For Decades, Country Singers Outsourced Their Songwriting To Professionals. Did Taylor Swift Murder Music Row?

COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAMER Harlan Howard once described country songwriting as “three chords and the truth.”

- Jewly Hight

COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAMER Harlan Howard once described country songwriting as “three chords and the truth.” Though Howard released half a dozen albums under his own name, he earned his place in history by writing country classics, not performing them. The “truth” in his songs wasn’t autobiographical; he was after stories and sentiments that would still ring true emotionally even if someone else were singing them.

There are famous exceptions, of course, but for most of country music’s history, singing and songwriting have been considered separate jobs. Despite the casual culture of Nashville songwriting, pros hired to write for Music Row publishing companies were expected to be productive, churning out quality tunes that could be pitched around town to label A&R people, producers, managers, and artists. There was a merit-based mentality to song selection: “The best song wins.” If it won once, it might even score again; familiar hits were often rerecorded by numerous artists.