Songwriter Advisor Blog

In songwriting, quite often the ideas just don’t pour out of us like we want or expect them to. Melodies fall flat, we get stuck while writing verse lines, or maybe the whole song doesn’t seem to be working at all as you hoped!  Before you put your next song on the back-burner and leave it half-written, here’s help!

In this article, let’s explore a simple method to improve your first verse lines. Remember, your first two lines are the ones that keep the listener interested enough to hear more. You really want the first two lines to directly relate, or at least hint at the song’s title.  Many times, when you give your first verse some clarity the rest of the song follows suit and it makes for easier, more effective songwriting.

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Let’s say the song title is “Don’t Get Carried Away,” and the first four lines in the first verse are:

I’ve been looking at you all night
And I think you know
My intentions can’t be
The answer to your dreams

Not a very clear first four lines! It doesn’t do anything for me, that’s for sure. There’s a lack of focus, and really, the song can take off aimlessly in any direction right now.  So let’s focus!

First, I’ll ask myself what I want the song to be about. Taking the song title, “Don’t Get Carried Away,” I’m thinking maybe this can be a pop or country song. Before I begin, I need to summarize the song’s idea in one sentence. Here are some possibilities:

1. I just met this woman, we’ve hit it off, but she’s not looking for a one-night stand and she wants to retain her respectability at any cost, so she’s telling me to cool it!

2. I’m not ready to commit to a long-term relationship yet, and you need to slow down with all this marriage and babies talk before you scare me off!

Number 2 sounds cool but I’m thinking I’ll save it for another song which means I’ll use number 1 as the song’s idea. Let’s review the first 4 lines:

I’ve been looking at you all night
And I think you know
My intentions can’t be
The answer to your dreams

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“I’ve been looking at you all night” sounds plain and limp. Let’s give that line some life and hopefully everything else will fall into place a little better.

My eyes have been locked into yours all night

Wow, much better!

So what do I want to say in the rest of the first verse?  I want to say I know she’s interested in me, too.

My eyes have been locked into yours all night
Now tell me it isn’t so
Your smile has found me more than once or twice
Enough to tell me all I need to know

Much more interesting and powerful, and quite possibly the start of a solid country tune, written right here in real-time!

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In summary, it’s wise to map out a story line for the entire song, then to break down the story in sections if you have to. Now, I do agree there are times when excellent melodies and lines naturally appear out of thin air!  But if you want to consistently write good songs, get in the habit of mapping out and knowing what you’re trying to say either on paper or in your head before you write it!

Focus on your first verse, make it strong and memorable, and be clear about where you’re going with the song as it relates to the song’s idea. Your songwriting will usually become effortless thereafter!

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It’s imperative as a songwriter to be honest with yourself while trying to analyze the quality of your work (songs). This is an easy, natural task for some, and much harder for others.

There are some songwriters who seem to have an internal button that pushes itself to let them them know that “PING!”……that line needs work, the hook/chorus is lacking, or the song itself is just O.K., not very good at all, etc.  On the other hand, there are some songwriters who write a song and think it’s the greatest song since “Stairway To Heaven” only to get a cold reception and an “I don’t think so, dude,”  from an audience every time they play it.

A huge part of becoming a great songwriter is to learn how to be completely honest with your work so you can continually improve. 

To train yourself on how to guage your songwriting properly in order to benefit your songwriting tremendously, follow these tips: 

1.  You can start by listening to your favorite music and giving each song an honest opinion about the lyrics, melody, harmony, rhythm, etc.  Don’t fall into the envious trap of thinking, “Oh that song completely sucks, my songs are better,” without figuring out why you think the song is so bad.    It’s human nature to put down another songwriter’s work especially when you believe it’s true, even if you just say it to yourself, but why not dig deeper to see how correct you are and justify why you’re making this determination for your learning experience?   

If you approach it this way, you’ll probably find that many of those songs you don’t like are simply not your cup of tea!  You see, while there is some fluff out there, there’s usually some quality such as the recording artist to the infectious melody to the catchy rhythm that makes the song appealing and successful.

2.  After writing and rewriting your song, rehearse your song and record yourself if possible, even if it’s a mini-recorder.  If your song is more electronic-based and depends more on a groove such as  R&B, some types of Pop, Rap, and Dance, download the free The Hammerhead Rhythm Station for Windows or the orDrumbox for Mac, learn how to use the free software machine, and sing or rap to the beat.  If you have a recording studio of any size at home, or access to a studio through a friend, this is the ideal route to take.   By recording yourself, you will be able to hear good parts as well as flaws that need work.  

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve sung in a recording studio thinking the song was excellent and the vocals O.K., only to come out of the vocal booth and find the song as well as the performance stunk!

3.  Run your song(s) through one of the many great songwriting checklists on the web to make sure it’s your best possible work.

4.  Test the song(s) out with family members and friends (when everyone’s sober!), look at their immediate reaction,  and ask what they like and/or dislike about the song.  This is by no means a perfectly accurate way to gauge your progress but it gives you a general idea of your song’s impact on people. 

5.    If you find your songwriting is lacking in some general area such as verse development, go back to the basics, review verse development techniques and rewrite your verse or verses once again.  With patience and persistence, you’ll eventually get it right and be pleased with your work! 

If anyone’s experienced a great way to be honest with their own songwriting or musicianship for that matter, I’d love to hear what you did and how you did it!