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. 

i use fomulas too for writing when im  writing something i plan to try to pitch. 

short intro 8-13 seconds   2 verses....one heck of a hooky chorus. be into the chorus in under 60 seconds.    

Keep the entire thing as short as possible.                   

 if im writing for fun..... no rules 

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.

I got a new song (actually 2) in the works.... so it's a good time to examine the process. One of them is almost complete with only the need to rewrite verse 2..... but the other is the one I'll discuss here.

I had the title for a few days.... something I heard somebody say.  I typed it into my phone's gmail and sent it to myself so I would not forget it. 

So I started to think what the HOOK would be.... got to have a killer hook, usually based on the title.... not too hard to do here with the title I have.... instant hook.... just add infectious melody & groove. 

Now... fill in the area around the hook...also known as the chorus... and at the same time.... work up the chord progression, groove and tentative melody for the tune.... try to nail something solid in the chorus.

So as it sets right now....after 2 or 3 days working on it.... I have the basic song structure in place, the chord progression for the verses and the chorus...and a basic lyrical sketch of the chorus. 

I gave my co-writer the word that I have something new for us to work on.... but nothing else....no title, no music nothing. I sent links to similar songs like this that are radio hits for her to listen to for a few days before I send the work I have started. 

her job will be to write the basic rough draft verses after we outline the ideas.....and tweeze all the lyrics... which we will then work on together to complete. 

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?

davdud101


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?

Re-writes....sometimes you eat the bear and come out better than you were before...other times the bear eats you and you wind up either shelving the idea, totally giving up on it or moving onto something else. It's just the nature of the beast sometimes.
 
-Danny

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.

This is a good topic. It's one of the things that makes collaboration with another musician so enjoyable. Seeing how someone else develops an idea in parallel with yourself then feeding off of that. Good times.
 
Back in 'the day' when I was in a band and wanton debauchery ran rampant, there was
always topics to write about.
Now that I'm older and writting on my own, I find that my topics become more personal.
A definite reflection of where I stand in life today.
So now when I write, then go back and listen to it at some point later, I often times have
this 'oh ****' moment. "I can't say those things."
 
It becomes as if anyone that might listen to this will have an open window to my soul.
 
Do you guys remain 'guarded' in your lyrics or just let them out there and it is what it is?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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".

+1 all;

'Concurr with Mike,  be personal ...  live out your own horrors.  

Don't be puppet-pro like everyone else. 


Rhyme to chime! .... 

... Be your own mentor ... up-front-and-center.  

Be yourself (not us)!

Back-burn ALL formulas.

Pray crave shout and cry
Make a way, live or die!

SING LOUD!!!!