How I write a song (part one)

How I write a song (part one)It starts with an idea.

A very small one.

A smaller idea than you might think.

Optional: something I want to write a song about. (Because sometimes I figure out what the song is about when it is well underway.)

Not optional: A fragment of lyric and a melody to go with. They generally pop into my head together and they provide the foundation for the rest of the song. For (real) example:

"Look at me now,
when I can’t find the trail to your heart." ['Pirates']

“Red flares on the highway; 
whatever they were for is gone.” ['Red Flares']

“Heard you screaming in that tenor —
the boy with the baritone heart” ['Lose Your Love']

That small seed of inspiration is really all I have when I start.

I used to write songs while driving my car. I would hammer a beat out on the steering wheel and sing loudly until I was happy with a verse, singing it over and over to try to keep it in my memory. Then I started carrying a tape recorder around (this was a long time ago!) to capture those fragments. Once I got home, I’d transfer the concept over to the piano and work out the chords — which by that time I was generally hearing in my head.

These days I often get the flash of idea right before bed. I scribble down the words & some notes and hope I remember the rhythm and feel the next day. In the morning I go right to the piano.

I figure out the notes I’ve been singing, determine the key, try out some chords, and fit them to the line I have. Then I start by repeating the melody line and try out other lyrics against it. I’m quick at rhyming; this is fast. Now I look to move the melody somewhere else — I try different chords and come up with a few other lines of melody for what usually becomes a verse. Lyrics come out of my mouth at this point virtually subconsciously. I write them down (pencil on paper! Rarely, music paper — usually I just jot the letter of the note down). Some of them will stay; some are atrocious and will be edited later. I poke and work until I have a full verse’s worth. And then I take my scribbled notes upstairs to my study and sit down in an editor.

At this point, I know what I’m writing about — either the scratch lyrics have a theme, or I already had one. I write out another verse, and usually I pen a few lines of what may become a chorus. For some reason, almost always, I find that what I’ve written at the piano is the second or third verse (“Lose Your Love” is an exception here), and so the new verse I write is the first. I edit some of my garbage lyrics. Even if I started writing about something real in my life, a lot of poetic license enters the story at this point! I print the lyrics out neatly and carry them back downstairs. (Does going up and down the stairs help my creative process? Maybe!)

Back at the piano, I compose the melody and chords of the chorus, sometimes adjusting the words a little in the meantime. I try to make the song move somewhere interesting from the verse in the chorus. If my initial try doesn’t sound different enough, I will try something else until it feels strong and catchy. Then I run through the other verse(s) I’ve written to make sure they scan, and finally play through the whole song thus far.

And then I’m done?

Nope.

This is just part one!

Leave a comment

Join the mailing list for the latest news!