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.

————————————–

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

————————————–

“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!

————————————–

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!

Lyrics © 2008 SongwriterAdvisor.com All Rights Reserved

Sting recalls how he woke up in the middle of the night with the line, “Every breath you take, every move you make dancing in his head, so he sat down at the piano and wrote the million-seller “Every Breath You Take” in 30 minutes.  Countless other songwriters talk about a short phrase or melody suddenly and unexpectedly taking over their brains and hit songs literally “writing themselves” with little effort!

So how does this happen?  It certainly doesn’t happen by accident to just anybody who has no interest in writing a song.  It happens to songwriters who put themselves in what I call “Songwriting Mode,” which is the ability to train your brain to subconsciously create any of the following:

1. a great original song title
2. a catchy melody (usually a short musical phrase)
3. an interesting lyric
4. an infectious rhythm
5. a pleasing harmony
6. any other song component; and
to instantaneously translate that idea or ideas into the making of a great song by allowing your mind to literally take off in different musical directions!  Usually, musical ideas from being in “songwriting mode” come in short phrases or spurts, and they can be any part or section of the song (i.e., the last line of a verse, the middle of a chorus, etc.)

On Thursday, August 14, 2008, Part 2 of this series will begin to disclose how to condition your mind to reach the stage of being in “songwriting mode.”

The advice you’ve just read about blindly pitching your material to music publishers listed in various publications as “accepting unsolicited material” or even after getting permission through phone calls from various music publishers before sending $200.00 worth of demos to 100 different companies is what you should do ONLY AS A LAST RESORT!!!!!!

The secret to getting a real music publishing deal lies in how hard you want to work at exposing your music to the right people by relentlessly and shamelessly networking-IN PERSON!  Yep, that’s the music industry secret few people are mentioning. 

So, the same unjust and unfair scenario repeats itself over and over to very talented songwriters all over the world.  They hit a brick wall wondering why no one wants to sign them to music publishing deals.  They’re not misinformed, they’re simply not receiving all the information they need. 

Your goal when chasing any type of music publishing deal is to have the publisher or company representative  listen to your demo IN PERSON!

NOW YOU HAVE THE INFORMATION, AND HERE IT IS!!!

If you’re seriously going after a music publishing deal whether it be a single song agreement to a full-fledged exclusive (staff) songwriting deal, follow these steps:

1.  Research music publishing companies in your area no matter how small of a company you think they are.  Young companies can turn out to be a gold mine if they match your great songs with great artists who start out locally, then regionally, then nationally and/or worldwide.  Many success stories in the music business happened this way because these are simply the goals of most independent music publishers and record companies!

2.  Once you have a list of independent and major label music publishers, start calling people listed as contacts (such as A&R reps, etc.) in various music industry up-to-date resources such as The Musician’s Atlas or The Music Registry, and make real appointments so they can hear your music.  These people may be hard to contact but your efforts will pay off if you have the goods!  Remember, the music industry revolves around talent.  Believe this; the music industry is aways looking for talent and it’s your job to find out who in the company is presently trying to find that talent!!!!

3.  Once you’ve made some appointments, it’s time to hit the road with your demo packages  containing your masterpieces!  If your music industry contacts break or cancel an appointment by letting you know ahead of time (consider yourself lucky if this occurs), politely reschedule over the phone. 

If you’re standing at the reception area of a music publishing company and the receptionist tells you, “He/she is not available, just leave the demo here,” a big red flag should go up in your brain!  Don’t settle for hearing, “I’ll make sure they receive the demo, we’ll get back to you.”  Do your best to graciously decline and insist you’d rather give it to them in person, and, once again, do everything to politely reschedule.  You’ll be taken far more seriously .

4.  Once a music publisher or staff member has actually sat down to hear your demo in your presence, congratulations.  If you get a favorable response, you’ve made a contact!  One good contact can make or break you in the music business when you’re starting out.

5.  Now it’s time to use a “call to action.”  Don’t be afraid to ask the music publishing representative if they’re interested in your music.  You’ll usually get an immediate response.  If they say yes, you can start building your relationship further and more seriously by perhaps inviting them to see you perform,  or by asking them if you may submit more songs for consideration in the next three to four weeks.  This is how you build relationships in the music industry-by being straightforward and sincere.  When you feel like you’ve made some type of connection with the music publishing rep or the actual company, ask if they’re willing to offer you a music publishing deal.

If the music publishing company representative is not willing to offer any type of music publishing deal at the moment, and you have a gut feeling that they like something about you and/or your music, ask them if they can recommend another music publisher who might be interested in your music.   

If you’re right and they like your music, they’ll become worried and jealous that you’ll eventually go and find a music publishing deal somewhere else!  You’ll have incredible leverage.

6.  Repeat steps 1-5 and keep building relationships.  Be realistic.  If you build 1 solid contact every 2 months, you should have 6 of them in a year!  That may sound like it’s not enough, but chances are, each of those contacts has numerous contacts, and that’s where your networking comes in through attending industry events, workshops, parties,etc.  You’ll be well on your way to to a chance at having success! 

When you begin your song-pitching campaign, keep the following points in mind:

(a).  Remember, if you make it your job to find music publishing companies and you don’t make the mistake of trying to let them find you, your chances of success will go up dramatically.

(b).  Dress appropriately, and better yet, create a contemporary, unique image for yourself in the way you dress and carry yourself.

(c).  Don’t let rejection affect you negatively.  Virtually every major star has been rejected once or many times before they actually “made it.”  Accept constructive criticism and keep moving forward.

(d).  If you don’t live in a city with prospective music publishing companies, you’ll either have to make a trip to one of the major music hubs (In the US-Los Angeles, NY, Miami, Nashville, etc.) or use services such as Taxi to get results. 

(e).  Unless you’re a proven, successful songwriter, music publishing companies don’t generally sign songwriters to music publishing deals unless they’ve established some type of rapport or professional relationship with them.

Good luck!

You see, chances are that many people have experienced much of what you have, so they’ll be able to identify with your songs!

On a sheet of paper or on your computer, start listing moments or periods in your life that you believe people will be able to relate to.  Using my own life as an example, here are just a few:

1.  I’ll never forget the first day I saw my wife–it was at a hot Miami dance club.  She walked in and looked a little out of place (because I didn’t want to believe she was a barfly-boy if she reads this I’ll really be in trouble!).  Anyway, I struck a conversation with her, and she blew me off, basically saying she was not interested!  (*****I wrote a country tune to this called, “She Doesn’t Know It Yet”)     

2.  I had a good friend who was facing a gigantic family crisis and I lent as much moral support as I possibly could.  My friend eventually got back on track and was very grateful.  (******I wrote an R&B ballad to this life experience called, “Find Your Way Back Home”)

3.   Living on South Beach for a few years, I remember people-watching, specifically while having an early morning breakfast at the 11th street diner at 3:00 A.M. every now and then as the most original, peculiar people would pass by.  (*****I haven’t written anything to this yet, but the title, “Why Be Normal?” is dancing in my head for perhaps a dance song)

4.   Like most every person on this planet (hint! hint!-this has to be a great, universal topic) I’ve lived through many ups and down, joys and heartaches, failures and victories. (*****I took one specific, proud period in my life and turned it into an inspirational song called “I Shall Prevail”)

I can literally go on and on!   But I’ll stop right here and give you one last tip; Once you pick a song idea out of one of your life experiences, concentrate on specific things that occurred, i.e., “She strutted in through the double-doors/and into the smoky room/her ruby-red lipsticktold me I was doomed……..  You get the idea! 

Next time you write a song try this: 

1.  Take your song worksheet and underneath all of your noun, verb, and other words entries, and leave some space on the bottom for lyric phrases.

2.  Take your title, and start asking, “Who, what, where, when, why, and how?” and use the bottom of your worksheet to enter the following method: For example: If my song title is, “I’ve Known All Along,” first I need to clarify in my mind what I’m trying to say with the song title – this is the song idea or theme. The song could be about (a) someone catching the other cheating, (b) someone saying they never doubted themselves, (c) someone saying they were sure the other would fall in love with them, etc.

For this example, I’ll pick (c) as my song idea to illustrate this method.

Now I’ll start asking questions, and I’ll write ideas, not necessarily lines for the song in finished form, just basic thoughts that come to my head:

Remember the song idea for “I’ve Known All Along” was (c) someone saying they were sure the other would fall in love with them.

With this as your starting point you should have enough ideas to begin putting your lyrics together by starting out with powerful opening lines in your first verse and chorus.
——————–
For example, in this song, my first line in the first verse could be:

I can believe it’s come to this………<< taken from “I’m not surprised” entry in, “What?”

——————–
The first few lines in the chorus might look like this:

I’ve known all along…………………………………………………<<song title
I’ve known all along…………………………………………………<<song title
Your eyes have always told me………………<from “the way your eyes……” in Why? 
With you I could never go wrong……………< unrelated to this exercise

The last line “With you I could never go wrong” was a line naturally sparked by the other lines as a result of this method.  Now, this is by no means a masterpiece of a line but it’s certainly a great starting point.  And that’s exactly what this method is about, sparking ideas and creating a starting point!

Here’s an example of this method.  I recently used it to write the country tune “An Offer I Can’t Refuse.”   I chose the title after hearing it on TV and several ideas for a song poured into my head like ten severe thunderstorms raining down on me at once! 

1. First, I created the story by picking out ONE song idea from several possible ones that came to my head for this title:

I’m in love and I don’t want to miss the chance at having that special someone slip through my hands just because I’m not sure if I’m willing to commit to a serious relationship.  I can actually see us having a beautiful future and I can definitely picture her walking down the aisle to meet me at the altar.  I need to go for it–and take a chance at being happy.  I’m so grateful for having her in my life.

2. Then, I shortened my idea to only ONE sentence:

I’m not going to let my big chance of loving you pass me by, I’m going to commit to you, and I’m going to do everything I can to make this work and make you happy.

3. Next, I picked out a song form I thought would work to get my message across.  Keep in mind that initially selecting a song form is a good idea so you can structure your song but this can change minimally or drastically later on.  In other words, select a song form as a starting point.  For this song I picked the common verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus (ABABCB) form.

4. The next step I took was to outline what I was going to say in each section:

Verse 1 – I can’t let this chance pass me by
Chorus – You loving me forever is an offer I can’t refuse
Verse 2 – Can you see in my eyes how grateful I am for having a chance to love you  
Bridge – I’m ready to work hard at keeping our relationship going through the good and the bad

5. Finally, here’s the song after a few rewrites to perfectly drive my message across:

An Offer I Can’t Refuse
(O. Gutierrez)

Verse 1
I’m not going to give up on this chance
It feels much too right
To make my every step a lifelong dance
With you by my side

My gut keeps telling my head
There’s absolutely no risk
It’s easy to feel this way
Every time you kiss me

Chorus
Oooohh
I can taste the treasure in your lips
I feel the potential of my soul
To give itself
To you completely

Ooooohh
You don’t have to say another word
I’m already convinced
Your love has made me
An offer I can’t refuse

Verse 2
For you I’m going to trade in all my cares
For hopes and big dreams
Everday I’ll thank the man upstairs
For helping me see

You are the diamond
I never thought I’d find
Can’t you see how my eyes sparkle
Knowing you’ll be mine

Repeat Chorus

Bridge
I’ll take you up
On what you say will take us far
I’ve bought into
Me and you
Playing it smart
And placing our biggest bet
On each other’s heart

Repeat Chorus

Copyright 2008

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!

Music is inspired by other music–we songwriters are all a product of our songwriting influences and musical tastes. You’d be hard-pressed to find one great songwriter who won’t cite another songwriter as being their inspiration.  In other words, if you learned how to play your guitar by learning The Eagles greatest hits you are more than likely going to have that Eagles flavor, however slight, show up in one or possibly a few songs somewhere down the line without even consciously realizing it initially. But at some point with all the music filtering in your brain, if you train yourself and just keep on songwriting, you will eventually turn a corner and come up with something totally original by merely experimenting.

Here are some surefire ways to spark your songwriting originality:

1.  While practicing or playing cover songs, concentrate on playing them and singing them in your own style instead of trying to imitate the actual recording.  This can be accomplished in several ways:

a).  Use different vocal phrasing and vary the melody in certain places
b).  Play the song in a slightly different or totally different tempo
c).  Play the song in a different key
d).  Vary the chords used in the original by replacing them with extended chords, relative minor chords instead of major chords(e.g. Em instead of Gmajor), etc.–any chords that add freshness and/or originality to the song!  You’ll find you can even change the whole chord structure of some songs and end up with an effective, entirely original-sounding version of a song.

The bottom line here is that by learning and practicing popular songs you’ll easily expand your chord knowledge and inspire your playing style of whatever instrument you choose.  You’ll even learn new chord progressions that’ll inspire creativity and stay in your subconscious mind as you write new songs.  However, instead of imitating the song perfectly as on the recording, make it your own by exploring your natural ability! 

 2.  Grab a chord book or visit JGuitar.com and begin or continue consistently expanding your chord knowledge.  Knowing at least some music theory is certainly beneficial, especially for jazz music, but it’s not absolutely required.  One of the most important parts in the musical aspect of songwriting is learning chords and how they interact and sound within the key of your songs.  Learn at least one new chord a day by not only learning the fingering, but playing the newly-learned chord until you recognize not only the sound of the chord, but also how it sounds when playing it amongst other chords you know.

3.  Look at your song catalog (completed songs)  and list them under three groups: uptempo, midtempo, slow.  If one or more song categories lag behind the other(s) by a large margin, consider writing the next few songs in that lowest number of songs category, e.g., if you’ve written 15 slow and midtempo songs and have written only 2 uptempo, consider writing the next couple of songs as uptempo songs.  By doing so, who knows?  You may hit upon a totally new, signature sound that blows everyone away!  

4.  Check out your local music scene and you’ll likely find great, undiscovered talent in your own home town that can influence your playing and even take you in a different musical direction altogether!  There are many talented musicians who are perfectly content with not chasing a major label because they’re making a great living playing and selling their own music.  Heck, in many cases, self-contained hometown musicians can make a better living than a major label artist!!! 

If you’re a guitar player, focus on the guitarist and how he or she plays in the context of their music.  Likewise, if you’re a keyboardist, watch the keyboard player and if you’re a drummer, watch the drummer, etc.  Any instrument you choose to focus on while you’re out listening to music has the potential to be the source of inspiration you’ve been looking for to help your originality!  

5.  Take your song catalog and try to listen for similarities between several songs, and ask yourself questions such as:

a).  Are the song intros the same the exact same length (4 bars, 8 bars, etc.)?  If they are, then make a conscious effort to vary the intro length. Try “no intro,” a two bar intro, etc.

b).  Am I using the same song forms for every song?  If so review Inject More Life Into Your Songwriting Pt1.  You may be using the same song forms everyone else is  because it’s “commercial” or you feel comfortable writing in that same style. 

c).  Is my lyric phrasing similar in length or style from song to song?  Vary the length of your lines while you write your next few songs.  You might come across a style that’s totally unique to you.

d).  Have I considered writing a new song with a new instrument or even without any instrument at all? 

6.  If you’re one of the lucky few to be hanging around with proven music industry songwriters, watch and learn how they work.  Pick up their good habits and don’t hesitate to ask them questions when, if at all, possible.  This will help you develop your own personal style as long as you merely assimilate their styles and work habits, and as long as you don’t try to copy their styles.

Most industry executives are looking not only for hit quality songs, but songs and acts that sound original enough to stand on their own!  The same holds true for hardcore music fans!  The truth is, the music world has pretty much shown us everything and “true originals” are extremely hard to find because inevitably, almost every songwriter or artist sounds like and is compared to another songwriter or artist.  If you come upon a great sound that’s totally original you have a distinct advantage in the music industry.  So explore, explore, explore!!!

Experienced songwriters usually come up with attention-grabbing opening lines out of instinct, but even their well runs dry every now and then when they’re looking for an opening line to give their listeners that  ”wow” factor.

There are a few ways or methods to create great opening lines and one of the best and the first one we’ll explore is to simply take your song’s title or theme, come up with words (verbs, nouns, adverbs, etc.) related to the theme, and construct phrases that relate to the song title or theme.  To learn how to come up with a word list or refresh your memory, visit:  SongwriterAdvisor.com

Let’s take a look at some powerful opening lines in some recently-charted songs as an example:

Bleeding Love, sung by Leona Lewis

Closed off from love I didn’t need the pain

Notice how the first words “closed off from love” relate to the title “Bleeding Love.” This is a common technique used by focused songwriters where they use wordplay to either directly or indirectly (subliminally) associate words and phrases with the song title and/or theme.  In this case the words ”closed off ” indirectly relate to the song title because the singer essentially states she intentionally closed her emotional wounds and put those feelings behind her so she could continue living. 

The following country song by Brad Paisley, “I’m Still A Guy” gives a great example of an opening line directly relating to the song title or theme, but it takes him just a little more than one line to accomplish this:

I’m Still A Guy, co-written and sung by Brad Paisley

When you see a deer you see Bambi
And I see antlers up on the wall

The opening lines here directly relate to the song title as Paisley drives the point quickly across that he sees the world differently than a female—she sees a cute animal as opposed to how he sees a prize associated with hunting a sought-after animal.

The next time you hear your favorite music try to listen for the first line of the song and see if it relates directly or indirectly to the song title or theme:  You’ll be surprised–although this is an often-overlooked songwriting principle, you’ll find that the majority of successful songs do follow it!  There are many songs out there with weak, forgettable opening lines.  Why not make your songs that much stronger by developing memorable ones? 

Using this technique gives you a far better chance that the listener will remember the first line and it’ll add more memorability to your song. Just as important, record industry people expect opening lines to be captivating, and when they are not, you’ve got to have something else special going on for the song such as a killer beat, or they’ll merely skip to the next song.

Songwriters are no exception to this rule, especially when they find they’ve written a few solid songs using the same “routine” and “formula,” so to speak.  In songwriting, it is sometimes hard to break free from a proven method of songwriting,  and some songwriters resist change by sticking to “their style of songwriting,” while declaring, “If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it.”

So consequently, as an example, some songwriters stay focused on the classic song forms of verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus, in pop and country music , or verse-chorus-verse-chorus-rap-chorus in r&b with little or no variation.  After a while, songs start to sound the same and you not only risk losing your listeners, but you also run the risk of having music industry people think you’re one-dimensional.

It’s not that difficult to add some variety in your songs and give them a definite boost if you know where to inject them with song form variations.  That’s right!  All you have to do is start experimenting with song forms.  This is the easiest way to lend variety to your future collection of original songs.   

If you find yourself in these songwriting shoes and you want to break free from the “all too familiar” type of song, try using the following song forms to help your songs be more original and stand out in a crowd:

1.  Instead of verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus (ABABCB) format, use:

For rock, pop, r&b, and country music

verse-verse-chorus-verse-instrumental-chorus-verse-chorus
verse-chorus-verse-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus
chorus-verse-chorus-verse-bridge-chorus
chorus-verse-chorus-verse-instr-bridge-chorus
verse-chorus-instr-chorus-verse-bridge-chorus
verse-prechorus-chorus-verse-chorus-instr-prechorus-chorus

also:

try using the rarely-used verse-verse-chorus-verse (AABA) format, and variations such as:

verse-verse-bridge-instr-verse-bridge-verse
bridge-verse-verse-bridge-verse-new section-instr-verse

This list can go on and on–there’s no limit, and this works well for many other genres!
Try making a 2nd verse only half of a verse, or a 2nd chorus a half-chorus—You get the idea! Cut a song section in half and go into an instrumental part.
Don’t always settle for what’s expected. Sometimes rearranging a song’s form can bring out the life you never expected in that song. Big-time music producers routinely and instinctively rearrange song forms to make songs more powerful because oftentimes they’re presented with twelve songs that basically have the same song forms. Why not take care of all that work by yourself by being original in the first place?

These days, to stay competitive and original, songwriters are thinking outside the box far more often than just a few short years ago. Don’t get left in the dust! Always look for new ways to add spice and originality in your songs even if it means rearranging your song form in a small way to add that extra “ooomph,” and you can’t go wrong. Yes, human beings love familiarity, but didn’t someone say once that, “Variety is the spice of life?”