Copy Editor’s Lament (The Layoff Song)
I’ve never been a copy editor. But I’ve worked with many over the years in my newspaper career, and they strike me as having the most under-appreciated job in the newsroom. And sometimes, with the emphasis in gotta-post-right-now online journalism, I think we’re all forgetting how important their jobs really are.
With all the layoffs, buyouts, furloughs and other horrible things going on in the industry, I decided to write a song from the viewpoint of a copy editor losing his job. The lyrics are fictional, but the sentiments, I’m afraid, are all too common these days.
NOTE: For the lyrics and some news about the song, go here.
I hope you enjoy it. Be sure to let me know what you think. Oh, and if anyone wants to know how I recorded it – what hardware and software I used, etc. – just post and I’ll let you know.
NOTE No. 2: THE LINK AT THE TOP GOES TO THE SAMPLES PAGE of my website, where the song lives now.Thanks!
Tags: Christopher Ave, Copy Editor's Lament, copy editors, journalism layoffs, Making music, newspaper job cuts, recording audio, The Layoff Song
MusicForMedia: Creating music for a multimedia world 
March 6, 2009 at 1:26 pm
Chris, you are my hero! Rockin’!!!
March 6, 2009 at 3:58 pm
This is the best song I’ve ever heard!!
March 7, 2009 at 2:24 am
Great but I have no more adjectives left to describe my appreciation…
March 7, 2009 at 10:42 am
Is it possible that this is the only song ever recorded about copy editors? 🙂
March 8, 2009 at 8:34 am
A copy editor is more apt to kill an adverb than an adjective, wouldn’t you say?….Oh,… wait… you’re not a copy editor. And you don’t have one around to ask any more.
March 8, 2009 at 10:14 am
This is a great song. And it rings so true. Copy editors’ positions were being nixed before all the others of late. I’m going to dedicate this to my favourite copy editor of all time … Kinger.
March 8, 2009 at 2:12 pm
thanks for thinking of the copy desk!
March 8, 2009 at 2:28 pm
Wonderful! As a member of the American Society of Copy Editors, I salute you.
March 9, 2009 at 7:04 am
[…] Ave’s original post can be found here, or have a look at the lyrics here at the Common Sense Journalism blog for […]
March 10, 2009 at 4:06 pm
[…] out the Copy Editor’s Lament (The Layoff Song). There really is a song for every occasion. (via […]
March 11, 2009 at 11:37 am
Great, great song! I am a copy editor, reporter, photographer, etc. So I relate to everyone when it comes to this business. But the copy editing position is the LEAST appreciated and possibly the most overworked!
March 11, 2009 at 2:31 pm
In response to Mr. Greenbaum’s question, I can personally attest that this is NOT the first song ever written about copy editors. See my own “Copy Desk Boys,” recorded by Pinheads Who Vote, an all-copy-editor band at the Hartford Courant, circa. 1989. The lyrics, alas, are too scandalous for this esteemed forum. Suffice it to say that the song’s theme was the superiority of male copy editors to other newsroom Romeos.
March 11, 2009 at 4:27 pm
[…] (and poignant) musical take on the mainstream media’s objectivity and accuracy issue, click here, then again on the link at the top of the post… Possibly related posts: (automatically […]
March 11, 2009 at 5:31 pm
Fabulously done!!
Or, as a copy editor would prefer: Fabulous!
No extraneous words:)
March 11, 2009 at 6:42 pm
Chris: I am already hard at work on the B-side: “The Ballad of Frank Brooks.”
March 11, 2009 at 6:57 pm
Great job! I posted it to my blog!
http://careersearchandrecovery.blogspot.com/2009/03/job-loss-lament-from-copy-editor.html
My story here –
http://careersearchandrecovery.blogspot.com/2009/02/death-comes-to-job-emergency-responses.html
March 11, 2009 at 9:06 pm
This song made and ruined my day.
I posted it on my blog for my students. It’s way better than anything I can tell them about the state of the industry.
March 11, 2009 at 9:08 pm
I meant “could” not “can.” I should have written: It’s way better than anything I “COULD” ever tell them about the state of the industry. Right? Is it can or could?
Wait…they fired all the copy editors….
March 11, 2009 at 9:26 pm
THANK YOU everyone for your comments. I’ll be writing a new post soon sharing some of the reactions I’m hearing and seeing. Thanks especially for those of you who have blogged, Twittered and otherwise shared the song. I do appreciate it!
March 12, 2009 at 12:44 am
Great song, Chris! Just saw the article in Poyntor. I’ll forward it to some copy editors I know. Glad to hear you are continuing both music and journalism – I remember when you played at our old AMN parties in the roaring ’90s…..I’m still in journalism myself working as a reporter covering Maryland business and politics for a chain of newspapers owned by the Wash Post…..So I landed fine, or better, after Belo.
March 14, 2009 at 1:24 pm
[…] just emailed me this link, which sends you to this page, where you can listen to a song called “Copy Editor’s […]
March 25, 2009 at 1:49 am
this song strike through the core of my own layoff lament. you rock Christopher Ave.
March 30, 2009 at 7:13 am
Got out before they cut more positions at my paper. I have worked 40 years as a photojournalist and retired last year as the meltdown got underway. A good copy editor is hard to fine and I assume will be an endangered species in our wonderful world of electronic communications. Good job Christopher.
March 30, 2009 at 3:34 pm
[…] Michaelson’s hilarious musical take on Twitter By Christopher Ave After having fun with the news biz blues, I’ve been kicking around the idea of doing a song about Facebook. Turns out […]
April 16, 2009 at 12:30 pm
Chris… when are we going to see your music on VH-1? I’d say MTV, but they don’t do music videos anymore.
Lew
April 28, 2009 at 1:00 am
Neil Genzlinger’s ”Copy Desk Boys” was indeed a big hit in Hartford. I know ’cause I was there, along with Flash and Meg. Way to go Neil!
October 5, 2009 at 3:13 am
Thank you *very* much for sharing your insight. I’ll bookmark this.
November 20, 2009 at 12:18 pm
[…] As you might or might not recall, I wrote and recorded the song to celebrate copy editors but also as a commentary on the travails of the news industry – newspapers in particular. The video was shot by Elie Gardner, photojournalist extraordinaire; several of my friends — most of them journalists — volunteered as cast members. Michele Munz, a talented writer at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, did the choreography and played the role of “boss.” […]
January 4, 2010 at 11:42 am
[…] popular was my initial post about my song, “Copy Editor’s Lament (The Layoff Song).” The power-pop ditty […]
March 5, 2010 at 1:03 pm
Thank you so much for your nice suggestion.I will give it a try.
May 2, 2010 at 3:18 pm
[…] just may have to write a PBS article on this guy. He’s the Jonathan Coulton of the newspaper editor. SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "The copy […]
June 5, 2010 at 3:48 pm
Great site. A lot of useful information here. I’m sending it to some friends!
September 30, 2010 at 4:32 am
I would have to disagree with you .. but i like your opinion!
November 18, 2010 at 7:18 pm
Interestingly, this blog, you could update it more often ..:)