Songwriters are dead, long live the songwriter!

[hooky_lowdown]

For the past 18 months I've been seeing more and more developed AI being used across the Creative sectors, as well many others. With Chatgpt and the likes, it occurs to me it won't be too long before an AI generated pop song will top the charts, which'll no doubt open the flood gates to further AI hits. And an AI hit factory.

 

This will inevitably lead to songwriters becoming obsolete, with AI writing pop hits in seconds. I know this is being developed and has been worked on for a while, but I believe its only time before the songwriter will become a dead art, surpassed by AI.

 

Fortunately live artists and bands will remain, including the low end folk. Although having said that the digital ABBA gigs leaves food for thought. 🫢

[Dad3353]

Dross written and composed by an 'artist' (or team...) or dross written and composed by 'A.I.', it's six of one, half a dozen of t'other. Quality will out, for those interested enough to seek it out (or write it themselves...). Already terms such as 'top the charts' and 'hits' are, in most (but not all...) cases, condemnation, if only because of the incessant over-playing they'll inevitably receive. There has never been an era whereby mainstream music was not aimed low. Nothing new here, really; dross is dross. 

[diskwave]

As long as Ive still got access to 70's Prog, old folk music, Bach and all those incredible 60's 70's 80's pop/soul masterpieces I dont have to give a fig....and I dont. 

[Baloney Balderdash]

No!

 

And the state AI is on now in terms of lyrics writing is on level with that of an average 5 grade public school pupil, which of course does about match the level of the lyrics of current chart hits.

 

Also current pop music is already made from a carefully calculated formula for maximal catchiness and commercial success, so there AI generated music should fit right in too.

 

Not art though.

 

Top 40 is, and for most parts have always been, filled up with utter stinky poo from an artistic point of view. 

 

A perversion of the most advanced form of communication we humans are capable of that is music.

 

 

Edited October 3, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[ahpook]

I've just been playing around with some  AI lyric generators.

 

I rather think they do a better job than I do

 

 

[Barking Spiders]

Considering the mountains of tripe many human 'artists' have been putting out over the last 60 years, IMO it's time to let the machines have a go

[Waddo Soqable]

I bet no computer could have come up with the lyrics.. 

"Flat foot Floogie with the Floy Floy" ... 😁

[asingardenof]

1 hour ago, hooky_lowdown said:

For the past 18 months I've been seeing more and more developed AI being used across the Creative sectors, as well many others. With Chatgpt and the likes, it occurs to me it won't be too long before an AI generated pop song will top the charts, which'll no doubt open the flood gates to further AI hits. And an AI hit factory.

 

This will inevitably lead to songwriters becoming obsolete, with AI writing pop hits in seconds. I know this is being developed and has been worked on for a while, but I believe its only time before the songwriter will become a dead art, surpassed by AI.

 

Fortunately live artists and bands will remain, including the low end folk. Although having said that the digital ABBA gigs leaves food for thought. 🫢

 

Waiting for an AI-generated song called "It Was Only An 'opeless Fancy"...

[TimR]

Until AI becomes self conscious and understands emotions you won't get words that connect on an emotional level. 

 

That's probably what's missing from a lot of pop music at the moment. Or is probably present but it just doesn't match with the emotions of a bunch of old guys living in the past. 

[ahpook]

9 minutes ago, TimR said:

Or is probably present but it just doesn't match with the emotions of a bunch of old guys living in the past. 

 

This.

 

I think if I grokked the contents of the 'Top40', then pop culture would have broken in a way that would disappoint me terribly.

 

I stick Radio1 on sometimes... and the feeling of confusion is exquisite

 

 

 

[BigRedX]

Personally I find the vast majority of lyrics including those for songs I really like, trite and cringeworthy. Even those writers who are good with their word play can't sustain it for a whole album's worth of songs. For me AI composed lyrics are no better or worse then any other method of writing. 

[ahpook]

Further to my exploration of AI lyric generators last night, I rather think I'm going to use one to write something.

 

A lot of the music I like has quite elliptical lyrics, so taking the output of the machine and massaging the words into something a little less direct has been quite rewarding.

 

Certainly a good way of kicking off the process and getting the cerebral juices oozing away.

Edited October 3, 2023 by ahpook

[TimR]

12 minutes ago, ahpook said:

Further to my exploration of AI lyric generators last night, I rather think I'm going to use one to write something.

 

A lot of the music I like has quite elliptical lyrics, so taking the output of the machine and massaging the words into something a little less direct has been quite rewarding.

 

Certainly a good way of kicking off the process and getting the cerebral juices oozing away.

 

I suspect its very good as a tool to get creative juices flowing. In the same way as a drum loop can prompt a bass line. 

 

David Bowie used to write random words on bits of paper and pick them out of a 'hat'.

[WinterMute]

William Gibson pretty much nailed this in Idoru, AI holographic pop stars marrying real rock stars, his AI were self aware however, and that is a completely different kettle of fish.

 

Great art is transcendent, I can paint-by numbers, I'll never paint a Monet (insert you favourite dead artist here) similarly I can write a song, but I'll never turn out The Long and Winding Road or While My Guitar Gently Weeps, and neither will AI Until it becomes self aware.

 

That day may come sooner or later and then the problem won't be songs in the pop charts, trust me.

[BigRedX]

20 minutes ago, WinterMute said:

William Gibson pretty much nailed this in Idoru, AI holographic pop stars marrying real rock stars, his AI were self aware however, and that is a completely different kettle of fish.

 

And the anime Macros Plus with it's "AI" virtual pop star Sharon Apple predates Idoru by a couple of years. One of the main plot points in the movie is that Sharon Apple isn't as AI as her developers would like the audience to believe, and that she still requires a human component to function. Of course it all goes wrong in the most spectacular way.

[tauzero]

2 hours ago, ahpook said:

Further to my exploration of AI lyric generators last night, I rather think I'm going to use one to write something.

 

A lot of the music I like has quite elliptical lyrics, so taking the output of the machine and massaging the words into something a little less direct has been quite rewarding.

 

Certainly a good way of kicking off the process and getting the cerebral juices oozing away.

 

I'd got a song that I've got a couple of verses and a chorus for, and I input it to ChatGPT and asked for another verse or two. It gave me a couple of verses and a chorus which were somewhat banale and I certainly wouldn't use verbatim, but may have stimulated me into finishing it. Sometime.

[Rexel Matador]

I've found everything I've come across that's been generated by AI, whether visual, audio, written, whatever, to be deeply, deeply, unpleasant.

There may come a time where I can't tell the difference, and then I suppose it won't matter. But for now - ugh... no. 

[ahpook]

OK, I loaded a load of fairly nonsensical keywords and prompts into https://www.song-lyrics-generator.org.uk/

 

...and with a couple of tweaks came up with what could almost pass as a Pavement song

 

Summer Dental Conference (No Monster Trucks)

 

"We're all going to a summer dental conference
No more begging for a week or two
Guitars and stack shoes at our summer dental conference
No more monster trucks for me or you
For a week or two

Summertime, and the givin' is open
Sisters are lying and the are wagers are high
Oh, your king's Belgian and your serf is driving
So hush my parched bozo, don't you cry

Oh the summer of 2543

I can't wait to do some lying with you
You can't wait to do some lying with me
This just can't be summer love, you'll see
This just can't be summer love

 (Solo)

Summertime, and the givin' is open
Sisters are lying and the are wagers are high
Oh, your king's Belgian and your serf is driving
So hush my parched bozo, don't you cry
 

(Spoken Word over breakdown/build-up)
Me and some monster trucks from Southampton
Had a band and we tried real hard.
Kent quit, Jo went inventing
I should've known we'd never end up emigrating

Oh the summer of 2543

Summer lying had me a blast, oh yeah
Summer lying happened so fast,

Summer dental conference drifting away,
To, uh oh, that summer dental conference"

Edited October 3, 2023 by ahpook

[Dad3353]

19 minutes ago, ahpook said:

...

Summer Dental Conference (No Monster Trucks)

...

 

Don't give up the day job. 

[TimR]

It shows that it's just an advanced Google user. Copying what's been done before and changing bits it.

 

You've got Summer of 69, Summer Nights, Summertime and probably some other stuff I don't recognise. 

 

Anything conscious or with real world experience would realise that it looks obviously copied.

 

However, some bands have got away with reproducing entire songs from history and passing them off as their own. 😆

[Barking Spiders]

Chat GPT or Google Bard lyrics surely can't be any worse than those written by Noel Gallagher, Robert Plant, Simon Le Bon, Jim Morrison, Neal Peart, Gene Simmons or whoever else in Kiss is guilty and AC/DC? Of course I could add about 100 more names to that list but I've made my point and there's no debating it.

[DJpullchord]

What happens when AI learns the circle of fifths?

[Paul S]

I asked ChatGTP to write a blues song, supplying no other details than that, and this is what it came up with.  Too long, obvs, and a bit cliché-rich, but that's the nature of the beast.  I actually quite like some of the lines!

 

Quote

(Verse 1)
Well, I woke up this mornin', blues knockin' on my door,
I said, "I woke up this mornin', blues knockin' on my door,
Seems like trouble and sorrow, they just want more and more."

(Verse 2)
My baby left me, took the last train out of town,
Yeah, my baby left me, took the last train out of town,
Now I'm sittin' here, my heart in pieces on the ground.

(Chorus)
I got them blues, deep down in my soul,
I said, I got them blues, it's takin' its toll,
But I'll keep on singin', let the good times roll.

(Verse 3)
Well, the rain's fallin' down, matchin' the tears in my eyes,
Yeah, the rain's fallin' down, matchin' the tears in my eyes,
I've been searchin' for a reason, but it's all just cloudy skies.

(Verse 4)
I went down to the crossroads, tried to make a deal,
I said, I went down to the crossroads, tried to make a deal,
But the devil just laughed, said, "Your fate is sealed."

(Chorus)
I got them blues, deep down in my soul,
I said, I got them blues, it's takin' its toll,
But I'll keep on singin', let the good times roll.

(Verse 5)
Well, I'll pick up my guitar, let the music set me free,
Yeah, I'll pick up my guitar, let the music set me free,
I may have the blues, but this song's my remedy.

(Verse 6)
So, when life gets you down, and the world feels cold and gray,
Yeah, when life gets you down, and the world feels cold and gray,
Just remember the blues, they'll help you find your way.

(Chorus)
I got them blues, deep down in my soul,
I said, I got them blues, it's takin' its toll,
But I'll keep on singin', let the good times roll.

(Outro)
Yeah, I'll keep on singin', let the good times roll,
I'll keep on singin', let the good times roll,
With these blues in my heart, I'll find my way, Lord, that's my goal

 

 

 

 

[TimR]

Needs more dogs and shotguns. 

[Cliff Edge]

22 hours ago, TimR said:

Needs more dogs and shotguns. 

That would make it country blues, if there is still such a thing. I think there was/is.