Musical Poetry Reflects Life’s Tapestry

By Annette Cole Mastron, Communications Director for Southern Writers Magazine 

Last week on Facebook, songwriter Carole King posted, “47 years ago today...Tapestry [her breakout album] was released on February 10, 1971.” WoW! I know and love all of her songs/poetry by heart. I felt “The Earth Move.” This collection of musical poems reflected the women’s movement of the early 70’s when only a small percentage of women entering college actually graduated. Those are the poetic songs of my youth that have stayed forever in the “Tapestry” of my soul. 

Another momentous event occurred last week, 54 years ago, before my own musical youth kicked in,  THE BEATLES ON THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW aired on FEBRUARY 9, 1964. Of course, I’ve seen the historic American debut presentation of the iconic band. Their appearance influenced America then, and in the generations that followed. Who doesn’t know a Beatles tune when they hear it? Music is entwined with a poetry of words and cords. At this link, you can watch their debut appearance 

Relive or view for the first time "She Loves You", "I Saw Her Standing There" and "I Want To Hold Your Hand", with the best image quality to date and in stereo sound.”

While researching this blog post, I ran across an article in Rolling Stone Magazine that gave an interesting connection between Carole King and The Beatles.  https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/10-songs-you-didnt-know-carole-king-wrote-w465772/chains-the-cookies-1962-the-beatles-1963-w465774

She wrote songs for The Beatles in 1963 before she broke out on her own with her hit album, “Tapestry.” Who knew?

The book, A Natural Woman: A Memoir by Douglas McGrath tells the story of the early life and career of Carole King. A musical play titled, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical is currently on Broadway for those who want to follow her rise to stardom. 

Last week I learned of an opportunity perfect for songwriters and writers with the gift of prose. Honestly, I was attracted to this opportunity because of the wacky name. It’s the “Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest (no fee) "Now in its 17th year, this contest seeks today's best humor poems. No fee to enter. Submit published or unpublished work. $2,250 in prizes. Submit by April 1, 2018. Prizes: First Prize: $1,000, Second Prize: $250, Honorable Mentions: 10 awards of $100 each and Top 12 entries published online. There is no fee to enter. Judge: Jendi Reiter, assisted by Lauren Singer. Length limit: 250 lines. No restrictions on age or country. Please click the Submittable button below for full details. The results of our 17th annual contest will be announced on August 15, 2018.”

Many famous singers and authors started out once with a poem turned song or book. In the words of Carole King, “You’ve Got to Get Up Every Morning...” and write to be a writer. Take a chance, enter a contest. Taking chances is a common thread in our life “Tapestry.” What do you have to lose?