11/10/2003 DID CLAY WRITE 'TO WHERE YOU ARE?' (UPDATE INSIDE)

[Marilyn]

Pamela
Assistant Webmaster
DID CLAY WRITE 'TO WHERE YOU ARE?' (UPDATE INSIDE)
« on: November 10, 2003, 07:58:43 AM »   

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Did Clay Aiken Write Josh Groban’s “To Where You Are”?
by Candace Golden -- 11/07/2003

Clay’s fans already knew he could sing, but none of the songs on his album were written by him. Can he write too? That question may already have been answered. Information has recently been released indicating that Clay has already written songs that have been performed professionally, including Josh Groban’s song, “To Where You Are.”

Clay Aiken captured our attention with his voice and his honesty. But unlike some of the others who appeared on American Idol, such as Kelly Clarkson, Clay was never put forth as a writer of songs. While Kelly’s album had several songs that she co-wrote, Clay’s had none. But I guess we were wrong in thinking that he was not a songwriter as well. Just when I thought I had Clay figured out, I received a link to a web page that provides information on just how good a songwriter Clay is. How good is he? Well, have you heard “To Where You Are,” sung by Josh Groban?

According to the information provided in that website, and additional information forwarded to me as I researched this article, Clay Aiken is the writer of that song. I cannot provide all of the details here because the information has been sent by several people close to Clay. However, they all check out. Until recently, they were not going to release this information. But somehow it leaked and the tabloid, The Globe, has been asking questions about it that lead those involved to believe they will soon be releasing the story.

Those involved did not want it first showing up in a tabloid, so instead they shared it with me for publication here on Foxes On Idol. The website linked above mentions correspondence from somebody very close to Clay that verifies this information. I was given the proof this site alludes to. I have seen the actual e-mails. There is no question in my mind of their validity. As best as we can tell, the situation occurred in the following way. The website linked to above notes that Clay has mentioned several times (including on Oprah’s show) that he writes songs and keeps them on his laptop. He also wrote a song for a wedding.

Well, he wrote one song after a tragedy in his life. Being naïve about the music business and as a way to fund his college education, the rights to Clay's song were sold to a local Christian group. He probably thought that was the end of it. But as the music business often goes, the Christian group in turn sold all of the rights of Clay's song to others. These "others" were already established songwriters/composers and this song ended up being produced and sung by an up and coming young singer, Josh Groban.

I should make specific mention that this is legal and apparently somewhat common in the music business. Clay gave up all of his rights to the song and the buyers have every right to call it their own. If you are a Josh Groban fan, you know that the song I am talking about it is hauntingly beautiful. It is a song that deals with loss but also of hope that our loved ones are always near.

So yes, Clay Aiken writes music. He writes not just any music but beautiful, meaningful music. We do not know the real Clay Aiken. He fooled all of us. We thought it was all about the voice but it is not. Does it make a difference in how I view him and how I feel about him? Yes, it does, drastically. Will it affect how others view him? Maybe, maybe not. For those who thought they had him pegged, this is a real eye opener. I didn't need Clay to write music for me to admire him but now that I know he does, admiration doesn't seem like a broad enough description of how I feel about him.

I fell in love with "To Where You Are" the first time I heard it. This is one of those songs that strikes a chord in you. The lyrics speak volumes. It touched my heart. I learned I wasn't the only one. I have seen it quoted in many eulogies – "A breath away's not far to where you are." We need to know that. This is big news. Clay Aiken can write his own music if he chooses to. Okay, critics – take that and stick it you know where. So the next logical step is to wonder why we didn't know about this before? Why has Clay kept quiet about it?

He is humble. He is self-deprecating. He does not seek to overtly bring attention to himself or his accomplishments. If Clay thinks something is closed, that is it. No matter that he could answer his critics by simply admitting this fact. Alas, it sounds like he still will never admit it. What about the others – and here I am talking about the ones that have claimed this song? Will they validate this or at least admit that they bought the rights to it? They purchase it fair and square so compensation is not an issue, nor would I imagine that Clay would expect it/want it to be.

I imagine there has to be transaction record somewhere. They may have not known who – they even bought it from, given that it went through at least a couple sets of hands. Now we know. So why bring this up now? A few people have known about this and sat on it for many months. It appears that Clay doesn't even want it to be widely known. But as I mentioned above, it looks like The Globe is hot on the heels of this story.

Although he has been fairly lucky so far in the tabloid and we haven't read any "Clay Aiken has two-headed love child with Madonna" stories, the more popular he gets, the more likely it becomes. You can only imagine the slant they may take with this news. Bottom line is that if this information needs to come out, I would rather see it presented in a good light. It should be known but not sensationalized.

Obviously the song was borne from great pain and loss. My heart breaks all over again for Clay, who gave us an awesome gift. That fact should be acknowledged and credited to him. His fans have a right to know. I never really doubted Clay's staying power, but now I am 100% assured of it. Is it just because he wrote one song? Well, that one song has impacted thousands and thousands of people in their time of loss and sorrow and will continue to do so. I would also be surprised to find that this is the only song he has written.

In fact, there is other information indicating that he has, indeed, written other songs that have been performed, but that information is not as solid and so we won’t include specifics here. But suffice it to say that kind of talent is not a fluke. We may never know the full story. But at least we now know about Clay’s gift for songwriting.

LINK

Note: According to THIS Josh Groban website, the lyrics of the song are credited to Linda Thompson and the music is credited to Richard Marx.

[Marilyn]

Pamela
Assistant Webmaster
DID CLAY WRITE 'TO WHERE YOU ARE?' (UPDATE INSIDE)
« Reply #1 on: November 10, 2003, 07:59:19 AM »   

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To Where You Are

Who can say for certain
Maybe you're still here
I feel you all around me
Your memories so clear

Deep in the stillness
I can hear you speak
You're still an inspiration
Can it be (?)
That you are mine
Forever love
And you are watching over me from up above

Fly me up to where you are
Beyond the distant star
I wish upon tonight
To see you smile
If only for awhile to know you're there
A breath away's not far
To where you are

Are you gently sleeping
Here inside my dream
And isn't faith believing

All power can't be seen

As my heart holds you
Just one beat away
I cherish all you gave me everyday
'Cause you are mine
Forever love
Watching me from up above

And I believe
That angels breathe
And that love will live on and never leave

Fly me up
To where you are
Beyond the distant star
I wish upon tonight
To see you smile
If only for awhile
To know you're there
A breath away's not far
To where you are

I know you're there
A breath away's not far
To where you are
 
 

[Marilyn]

Pamela
Assistant Webmaster
DID CLAY WRITE 'TO WHERE YOU ARE?' (UPDATE INSIDE)
« Reply #2 on: November 10, 2003, 08:00:54 AM »   

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Originally posted by AikenAvenue Nov 2:

I hate when tabloids spread rumors and exploit a fan base like Clay's. No surprise that Clay would rush to speak up and say it isn't true. I would love to hear Clay do To Where You Are but he didn't write it. The Globe is just trying to sell papers. The writer of the lyrics is Linda Thompson. The music was done by singer songwriter Richard Marx. You may remember alot of his song's from the late 80's early 90's like: Should've Known Better Don't Mean Nothing Angelina Children of the Night He has a great voice and does write beautiful songs so this is so unfair to him. I wish people weren't so quick to believe Tabloids. They see a nice big fan base they can make money off of so why not create a lie. They stand for everything Clay is not about. Please don't believe anything they print. Clay is very open to his fans...I think he would have said something. Unless it comes from his mouth it isn't worth believeing.

 Karen
 
 

[Marilyn]

Pamela
Assistant Webmaster
DID CLAY WRITE 'TO WHERE YOU ARE?' (UPDATE INSIDE)
« Reply #3 on: November 10, 2003, 08:01:53 AM »   

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Originally posted by corazon blue Nov 7:

This is so uncanny! The very first time I heard the song, months back, I thought, hey this is the perfect song for Clay to sing! I've been dreaming about him singing this song ever since! I really could hear traces of him all over it, and I can just see him dedicating it to his step-dad and half-sister on the CD sleeve. I really really want him to sing it! RCA, please arrange for him to sing it, he'll absolutely absolutely steal the song! (Not that Josh Groban doesn't sing it well, but Clay would be able to provide twice the emotional power. We all know what OBC can do with a song...) It would have been nice if he HAD written it, but well, I'll be perfectly happy with him just singing it. Let's keep praying!
 

[Marilyn]

Pamela
Assistant Webmaster
DID CLAY WRITE 'TO WHERE YOU ARE?' (UPDATE INSIDE)
« Reply #4 on: November 10, 2003, 08:03:00 AM »   

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Originally posted by Deedee Nov 8:

If I remember correctly, when Clay appeared on Oprah, and Oprah introduced Mrs. Bubel, didn't she say that Clay would bring over his laptop and they would listen to him sing songs that he had wrote? I thought I remember her saying that, but I could be wrong. I think I will go home and watch my tape of him on the oprah show to find out for sure!

[Marilyn]

Pamela
Assistant Webmaster
 DID CLAY WRITE 'TO WHERE YOU ARE?' (UPDATE INSIDE)
« Reply #5 on: November 10, 2003, 08:03:36 AM »   

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Originally posted by clayadmired Nov 8:

Whether or not Clay wrote it, it's a beautiful song and I would absolutely love to hear him sing it! Wow - that would be awesome!
 

[Marilyn]

Pamela
Assistant Webmaster
DID CLAY WRITE 'TO WHERE YOU ARE?' (UPDATE INSIDE)
« Reply #6 on: November 10, 2003, 08:04:12 AM »   

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Originally posted by Songbird457 Nov 9:

Wow, so he didn't write it then? Or did I misread? That is funny because Josh Groban has a new cd coming out (tomorrow I believe) and one of the songs on there would also be a great song for Clay. The song is "You Raise me up". My mom even thought it was Clay when she heard it on tv. But I do love Josh Groban's voice (almost as much as I love Clay's) and I adore the song "To Where you are". Ironically, on Josh Groban's first cd he sings "Vincent" which Clay performed on AI. There is also a song on Josh's new album, titled "When you say you love me". Coincidence? hmmm But I do have to say poor Clay. Just embarking on his career and the media will find whatever they can to scrutinize his past. If he actually has written any songs, then more power to him. I must say I was a little scared when I first read that above article. I was worried that if Clay had written and published any songs, if it would affect his career or anything. Would that have changed things had it come out when he was actually competing on American Idol? All I have to say is that I am enjoying these past couple months - full of great music and compassion for Clay. ANd I pray that nothing jeoparizes it. For if anything happens (in a negative way) with Clay's musical success I will be sad, but still extremely proud of the man he is and has shown us.

[Marilyn]

Pamela
Assistant Webmaster
 DID CLAY WRITE 'TO WHERE YOU ARE?' (UPDATE INSIDE)
« Reply #7 on: November 10, 2003, 08:05:46 AM »   

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Sorry everyone.  I accidentally deleted this thread and I had to recreate it.  Which is why every post looks like it's from me.  GAH!

That's what I get for trying to moderate BC.  (before caffeine!)

Anyway, I think the only criteria that would have affected AI eligibility is if one of the contestants already had a recording contract or a management company.

Writing and selling a song would have not prohibited anyone from competing on the show.  For some reason, music aficienados seem to assign more credibility to an artist if they write songs.  I don't know why; there are plenty of singers who do not write.  Barbra Streisand, Frank Sinatra for example.  However, from what I understand, you can contribute one line of lyric or one bar of music to a song and be given a songwriting credit.

Note:  I'd also like to add that the response I got from a friend of Clay's family is that this story is not true.
 

[Marilyn]

Pamela
Assistant Webmaster
DID CLAY WRITE 'TO WHERE YOU ARE?' (UPDATE INSIDE)
« Reply #8 on: November 10, 2003, 01:19:59 PM »   

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The Clay Aiken/Josh Groban Story: An Editorial
by David Bloomberg -- 11/10/2003

After Foxes On Idol published Candace Golden’s article on the possibility that Clay Aiken wrote the Josh Groban song, “To Where You Are,” there have been numerous questions raised. Here, David Bloomberg, Editor of Foxes On Idol, answers some of those questions and discusses where we are in this story.

As you might imagine, both writer Candace Golden and I have gotten a bit of e-mail from readers who are either thrilled or dismayed by Candace’s article, Did Clay Aiken Write Josh Groban’s “To Where You Are”? Among the responses, several people who e-mailed have asked if I have personally seen the evidence of which Candace speaks in the article. The answer, quite simply, is yes. Candace mentions in her article that, “The website linked above mentions correspondence from somebody very close to Clay that verifies this information. I was given the proof this site alludes to. I have seen the actual e-mails.” I have also seen those e-mails and can attest that they talk about Clay having written the song in question. Foxes On Idol would not have run the article if I had not seen them.

A number of people have tried to speculate, or asked me to speculate, as to why Clay would not want it known that he had written this song if indeed these claims are true. I have come up with several possible reasons, but in the end it is all speculation – both pro and con – and does nothing to add to the actual evidence of the situation. It all comes down to the evidence – the e-mails.

Based on the information I have seen to date, I believe there are three possibilities:
1. If the e-mails from the person close to Clay are true, then Clay did indeed write the song discussed and, for one reason or another, did not want the information to come out. Unfortunately, a secret like this – if true – was bound to come out at some point given his newfound fame.

2. The second possibility is that before Clay ever became famous or even thought he would, he lied to this person for some reason unknown to us, not knowing that the person in question would relay it to others. Now, please don't inundate me with emails about his character because I propose this only as one possibility among several and it has to be included for the sake of completeness.

3. The final possibility is that, for reasons unknown to us, the person close to Clay lied about the song having been written by Clay.

If the first possibility is correct, eventually some additional information will come out. There are many people wondering why he wouldn’t want credit for the song, and we really have only the speculation I mentioned earlier. However, I will address one possibility: If it is true that Clay wrote the song and sold the rights to it, then it is possible that any contract he might have signed precluded him from talking about it at any future date. Frankly, such a clause in a situation like this would not surprise me at all, though, as noted, this is only speculation.

The second possibility seems extremely unlikely, but not impossible. However, had it actually happened, Clay could have put a stop to it by merely telling the person close to him that he had fibbed and that would have been the end of it. It’s a lot easier to tell somebody close to you that this is the case than risk the story getting out and making a much larger impact.

If the third is the case, it appears that the source lied more than once, to multiple people, but in each case asked that the person keep it quiet. Of course, eventually a “secret” like that is going to get out. When the person in question was asked why Clay wanted it kept secret, that person claimed to have contacted Clay and said that Clay had reasons, which were then listed.

However, all communication of which I am aware has been through that person, which means we have no real way to verify if that person actually did speak to Clay (unless Clay or this person wants to speak out on the issue). That means it is possible that the person in question was lying about the song and then, in order to cover, had to further lie about having contacted Clay.

I’d like to stress that if it were not for this person’s close proximity to Clay, we might well have never even run this story. But all of the information presented does indeed trace directly to this individual. This latter case seems improbable, but there have been cases of a little white lie going astray and causing bigger consequences than anybody thought possible. For example, in Dale Sherman’s book, Urban Legends of Rock & Roll: You Never Can Tell, he relates the legend that a high school kid actually wrote the lyrics to Bob Dylan’s song, “Blowin’ in the Wind.” I won’t go into all the details here (you’ll need to get the book for that), but basically, the story started out when the kid in question saw the words and music before the song was actually out in recorded format and performed it for an audition, claiming it to be his own. He figured nobody would ever hear the real song and he was safe.

But people loved the song and insisted that it be played for a wider audience. He realized there was going to be a problem and tried to fight the tide, but he was overwhelmed. Eventually, when Dylan’s song came out, people claimed he had stolen it from the kid. Thus, what seemed to be a harmless little white lie turned into a full-blown urban legend. While we would not know the motivation of the person in question here, it could be something similar.

One of the things said about Clay by some detractors is that he doesn’t write songs. Well, it would be easy to say, “Sure he does. He wrote XXXX.” Why not? If the person is just mentioning it secretly to somebody, it doesn’t hurt anybody, right? And many people have said that the song in question does sound like something Clay would write or sing, so it all fits. The problem is that, as already noted, secrets like this don’t stay secrets for long.

As of right now, I want to emphasize that we can only work with the evidence we have in hand. To move further on this story, we need further evidence. Will Clay speak out on it? Will the person close to Clay? Or will those credited with writing the song? Anybody with further information and evidence on this situation is encouraged to contact me. Please note that I said information and evidence, not speculation. If we are to get to the bottom of this, we need more evidence, not people who are upset for one reason or another.

Foxes On Idol will bring you any updates as new information become available. David Bloomberg is the Editor of Foxes On Idol, and can be reached at RNO@pobox.com.

LINK

[Marilyn]

Pamela
Assistant Webmaster
DID CLAY WRITE 'TO WHERE YOU ARE?' (UPDATE INSIDE)
« Reply #9 on: November 12, 2003, 12:21:58 PM »   

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Clay’s Mother and Other Information Put the Josh Groban Song Story to Rest
by David Bloomberg -- 11/12/2003

Over the past few days, Foxes On Idol has been reporting on a story that involved claims that Clay Aiken had written a song that appeared on a Josh Groban CD. As the word of these articles has spread, more information has come to light which puts the story to rest as being untrue. Clay’s mother and the original source for the story help debunk it.

As Foxes On Idol has been reporting over the past few days, recently a claim came to light that American Idol 2 runner-up Clay Aiken had written the Josh Groban song, “To Where You Are” and then sold it to somebody else who then sold it yet again. Actually, the claim itself had been circulating among some people since at least September – possibly as early as June – but those who knew about it had been content to sit on the information because they had been told that Clay himself did not really want it out in the open. However, when inquiries started to come in from The Globe, a tabloid, to at least one of the people who knew about the story, they decided to break the story in a more reputable location – Foxes On Idol.

The first story was written by Candace Golden, using the information she had available at the time. That information included (but was not limited to) e-mails from a person very close to Clay, and all indications were that the e-mails were legit. The follow-up was an editorial from me, explaining the information we had and some of the possibilities that were involved.

While we noted that it was possible that the person close to Clay was lying, one possibility that we left out was the possibility that the source was not lying, but was simply mistaken – that they had somehow misunderstood something that Clay had said and taken it as meaning he had written the Josh Groban song. We did not include this suggestion because given the scope of the evidence we had in hand, it did not really seem possible. However, interviews with that person and Clay’s mother, Faye Parker, since the first articles were published have brought up that very possibility.

Ms. Parker contacted Foxes On Idol in an effort get this situation resolved. She has been very nice about the entire matter (unlike some other readers, who have gone as far as threatening us) and has stated unequivocally that Clay did not write the song. Specifically, she said, “I just hung up with Clayton and he says he does not know how this started [and] that it is not true.” She added that “someone may have misinterpreted something said. … I think it is awful to make a claim to someone else’s song and I know that Clayton would not have done that.”

I have also corresponded with the person close to Clay who originated the story. Foxes On Idol has chosen to leave this person unnamed publicly, though, for the record, both Ms. Parker and Clay himself are aware of who it is and have talked to this person about the situation. To make things easier, we will just call this person “Friend” for the remainder of this article (though we will continue to use genderless pronouns).

Friend verified that Ms. Parker had previously told them that Clay “did not write for Josh Groban or anyone.” Friend continued, saying, “Clearly I was in the wrong.” Later, Friend said, “it was all an innocent mistake that took on a life of its own.”

Ms. Parker followed up with me after I had been in touch with Friend. She noted that, “I know there was no harm meant in this and I also know my son is a jokester and forgets to clear things up. He would truly not want someone to believe he wrote something that belongs to another source. [Friend] is truly a very nice person and feels horrible that this happened.”

I do have to note at this point that there has always been more than one source for the information we published, not just the e-mails we referenced as actually having in-hand. Indeed, since these articles were posted, I have received communication from several additional people who have verified that they had been told of the Josh Groban story as well. While parts of the situation are still a bit murky, it appears that Friend told several people – including at least one in the audience at Oprah – who then passed along the information to others. So by the time Friend found out that it was an error, the news had already spread.

Indeed, based on other e-mails that have been forwarded to me and postings from various newsgroups, I doubt that this article will be the final word. There are people who will continue to believe that Clay did indeed write the song, but – as one of our possibilities from the editorial suggested – sold it and cannot talk about it. However, as of right now, there is absolutely no evidence that this is the case.

We should note that although Friend has admitted to being mistaken, those who passed it along to Candace Golden and Foxes On Idol firmly believed it to be the truth and, as already noted, it came from multiple sources. This is why it was posted. Had the information come from a friend of a friend, or Clay’s high school buddy, or something like that, we never would have published it. However, because it came from somebody very close to him and somebody who would have access to that information, it made sense to run the story. Despite what various people have accused us in e-mail, there was never any intent to harm Clay nor, on the flip side, to further promote him just because he was too humble to say something (it’s interesting how people can read the same article and come to such vastly different conclusions based upon their own preconceived notions). It was published because it was news and was meant to inform readers.

Certainly, Candace and Foxes On Idol are both sorry to see that the information we had been provided has turned out to be incorrect and, just as Ms. Parker has relayed that Clay would never take credit for somebody else’s song, Foxes On Idol apologizes to the writers of the song for the suggestion that they did not write it, although it should be noted that no wrongdoing on their part was ever implied. But on a positive note, at least the entire story is now out in the open – previously it had been circulating among a number of people who assumed it to be true. It was only a matter of time before it became public, and now that it is, the involved parties have contributed to putting the story to rest.

FOXES ON IDOL
 
 

[Marilyn]

mcraig2
 Article...
« Reply #10 on: November 13, 2003, 01:59:43 PM »   

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Just another reason why this story should have been checked out THOROUGHLY before anything at all was written about it.  A call to Clay's mom prior to the original article could have avoided this.  Methinks someone was eager to be a 'star' .. and it wasn't Clay.  lol