Dolly Parton’s ‘Jolene’: Getting Inside A Great Song
What makes Dolly Parton’s ‘Jolene’ a great song, maybe one of the great songs? Greatness…
Amy Winehouse, Meet Irving Berlin: Modulations, Part 2
In last week’s post I covered two of the five general categories I laid out…
How To Use Modulations In Pop Songs
Modulations in pop songs… Some people love ’em. Some people can’t stand the sound of…
Write and then (cue Ominous Music)… REWRITE
There’s writing and then there’s (cue ominous music)… Rewriting. I look at writing as an…
Looking For The DNA Of A Lyric? Try Your Song’s Title
When writing a lyric, we songwriters often have trouble answering a very mundane question: What…
If Marvin Gaye Can Do It, So Can You
Writing my post last week about the non-plagiarism of Marvin Gaye’s ‘Got To Give It…
Was ‘Blurred Lines’ Stolen From Marvin Gaye? No.
The first time I heard Robin Thicke and Pharrell William’s Blurred Lines I thought, “This…
When The Words And Music DON’T Match… Sometimes It’s Great
Most songs have music and lyrics that match – moody music gets sad lyrics; happy,…
How To Punch Up Your Song’s Title
Taylor Swift’s ‘Shake It Off’ – written by her, Max Martin, and Shellback – leaves…
Songwriting: Finding A Form For The Feelings
Whether you decide at the start or just let it take shape, a song’s form…
Mick and Keith Still Have Some Stuff To Teach Us
Lately I’ve been hearing a lot of vintage Rolling Stones’ songs in various places… and…
Let The Subconscious Do The Writing, Let The Conscious Do The Editing
Thinking can be bad for writing. Most of the heavy lifting is done by the…
Quality Control: Taking A Song Apart And Putting It Back Together
I don’t have one ‘handy’ gene in me, so I’ve always been amazed when I…
How Do You Get Out Of A Songwriting Rut?
When I hear a song I like that’s either new, new to me, or that…
How Do You Know When A Song Is Finished?
I’ve heard many songwriters wonder about this. Quite a few have asked me the above…
‘Let It Snow’: Great Songwriting Any Time Of Year
In the summer of 1945 in Los Angeles, on one of the hottest days of…
Think You Stole Your Melody From Another Song? You’re Probably Right… And Wrong
One of the most common things I hear from songwriters is that they’re afraid they…
The Joy Of Cutting
Buddhists preach non-attachment. Today, though I’m not religious, I will join their ranks, at least…
Lorde, Adele, MJ: The Art Of The Pre-Chorus
More than any other part of a song, the Pre-Chorus’s main function is to help…
Songwriting: What Creates Skill? Why Does It Matter?
Skill is a big part of the difference between an amateur and a professional. Just…
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