| Most songs
fit one of several basic patterns such as a verse with 4 or 5
lines, a chorus of 4 or 5 lines, another verse of 4 or 5 lines
and possible a bridge. My focus will not be on song structure as
there are many books and articles on correct song structure. We
will focus primarily on things you can do to make your songs
better and hopefully hit songs. The most successful song
structure I see in hit songs on Billboard is Verse - Chorus
-Verse - Chorus - Bridge - Chorus.
Make sure you have a melody that
can be complemented by one of the song structures above. If you
have a melody that uses its own verse, chorus, bridge or other
structure, you may not be able to locate lyrics that can be used
with your melody. You do not need a full production melody to
know if you have a hit potential melody. It does have to be
interesting, exciting, new and refreshing though. Take
your melody idea and experiment with slightly different
versions. Go high or low here and there instead of vice versa.
Switch things around and try for the melody that's the most
original and unique. You will need to make a great professional
demo of the song later, but for now you just need a great unique
chord arrangement.
The First Verse
The
first verse is the most important verse in the song. Not
that the other verses are not important because they are also
important to a hit song. If the listener is not excited by the
song during the first few bars and lines of lyrics they may stop
listening to the rest of the song. The first few lines of
lyrics must get the listener's attention and set the stage for
the rest of the song to develop. Be sure to use colorful and
descriptive words and adjectives. Don't tell the listener what
is happening, let the lyrics show the listener what is taking
place in the song. Make sure you explore the where, what, whom
and "what happened then" concept when writing your lyrics. Try
to keep reading those good parts over and over in your mind.
Then try to add some new and interesting information in the song
via imagery. Let your characters act it out in the song. That
way your listener becomes part of the song.
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Remember you want one main idea only
in your song. Once you determine what your idea is you have to
fully develop that idea and not introduce other ideas that will
water down your idea. Write strong lines that will develop your
idea and contribute to the listener's understanding of the
situation of our song. I recommend always using the third person
point of view when writing songs at first. He, she or they is
better at first than I or me. You can experiment with writing
first person songs later. Also, Try to write happy, faster paced
songs at first. You can write sad, slow, cheating songs later
after you have developed more skills and have had some chart
topping successes of your own. You want all the odds in your
favor when trying to write your first hit song.
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The Second Verse
The second verse needs to continue the
story to another level. Don't just repeat what the
listener already knows, add new information, new
action that will contribute to the listener's
understanding of the basic story line.
Keep asking yourself, "then what did they do"?
Or,
then what happened? Be sure to use more
colorful, descriptive and entertaining words and
lyrics. Use rhyme carefully and don't overdo. Rhyme
is used to help sell your song to the listener.
The rhyme will help the listener predict what's
coming next and in remembering the lines to your
song, especially in the chorus where you will
usually
repeat the lines.
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Writing The Chorus
The chorus is
where you bring your primary idea to bear. This is where you
provide the solution or the result of the actions in the verses.
The
melody of the chorus should be a change up
from the melody of the verses also. You need to use variety here
to keep the story interesting, but to the point. Always
stay on target with your one idea and every word of the song
needs to contribute new information to the idea you are
developing. Don't take off on another angle that leads you away
from the main basic idea of your song. Every line of your songs
needs to point to the main idea or title of your song. If any
line of your song does not point directly to or complement your
main idea and title, cut it now. Always keep reading your title
and main idea over in your head while you are writing new lyrics
or re-writing old lyrics. Stay on track with your
one main idea.
Use repetition
in your chorus to drive home the main idea of the song. Repeat
the title more than once. Use rhyme in the chorus to drive home
the main idea that you are repeating. The chorus is not
the place to inject new angles or directions. It's the place to
drive home the main theme of your song and maybe the
consequences of the actions in the verses.
Finishing The Song
I'm not sure a song
is really ever finished. I have songs I have been writing
on for years with demos completed and I still find a better more
creative way to deliver the message. Always stay open to new
ways to improve your songs with new lyrics and new melody
changes. Strive to make your song as strong as possible. Only
then will it have a chance of being hear and recorded. Make sure
you have tied all the lines of you song back to the title. Can
the song do without one of the lines? If so, cut it now
and write another. It won't survive the test of pitching a
song these days. Publishers and recording artists are not
looking for good songs, they want hit songs that will further
promote their careers. The good songs they record will be
written by their friends, etc. You need a hit song to get
anyone's attention today. That's why its so important to have a
great idea before you start writing the song. Only a song with a
great unique idea and carefully crafted lyrics and melody will
get consideration in today's competitive songwriting market.
Don't fall into the trap of writing long songs. The average
radio song is 3 to 4 minutes with less than 4 minutes more
desirable. Long songs may not get airplay.
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Co-Writing
Consider
co-writing with another songwriter. Co-writing offers many
rewards, one of which can be hit songs. Find someone that brings
something other than what you bring to the table. If your
strength is writing lyrics, find someone that is a better
melodist that you are. The combination can result in stronger
songs. When it comes times to cutting quality song demos and
pitching to artist you have two resources to contribute with a
co-writer.
Final Songwriting Comments:
I have been writing songs many years now and I have a collection
of some nice song starts, tunes, verses, etc. I literally have
a suitcase full of napkins, torn off paper with lines on them
and let's not even talk about my home studio where I have
hundreds of tunes to music waiting on lyrics to finish them.
The best advice I can give to a songwriter is stick to just one
song and force yourself to make it strong. Make sure you
have a hit idea though before you spend your time on a song.
Master writer has a great
rhyming dictionary software package for songwriters. It provides
great rhyme you'd never think of. You can download a demo of it
for 30 days and try.
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- How To Write Songs
Go To - FREE Song Critiques
Roy Fuller a BMI songwriter has had several Top 10
Billboard Pick Hits starting with "Angel In Disguise"
(1975 Nashville Columbia Studio B), "Your Song" (1975
Nashville Columbia Studio B), "The Image of Me"
(1978 Nashville RCA Studios), "Giving Up Getting Over
You"
(1979 Nashville Tandem Studios), "The First Time"
(1981 Nashville Woodland Studios), "Do It"
(1981 Nashville Woodland Recording Studios), "The Shoe's
On Another's Foot"
(1981 Nashville Woodland Recording Studios).
He has Pick Hits and write up's in Nashville Entertainer,
Songwriter Magazine and other music industry publications.
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How To Write Songs. This
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cards. Just read the FREE
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submission code. My expectations are that any songs
you submit will include the suggestions and tips in
the How To Write Songs free e-Book.
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we are not accepting songs for
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critiques again. In the meantime make sure your song
lyrics and melodies include the suggestions found
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"I'm Always Pitching My Songs to Artists & Managers"
Songwriter Roy Fuller
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To -
RoyFuller
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Also check out the other links below
for more songwriting information. Free advise to
help songwriters get on the right track with their music
careers.
Songwriting Tips
Country Music Songwriters
Nashville Songwriters
Song
Evaluations
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To - FREE Song Critiques
Nashville Songwriter Evaluation Services:
www.RoyJohnFuller.com
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