I’ve had several consultations lately with newer writers whose songs suffer from the same ailment, and as a result I’ve received permission from one of those songwriters to post the beginnings of a song he’s currently writing to illustrate.
Before we talk about that let me make a brief point.
For newer writers it’s important not to become discouraged at the amount of rewriting that needs to be done. Learning to write solid songs is like a funnel. In the beginning you’ll need to rework large sections dealing with the more basic issues of successful songwriting. As you learn and write more, it’s the ever-smaller details that need to be picked apart and polished.
Keep in mind that even for professionals great songs are rarely written, they’re re-written.
The first draft of the song from my benevolent ‘student’ suffers primarily from a lack of moving forward, due in part to not focusing on a specific scenario. Each and every line of your song should move the song forward rather than restate something or merely provide non-descriptive, general information. Many newer writers fall prey to writing their first line then restating that line throughout the majority of the song. Without a specific scenario in your head, it’s difficult.
Successful songwriters, in and out of Nashville, learn to ‘speak’ in a fresh way about the same subjects. How many ways are there to say I miss someone?
Here are just a few ways it’s been said:
(think how each approaches the subject differently)
“Crazy Arms” (Seals/Mooney)
“Act Naturally” (Russell/Morrison)
“I Still Miss Someone” (Cash)
“Hello Walls” (Nelson)
“I Miss My Mary Tonight” (Ketchum)
“Loving Her Was Easier” (Kristofferson)
“I Fall to Pieces” (Howard/Cochran)
“Half a Man’” (Nelson)
“Farewell Party” (Williams)
etc.
How many hits has Alan Jackson written on this one subject?
(again, focus on how each approaches the subject differently)
“She’s Got the Rhythm” (Jackson/Travis)
“Here in the Real World” (Jackson/Irwin)
“Who Says You Can’t Have it All” (Jackson/McBride)
“Wanted” (Jackson/Craig)
“Dallas” (Jackson/Stegall)
etc.
So with that, here are some of the notes I made for the songwriter I mentioned at the beginning of this post regarding the first draft of a song in progress.
Til next time…
