In her song “Calliope,” Eliza Rhinelander (Canada) carries on the tradition of such works as Wicked; Boy, Snow, Bird; and Circe by putting a new spin on a classic tale. Her clever take on a Greek myth resulted in a first place win for Best Lyrics in our Song Writing Competition—a feat that’s all the more impressive considering this is the first full song Eliza’s ever written!
Learn about Eliza’s inspiration, song writing process, and what’s next for her music career!
Our Guest Judge Michael Lydon said about your piece, “Eliza’s ‘Calliope’ gives a creative new spin on an old Greek tale of inspiration, rivalry, pay-back and, of course, music!” What sparked you to write about this myth, from this particular point of view?
Calliope was a Muse, or a goddess of the Arts, in Greek Mythology. She was the Muse of Epic Poetry, and it was known she had the most beautiful voice in the universe. And yet, mortals would still challenge her to singing contests. They would always lose, of course, and she would turn them into magpies. When I came across this myth, there wasn’t much written about it. It was a tiny little story, mentioned almost in passing, yet it caught my attention. I started wondering: Why on earth would these people challenge a Muse to a singing contest? They must know they’re going to lose! I realized there must be more to it, and that intrigued me. The more I thought about it, the more the story started to take shape in my mind: this person’s relationship to Calliope is equal parts love, obsession, admiration, and jealousy, to the point where it’s worth living out the rest of their days as a magpie just to see her face and hear her voice. It seemed quite poetic for this story, so rooted in music, to be told as a song, and that gave me the idea to write “Calliope.”
Tell us about your process while writing this song. Did the melody or lyrics come first, or did you work out both together?
This song came shockingly quickly. I wrote it and recorded the version I submitted all in the span of two hours. I’d say I worked out the melody and lyrics together; the chorus started with a melody, but the words came so easily it seemed to just write itself. The bridge and verses took a little more lyrical work to figure out how to tell the story, but it all happened so fast that the process is quite blurred together!
When and how did you discover your talent for song writing and performing?
I’ve been performing for what seems like my entire life. I’ve been in piano lessons since I was 4 years old, singing lessons since I was 8, and I started teaching myself guitar at 13, but this year began formal guitar lessons (I’m currently 15). But what most inspired me to perform was my upbringing: my Mom is a brilliant fiddle player and I grew up surrounded by music. In kitchens, barns, pubs, around campfires … my favorite moments were always when everyone was playing together, and since I was 2 years old I’ve known that’s what I want to do. In terms of songwriting, this is the first complete song I’ve ever written! I’ve made attempts in the past, but they’ve all been only partially complete or didn’t turn out how I was hoping. I’ve also done some work setting Shakespeare’s words to music, which is a lot of fun, as well as a couple parodies and joke songs.
What comes next for you in your song writing career?
That’s a tricky question! I’ve seen some people saying I should release “Calliope” on Spotify, and that sounds really exciting! Beyond that, I’d love to write some more songs and release an EP or an album. Music is one of my greatest passions, and I’m genuinely astounded and beyond grateful that people are interested in my work!
