“How to Write a Song” by Allyson Jones Think back to the last time you heard your favorite song. You plant your headphones on, close your eyes, and completely immerse yourself in the music. You hang on to every word and every note, enchanted by the passionate vocals and addictive melodies. But have you ever wondered what really goes into making a song? Every Songwriter uses different methods to compose a song. In fact, if you were to type “how to write a song” in a Google search bar, you would get about 685 million results! When it comes to songwriting, the possibilities are endless. After years of trial and error, I’ve come up with a simple, four step process on how to write a song. This process strikes a perfect balance between The chorus is where you get the main point across to the listener. It must be exciting and addictively catchy. The bridge, typically placed before the last chorus, is melodically different from the rest of the song. It provides a respite from the existing melody. The structure of the song, or the order in which the four components are placed, is completely up to you. Just make sure the song is harmonious, and does not sound choppy or awkward. The last step in the songwriting process is probably the most overlooked. This step is to revise and edit. This is where you remove unnecessary words, and revise any awkward phrases. The songwriting process can be mentally exhausting. So before you put the finishing touch on your song, take a step back and clear your head. After a few days (or weeks), come back with a more refreshed and objective outlook on the song. Also, ask other people for their opinion. This will allow you to see the song from different perspectives. I know its hard, but try not to get defensive. A few years ago, I wrote a song called “Forever and On”, and in my mind, the song was poetic genius. When my friends told me my song was less than perfect, I told them they were crazy! I immediately became defensive, confused, and even a little angry. But a few days went by, I looked at the song again, and I realized they were right. This was difficult for me, but I came to value the
What all goes into writing a song? How did the artist come up with that idea? What was going through their head? Writing a song can be a long process. For some artist it can take up to three months to write a song, for others they can write a song in five minutes or less. It all depends on who the artist is and if they are inspired to write or not. A song is like a three minute story. There’s a beginning, a middle, and of course an end. The main purpose of a song is to tell that story, whether it…
James Gwin Chimney Sweepers With both The Chimney Sweeper: Songs of Innocence and The Chimney Sweeper: Songs of Experience, William Blake describes the poor conditions of children who worked as chimney sweepers. Although both of these poem are similar because they both express imagery about the concern of the bad conditions for child chimney sweepers, these poems also differ in tone and some details concerning the mistreatment of children. William Blake makes both of these poems very similar by…
These two zealous Mumford and Son’s songs have a few differences, but many similarities. Since the same author wrote the lyrics it is only natural that you can see similarities in the writing style and even in the themes of the two songs. “Roll Away Your Stone” and White Blank Page,” are both songs that tell stories pertaining to our faith in God. The two songs seem to have an overwhelming enfaces on the ever-lasting love that we are able to find in God, and how sin and earthly-desires can overwhelm…
teach myself how to speak English. The easiest and the cheapest way was by listening to American songs and watching movies. However, learning how to write was a little bit more difficult because I have trouble to focusing on it. I found out that since I was learning English by listening to songs I might as well write them. I started to write song lyrics and it was so pleasant that I couldn’t stop it until I would fall asleep at my desk. In addition to improving my English skills, I’d write down my personal…
The song “Stan” by rap artist Eminem fits the dramatic monologue format popularized by Robert Browning, because in Eminem’s song, Stan fits all of the characteristics of the Duke in My last Douches. Stan is extremely obsessive; in the beginning of the song he dies his hair and is trying to actually become Slim Shady, even his outfit and style are the same as Slim and is screaming in his girlfriend’s face because she keeps calling him Stanly when I would imagine he would want to be called Slim, or…
Many songs are inspired and/or written by some form of deviant behavior. These songs usually glorify or condemn the behavior. The song “Alcohol” by Brad Paisely describes some of the effects and outcomes of drinking alcohol. I choose to write about the song “Alcohol”, because unlike most songs regarding a certain deviant behavior, I feel this song discusses some of the good and bad elements to drinking. The song alcohol was written as if alcohol itself could sing to an audience. The lyrics in the…
Tatum November 26, 2012 MUL1010 The Write Sound Concert On November 24, 2012 I attended an R&B concert at Bougainvillea, it’s a nice old fashion bar located in South Miami. The band I went to see perform is called The Write Sound featuring my friend Christina Sarasoul. Christina has an amazing voice; she can hit high notes as well as low notes. The first song she performed is an original song called “Unthinkable” originated by Alicia Keys. The band started off…
they’re issuing the very thing they are condemned of promoting. The truth lies hidden within the songs, as the lyrics are always aimed at global world problems, such as the Vietnam war or the “dirty politicians” living in the US. Black Sabbath addresses all of these issues, specifically through their song lyrics. The band's vocalist, Ozzy Osbourne is considered to be the “heart of the band” as he writes, produces and manages everything that comes out of the band. Excluding Mr.Osborne's…
the long song “How can I be proud of my Jamaican roots, when my ancestors had been slaves”? This question asked by a woman with Jamaican roots followed British novelist Andrea Levy for a long time. She wondered how anyone could be ashamed of his or her legacy and thus the foundation of her book, The Long Song, was laid. However, writing the book was a more difficult task than presumed. Levy considered many things at the preliminary stage of the book as she knew that she didn’t want to write yet another…
love to write! To me there’s no greater feeling than being able to write a new song and sing it to my friends and family. Especially if they all are always very supportive and love my music talent as well. It all began when I was twelve years old, I’m sure most kids around that age are trying to find themselves, and I found what best fit me and my whole personality and it was music. My cousin Eric used to love making instrumental beats and send them to me on a c.d. I would then write a song…