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…
Learn About Songwriting… Then Don’t Think About It
As weird as it may seem to some who’ve read a post or two of…
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…
Sometimes Songs Announce Themselves With A Shy Whisper
That little fragment, that snippet of words and/or melody that comes to mind at odd…
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…
Revisiting Earlier Songs… As A More Experienced Writer
I try to do my best when I write a song. When I feel it’s…
When You Hear That Inner Voice Saying Your Song Could Be Better…
Sometimes I finish a song… and I feel pretty good about it; it seems to…
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…
What Makes Rihanna and Drake’s ‘Work’… Work
The more I listen to “Work’ by Rihanna (featuring Drake) – the video’s below – …
When Song Ideas Come, Forward Motion Is Everything
Overthinking a song can be fatal when ideas are flowing. At a later point, I…
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…
2 Reasons Why Hit Songs Are Different Than They Used To Be
It’s been clear in recent years that popular songwriting has been going through another significant…
Why You Sometimes Like Songs With Bad Lyrics
In a song, everything is sound. So, before we even perceive the content of lyrics…
When In Doubt… Follow The Melody
A songwriter for whom I’m producing an album recently asked for my ideas about what…
Inside An Indie Song That Became A Hit
‘Lost Stars’, sung by Adam Levine in the movie ‘Begin Again’, is a powerful and…
How To Set Up a Chorus Like Justin T. & Max Martin
Justin Timberlake’s smash ’Can’t Stop The Feeling’ delivers 4 minutes-plus of happy happy joy joy…
Don’t Give Away Your Chorus Before Its Time
This post is about avoiding something that I think can hurt a song – I…
Watch the ‘Ask Tony’ Videos
