Last summer someone sent a link for Beth Nielsen Chapman and her song "Sand and Water." Part of what one learns about that beautiful and very personal song (and Elton John's use of it) is that he asked her to write another (alternate) verse for him, and she did.

Someone once asked my Dad to change a few words of his song about the Pig War (on San Juan Island in the north end of Puget Sound), in order to use a recording of it up at the National Park that is dedicated to the event. I was working there at the time. He refused to make the change, because he knew that his research was correct, and the person making the request was just quibbling and pulling a little power play. The song ended up not being used, and I didn't pursue it, because it wasn't worth trying to convince the whacko supervisor that you don't just ask someone to change a song for no good reason. Chapman, on the other hand, took her song and extended its reach to a broader audience.

SRS