You Asked, RANDY GOODRUM Answers Exclusively Online At RandyGoodrum.com

Songwriter/Recording Artist/Producer/Musician/Arranger Randy Goodrum’s Exclusive Q & A With Friends and Fans Touches Upon “The Inside Scoop” About Working With Steve Perry, Steve Lukather, His Hall of Fame Songwriting Process, Choosing His Favorite “Child” and Following HIs Nose

You asked and @RandyGoodrumSongs answered. Questions came to us from Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, RandyGoodrum.com and we even had a couple come directly through to #teamRandy’s personal email LoL. It’s SO exciting to see this community and the engagement around Randy Goodrum continue to grow each day. This is particularly evident through the thoughtful and specific questions posed to our Hall of Fame Songwriter/Recording Artist/Producer/Musician/Arranger and Head of Clark St. Records!

Thank you to our ever-expanding and always supportive @RandyGoodrumSongs community for creating this feature and please continue to let us know what you’d like to see here. Enjoy!! 

Michael asks:  

Your collaborations with Steve Lukather, in my opinion, have resulted in some of the most incredible, emotional and moving ballads I’ve ever heard. They truly stand the test of time.My question is 3 parts... Are the lyrics more Luke, you or a combination? Where do you draw from for the lyrics?  Any plans to collaborate with Luke again? Hopefully sooner than later? Thank you very much!

Randy answers:

“Great question, Michael. The process that Luke and I developed early on in our writing relationship was for us to co-write the music. I would then sketch out lyrics based on what the music was “telling me it was about” and I’d then show them to Steve and he’d edit them in spots. That’s a generalization because it would vary in the amount of editing. Sometimes he’d say that the lyric was fine as a first draft, however I was always glad to get feedback from him and didn’t mind altering or re-writing parts, here and there. When a song is written with someone else it’s not a linear process. It’s quite often perceived from the outside as an uneven process but it’s actually an exponential, non-linear process. By that I mean that the point is to create a whole, excellent song and contributions are not quantitative, rather they are qualitative. A special phrase, either musically or lyrically can vault the song into a Masterpiece. 

Luke and I always completely work in this way and always will.”

Sherry inquires:

Hi I wanted to submit this question. If Randy has plans to work on new songs with Steve Perry

Randy answers:

“Sherry, Thank you for asking. Steve and I will always be up for writing new songs. From now on, anytime I visit him or am in the same town where he is, there is always the threat of a co-write. We work best face-to-face rather than sending files back and forth. As a matter of fact we “only” work face-to-face. 

When this awful pandemic is behind us, I’ll resume my regular trips to LA to do business and hang with my friends and colleagues. Hopefully a cool song or two with Steve will happen on one of those trips!’

Esme wants to know:

You are able to write these incredible, important songs like, “”Oh, Sherrie” with Steve Perry and the songs with Toto and George Benson and of  course, Anne Murray -not just her biggest song, but many-and career making songs for Michael Johnston and then the beautiful voices of Michael McDonald and Mr. Kenny Rogers and Ms. Dolly Parton, Reba McIntyre, special songs for England Dan and John Ford Coley and on and on AND THEN come out with your 2020 record RED EYE. How is ONE person, ONE brain, ONE man, able to do this?  Do you have to lock yourself away and change like Dr. Jeckyl and.Mr. Hyde? Is this too personal to ask?

I’d (and I think many other fans want to know about this. And, if I were to ask your wife and. family if you change when you are writing - especially in different personas, what would they say?)This would answer a lifelong question, THANK YOU!!!

Randy answers:

“Great question, Esme. Actually I’ve never had this question before.  So, I’ll just say that over the years of being a songwriter, I have discovered that there is something to your comparison to Dr. Jeckyl and Mr, Hyde. I actually have a part of me that opens up and kicks in when I write a song, especially by myself. It’s not as radical a transition as Jeckyl and Hyde, but it’s noticeable, at least to me. 

I think of myself as a “method writer” drawn from the term, “method actor”. Let me explain: A method actor studies the character he is portraying and literally becomes that character, which is often nothing in the least like their actual real-life character. By using that method they can play virtually any kind of character (good, bad, evil, sophisticated, common, etc.). 

When I write, I usually am driven by the “premise” of the song (what the song it about; the story, the people or character that is the subject of the song”. Most of the time the premise has nothing to do with my real, actual life so I have to “method write” it, much like a method actor does his imaginary character.

I hope that make sense. The good news is that I can write about anything I want this way. I get inspired by a good story, or good premise and that’s the best way I can answer you.”

Wendy expresses:

I discovered “Red Eye” through Spotify’s playlist recommendations about a month ago and love it! Since then, I’ve been really thrilled to be introduced to the rest of the RED EYE record, records like SOLITARY NIGHTS and through RandyGoodrum.com, that Mr. Goodrum has written so many of my favorite songs throughout my lifetime! I have an incredibly wide rage of tastes in music and to discover one artist who is at the center of so many of these meaningful songs, seems almost overwhelming. Thank you for the opportunity to be on touch directly. I'm going to have to take a little more time to put together some specific questions. With gratitude and grace.

Whether Randy Goodrum’s friends and fans come from recent discovery or from a deep history of admiration of his musicianship, songwriting, production work, solo recording projects or a combination of his offerings, one thing is clear — Randy Goodrum is well loved, well respected and his music continues to resonate today profoundly from the top musicians, writers, producers and industry folks who sing his praises on the recently released RED EYE around the world to the active fanbase ringing in from Tokyo to Sao Paolo to Berlin to Nashville to Ibiza and everywhere in between. 

We can note the current full page feature on Randy in the French edition of Rolling Stone (Jimi Hendrix cover) and other International coverage including Red Eye continue to cool position in the top 40 on the SmoothJazzNetwork Top 100 Chart. Randy has said that RED EYE is “the album that I’ve always wanted to make,” and it shows.   

An artist and lyricist who makes such intimate and visceral connections with his or her listeners is certain to strike interest in conversation or at the least, questions about what particular important lyrics or moments “really meant” or were intended to mean.

So, when we opened up this forum to,“Ask Randy,” we discovered that there were a number of questions, a few which follow here, that Randy sat down and revealed. Some, interestingly, which he’d not thought of!
#teamRandy asks:

Does a song ever change meaning to you once it has been recorded or does the interpretation of the artist provide a different read on the initial delivery?

Randy answers: 
“The interpretation of an artist on one of my songs has never changed the meaning of the song for me, yet. Who knows, it may someday, but so far, not so. That doesn’t mean that it could mean something to someone else that’s entirely different from what I intended, however for me no such occurrence has “occurred”.

One of the key discoveries during this “Ask Randy” process was that we found so many people have come into the community at different stages in his career and are wondering about RGs beginnings as a writer and an artist and how he has evolved into who he is now.

Eric asks:

Let me start by saying that I really dig RED EYE. There’s just nothing like it out there for an old jazz-/smart musical lyrical pop guy like me from the James Taylor, Jackson Brown, Randy Newman, Michael Franks, important (if you will) musical/creators of a certain time. Thank you, sir. I can't help notice --and appreciate--the variety of style and subjects you touch and address. I'd really appreciate if you could reminisce and share a bit on your favorites. (I know you guys like to say that picking one is like picking my favorite child but...).--A kindred spirit in VT

Randy answers:

“You’re right, Eric, it’s hard to pick “favorites”. Before I answer, I must say that part of the reason that the collection of songs on RED EYE is what it is could be attributed to Larry Williams and his half of the production of the project. Larry had songs that he thought that I should include that I was probably too close to for a decent judgement on my part. Songs like, “From Here” was one that Larry, from day one, said “must” be on the project. I grew to agree with him. 

Without even hesitating I would say that “Red Eye," “More Of This,” and “We Shine” are like “ear worms” to me. I never get tired, or ever will get tired of listening to them. I always wanted this record to be like some of the Miles Davis, or Bill Evans albums that I still listen to multiple times a month and always will.”

Now, using your children analogy, I don’t want to offend the other songs on the record. I love them all…completely and thoroughly. By the way, some of the people you mentioned in your musical/creators list were some of my inspirations, especially when I entered the world of songwriting as a transition and inclusion of my Jazz Self. 

Stay safe in VT, and stay tuned, Sir.

The last word is ALWAYS, “what’s next.”  So, Randy, What do we have to look forward to?

Randy answers:

“I just follow my nose everyday through life and have many creative irons in many creative fires. I’m always working on new projects and always will…
ALWAYS…”

And, as a post script, how did you enjoy your first “Ask Randy?” Will you do it again?

Randy answers:

"I love it. Keep the questions coming…”

A ps. from #teamRandy — you heard the man…we will definitely do this again! 

And, please continue to comment and interact with us and the community at Randy Goodrum’s social media channels.  

Is there something you’d like to see here? 

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The full dive into “Ask Randy” is only available at www.RandyGoodrum.com/AskRandy