My song idea explanation.
I want to write a song about loneliness and feeling like you’re watching a movie. Watching the world go by and wanting to join in but not knowing how. A bit like a kid in a play ground wanting to get on the round about but its moving too fast and I’m too small.
I got this feeling like the suns going down and this movie is coming to an end and soon it’ll be over and too late to join in. It’s lonely and life looks like it could so much fun. I smile when I watch others even though I can’t join in. That’s my entertainment like watching the movie stars. It’s more like poverty and powerlessness. Like the things I saw in India when little rich kids went off to school all dressed up in school uniforms and pink tails when the dirty little street kids could only gaze in wonder. The only movie they could attend was the one they were in.
Step 2
Make a word/phrase list
This is not really step 2 but runs concurrently with step 1. In a nut shell the "Word/phrase list is simply about noting words and phrases that spring to mind as you write about song idea. It might be that you’ve had a phrase or two bouncing around in your head for a while that you’ve been dieing to use and might suit this song or random words that pop into your mind. Don’t be afraid to include words that seem a bit oblique or distant from the subject. In fact don’t think too much about what you put on the list just pour it all out. This list will become a valuable pool for you later when you come to writing your verses
Step 3
Refining your song idea
The idea of writing a song is for to be able to communicate what you’re thinking and feeling about a certain topic. If it’s a worthy thought then it’s worth hearing so you need to make your idea clearly understood. If you can’t explain it in a sentence or even a short paragraph then you won’t be able to do it in a song.
The difficult thing often is to clarify the idea in a succinct way without reducing its impact to the listener.
Cut away the fat by editing the your original Ugly sript. This is a great step forward in helping to refine your original thought. It's what I would call the meditative stage of the song. You could call it the mission statement of the song if you like and treat it as if you are involved in that same creative process. Succinctness and precision are the key words to keep in mind.
Step 4
Explain your song idea to someone else. Song statement.
Your song statement should start something like "My song is about....."
Now take what you've written and read it to someone else. Does it make immdeiate sense to that person? Do they look and sound as if they understand what you're saying or do they require a further explanation? If that is the case then you should rewrite your song statement. It might help you to think in terms of what it's like when you need to explain a joke. Kind of loses its impact right? Of couse with all songs there are lots of associated ideas and nuanses which can discussed but the essence should be there in your song statement.
A note of soliciting feedback
If you’re a sensitive creative type (not that all creative people are but lots are) then you need to solicit feedback with a measure of humility. If your "friend" offers you some poited critique, don’t suddenly get all defensive. This sort of reaction shows that you’re not really looking for honest feedback and your friend will probably just shut down in future and tell that your song is "nice". That’s all you need.
Often those, from whom we seek feedback, don’t possess the vocabulary to critique with the measure of accuracy that’s constructive, so be gracious and seek clarification.
It’s always good to get accurate and honest feedback if you want to grow as a songwriter. Even though it hurts, keep seeking feedback and learn to love it.
Step 5
Decide what is the purpose of your song.
This will hep you to determine some measurable outcomes. What are you trying to achieve and how will you know if we’ve hit the mark?
This step will ultimately determine the outcome of the song. Say for example that my song is about something I observed when in India. A Poor child in ragged cloths watching the rich kids go off to school and dreaming of being able to do the same. In writing on this subject what is it that I hope to achieve? In this case I would hope that the listener would feel sad and even angry sympathies to the point of being motivated by my word pictures to want to right the injustice. If that’s what I’m hoping to achieve with the song the outcomes are measurable. Did anybody join Oxfam or sponsor a child in India?
Maybe your song’s about something funny that happened to you one night at the pub and the purpose for writing the song is simply to entertain and make people smile. Again the results are measurable, when you performed the song did anybody laugh?
Ultimately the "value" of your song hinges on this critical point. The only way to evaluate any song is to set a goal for the song that has measurable results. Did I hit the mark or not?
If we can assess our songs, especially when we fail to achieve our intended goals, then we can’t help but grow as songwriters skills and enjoy the benefits.
Step 6
Attach an emotion or mood to the song
Is this a happy, sad, angry, fun, evil, manic, hyper, sleazy, reverent, or sleepy little number?
Deciding on an emotion for your song will help you to stay focused so that you don’t lose the plot. An emotion is very much akin to an idea and we know that we can only have one main idea in a song. So try to keep the emotion of the song constant. That doesn't mean to say that in a songw which is about hope that you can't write the verses in a minor key and then resolve in the chorus with a major key when you sing "The the sun burst through the clouds". That's still a song about hope and the mood is hopeful. But if your song is about losing a loved one then you might not want to use llmerics or too many puns. I think you see where I'm going with this.
A good question to ask:
If I could place myself in the audience and I was to hear this song for the first time and then just left quietly with my thoughts and feeling, how would I feel? What impact would the song have made
Step 7
Who is your audience?
It’s difficult to actually place this vital aspect of songwriting in any chronological scheme as it’s something that seems to be lurking there from the very concept of the song but it’s something that needs to be noted and it’s worthy of the pen and paper treatment. It might be very obvious to you from the outset. Perhaps you're writing this for your mother or your church congregation but here's the important question to ask: "What do I need to know about my target audience?
Helpful things to know might be:
What age group, level of education, language, cultural and religious belief held, the level of wealth, what they like and don’t like, distrusts, history, preferred style, tempo, instrumentation, attention span, dynamics, are they city or rural dwellers etc.
This kind of back ground understanding will help you tailor your song in such a way that your intended audience recognizes it as part of their own culture be that Punk, Hip Hop or the Yodeling fraternity.
Step 8
Decide on a Genre
Again there seems no distinctive chronological position for this important event and often we have made this decision at some stage earlier on. If you’re a Rap artist for example then your song’s predestined to be a Rap song. Perhaps you’ve been playing with a few minor chords in a Reggae style even before you had any song idea and so the genre’s already been determined. Okay but if not then now’s a good time to get it sorted. Keep in mind your target audience and the back ground research you gathered earlier on. Decide what genre will best suit carrying the message of the song to this group of people.
Is it going to be Rap or Reggae, Rock or Alternative, Under ground, Middle Eastern Disco, Country or Easy Listening. Deciding on the genre of the song will help you later with its overall structure and arrangement. Remember that you're dealing with culture here so if it's not entirely your own culture then you're going to have to find the appropriate delivery device for the information that you want to get accross in your song. The shape of that device, if you like is the genre you choose.
Step 9
Constructing your song
At this point I want to introduce you to the "Song template", a handy little device which I designed to help you with constructing the basic framework for your song on which you will hang your words. Download this form and print a number of copies off for yourself. Song template If you don’t end up using it the template is still good at providing you with a visual concept you can keep in mind as you go through the process of putting all the bits in their "right" place.
We've covered the Ugly script previously so now take a look at how you're going tell your story. One way to do this is to try to identify and sequence of events, any distinctive occurances or snapshots that will act as natural dividers
Step 10
Choosing your song title
Usually your song title will have some relevance to your song. It’s not always the first thing the songwriter thinks of when putting pen to paper, in fact for many songwriters it’s more of an after thought, however like rhyming, a catchy title can be a great way of recalling a song. Often the title will be imbedded in the chorus. If it’s in the first line of the chorus it can cause the listener to break into song rather than just speaking the title out. Think of Queen’s "We will rock you" and you’ve got the idea.
A more "arty" approach might be to choose a title that alludes to something that perhaps seems quite separate from the subject. Others have chosen a few words from a line towards the end of the song like Joni Mitchell's "Big yellow taxi" sometimes refered to as "Put up a parking lot".
Step 11
The chorus
The chorus will end up being the most recognizable part of your song. Remember again that a good song has only one main idea and the essence of this idea should be summed up in the chorus.
We can only understand the nature of the chorus by understanding it’s dynamic relationship to the verses. Verses can exist quite happily on their own without a chorus as in the case of the "verse verse" format but a chorus rarely exists without verses. (The exception being some Christian Pentecostal chorus’s)
So the chorus contains the main idea and could be called the essence of the verses. The chorus if you like "listens" to the verses and says "to put it simply he’s trying to say. . ."
Conversely the verses are "unpacking" the chorus. They might say "let me explain in a bit more detail". Keep in mind that to the listener the chorus is the high point of the song so save your best for the chorus. A good chorus generally displays an increase in intensity of overall energy. That increase should be in clarity of thought as well as in the power of the musical arrangement and the pitch of your vocals. It's rare for a chorus to be delivered at a lower pitch than the verses though it can be done.
Step 12
The verses
As we’ve already discussed the verses are there to unpack the main idea which is summed up in the chorus. The great thing about verses is that they enable us to progressively develop our idea in bite size installments for the duration of the song. Verses allow us to expose the listener to chapters of the story to further reinforce our song idea. Each verse should take our listener a bit further down the road to the final destination we had intended. The verses should be complete ideas in themselves, a reflection of the main idea. They should not leave the listener up in the air unless this leads them into the chorus which brings it resolution. A good idea is to keep in mind the chorus and construct the last few words of the last line to act as a sort of "lead in" to the chorus.
Maybe something like thesong "If I had a boat" by Lyle Lovett:
The mystery masked man was smart
He got himself a Tonto
'Cause Tonto did the dirty work for free
But Tonto he was smarter
And one day said Kemo Sabe
Kiss my ass I bought a boat, I'm going out to sea
If I had a boat, I'd go out on the ocean
And if I had a pony, I'd ride him on my boat
And we could all together go out on the ocean
Me upon my pony on my boat
The same thing works for verse one but I kind of like the justice aspect of this verse better.
Great Lyricists
I'd like to recommend a couple of great websites to help you with your lyrics. The first is Paul Kelly who is an Australian songwriter. Paul writes rock and folk mostly in a very Aussie vernacular way.
He is prolofic and has been in the business for any years taking a number of Best of the year awards from APRA. There doesn't seem to be much that scares this songwriter away from a subject. Paul is a great story teller and an wonderful painter of pictures. Anyone who has spent anytime in Australia will recognize the spirit of the land in what Paul Kelly writes.
http://www.paulkelly.com.au/lyrics/alpha.html
The second songwriter might be more familiar to North Americans. Her name is Janis Ian and she hase become somewhat of an icon to the lyricists of the world. Janis has the ability to lay hersefl bare in a sometimes painful and tragic way. Her sad but Oh so real song "At 17" is a showcase of the way in which a songwriter can become a craftsmen. Janis Ian takes a subject as a sculpture takes a lump of marble and chips away at it until the shape appears. Thats how I'd say seh starts but a careful study of the way the words in this have been penned will show that the true measure of the craftswoman is in the finish and its becomes obvious after study that Janis has spent countless days or perhaps even weeks polishing this song. The luster of such works matches that of any master working with precious gems as indeed this song has become. I recommend to those who "knew" At 17 that you check "At 40".
Then of course there's me, Rob Greaney. Not nearly as famous as Janis Ian or Paul Kelly but trying hard enough. Check out the few songs I've posted on my lyrics page.
If you know of any other websites that might be helpful to those wanting to grow as lyric writers please email me with the information and I'll post the link here.
