Brent Baxter

Hey, Keith!  First of all, thank you for sharing this song.  There’s a lot I like here.  I like that it has some tempo.  I like that it’s positive.  I like the images and examples you used.  I dig the patriotic vibe of the song.

Okay, now to the downside.  A publisher guest at one of my recent Play For A Publisher events reacted to a song that mentioned texting.  He said that kind of technological reference is a negative when he’s looking for songs.  He’s looking for timeless, basically.  And tech moves so fast that, in your case, “selfie” “hashtag” “post” and “share” might be out of style in just a few years.  That 1) gives your song a shorter shelf-life.  If it doesn’t get cut very soon, it could be dated.  2) the artist may not want to cut and single a song that will sound dated in a couple years.

So I wonder if you can get around this somehow.  Because I like the general idea of the song.  Could you replace the word “selfie” with “picture?”  For one thing, “selfie” sounds kinda shallow to many people.  But the other lines around it basically describe a selfie without saying it.  Then I’d watch out for the “hashtag” line, too.

And for the bridge, I think it’s off-topic to talk about how the technology has changed.  After all, it’s more about this great country than how fast we can send pictures across it.  Maybe you could do something like the “black and white, all the colors make the pic more beautiful” kind of thing.  Some bigger statement than just “wow, we can send pictures around quickly these days.”

Just my thoughts.  I think it’s cool.  Hope that helps.  If you appreciate the feedback, pay it forward by leaving a comment or feedback on another writer’s song.  Thanks!