![]() ![]() It helps to try and explain to a friend-even an imaginary one-what your song is about in a couple of sentences. What are you trying to say, or what are you trying to do in your song? ![]() Just keep coming back to the overarching theme or point you want your audience to connect with. If they can’t, the audience disconnects and goes back to chatting and drinking in the bar. If they can identify with what you’ve written, you’re in. Whatever you’ve got to say has to mean something to the audience, not just you. Lyrics need to connect with an audience and allow them to express emotions that they can’t put into words. That’s called being universal-something a lot of people can relate to. Quite specific to you and your experiences.Ī strong lyric will be all that but still feel relevant to other people, often hugely so. Some things that provoke lyrical ideas will be deeply personally expressive. Make sure to back everything up regularly! So you don’t forget them and can share your progress. They just sound good together, a technique well loved by Paul Simon.īut once you do, it’s important to record them. ![]() It may be just the sonics of some syllables or words that gets you started.Īt this stage, the meaning isn’t critical. It could be inspired by your own music or just the stuff of life, like James Brown’s “I Feel Good.” It may be a feeling or emotion you want to conjure up. You may not have the exact words, but you have a cool idea or story. Like Gordon Lightfoot’s “The Wreck of Edmund Fitzgerald.” It may be a situation or an event you think would make a great song.Īnything from the smallest kiss to the sinking of a huge ship. Nirvana’s song “Come As You Are” takes a common expression about what to wear and swiftly puts it into a new context. It may be something someone said to you or you overheard someone say. Lorde’s song “Royals” was triggered by her seeing the word Royals on a baseball player’s shirt in a photograph in National Geographic. It may be a word that you read or a billboard you saw out the subway window. And each songwriter has their own way of getting started. While others will be more conversational-things people say every day.Īlthough lyrics sound effortless and look simple, it doesn’t mean they’re easy to write.Įach song begins differently. ![]() Used in wonderful ways that might make you think of poetry… I could use some Adderall in my green teaĪnd finally, some of the words will be playful, witty, or cinematic. Some words will leap out at you, grabbing your attention. The lines within each section usually rhyme at the end. The verse lyrics change at the chorus and again at the bridge, if there is one. The words come in patterns that match the structure of the song. One word or phrase will repeat more than any other. But some like EDM will only use a handful.Īnd those words are usually pretty simple-short with lots of monosyllables. Some genres have more, notably rap and folk. Lyrics Are Lean: There Are Only a Few Words Most songwriters follow these to create authentic, arresting, and memorable lyrics. So my challenge to you is to spend 50% of the time it takes to create your song on writing those words!īefore we dive headfirst into the nitty gritty, let’s take a look at the most common lyrical trends. All these tools will help you write incredible lyrics.Īt the very least, I want you to realize that half the copyright of a song is the lyric. Today you’ll learn the fundamentals of lyric writing. If you hit all three, your lyrics are bound to resonate with your audience. They should be striking and stick with listeners long after the song has ended. You want to write lyrics that are authentic, arresting, and memorable. There’s something irresistible about words set in song. Today you’ll learn the fundamentals for writing lyrics that last like a mental tattoo. So you need to do the best you can when writing them! They act as an anchor for the song, allowing listeners to strongly identify with you. Lyrics are one of the most important parts of your song. ![]()
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