I, too, have had the experience of waking up with a new tune in my head, but generally it's a trite, boring tune, just one long musical cliche, and I have to try to rinse it out of my head by playing or listening to a better tune.

I'm full of admiration for people who can write truly good melodies, but I'm wary of the "the tune came to me" school of writing. Paul McCartney has a lot to answer for - he has a special gift, and was already an experienced tunesmith when he had the famous "Yesterday" moment.

But too often I've heard people proudly declare that a song has just arrived in their heads, only to offer us a tune that is either very similar to a well known one, or simply trite and formulaic. For most people, true creativity demands real commitment and active input, not just waiting for a tune or song to "arrive" like a parcel in the post.

I do agree that melody is very important, and that most of the new songs that get aired are melodically deficient. I can see the need for new lyrics - there are always new things to say about the world - but there are so many thousands of good tunes that are no longer used, I think it would be better to recycle some of them than offer a third-rate new tune. Unless you're Paul McCartney.

Marje