The Chicken Or the Melody

I’ve been asked more than once, when writing a song, should you write the lyrics first or the music. That’s kinda like the old question, which came first, the chicken or the egg. The answer is that great songs have been written both ways. Larry Henley wrote the lyrics to “Wind Beneath My Wings” first and then gave them to Jeff Silbar who penned that great unforgettable melody. Then there is Paul Simon who almost always comes up with a melody first by going outside on his balcony and singing out loud until he finds the melody he is looking for. There is no set rule on this issue. The idea is to find a system of writing that works for you.

I personally have done it both ways. Most of my songs started with an idea or “hook”, followed by the lyrics to a chorus, then verses. I usually have a melody forming in my mind as I write the lyrics. I sometimes use that melody for the finished song but usually either write a new melody or give the lyrics to another writer to write the melody. Co-writing is fun, but we will get back to that later. I have, at times written a melody first. This method is more difficult for me personally but has produced some of my best and strongest songs. I find it more difficult to put lyrics to an existing melody because you must work with the meter and phrasing already in place. It’s like trying to write new lyrics to the Star Spangled Banner. It’s not an easy thing to do. I was once fortunate enough to write a song with the great Don Phrimmer. Google him and you will find a list of some of the biggest hit songs in Country music history that he wrote or co-wrote. I had an idea, a title, “The Memory’s the Last Thing To Go”. I was playing in a band with a friend who was writing with Don on a regular basis. He took the idea to Don who wrote the lyrics in just a few hours. My friend and I then wrote the music. I week later George Jones put it on hold.

I think most songs in Nashville are co-written. Songwriting is a very “social” past time there. Instead of saying “Let’s Do Lunch”, everyone says “Let’s get together and write” or simply, “Let’s write”. It’s a way of life. And that’s the way it should be for anyone who is serious about songwriting. The networking activities that business people engage in, in every city in America, are practiced everyday in Nashville by successful song-writers and musicians. Now back to lyrics. Another question that comes up, is how do I start writing a song.

For me, it almost always starts with an idea, usually the title or hook. First let’s talk about what a hook is. A hook is, to put it simply, a small part of the overall song that “hooks” the listener leaving them unable to forget it. It is usually the title. It’s the part of the song you can’t get out of your mind like The Eagle’s “Heartache Tonight” or The Beatle’s “Can’t Buy Me Love” or “Eight Days A Week”. Sometimes the hook is a guitar riff, like the intro to the Rolling Stones’ “Satisfaction” or who could forget the guitar riff that kicks off the Billy Ray Cyrus smash hit of a few years ago, Achy Breaky Heart. Other times it is a portion of the melody, like the Byrd’s Mr. Tambourine Man, or the first line of the Beatle’s Yesterday. These hooks just stick with you forever. That’s what a great song should do, stay with you.

Now when a great song stays with you and also hits a real emotional button like “heartbreak” songs do for people who have been jilted, that’s when songs become special. Think of songs like Crystal Gayle’s “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue” or patriotic songs like Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the U.S.A. My aim is to show you how to write great songs like these.

Have you ever read one of those ads where some songwriting guru claims he can teach anyone how to write a song? Let me share with you what I really believe is the reality of that scenario. While it may be true that anyone with half a brain can learn the mechanics of songwriting, only those with a certain gift can write those great songs we all know and love.

The elements that produce great songwriters are much like the talents that create great athletes or great politicians. Many of each have the basic talents, but it's the development of those talents that make the difference between the great ones and those sitting on the sidelines dreaming for the rest of their lives. You must go out and do it. When it comes to songwriting, you must somehow get into the thick of things, either by moving to a major music capital or somehow plugging into a professional system somewhere. A very, very few are successful without moving to where the action is. And more times than not, those few had a very good “in” with someone who was already successful.

Hooks

After you answer the question, “What is the title of my song going to be”, your next job is to think about hooks (See my article about hooks). Here you need to decide what the central point of your song is and create song hooks around this thought. Briefly, a hook is anything that will help the listener remember the song. With many songs, it’s the melody, the chorus or even some of the lyrics. It might even a be a sound effect added to make the song more interesting.

Once you have your hooks, begin turning your summary into song lyrics. The best way to start this process is to try and write the chorus. The chorus is the “nut” is the central part of your song, the main point, and is a hook in itself. The best choruses are 4-6 line phrases that tell the main part of the story.

Once you have your chorus, start writing your first verse. The first verse should be lines that lead the listener to the chorus. In this case it should begin talking about the 2 characters involved in the story and how they are going to get to the point of getting married. Again, this is where your creativity comes in as there is always more than one way you can take the listener, and remember, people listening love surprises.

At this point you’ve got your chorus, which will be repeated several times and your first verse. Next write the second verse. The object of the second verse is to move the story along towards the conclusion you have planned. Keep in mind that every word you write needs to be related to your central idea. Don’t get side tracked talking about oranges if your song is about apple

BRAINSTORMING

After several decades writing songs, I have my own system I try to follow when I sit down to write a new song. I have finally learned, after thousands of times when a song never got finished, to follow this system or I know I’ll be wasting my time.

know one of the first things I’m going to have to do is start brainstorming for a good song title. You have to get started with a good title, because if you don't have a good title you don't have a song. You need to find a memorable song title, whether it is a rock song title, a country song title or whatever style song you want to write. Song titles can make the writing of the song so much easier. How do you decide on a title for your song? Let’s think about it.

When I get an inspiration, an idea for a new song, there are several questions I ask myself. First, I ask myself if there is enough of a story in the idea to make a complete song, or is it just an idea that should be part of another song. If the answer to the first question is yes, I then ask myself if there is enough of an audience for this song when it is completed. Knowing your audience will help you decide on a title for your song. How to write a song title, that’s the question at hand.

Some songs, even if they are well written, have only a small audience they would appeal to, so a music publisher would not be interested in signing it. There wouldn’t be enough people who would want to buy the CD and after all, to music business professionals, money is the bottom line and the main motivator. It doesn’t matter how good of a songwriter and lyricist you are, some things are out of your control. However, some of these “small audience” songs might end up as an “album cut”, meaning a song that is on the CD but isn’t marketed a as a hit song, but the best rule for writing a new song, is to always swing for the fence, try to make all your songs hit material.

Let’s assume your idea is a good one and there is a huge potential audience for it. The next step is to write a summery of your story. From this summary you are going to write the lyrics and the eventually the melody and music for your new song. Let’s use that great universal subject for our song, love. Our song idea will be I’m going to marry you. Obviously, this idea would appeal to millions of people since most people, if they are single, do they want to get married. Our summary would tell a story that has to do with getting married. This story is probably about a man, maybe a woman, who has chosen who they want to marry. The intended may or may not know about his/her desire. That’s where your creativity comes in. Write your summary of the story that you will then turn into song lyrics.

LEARN FROM OTHER SONGWRITERS

Already Gone, Hotel California, Take It Easy, Desperado, One of These Nights and I Can't Tell You Why. Very few don't know that these are classic hits from The Eagles, one of the most successful bands ever to hit the airways. What you may not realize is that these same songs are some of the most perfectly crafted songs ever written. The Eagle's 2 main songwriters, Don Henley and Glenn Frey are experts at crafting lyrics and melodies. Listen to the almost perfect rhyme schemes of monster hits like Lyin' Eyes or Hotel California and you can appreciate their attention to detail.

I'm actually going to give you your first songwriting assignment. It is very important to model other songwriters and develop your own writing style. You couldn't find 2 better writers to model, except maybe Lennon and McCartney, than these two.Studying these two can be a great help as you learn to write songs.

Listen to some of the Eagle's songs and pay attention to how the lines rhyme. Also pay attention to how the verses and choruses work together. I will talk very soon about song structure and about rhyming, but see what you can figure out for yourself before we get there.