Tom Kimmel

Dirty Linen

This is an excerpt from the print edition of Dirty Linen #130 June/July 2007).
The full article is in the magazine, available on newsstands, by subscription, and at the Dirty Linen webstore.

Tom Kimmel

Anatomy of a Song

by Linda J. Morris

A song is a living thing. It ebbs and flows like surf on the shore, engulfing listeners in a tide of emotion. But the seemingly effortless, intuitive nature of a good song belies an undercurrent of expertise and knowledge. "All art is a fabric stretched on a framework of discipline and structure," Kimmel advised students in his songwriting workshop at last summer's Swannanoa Gathering. "Everything has a birth-to-death cycle." Listen to the evolution of a song, he said, but also "develop an intuitive sense of where to add more juice." Don't abandon art in favor of the formula. "Knowledge informs our choices. By studying the craft, we imbibe it. You have to stay loose and listen for the impulse. Throw as much paint on the canvas as you want. Then, if it's not working, change it later."

After nearly four decades in the business, Kimmel has recorded seven albums and published one volume of poetry. Moreover, his music has been covered by the likes of Shawn Colvin, Nanci Griffith, Trio (Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, and Dolly Parton), Randy Travis, Maura O'Connell, Tracy Byrd, Joe Cocker, Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman, Johnny Cash, and Waylon Jennings, to name a few.

Called a "singer's singer and a songwriter's songwriter," Kimmel has acquired an impressive list of fans among the performers who cover his music. Randy Travis wrote, "The first time I heard 'Shallow Water,' I knew within the first five lines that I was gonna take it and record it. I've lived with it for a while now, and I still can't figure any way that this song could have been written any better than it was."

He also has many TV and film credits. Songs he has written or co-written have been featured in TV shows such as "Miami Vice," "The Captain Kangaroo Show," "Dawson's Creek," and "Touched by an Angel." Asked about his film scores, he recalled one of his successful efforts. The music supervisor for the 2001 movie Serendipity contacted him to write a song for a particularly apocalyptic moment in the script, and he and Jeff Franzel combined their talents. "When we thought we had the song finished, we called the music supervisor and sent an MP3." The piece was well received, and Shawn Colvin recorded "When You Know" for the soundtrack. But, he cautioned, "That's called a miracle." In retrospect, he added, "I was really glad that we liked the film." A few of his songs, he admitted, have shown up in some "really bad movies" -- like She Devil and Cruel Intentions. And two were used in Princess in Love, about Princess Diana's affair with her riding instructor. "If there's a silver lining in her untimely death, it's that they won't show that movie any more."

[cover #130]