BRADLEY KENYON

There is no shortage of songwriters these days. I love that. I like it when people work to create. Unfortunately, a lot of them seem to just wildly stabbing in the dark with their lyrics. There is certainly no formula for writing phenomenal lyrics, but here are 5 tried and true tips to help correct some common mishaps.

1. Relate to the senses

We all know the best lyrics are those with which the listeners can relate. It is shocking how few lyricists know how to tap into the listeners’ minds. Our memories are littered with sensory details. Think about how the rain smells and appears and tastes and, yes, how it makes you feel (as a songwriter, remember, emotions = senses). Your goal is to take the listeners’ own memories and use them as hints to your point. And you get to their memories by using their senses. But don’t write about rain, because…

2. Forget clichés

Nothing puts a listener to sleep faster than a cliché. There was a time when writing about the rain was original. But that time is no more. There is no reason to steal another writer’s vision when you have your own two eyes. If you have something to say, say it and use your own words. When you stress over every single word, you will likely find that clichés carry too much baggage to adequately convey your message, anyway. But you must…

3. Figure out what you’re trying to say

This should probably be number 1 on this list, honestly. This is, in my opinion, the single most difficult aspect of songwriting. As people, we are dynamic. As songwriters, we need to be one-dimensional. In most lyric writing settings, you have about 3 minutes where you are not allowed to dramatically change your mind. You have to commit to your idea. And that is a lot harder than it sounds. If you don’t know exactly what you are trying to say, you will get nowhere. You’ll use a lot of clichés. Don’t be afraid to…

4. Rewrite

There seems to be a stigma in songwriting that if the writer revisits the lyrics, they are seen as less talented than their colleagues. How did this happen? Every other writing profession demands that the writer produce draft upon draft upon draft until the work is perfected. Yet, songwriters that don’t nail their lyrics down on attempt 1 are given less credibility. Is this because the music world loves the idea of a prodigy? Bad news, kids, there is no such thing. Talent comes from…

5. Practice

Practice. Practice. Practice. It is now a commonly supported idea that it takes roughly 10,000 hours to create a master at anything. At 5 days a week and 4 hours a day, that rounds out to about 10 years. The best thing you can do is simply keep the pen running on the paper. Throw out the bad ideas and move forward. Keep writing. Don’t stop.

Happy writing.