Before I commit myself to a musical phrase, especially when it contains a Title, it’s worth making sure I’ve couched the words in the best rhythm I can find, shooting for balance between flow and drive on one hand and, on the other, clarity – so the meaning is clear.

As an example, I’ve been working on a song called (at least for now), ‘Time To Say Goodbye’. The final line of the Chorus is the place where the song has to ‘land’; it’s where the Title belongs.

The words there are simple: ‘And now for us it’s Time To Say Goodbye’.

The tricky aspect is that the melody, which I wrote first, moves very fast at that point in the song. The tempo is around 90 beats per minute; it’s a mid-tempo rocker with a 16th note feel.

For this Title line, a rest on the first 16th note of the third beat is followed by seven quick 16th notes in the remainder of the bar, containing the words, ‘And now for us it’s Time To’. The seven syllables go by fast, followed by ‘Say Goodbye’ sung with a little more space (an 8th note and two 16ths).

Musically, I like the 16th note staccato choppiness of this 10 note phrase. But the question is, is there enough room to really ‘get’ the lyric. Does it go by too quickly?

As usual, the more I sang it, the easier it got to sing. But I also started to consider other phrasing options. To just suggest the rhythms (and not get deeper into the 8th note/16th note weeds), I could consider changing the Title so it sang, ‘And now it’s Time… For Us To Say… Goodbye.’ Stretching out the important words.

Easier to understand, and to sing. But I don’t like the wordier Title, ‘Time For Us To Say Goodbye’ as much as the simpler and punchier, ‘Time To Say Goodbye’ .

I’m also fooling around with variations of, ‘And now for us it’s Time… To Say… Goodbye’. (’Time’, Say’, and ‘Goodbye’ being the most important words, they deserve the most consideration).

As of now I’m guessing I’ll stick with the original phrasing. But I’ll think hard about it. Is it really singable, with coherence? I’ll look at the trade-offs when I use different rhythms for the words. Punchier… but less clear? More clarity… but less of the rapid rat-a-tat effect, which I think is hooky? (After all, at heart it is a rhythmic tune.)

As I keep fooling around with the song, living with it and in it, the best option will at some point become clear. But I think it’s good to consider aspects of a song from different angles and see what’s revealed. Especially when it comes to making the Title pop!

I try not to fear trying variations. I can always, as I may do here, change everything back to the way it was.

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