Ashley Gorley opens up to cmt.com about writing hit songs
By Preshias Harris
However successful you are as a songwriter, your name will always be in parentheses (and probably italics) while the song title and the artist’s name will be in big, bold type.
But seeing his name in parentheses is just fine with Ashley Gorley. He recently became the first and only songwriter in any music genre to write FIFTY No. 1 hits in the history of the Mediabase and Billboard airplay charts.
Ashley spoke with music journalist Alison Bonaguro who interviewed him for cmt.com. What Ashley said about his approach to songwriting and his disdain for celebrity status should serve as an inspiration and an object lesson for all emerging and aspiring songwriters. Read Alison’s full interview with Ashley here at cmt.com.
Ashley has come a long way from his Danville, KY, roots to his record-setting perch on Nashville’s Music Row. But it was no overnight success. Even after snagging a song publishing deal, it was seven years before his name (in parentheses) appeared under the title of a Top 40 song, and longer still before he was credited with a No. 1 – “Don’t Forget to Remember Me” for Carrie Underwood.
Self-imposed work ethic drives success
Unsurprisingly, Ashley’s work ethic plays as big a role in his success as his talent. He tells Alison:
“The people I always studied, like the Craig Wisemans, guys like that came in early and were the last to leave every day. And I noticed that the people who did that had the most hits. And the people you saw every now and then only had hits every now and then. So I always had that same work ethic.”
Ashley Gorley, speaking to Alison Bonaguro
In the interview, Ashley addresses every songwriter’s fear: writer’s block. He says that as soon as he thinks that he’s got nothing today, someone in the writers’ room says something amazing and he just takes off running with it. In fact, he doesn’t believe in such a thing as writer’s block.
“I’m known to sit there for hours and be like, ‘We’re going to sit here and keep filing it off until we get something,’” he tells Alison. Songwriting is a job and, as with any job, you keep working until the job is done.
One part of his job satisfaction is to write a song that helps take an opening act to a headliner because of the way the song connects with listeners. “I can actually help make that happen because of something I made up in the room,” says Ashley. “That never gets old for me.”
If you are a songwriter – at any stage in your career from ‘just starting’ to ‘well on the way’ – read Alison Bonaguro’s interview with Ashley Gorley to remind yourself just what it takes to succeed in your chosen career.
Preshias Harris is a music journalist and music career development consultant with the emphasis on new and aspiring artists and songwriters. Her book, ‘The College of Songology 101: The Singer/Songwriter’s Need to Know Reference Handbook’ is available at www.collegeofsongology.com Follow her blog at www.nashvillemusicline.com