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by Michael Laskow
Write songs in commercial form.
I know this idea repels a lot of songwriters, but I think that you'll
see that the majority of hit songs follow one of the often used commercial
song structures. I'm sure there are exceptions, but most hits follow
these forms. Why not increase your odds. My theory (which I think I
stole from somebody a few years back) is that we've been conditioned
to respond to these commercial structures by a few decades of listening
to songs presented in them. Our brains seem to know when the chorus
and the bridge should come. We get bored or disinterested if things
happen too drastically out of order.
Like I said,
there are always exceptions. And yes, there have been huge hits that
have not followed commercial structures, but why not try to write songs
with the highest probability of success if you can do so without sacrificing
your integrity or that of the song. How many Bob Dylan's are there?
And please don't take this as an insult... but realistically and statistically,
what are the odds that you're the next Dylan?
Make your listener "feel" what you "feel."
Songwriting expert (and TAXI screener) John Braheny once told me that
it's one thing to write something that expresses how you feel, but a
whole other thing to cause the listener to feel what you felt. That's
the essence of great communication.
Your girlfriend
just broke up with you. You're devastated, and moved to write a song
that brings you to tears every time you look at the lyrics. Will it
bring a stranger to tears? If it doesn't, it might not be communicating
to anyone but you.
Write like a trash compactor.
Think of a trash compactor full of wadded up paper. Press the button,
and poof, you have the same contents in a much tidier package. If you
can do the same thing with lyrics, you'll increase you odds of writing
a hit. If you can say it with a 'twist,' all the better. An example:
It puts a smile on my face and a song in my heart when I write a good
lyric. Compacted and 'twisted'; Writing good lyrics puts a smile on
my heart. Half as many words, and hopefully catchier.
Don't bore us, get to the chorus.
Keep the intros short. Long intros are self-indulgent and may turn the
listener off before they even get a chance to hear the rest of the song.
Keep your verses short. People want to hear the hook, and they need
to hear it right away or they'll go to another station.
Don't let your melodies meander.
Meandering melodies bore listeners. Simple but interesting melodies
that resolve well work much better. Make sure that your choruses are
melodically and rhythmically different from your verses. It's also good
to use bridges in most songs, and make sure that they make the song
interesting and uplift the listener. By that, I mean that the bridge
should set the listener up for a final chorus and vamp. Make the listener
feel that the big finish is on its way.
Embellish the chorus.
Use a change in the rhythmic structure and introduce new instrumentation
to make your chorus become as important as it needs to be. Big choruses
make big hits. People want to sing along and tap their feet. Give them
what they want.
Read, read, read.
All writers need ideas for songs. Many I've spoken with use books of
all kinds for inspiration. Novels, travel books, children's books, history
books, maybe even a math book every now and then (It's easy as one-two-three).
Read and become more worldly.
Read to educate
yourself about songwriting. There are some incredibly good books on
the subject, many of which are listed in the accompanying sidebar. If
you read these books carefully and keep them around as reference material,
it will be nearly impossible not to become a dramatically better songwriter.
If you follow no other piece of advice in this column, please take this
one to heart.
And finally,
don't forget to be like the salmon. You may feel like you're swimming
upstream, but if you're destined to be a songwriter, you will have no
choice but to continue no matter how strong the opposing current.
RECOMMENDED READING
- All You Need To Know About The Music Business by Donald Passman
(Simon & Schuster)
- The Craft And Business of Songwriting by John Braheny (Writers
Digest)
- 101 Songwriting Wrongs And How To Right Them by Pat & Pete Luboff
(Writers Digest)
- Writing Better Lyrics by Pat Pattison (Writers Digest)
- The Craft Of Lyric Writing by Sheila Davis (Writers Digest)
- You Can Hype Anything by Raleigh Pinsky (Citadel)
- The Songwriters Idea Book by Sheila Davis (Writers Digest)
- Beginning Songwriters Answer Book by Paul Zollo (Writers Digest)
- Creating Melodies by Dick Weissman (Writers Digest)
- Hot Tips For The Home Recording Studio by Hank Linderman (Writer's
Digest)
- Networking In The Music Business by Dan Kimpel (Writer's Digest)
- Writing Music For Hit Songs by Jai Josefs (Schirmer Books)
- Going Pro by Kenny Kerner (Hal Leonard)
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