The Creative Role of Session Musicians in Popular Music: A Case Study of Michael McDonald’s “I Keep Forgettin’”

Abstract

In this thesis, I provide an analysis of Michael McDonald’s “I Keep Forgettin’” (1982) with the aim of gaining insight into the creative role and contributions of the session musicians playing on the track. In my analysis, I use an approach formulated by Zagorski-Thomas focusing on the activities that produced the music. I show how the session musicians contributed not only through the musical ideas they provided, but also by shaping the track’s distinctive groove, and by adding many details that give the track its individual character. In doing so, they played a vital role in the creation of the track. With this thesis, I contribute to the growing body of research on the influential role of session musicians in popular music by providing a detailed example of how session musicians contribute to a track. My findings underscore the fluidity of creative roles and the complex nature of authorship in popular music. The demonstrated effectiveness of the approach I used provides a starting point for further studies of session musicians and other actors in the creative process of record production.