In Songwriting, “It Works” Means “The Line’s Not Good Enough”
One of the most common errors songwriters commit is when they don’t make an attempt to rewrite their songs, thinking the song upon the first or second draft is good enough, or worse yet, the dreaded phrase “it works,” appears as you’re left wondering why you can’t come up with a better line. With this type of approach, it’s highly difficult for a songwriter to be the best they can be or even compete with other songwriters because they’ll consistently settle for second-best lines and songs.
It’s better to concentrate on making 1 song the absolute best-written song to your ability than to complete 5 so-so songs. You don’t have to be overly analytical or anal about your approach, but you do need to develop solid long-term rewriting habits if you want to write the best songs possible.
Rewriting your songs is an essential part of the songwriting process and every successful songwriter will tell you they practice this method consistently! That’s not to say every long “now and then” a songwriter will absolutely nail a song on the first try, but this applies to simple lyrics in certain genres where the grooves are more important than lyrics such as some types of dance music. But even then, 99.9% of the time at least a word or two have to be rewritten.
If you’re having a tough time coming up with that killer phrase or last two lines of a section, understand you’re not going to hit a home run every time you write a song or even a line for that matter. What you should do is accept that the line you just wrote is missing that special something but that you’re not going to beat yourself over the head to make it appear out of thin air.
Take a break. If, for example, you’re under pressure in the studio to come up with a certain portion of a song or even a complete rewrite, go outside and do what you need to do to relax for a few minutes. If you’re at home finishing up what you believe is your best song if only you could make sense out of that last line, get up and grab a refreshment. Watch TV! Call your significant other, or another friend, or both! Do something to absolutely get your mind off the music for a while. 
Although it’s hard not to concentrate on the song while you’re taking a break, try to shift your focus on something else you enjoy. For some people ten minutes does the trick, for others thirty minutes to an hour works wonders, and it’s not uncommon or impractical for some to abandon their musical efforts for the rest of the day in order to rebound in a totally fresh state!
Many great song lines have sprung up out of nowhere from a songwriter’s subconscious because their minds were free and clear of distractions or pressures. If you force something, just as in everyday life, the object usually doesn’t fit while you’re trying to cram it up in there, right? You end up frustrated and tired. The same applies to songwriting.
There’s an old saying in the pro songwriting world that’ll always hold true; There is always a better line!
