Why didn't Sinatra and Elvis write their own songs?

Answer 1

It's just not the way things were back then. You had singers and you had songwriters. Today almost every singer writes their own music, but it wasn't common back then. People wanted to sing or would somehow end up in show business, but didn't know how to read music. Songwriters would write a song and then would get somebody to sing it. Singers would try to get other singers to sing their songs. They wanted to people that would make their songs popular. Frank Sinatra's signature song was written by Paul Anka FOR Frank, but Paul Anka wrote it by translating a French song. Everyone knows "Hound Dog" by Elvis, but the song was originally sung by Big Mama Thorton. People would write the songs and they would look for people that would their song a hit. "Mr Bojangles" was written by Jerry Jeff Walker, but popularized by Sammy Davis. Doing covers of songs was how it was done back then. Although there were singer-songwriters before then, I think The Beatles are the ones that started people writing their own music and started making the title of singer-songwriter more known.

Answer 2

I'm sorry Elvis never wrote a song in his life - but stuck his name on few one being Heartbreak Hotel.........as for his lyrics the are great anything by Lieber and Stoller is just amazing (songs include King Creole and Jailhouse rock) Otis Blackwell wrote so good ones ( Don't Be Creul and All Shook Up come to mind) and then there is the songs Elvis covered by Arthur Crudop like the breath taking That's Alright and My Baby Left Me - it's all good stuff!!

Answer 3

Sinatra wasn't a song writer but was a good singer, some song writer are good at writing but can't sing. Elvis did write some of his own songs.

Answer 4

In the early days of rock and roll, the record company's' had complete control over the Artist as well as the music that was recorded. Sinatra was also a big movie star and probably never had much time to sit and ponder songs, he paid writers to do that for him.

Answer 5

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Answer 6

Think of the time when they were famous. Back then the copyright laws were lackluster to lack-of-the-laws. This meant that a guy like Elvis could take a song written by John Doe, change it only slightly, and market it off as his own.

Answer 7

It was common practice at the time. Most singers did not write their own material but re-interpreted other people's songs. Other singers also recorded the same songs and they often competed with each other. It used to be common to see several versions of the same song but by different artists on the charts at the same time

Answer 8

Cos they didnt however Elvis did choreograph the jailhouse rock scene in the movie of the same name.
Sinatra had major input with Paul Anka when they were writing the english lyrics to MY Way.

Answer 9

Things weren't set up that way then. Most labels had their own writers and then the entertainers that sang them. There was no need for either artist to write due to the long line of writers creating songs for them.

Answer 10

some people are poets and some are performers. And a lot of talented song writers can't sing worth a crap either and the world would never get to appreciate them if not for a great performance. See? Yin and Yang