself together. Defeat and turnaround in one song, and it had to come from the bottom of the hole, couldn’t sound flip. Then the lyric suddenly just slid into my mind fully formed, like a gift.
Speaking of writing, your ability to compose graphic lyrics that create a scenario is unmatchable. Prior to this album, an example was “Some Bar by the Harbor” from Barry’s Here at the Mayflower album. Some have said in listening they could “feel the mist”; “smell the sea air”. The same holds true for 15 Minutes. I personally hear it as literature set to music, the imagination creates the scene. To what do you attribute the special knack of doing this? Is it it something you set out to do, or is this a natural talent you’re blessed with. Either way, it’s incredible.
I can’t explain that, except that it makes me so happy when it works. It’s about wanting to connect. One woman wrote that she knew exactly what harbor in Brooklyn “Some Bar” was about, the song captured it exactly. Now actually, I don’t know anything about Brooklyn – I grew up in Northern Canada, not a harbor in sight! – but I loved that the song struck her as authentic, so it slid right into her own frame of reference and made sense to her.
While we’re on the subject of authenticity, in this album Barry (Manilow) surpassed his already extraordinary ability to make the listener feel. It’s difficult to describe the genuine intensity of emotion in his performance or magnificent power of his voice. I’ve shared my thoughts that his execution is so superb, I was left breathless, imagining him an actor, leaving the stage in exhaustion after submerging himself in his role. No doubt you’re overwhelmed as we are. What is it like to hear the words that came from your being, presented in such a fashion?
When the album was being put together, I didn’t hear the songs in order. It wasn’t until it was complete and I listened to it from start to finish, that I realized the range of his performance. It’s a portrayal, a full characterization, and I was blown away. A sustained role like that is a new level for him, and who guessed there was another level!
It’s interesting, you and Barry both wrote the lyrics for “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright”. It’s so cohesive. Was it difficult to blend your thoughts into words? It has to be difficult to combine the minds of two creative geniuses. Was there ever a battle of wits?
This is going to sound like a carefully tailored, politically correct answer, but the honest truth is I can’t remember a single time we have locked horns over anything. The creative process with Barry has not ever been a battle…perhaps the fact that we work separately is a factor there, but we seem to have similar visions and sensibilities…I learned very early that if I sent off a lyric with one line I wasn’t comfortable with, Barry would spot that line intuitively and ask for a rewrite, and it would come as a relief to me! We are both articulate and can express what we envision, we have mutual respect and affection and a shared sense of humor, and we’re both excited by the creative process—this may sound like phony show-biz diplomacy, but I can’t imagine a more harmonious collaboration.
Going back to how Barry conceived of the concept, he’s shared in interviews the plight of young stars encountering the not so pleasant side of fame, largely focusing on Britney Spears. Thankfully, Ms. Spears appears to be on track as she’s currently embarking on her own journey back. Have you or Barry received any feedback from her? Or from any of the celebrities mentioned in news clips at the end of “Winner Goes Down”
Not that I’ve heard about… but wrestling with public demons is also such a private thing. The CD is about that phenomenon, it’s not meant as an intrusion into any specific person’s life.
What sort of research did you do to fully grasp the message Barry wanted conveyed?
The research did me, it’s all around us. Tabloids at the checkout counter, gossip teasers on the evening news – we’re bombarded every day with stories about celebrities falling from grace. It’s like an ongoing folk tale, part of our cultural mythology.
Possibly the most controversial piece is “Letter From a Fan/So Heavy, So High”. Nataly Dawn is exemplary and chilling in her presentation of a fan whose love of the “star” turns to delusional obsession, becoming manic hate, and yet she can’t let go. Likewise, Barry outdid himself in stepping from his genteel persona in presenting the “stars” own near mania angst in wanting to be left alone. Was there any trepidation that some might take this song personally, perhaps making them angry and turning away? Again, what inspiration did you draw on to make this song so eerily real? On a lighter note, did you realize you took the color yellow off the table for any fan to wear to a show?
We can all think of real-life examples of some fan’s obsession spinning out of control and ending in tragedy – it’s definitely part of the dark side of fame and it belonged in the story. But as I said above, Barry was brave to record that song. The response couldn’t have been better – listeners got it, and they’ve analyzed it over and over online, which I love.
Incidentally, about yellow! In the story, the dangerous fan (“I was the girl wearing yellow down front…”) wears yellow just because I needed a color with two syllables. Try singing “purple down front” or “fuchsia down front,” no good! So poor yellow got slandered and it’s a beautiful color. I’m going to post something on Facebook to try and make amends, so that fans don’t think they need to throw away their yellow outfits. I could set an example and wear a yellow suit to a concert, but that would be alarming!
In our last interview I mentioned how as listeners we hear the album and assume what we hear is all there was, however you’ve shared that isn’t the case. Are there songs that didn’t make the final cut on this album? Do you think we might hear 15 Minutes: Part 2, telling us the story of the characters rise back up?
There were songs that didn’t make it and they may surface somewhere else. Personally, I’d be surprised if a “Part 2” came along. I think the rest of the story is best left to the listener’s imagination. Part 2 would simply go back over much of the same territory already covered.
I’m fascinated in noticing certain songs have special appeal to people depending on their personal circumstances. For example it seems people who have experienced the end of a relationship are drawn to “Written In Stone”. How would you describe the subtle affect music has on our psyche, often at times when we’re not even aware its happening?
I believe in the ancient Greek concept of catharsis. You feel terribly sad, you listen to a sad song, and suddenly the heaviness lifts—you get through it as a shared experience, rather than plowing yourself deeper and deeper alone. The same goes for exhilarating music, angry music, romantic music—it helps you contact your emotions and deal with them, rather than being overwhelmed by them.
Since Barry’s last original album, accessibility to music has certainly changed via Internet and social networking. Personally, I don’t like 30 second snippets of songs, I think something is lost, especially in ones such as these. In your professional opinion, would you say the ability for instant results affects sales and appreciation?
Yes. Think of times you’ve seen the preview for a movie after already seeing the movie itself, and you thought “Oh, that’s not fair. That isn’t really what it’s like, what it’s really about…” At least movie previews are carefully designed to grab the interest. Those song snippets online are just computer-generated “previews” – random clips that don’t even try to give a fair representation. I don’t know of any artists who like having their work merchandised that way.
You have a large following on FaceBook and on Barry’s various fan sites. Have you enjoyed interacting with the fans and getting immediate feedback about the album?
Yes! As I said at the beginning of our conversation, it’s a huge plus to know what people are thinking and saying, and can be quite a difference from what critics may be telling them to think and say!
Hopefully, 15 Minutes has opened the gate to much more original music from Barry Manilow. I’m crossing my fingers we can look forward to many more Manilow/Anderson collaborations. Do you think there will be?
Let’s both cross our fingers! It’s been a great experience creating 15 Minutes and, since the reception has been so enthusiastic, I’d say there’s a good chance that more projects will follow. I’m certainly up for it!
Lastly, Barry has mentioned how much he’s enjoyed mentoring young stars during his visits to American Idol. Do you have advice for lyricists breaking into the business?
Last Spring I addressed a songwriting class at Glendale Community College and it was a great experience. I had refused a few previous invitations, because I didn’t expect the students to be interested in me, but they were very receptive. At least I could present myself as proof that there aren’t any rules, no right kind of background you have to have – how many songwriters were born in South Porcupine, northern Canada? My family had no connection with show business, my Dad was a mining engineer. The bit of early success I did have seemed way back in the past – who could predict that at this date I’d suddenly find myself with a CD debuting at #7? So at least young hopefuls shouldn’t worry that they’re “wrong” for their ambitions!
Advice? The best I could offer were examples: here is a lyric I wrote and here is what was done with it musically. Here is a melody I was given, and here are the words I fit to it. Here are some problems that came up and here’s how they were resolved. I don’t want to pontificate – it’s more helpful just to go over examples and practicalities.
Thank you Enoch for again taking time to again share your thoughts and “behind the album” details with us. And thank you for the beautiful album you, Barry and Michael have gifted us with. I look forward to following your career as it takes off in wonderful directions and I know the success of 15 Minutes is just beginning it’s journey to greatness.
Isabella
Helen and Nick, Once again a great interview from the thought process to the actuality of the cd. Thanks again to the both of you!! jane
janetfauret
Entry 2 is a great sequel to entry 1!!!! Congratulations to you both. Interesting questions and in-depth,insightful answers. Here’s hoping that the album AND the two of you are “on a journey to greatness” !!