Writing Song Lyrics

Writing Song Lyrics

A well written lyric will often roll off the tongue and fit perfectly with the rhythm of the song. When writing lyrics the natural rhythm of the words should help suggest a melody to the songwriter.

If you're like many a beginner songwriter and struggle with writing lyrics then the tips below should help keep you moving in the right direction.

If you're like many a beginner songwriter and struggle with writing lyrics then the tips below should help keep you moving in the right direction.

 

5 Top Tips

1. A Strong Title - A strong title will go a long way in making your songs memorable and help make it stand out from the rest. Think about it...
   
   What's the first thing a record label or producer will see when they receive your demo? The title of course!
   
   And how many demos do you think they see a day? Hundreds of course!
   
   So make your title unique and catchy and you're already giving yourself more of a chance than the other thousands of songs out there.
   
   
2. Stay Focused - What I mean by staying focused is two things; If you're telling a story about you Grandma, then don't stray from the story and start singing about your long lost feelings for your third grade teacher and if you're expressing an emotion, love for example, then don't ramble off during your song about anger, hate etc.
   
   Also remember to use the same perspective throughout your song i.e. If you are writing lyrics from a third person perspective then don't all of a sudden change to first person perspective. It just won't make sense and will only confuse your listeners. So stay focused :)
   
   
3. Write About Something You Know About - It's so much easier to write about your own life experiences. When you've actually lived the stories you write about or have felt the emotions your expressing through your words it makes you and the listener connect with the lyric much easier.
   
   
4. Use Metaphors - All the great songwriters and poets constantly use metaphors to add imagery when writing song lyrics. Here's some great examples of metaphors that have been used through out the history of songwriting:
   
   • "Like a Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon and Garfunkel
   • "Your love is like bad medicine" by Bon Jovi
   • Michael Jackson describes Billy Jean in the song "Billie Jean" as "a beauty queen from a movie scene"
   • "She lived her life "like a candle in the wind" from Elton John's song with this title
5. Rhyming - The power of rhyming is quite an amazing thing. When you use rhyming schemes it empowers your lyrics making them more memorable to your listeners and that's exactly what your going for when writing your lyrics.