Lyrics
With Scott as lyricist and composer, you get words and music in perfect step: in intent, metre and phrasing.
What comes first, the words or music?
–The CONTRACT!
Unknown
Lyrics are stylised language but they are NOT poetry: whereas poetry is designed to be read, mulled over, or occasionally spoken aloud, lyrics are meant to be SUNG, and should be comprehensible on first hearing. This is not to say lyrics cannot have depth. On the contrary, Scott strives for lyrics with wit, clarity and simplicity, that are singable.
Being a singer, Scott appreciates how lyrics “breathe” to complement character, performer and meaning.
As with music, an effective brief is crucial to getting the lyrics you need:
Are they intended for a film, musical or cabaret? Are they sung by a character in the film, or recorded by a pop singer to be played under a particular scene or sequence? Are they used for ironic or comic effect as in “Stuck In The Middle With You” in Tarantino’s RESERVOIR DOGS, or to intensify the empathy for the character as in “Both Sides Now” in LOVE ACTUALLY?
When it comes to lyrics for Musical Theatre, Scott recognises that they not only express an idea, they also reveal character within the context of a broader story. True Cabaret songs however, are typically self-contained to tell a complete story, but otherwise share many conventions with musical theatre.