When it comes time to writing songs, the most difficult part is almost always the lyrics. Anyone can put a few chords together, but writing lyrics that can move people to engage in and buy your songs is truly an art form. We are intelligent beings and the spoken word adds color, richness and deeper meaning to music. In this 5 part series we will explore the main components of writing lyrics and how you can craft a song that really strikes and resonates with listeners so they take the next step and share it with others.
Part 1 of journey starts with picking a simple theme. How do you pick a theme?
Picking a theme could be as simple as you feeling a certain emotion that you’d like to express, for instance: you may long for love and you could pick “longing for love” or you could be feeling empowered and want to write about “empowerment” or you could simply be sad over some loss and write about “loss of _____” fill in the blank. The sky is the limit when picking a them based on your current emotional state, but make sure its strong enough that you really want to dig in and explore lyrics that express it.
A second option would be if you already had an idea of chord structure for you music and simply wanted to write lyrics for the music. In this case you would want to listen to the music over and over and over until it starts to strike an emotion that is consistent. Does it feel happy, sad, could it be about love, could it be about something you are passionate about? If you listen enough, you’ll find a theme that becomes quite clear.
Keep in mind most hit songs are about love in some form or another, but don’t be afraid to pick something else and honor your highest calling. Here are some excellent examples of themes with artists and their songs:
Falling in Love
Keith Urban – “Somebody Like You”
Lets Party
Black Eyed Peas – “Lets Get it Started”
Parliment Funkadelic – “Atomic Dog”
Deep in Love
Bruno Mars – “Locked out of heaven”
Billy Joel – “Just the way you are”
Patriotism
Bruce Springsteen – Born in the USA
Empowerment
Stevie Wonder – “Higher Ground”
Brand New Heavies – “You Are the Universe”
Religious/Spiritual
Doobie Brothers – “Jesus is Just Alright”
Chad Scott – “Heart of a Buddha”
Now that you have a theme or an idea of one lets break it down into a working Title. Before picking a title we should ask a question: “How can we create action in this title?” This isn’t mandatory, but stepping out of the box and putting action words in your title may be the extra juice you need to stand out above the crowd.
How long should my title be?
Most titles are anywhere from 1-5 words in length. Keep in mind, people can’t remember much more.
How to find a great title?
Write down some ideas first that relate to the theme. These don’t have to be perfect, just get a few down. Now look at those and ask yourself, what questions to these titles suggest? Why do you say this or what happens when .. or why is it important. If they don’t suggest any then move on to the next. Now make a list of both related and contrasting words and images. So for instance if your song is about falling in love you could write:
Similar: Waking up excited, can’t wait to see you, looking for the perfect gift, can’t wait to wrap my arms around you, etc.
Contrasting: Lonely, depressed and can’t sleep, can’t eat, sky is grey all the time, searching for 15 years through the desert, etc.
Now create this list and in our next blog we’ll cover how to mold these words into structure and rhyme. Don’t forget to use imagery here that provokes thought and try not to skimp out.
Feel free to comment below. See you on our next Post
-Chad Scott Nellis – CEO Music Launch Pad