Staying Open To Last Minute Changes In A Song
Once I get a new song rolling I usually have some idea of where it’s…
Under The Hood Of An Exceptional Song, part 2 (lyrics)
The lyrics of ‘Chained To The Rhythm’ celebrate the surface qualities of the song (dance,…
Don’t Be Afraid To Repeat The Title
Something I encounter quite often… songwriters who are not inclined to repeat, within the Chorus,…
Video blogpost: Why Do I Sometimes Like Songs With Bad Lyrics?
Thank you for reading my weekly blogposts! This is the next in a series of…
To Get Past The Cliches, You’ve Got To Explore
Many of us writers get very discouraged when our first version of an idea comes…
How To Change Your Lyric’s P.O.V. from Verse to Chorus
Generally speaking, to change the point of view in the lyric of a song, it’s…
How Contemporary Songs Are Different; Part 2: Melody
I gave a talk at our Songwriting Day event in 2016 about the ways in…
NEW Video blogpost: ‘Why Are Songs Different Today?’
Thank you for reading my weekly blogposts! I’m starting something different this week: a series…
When To Start Your Song With The Chorus
Most commonly, Verse/Chorus songs start with the Verse and build into the Chorus. This allows…
Jay-Z and Bruce Mythologize Themselves In Their Songs… You Can Try It Too
I recently finished one of the best books on Songwriting I’ve ever read: ‘Decoded’ by…
Songwriting Is Looking Inside… And Looking Outside
In terms of writing over a longer period of time, if one just writes autobiographically…
How To Set Up A Song’s Title
Titles are one of the most powerful tools in songwriting. They don’t just help listeners…
Ways To Learn From The Songs You Love
Recently I came across a quote from artist/songwriter Aloe Blacc. What he said seemed almost…
It’s Usually Good To Know What Your Song’s About
I post songwriting-related quotes on Facebook regularly; not always because I agree with them but…
Let Us Now Praise Smokey Robinson
Let’s take a moment to praise one of the 20th Century’s great songwriters, universally acknowledged…
Songs, Like Art, Can Range from Realism to Abstraction
I don’t know much about art but… wait for it… On the wall at my…
Like ‘I Took A Pill In Ibiza’, Your Ballad Might Be A Dance Hit
Most people know Mike Posner’s ‘I Took A Pill In Ibiza’ from the SeeB EDM…
Is ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’ the Perfect Song?
I’ve heard people call Somewhere Over The Rainbow “the perfect song”. I don’t even think…
The Quickest Way To Bring Fresh Ears To A New Song
Deep into a new song, at some point it becomes hard, almost impossible, to get…
Why You Sometimes Like Songs With Bad Lyrics
In a song, everything is sound. So, before we even perceive the content of lyrics…
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