“We’ll Always Have Main Street”
Written by Richard-Yves Sitoski
Interview by American Songwriter
Richard-Yves Sitoski scored 1st place in the September/October 2024 American Songwriter Lyric Contest for his song “We’ll Always Have Main Street.” American Songwriter caught up with him to get the scoop on the inspiration behind the lyrics and other musings.
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What made you decide to enter the American Songwriter’s Lyric Contest?
As a songwriter, I’m more of a lyricist than anything else. But lyrics are often neglected. If you perform a show, most people gravitate toward the melody or the musicianship. But I’ve always been about the words because without them, where would Dylan, Cohen, and Prine be? Lyrics are at the heart of songwriting, and American Songwriter recognizes this. The contest is a way to get lyrics out there and to emphasize how central they are to music—with a little healthy competition thrown in.
How did you feel when you learned you won?
I was over the moon. The American Songwriter Lyric Contest establishes cred and gives much-needed validation. You get a special, amazing feeling (a combination of warm fuzzies and vindication) knowing that your song made it to the top of a huge heap. The feeling that somebody out there gets it is priceless.
What was the inspiration for your submission? Why did you want to write it?
This is the most heartfelt and personal song I have ever written, because it is fully autobiographical. It is based on a time in my life when I was in love with a woman with serious addictions, but who, in her brief time on this earth, filled the world with color and brightness. It’s a tribute to her, and became the central song in a musical theater piece called “Butterfly Tongue”, which I have performed at fringe festivals.
What’s the story behind the song “We’ll Always Have Main Street”?
It’s a sweetly tragic tale. Boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love, girl has problems she can’t solve, and eventually, they overtake her—but in the process, she changes boy’s life. It’s important to note that I’m not trying to romanticize addiction but to show how there’s beauty in even the most difficult of lives and that we should never count people out, for even the most troubled among us have lessons to teach.
Have you written music for this lyric? If so, how would you describe it?
I usually write both music and lyrics for all my songs, but for this one, I asked a friend of mine, who is a far better guitarist, to come up with the music. The music he created is perfect for the song, a simple little 55 BPM country-folk thing in G with no unnecessary flourishes. Spare and direct. I want audiences to focus on the words and not be distracted.
How long have you been writing lyrics?
I’ve only been at this for about a dozen years. I started as a rhythm guitarist in my friend’s band, but the great thing about that was that we did 90% originals, and any covers we did were from deep in the vaults. So my friend impressed upon me the importance of originality, which made perfect sense, seeing as I was even then writing all sorts of things—stories, plays, poems. Lyrics were a natural extension of all the other writing I was doing. It’s wild, though—all my life, I was told I was non-musical!
Since 1984, American Songwriter’s Lyric Contest has helped aspiring songwriters get noticed and have fun. Enter the 2024 Lyric Contest today before the deadline:
What keeps you motivated as a songwriter?
Songwriting is inexhaustible and I want to constantly perfect my craft. I want to be the next Leonard Cohen and write the next “Hallelujah.” Of course, I also want to be Beck and write the next “Where It’s At.”
Who are your all-time favorite songwriters, and why?
I’ve mentioned Cohen enough that I think you probably get the picture. He has an international sound that reaches people everywhere, and his lyrics are, of course, unimpeachable. I adore Beck and Tom Waits because, as musical chameleons, they keep reinventing themselves, all while staying consistent … and what dynamism and lyrical genius. Waits, in particular, is perhaps my biggest influence lyrically and musically. I mean, how great is “A Soldier’s Things”? If I had one album to listen to for the rest of my life, it would be Swordfishtrombones. I also listen to a fair amount of Tin Pan Alley and can’t wrap my head around how perfect those songs are. Something to aim for, though I feel like I’m trying to climb Everest in bare feet and with no oxygen.
What’s next for you?
I’m bringing my stage show, “Butterfly Tongue” on the road, and I feel like the next logical development will be to write more musical theater pieces—not conventional musicals, but plays that feature live musical accompaniment, and with songs in the Americana idiom rather than Broadway.
What would you tell other songwriters who are considering entering the Lyric Contest?
Oh, go for it! You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Since 1984, American Songwriter’s Lyric Contest has helped aspiring songwriters get noticed and have fun. Enter the 2024 Lyric Contest today before the deadline:
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