Podcast Summary: All Of It – Billie Marten for the Public Song Project

Date: May 6, 2024
Host: Tiffany Hansen (in for Alison Stewart)
Guest: Billie Marten
Producer Contributor: Simon Close

Overview

This episode of "All Of It" focuses on WNYC's Public Song Project, an initiative encouraging the public to adapt or cover works from the public domain—especially from the 1920s—into original songs. The show features English singer-songwriter Billie Marten as a guest contributor, exploring her process in selecting and covering Bessie Smith’s “Baby, Won’t You Please Come Home.” The team also highlights previous listener submissions, offering inspiration and practical advice for participants.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Introduction to the Public Song Project

• The Public Song Project invites all to submit songs based on the public domain, with a 2024 focus on works from the 1920s in honor of WNYC’s centennial (founded in 1924).
• Submissions can be covers, adaptations of poems, novels, movies, or any public domain material, with possible inclusion in a live concert at Lincoln Center.
  [03:16] Tiffany Hansen

Billie Marten on Song Selection and Interpretation

Choosing the Song

• Billie selected “Baby, Won’t You Please Come Home,” written in 1919 and made famous by Bessie Smith’s 1923 cover.

• Marten was drawn by the invitation to revisit musical history:

  "As soon as I read the words centennial from the NPR email, I was instantly alert. I love being revisiting the libraries of music and kind of hist what are now historical artifacts that maybe a lot of us have forgotten about."
  [04:41] Billie Marten

• She avoided covering Gershwin, feeling Bessie Smith was a more fitting pioneer for “the early days of kind of female rage.” Smith’s approach felt truthful and foundational for soul singers.

  "She led the way for everybody else."
  [05:21] Billie Marten

Performance vs. Lyrics

• Billie emphasized the importance of Smith’s delivery over just the lyrics:

  "Certainly her performance...immediately hers was the one that was the most truthful to me, I guess. And yeah, the passion of that comes through in her voice."
  [05:47] Billie Marten

• She noted the complexity of the chord changes and vocal power as both challenging and creatively inspiring.

Creative Approach to Covering Songs

• Although sometimes covers feel less original, Billie found deep creativity in interpretation:

  "I found it kind of hugely creative and enlightening...I feel that I had backed myself up into a musical corner. And playing through and going through this song opened me up to some new ideas."
  [07:21] Billie Marten

• She recommended artists develop their own identity before covering others, so their covers retain a distinct voice.

Embodiment and Storytelling

• Marten adopted a different storytelling style for this cover, “putting on a hat” to emulate Smith, which required significant effort to feel she approached Smith’s intent.
  [06:36] Billie Marten

Artistry & Upcoming Work

On Her Next Record

• Billie Marten is preparing a new album, to be recorded in Brooklyn in July. She will spend significant time in New York, performing at several US festivals (Newport Folk Fest, Calgary Folk Fest, Pickathon).
  [08:13] Billie Marten

• Hinting at the new music:

  "It is heavily US New York influence, which I hope I, I will say… no, I won’t. I won’t."
  [08:47] Billie Marten

• She promises fans attending her shows will hear new material live.
  [09:14] Billie Marten

On Song Selection and ‘Happy-Sad’ Melodies

• Marten feels a personal resonance with melodies that blend sadness and happiness—like “Baby, Won’t You Please Come Home.”

  "I have a high fidelity...with happy, sad melodies..."
  [09:59] Billie Marten

• She references “Old Man River” and Frankie Valli’s “The Night” as other important examples of this ‘happy-sad’ feeling—a “hugely mournful, melancholic melody” in a major key. [10:23] Billie Marten

Billie Marten’s Performance

• A full performance of Marten’s cover of “Baby, Won’t You Please Come Home” is featured.
  [11:10-13:03]

Notable Moment

“I’ve got the blues I feel so lonely / I give the world if I could, could only make you understand... / Baby, won’t you please come home?”
[11:15-13:03] Billie Marten singing

Listener Submissions: Highlight Reel

Simon Close discusses standout past submissions and creative project approaches:

[13:33-26:05]

1. Glint of Green by Masa Gibson

   • Original composition using 1927 poetry; all instrumentation created from blown glass bottles.
   • Submission note:

     “Playing on the theme of breathing new life into an old object…”
     [15:13] Simon Close quoting Masa Gibson

   • [15:45] Sample played.

2. Lisa, Sweet Weed of My Day by Frank Cipriani

   • Rewrites lyrics to a Scottish folk song from the early 19th century, as a love song dedicated to his wife and her academic field.
   • [17:17] Simon Close reads submission background.
   • [18:27] Sample played.

3. My Somnambulist by Sarah Moskowitz (Sarah the Mouse)

   • Original song inspired by 1920s silent film "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari."
   • Example of drawing from non-musical sources.
   • [20:31] Sample played.

4. Uke, a Lady Rhapsody by Krugi

   • Mashup of Liszt's "Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2" and the American standard "Ukulele Lady" using samples and original recordings.
   • Demonstrates creative sampling and combining disparate elements from the public domain.
   • [22:33] Sample played.

5. They’re Fracking by Amy from Manhattan

   • Parody adapting Tom Lehrer’s work, which the artist placed into the public domain by personal release.
   • Introduces government works and creator-released works as public domain sources.
   • [24:49] Sample played.

Insights and Advice for Listeners

• Submissions can adapt from a range of public domain materials: songs, poetry, film, official government works, and more.
• Creators are encouraged to find personal connections and innovative interpretations, not just make straight covers.

Project Details & Call to Action

• Deadline: May 12, 2024

• How to Submit: Visit wnyc.org/publicsongproject

• Special Focus: 1920s works, celebrating WNYC’s 100th birthday

  “Take a piece of work, make a new song out of it, send it in by May 12… You can go to wnyc.org/publicsongproject to help find resources to explore the public domain and listen to some of the songs that we’ve received so far.”
  [25:33] Simon Close

Memorable Quotes

• On public domain music:

  "I love being revisiting the libraries of music and kind of hist what are now historical artifacts that maybe a lot of us have forgotten about."
  [04:41] Billie Marten

• On covering Bessie Smith:

  "She led the way for everybody else."
  [05:21] Billie Marten

• On creative revitalization:

  "I feel that I had backed myself up into a musical corner. And playing through and going through this song was... opened me up to some new ideas."
  [07:21] Billie Marten

• On the happy-sad melody:

  "Anything that's kind of minor but set in a major key, which is what ‘Baby, won’t you please come home’ is."
  [10:23] Billie Marten

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Public Song Project Introduction: [03:16]
• Billie Marten interview begins: [03:44]
• Discussing Bessie Smith & Song Choice: [04:41]
• Artistry of Covering & Storytelling: [06:26], [07:21]
• Upcoming album & performing new music: [08:13]
• On happy-sad melodies: [09:59]
• Billie Marten performance: [11:10]
• Listener submissions & project inspiration: [13:33-26:05]
• How to submit: [25:33]

Tone & Style

The conversation is warm, creative, and enthusiastic, encouraging both personal expression and musical innovation. Billie Marten communicates deep respect for historical music, while Simon Close and Tiffany Hansen foster an inclusive, motivational vibe for would-be songwriters.

For more, submit your own song to the Public Song Project by May 12 at wnyc.org/publicsongproject.