Most songwriters write from the first person as if they’re opening their diaries—confessional, autobiographical, inviting you into their emotional truth. Randy Newman writes from the first person like Flannery O’Connor or Raymond Carver: his “I” is a construct, a character who reveals himself through what he says and, more devastatingly, through what he casually omits.
Mary Spender is an excellent guitarist, editor, narrator of any topic, and a gifted songwriter. Young as she is, she has a ripening curious mind. I am slowly falling in love with Mary due, in no small part, to her wonderful, slightly Posh, British accent and her perfect elocution with the English language.
The primary songwriter for the Who who sang backup mostly to Roger, turns out to be the better singer over time. Voice survived in the background.