Not risky in the "becoming a firefighter and selflessly endangering one's life on a daily basis to protect people" sense.
More like risky in the "I think I'll drop five bucks on a Powerball ticket and fervently pray to hit the jackpot" sense.
Personally, I don't recommend songwriting as a career goal.
In no small part because I "played the odds" for a long time.
And while I am proud of the work I did and the names I can drop of singers who have recorded my songs, the bottom line is that I never hit all five numbers, so to speak and am still working, albeit enjoying working, for a living.
Clark Bentley, on the other hand, probably retired a long time ago.
Because he hit all five numbers, so to speak, with just one song.
In 1968, an era in which the prime mode of recording and marketing potential hit songs was still the vinyl 45, Clark had the good fortune of being in exactly the right place at exactly the right time.
Or on the right side at the right time, as it were.
Because Clark was the writer of the "B" side of a single released by a, at the time, struggling young singer named Jeannie C. Riley.
The A side was a clever ditty, written by Tom T. Hall entitled "Harper Valley P.T.A."
Which sold over five and a half million copies in a little over four weeks.
Followed by the sale of a million copies of the album of the same name a few weeks later.
And the thing about "B" sides, in those days, was that because it was obviously unavoidably attached to the "A" side, the sales figures, and the applicable sales royalties, for one were identical to the other.
Six of one, as it were.
I don't really know how much moola we're talking on five and a half million single copies, but I feel pretty confident that Clark Bentley didn't ever get near a time clock again.
In Nashville, the legend of Clark is actually a fairly commonly told anecdote.
He is, in fact, known as "B Side Bentley".
All of that said, he never really got anything else of importance recorded and that, as the saying goes, was that.
Still, as the other saying goes, you only go 'round once, but if you do it right, once is enough.
In Clark Bentley's case, once was enough.
Even with what admittedly is a pretty lame song.
As if that matters.
Moral of the story...follow your dreams, songwriters, but keep in mind that becoming the next Clark Bentley...or Brad Paisley...or Usher...or Bruno Mars...is still, at the end of the day, entirely about being in the right place at the right time.
Just like Powerball.
P.S...here's a bonus story of another guy in the right place at the right time....Johnny Russell...who wrote the Buck Owens hit, "Act Naturally"...which ended up sung by a lovable drummer with a decidedly British accent and put on the B side of one of his band's better selling singles...."Yesterday'.....by The Beatles...the most played song on American radio for eight years....
Johnny knew exactly how Clark felt.
No comments:
Post a Comment