What's Your Writing Style?

Hey, everyone! After a coupla weeks' hiatus, I'm getting back to making music. So, I was wondering- when it comes to lyrics, what process do you typically follow for writing songs?

I'm asking mainly because at the moment I have a lot of trouble making 'story-songs' unless I use some sort of 'plot' or outline for each verse. Any ideas?

MakeShift


Well, I don't mean to over simplify this, but if you want to write lyrics that mean something, then you have to have something to say.  

This is true.


Write about something you know about, or something that interests you.


Here's a great example of an odd subject matter turned into a catchy song.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSqv-Exedt8


I liked this song for a long time before I started wondering what the heck he was singing about. (If you don't know who Ray Kroc is, do a Google)

Awesome, Mike. Thanks for pointing this out. It really put songwriting back in perspective. I tend to over-think things and get too analytical. This song refreshed me to what it's all about.

Thanks again.

davdud101


Hey, everyone! After a coupla weeks' hiatus, I'm getting back to making music. So, I was wondering- when it comes to lyrics, what process do you typically follow for writing songs?

I'm asking mainly because at the moment I have a lot of trouble making 'story-songs' unless I use some sort of 'plot' or outline for each verse. Any ideas?

I think you hit the nail on the head there with your "plot" comment. I write my songs using a formula most times. The reason for this...it's sort of like a blue-print like you'd use for building a house. It can assist you in the creation part of song-writing.
 
For example, a good formula I use is beginning, middle, climax and end. Each one of those aspects tells the story just like watching a movie. How will your beginning be? Something with spoken word without music, a theme oriented synth intro, an acoustic guitar, start on the hooky chorus part without any singing, a power riff of some kind, a drum beat, just a bass? These are things that set up your mood.
 
Your middle tells the story and gets into the meat of it all. The climax of course is the the best part of the song...whether it be an infectious chorus or something mind-blowing and musical. Your end is something that can be the segue out of the climax to further etch the song in stone. You can get more intense here, fade out on a chorus with loads of vocals, or back things down and be a bit more intimate. There are no rules.
 
As far as lyrics go, I find it easier to come up with a melody first and then the music part seems to write itself. Once you have a melody, the words should be pretty easy really. Sometimes I tell stories, sometimes I speak about real life experiences while other times I'll make something up and have some fun with it. One of the best tools I've ever used for lyrics is Master Writer. I've written so many songs in a snap with it, I now can't live without it. It literally helps you finish your ideas as it has all the rhyming words, it gives you phrases, dictionary, thesaurus, topics to write about....it's just priceless to me with helping me with lyrical ideas.
 
One of the things I struggle with is...trying to sound like a poet or a lyricist that hits you with double or triple meanings. You know, you listen to the song and think it means this, when it really means that....or something completely different. Unfortunately for me, I'm not that good as a lyricist and basicly tell it like it is to where it's a little too obvious. I've learned to accept that within myself. Some people are awesome at delivering lyrical excellence....some people like me, just tell it like it is and excel more on the music and performance more than super crafty words with double or triple meanings. So first and foremost, accept yourself but of course, strive to be better and more crafty whenever you can. :)
 
-Danny

I guess that still begs one question- where do you guys begin?

I typically create a chord progression FIRST, do some basic instrumentation, and THEN let the lyrics come according to the feel of the song. What do you guys tend to do?

Lyrics come last, 99% of the time. 
And by last, I mean last minute. 

That being said, I've usually started working on them from early on, in the back of my head. Subconscious plays a big part in the process. Obviously, there's a few words or parts of sentences that pop up early on and I let those live together in my head. After that, it's like joining the dots. 

A few glasses of wine usually help w/ the first drafts, as it helps me bypass my literature student inhibitions and rely on my instincts. I guess it helps me tune in because, otherwise, I'm not all that interested in what I have to say, how I feel and all. I just can't take myself seriously enough. 

Then, w/ a straight head, I clean the mess and/or polish the rough edges. 

A lot of times during the vocals/music process, I'like to ask myself what my song's "gimmick" is. 
For me, it's typically either the hook itself, or some kind of vocal or instrumental excerpt that repeats every once in a while. 
That generally is what keeps me interested in writing a song, because I know I'll come back to writing for that one lyrical break, and it's an added fun challenge to see what can be put there that's different lyrically as well as melodically.

Awesome responses!! I tend to skip or minimize the rewrite process, often making on-the-fly changes in words and vocal melodies/harmonies... How do you guys like your rewrites?

I stay away from lyrics, period! I tend to let the music tell the story and in a way it does/must or we wouldn't have what are called instrumentals.

And believe it or not sometimes the music by itself tells a different story as opposed to when an image is attached to it.

If you watch tv/film, you'll see that the music within them has a greater effect and this is true when you get soundtracks though you often get them after having seen the film (or played the game, they have STs, too).

I was listening to the Mass Effect 3 OST on Youtube and could practically imagine where I was and what was going on in the game (yes, I played it alot) I knew if I was in a firefight or just exploring places because when fights were coming, the music would tense up and stay tense during the fights and die down when they were over.

However, the score itself can be deceiving as you may hear tense music in non-tense moments or relaxing music in tense moments.

Face-Off, comes to mind. [SPOILER ALERT: The scene where Troy (who looks like Archer) is shooting up Archer's (who looks like Troy) house (with Sasha) and the boy Adam is put on the bed listening to Over The Rainbow (superimposed to the audience while the action's happening in slow-mo)[/SPOILER]

Couldn't find the scene, but those that remember it know what I'm talking about

Clearly, this provided irony while that the same time, we see the onus on keeping Adam safe! I thought it was an extremely well-done sequence, but most certainly music and contrast played a huge part!

But yeah, music comes easier to me; so, I work with that and let someone else handle the lyrics.

In terms of the order I use to come up with music - specifically, arrangements, I go after everything else under and around the melody and then tweak that so both components are in agreement and/or deliberately impose minor disagreements coming to an agreement later.

This of course, gets into the theoretical portion with the main issue being consonance (agreement) and dissonance (disagreement) aka tension and resolution/resolve/release) which is music is about as are stories of any form and music is like a story which everyone seems to agree with.

Just the same, the difference is not what is being told, but how and what devices are being used and how are they being used to convey the story.

Good question.  These days, older like you, my song lyrics are mostly personal.  I'm pretty much an open book.  I do try to write in a style that can have double meaning or makes one think a little, but for the most part; they reflect where I am at, in the moment.  My personal feeling is that songs which have a deep reflection of myself, usually touch people more intimately than songs that are not personal at all. 

I am currently reading this book about Lennon, entitled "Lennon".  They are at the place in time where he has written Revelution.  He flips back and foreth from.."You can count me in"...to "You can count me out".  In the end, he goes with the count me out.  When asked why, he said that it is a reflection of what he feels today.  Tomorrow, he said, I may feel like I am back "in".