Lyrics Now

Michael Anderson

I have been teaching a new class this quarter on songwriting. In it, I have seen new students come in with more strong ideas, more interesting concepts, and a wider variety of stylistic options than I have ever seen in a beginning songwriting class. It made me wonder, what is going on?

As background, it is a stylistically mixed class — more or less even grouping of Pop, Rock, Hip-Hop, Rap, Country, and Folk. I had no idea how that mix would play out in class presentation of material.

Somewhat to my surprise, it worked very well. The new songs the students brought in began to take on not only the influences of the lessons in basic songwriting technique that I presented in class time, but also the influences of student songs and stylistic inclinations.

I heard obvious, strong choruses and structure in Hip-Hop and Rap, I heard stronger grooves and better arrangement ideas in Pop and singer songwriter presentations, and I heard more discussion in class about choruses and bridges, as well as thematic lyric development and its impact.

I also heard Korean and Chinese Pop mix with Hip-Hop and R&B, South American power Pop, I heard very sensitive, heavy emotional lyric themes presented without self-consciousness and saw them received with quiet enthusiasm and support. And I realized something important about this craft and this new generation.

In a time when the business itself seems Byzantine and difficult, constantly changing, when the old paradigms and parameters of following a career path are hazy, if not obscure, when it seems like it has never been harder to earn some kind of living from the craft of songwriting and make money — the art of writing and the love of songwriting is flourishing in a new and vibrant way.

That may be just my opinion, but I am seeing it on a street level. People are writing for the love of it, to express themselves, to find a way, to make beautiful music, to make angry music, to make relevant music. And there is a desperate joy in it that I have never seen before.

So what does this have to do with your lyrics? Well, can you compete with the new young guns out there? These kids are hungry. Do you have the passion? Do you have the love? Do you have the drive? Do your songs really matter? How will the business react and deal with this new generation of talented writers and artists who have nothing to lose and will not be denied?

Do your lyrics mean anything? Does your song say anything new to the listener?

There are many different lyric themes and approaches in music — not every lyric has a deep inner meaning and world-changing theme. But I have noticed an attitude even in Pop.

Do you catch the meaning in the bridge, for example, of Beyoncé's "Single Ladies" — what she is really saying? She is expressing something a whole generation of young women seem to be saying in many different ways — espousing a value system in a way relevant to her generation and audience.

Or how about the way John Mayer expresses sexuality in "Your Body Is A Wonderland"? Different take than "You Shook Me All Night Long" by AC/DC. From what I see, not only another attitude, but somehow more now in tone and relatability than '80's Rock. It starts with the opening verse — she procures the "room for two" — interesting. Detail, for sure — but very important detail.

All classic music is, of course, of its time and timeless. But there seems to be something in the previous examples that is nuanced to this time, and this generation.

Also, what is your motivation? Why are you writing songs? I know many people write songs because they want to. But this new group of writers seem to write because they have to.

There isn't the same promise or expectation of "rock stardom" or big riches that seemed more doable to previous generations of songwriters — there is more of an attitude of "whatever" — this is what I do no matter what. I'll find a way. There is no choice.

That is tough competition. It's hard to work harder than someone who doesn't see it as work — it's tough to compete against someone who doesn't have a plan B — it is all or nothing. It is hard to stay step by step with someone who has no place to go back to.

And what does your lyric to say to a generation with that attitude?