Content is a Team Sport

Iain H. McLean
Aug 24, 2017 · 4 min read

I am going to get inside your head. It will be painless. But some of you will never think about visual design, user experience and copywriting the same way again.

And it’s all because of Elton John.

Great music never dies… unlike some fashion trends.

Before we go any deeper, you have to do something first. Take a moment and try to remember how his song “I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues” goes.

Hum it to yourself. In your head if you’re in a quiet place.

Got it locked in? Good.

I bet you have the words of lyrics in mind more than the individual notes of the melody. Am I right? Be honest.

Elton John made that song and many others massive hits around the world. But he didn’t do it on his own. He wasn’t some mad creative genius struck by a divine inspiration that no other mortal could match.

He had a partner called Bernie Taupin. A lyricist.

You see old mate Reg drew the picture, but how we relate to the song is through the words he sings; Bernie’s words.

The melody binds everything together, like good UX design will. But the words give us the context, something to hang on to. Something to relate to. Words are how we convey ideas, and share things.

On their own, words aren’t as powerful as they could otherwise be. That’s why I put that picture at the top. To grab your attention and prime you in some way for what lays ahead.

Neither Elton’s music nor Bernie’s lyrics can truly soar without the other’s work alongside.

I’m Bernie and I write the hits.

Well, not quite. I’m Iain and I write content that makes people do things.

So what’s the point of all this you ask?

Think about the cadence of Elton’s music and the rhythm in Bernie’s words. Our lasting impression, our user experience, is created by our perception of the combined effect of both.

In interviews Elton and Bernie have gone on record saying that sometimes the words come first. Other times it’s the music.

That’s not what matters.

What makes them the masters they are, is they both speak each other’s language and work together in a web of creativity. They space they give each other is evident in their music. And sometimes they probably give the other a nudge back on track.

If every song was written by Elton first, and Bernie had to slot his words into it I doubt very much they would have had the same impact or careers.

So. Next time you’re involved in a digital product design and prototypes are being designed and have words in them, even the navigation menu, make sure those words have come from a UX writer. Because the little things make the difference.

After all, Elton John can write too. He’s not illiterate. But he knows that the lyrics are Bernie’s thing. He probably has lot of suggestions because he’s in the world of the song, but foremost the words stem from Bernie’s mind.

Their mutual respect is what makes them so great.

They didn’t set out to change the world. They just wanted to make beautiful music. In fact they both answered the same advert in the New Musical Express back in 1967 to work at Liberty Records and have been working together ever since.

They didn’t want to hog the limelight, like angry I-can-do-it-all tempests of creativity like Brian Eno or Josh Homme. Don’t get me wrong; I love Queens of The Stone Age but I automatically start to sing along to “I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues” when it comes on in the car. And I needn’t have heard it for years, yet I still know the words. And I wouldn’t really label myself an Elton John fan.

You probably don’t think of yourself as an Elton John fan either, but I bet you didn’t have much problem getting the words to “I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues” in your head five minutes ago.

Next time you start mapping out a sprint plan or design stream, pause for a moment.

Is your content person across everything like your designers?

Or are you thinking about bringing them in later to write the copy?

Have a think about that. Your decision might make the difference between a good result and a great one.

I’m just someone who really, really loves great art.

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