Lyle Lovett recently said, “I’ve always thought that writing isn’t really that hard. It’s having a good idea that’s hard.” I can’t always agree with the first half of his statement, but I think I understand what he means by the second.
One of the most disappointing things in Songwriting is to spend a lot of time writing a pretty good song, only to realize later that the main idea isn’t that strong, isn’t that distinctive… and it’s very difficult for any song, no matter how well-written, to rise above the intrinsic quality of its main idea.
What is a ‘main idea’? Let’s say it’s a combination of words. melody, and rhythm that usually involves the Title.
This is why so many professional Songwriters (not all) start with the Title and won’t even spend time writing unless they know they’ve got a Title they really like, often including some ideas, or at least inclinations, of how to get some juice out of it.
Personally, I may sometimes start without a Title (if I’ve got something musically compelling) but I know that in most (not all) of the songs I write I’ve got to find it asap. The Title/Chorus usually ties the whole thing together, no matter how far you roam. So I’m always on the lookout.
The most common thing in the world is to start singing your Title phrase with words you’ve heard a million times (literally) – ‘I Love You Baby’, ‘I’ll be There For You’, ‘You’re Everything To Me’, etc. Everybody does that! And, obviously, there’ve been some good songs written with those kind of Titles – the ones that are lying around everywhere and are easy for anyone to pick up. But there’ve also been tens of thousands of other songs that never exceed the poverty of their origins.
The same thing goes for Melody (see below) – maybe more so. From what I’ve observed, its even more common to just accept the first melody idea that comes to mind and never reconsider it. And often that first melody can be just as prosaic as the Titles described above.
Does your melody tell a story, without the words? Does it move? Does it move on its own, without the chords to push it ahead? Do the rhythm of the notes have enough variety?
So it’s important to be searching, keeping up one’s antenna, for lyric and musical ideas that are YOURS and have a strong resonance for you, that don’t quite come from the common pile; and to be willing to refine, to ask ‘could this be better?’… that’s essential.
It’s a habit, like most things. It’s a habit of pushing a little further, seeing what’s around the next turn, of not being so afraid. In a song, unlike in life, if you change something you can almost always go back to the way it was!
Richard Rodgers knew more about Songwriting than most of us will ever know know, or maybe more than all of us put together will ever know. He said this about putting together a show, but I think it applies to songs as well: “The main moment when a show is made or broken is the moment when people say ‘how about making a musical about such and such’…”
What’s the main idea?
ps For a hilarious example of the melody following the chords. i.e., how NOT to write a melody –