Lyric Writing For Crap Lyric Writers

Regardless of talent level, experience or musical tastes, most musicians (and especially guitar players) have similar long term goals. They tend to have the same dreams: standing on a stage with fifty thousand people chanting their names, soloing for two hours, and then withdrawing to the tour bus or hotel suite with two dozen groupies, a case of vodka and a sack of pot the size of a body bag. This is a pretty typical dream, and it is usually accompanied by a fantasy about whiskey and speed-fuelled seven-day studio sessions, followed by the release of a triple album guaranteed to go quadruple platinum.

Usually as a coda, there is also the retirement dream, where the young guitar god imagines his later days, spent sitting and laughing in front of a grand piano topped with a mountain of cocaine, before going to bed on a giant pile of money with a different supermodel for each day of the week. (For some reason this is how I always imagine Harry Connick Jr.)

If these are your dreams, I would hate to shit on your head, but you’ve got a long way to go. Sorry, but it’s true. Even if you can already play through every Satriani record from memory, and everyone in your family including weird Aunt Ida tells you that you’re a genius, you’ve still got a long way to go. The sad truth is, right now you’re probably closer to sleeping in a box car and fishing dimes out of the sewer than you are to Harry’s piano/cocaine mountain/money bed/supermodel combination. But why? You have all the skills! You make Slash look like a shallow chump in a propeller beanie! Why can’t you reach the big time? The reason is…you don’t write your own songs.

Or maybe you do, and they’re awesome. If that’s the case, I offer you my congratulations and welcome you to dance on my grave. If you don’t want to wait until I’m dead, you can stop by my box car and hurl abuse at me, but if you do, please bring me your empty whiskey bottles so I can use the deposits to buy food.

If I’m right though, and you don’t write your own songs, I think I can help. Or if you’ve already written a dozen songs about being dumped and have run out of ideas, maybe I can help get you going again.

Of course I realize that this is a website for guitar players, and many of you are already guitar gods and don’t need help writing music. That’s cool; I don’t want to tell you how to play your own instrument. As well, many of you just want to play licks and riffs and leave the lyrics to the singer. That’s fine. If you want to stop reading right now, that’s okay. I can’t blame you. But I should warn you that I’ll be making some disparaging remarks about people who only read the first half of articles, probably somewhere towards the end.

Before I actually get started, I should probably state my credentials, so you know you’re getting advice from a qualified professional. First of all, I’m a terrible musician. I sing out of tune. I can’t play electric guitar, and the only thing I can do with an acoustic is hit people over the head like in wrestling. I can play bass, but I make Sid Vicious look like a virtuoso. One the other hand, several people have made positive comments about my spelling, and that’s enough for me. Without any further delays, here are some good general rules for writing lyrics.

Rule Number One

Lyrics that rhyme are for pauncy tossers prancing through dewy fields and meadows. Okay, so this rule is obviously untrue, but when you’re starting out writing lyrics, you’ll probably discover how difficult it is to make things rhyme. Every time you write a good line and then can’t find a word that rhymes, just repeat out loud to yourself: “Lyrics that rhyme are for pauncy tossers prancing through dewy fields and meadows.” You’ll feel better, really you will.

Seriously though, you can dodge rhyming lines occasionally, and nobody is going to shoot you for it. Creative phrasing can let you get away with a lot, but that depends a lot on singing ability. Screw around with language. Anyone who speaks English can tell you that “Antichrist” does not rhyme with “Anarchist,” but that will never stop Johnny Rotten from pretending that they do.

If you’re really sweating about it, find yourself a rhyming dictionary. I’m not making it up, they really exist. Lots of words rhyme. Just to prove it to you, later in this article I’m going to spontaneously write some lyrics that rhyme “bat” with “Laundromat.”

Rule Number Two

Exploit your feelings. Without meaning any offence, you probably get shit on every single day of your sad, miserable, lonely life. You should write some songs about that. Not only will your depressing experiences give you topical material, but you will probably feel better after writing it. Webster’s dictionary describes this process as “catharsis”: the elimination of a psychological complex by bringing it to consciousness and affording it expression. Get rid of your negativity by sharing it with your audience. The bitch dumped you? That’s worth ten good songs. Dad threw you out of the house? Five songs. Grandma smoked all your dope? Umm…one song.

Rule Number Three

Pick up the damn newspaper. Every time you feel like there’s nothing worth talking about, open your eyes and take a look around you. The world is constantly full of murders, invasions, overthrows, disasters, injustices, intrigues, schemes and scandals. You can write songs about them. If you can’t think of anything interesting to say about the things you read, just come up with a really long list of things and string them together. It works: Billy Joel (“We Didn’t Start The Fire”), and R.E.M. (“It’s the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)”) both had hits in the eighties doing this. As far as I know, no one has done it in this century. Hey, maybe you could be the new Billy Joel. Maybe that’s how I should advertise this article: “You could be the next Billy Joel!” Maybe not.

Even if you don’t find any good material in the newspaper, you should read it every day anyway. The more you read, the more words you learn, and it’s much easier to make words rhyme if you know a lot of them.

Rule Number Four

Absolutely forget about being original. Seriously, no shit, just fucking forget about originality. People have been writing songs for thousands of years. Thousands. And yes, they’ve been writing songs about drugs and social protest for most of that time as well. So unless you plan on writing a bunch of songs about the information super-highway (cough, cough, mega-dork), just don’t worry about trying to be bold and new. Just be yourself. If you don’t know who you are yet and don’t know how to be yourself, just follow Ben Johnson’s advice (I’m talking about Shakespeare’s contemporary, not the disgraced Canadian sprinter). He said to observe how the masters have imitated, and imitate likewise. So look at your favorite songwriters and rip ‘em off until you find your own style. Don’t worry, everyone does it.

Take a look at The Rolling Stones. They’ve had maybe seven million hit songs, but all of their stuff is about getting laid, getting dumped, getting drunk, getting in fights, and playing music. These are not new, cutting-edge topics. And yet…they just work so well.

Rule Number Five

Learn the two major methods. There are two super-easy songwriting forms. Pick one and use it. If you don’t like it, pick the other one.

Major Method One: Theme and Variation

This is probably the easiest way to write a song, and I can almost guarantee your lame elementary school teachers pulled this one on you a few times. It’s called brainstorming. Think of a topic, and then think of maybe three things to say about it. The topic is now your working title. Each thing you can say about it will form the core of a verse. Rocket science, isn’t it? Just check out this shitty example.

One day it occurred to me that I hated my job. I decided to write a song about that. I decided the punch-clock at the entrance of the place I worked would be my target (I mean topic). Song name: “Punch-clock.” The lyrics went something like this:

Punch-clock keeps on ticking, yet here we remain sitting,
Waiting, waiting, waiting for a reason to live.
Soul-sucking, spirit-crushing, taking my mind away.
Sexless, soulless, spiritless, face, nothing to think or say.

Total crap, huh? Yes, definitely. But it’s a start. It also showcases my astonishing skills with making words rhyme, doesn’t it?

The Sex Pistols had a lot of fun with this method. Their arch-demon manager Malcolm McLaren used to give them words that he wanted them to brainstorm and make songs from. One of the words was “submission.” McLaren expected a song about handcuffs and rubber masks, but the boys gave him a song about a submarine mission, just to piss him off. Get it? Sub-mission. Good shit.

Major Method Two: Narrative

This is also a pretty simple concept, much abused by country music artists over the last five or six decades. Just tell a story, try and include some rhyming words, and repeat the first verse several times over and call it a chorus. For examples of this, look to Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash and just about everyone who ever ran out of ideas for Major Method One.

Rule Number Six: Gimmicks! Gimmicks! Gimmicks!

Think up a good gimmick and repeat the ever-loving hell out of it. There are many, many bands that have gotten a lot of juice of a single songwriting gimmick. I’m not talking about all the bands out there that seem to have a few repetitive topics for all of their songs (like Pink Floyd: war sucks and I’m insane), but there are bands that have simple patterns they follow. Here are some examples.

Ramones Gimmick Number One

Get a piece of paper and write a list of things you want to do today, and a list of things you don’t want to do. For the items on each list, write three or four reasons why you do or don’t want to do it. Try and make your reasons rhyme. Congratulations! You have written an entire Ramones album. Think I’m joking? Check out these catchy song titles: “I Wanna Be Well,” “I Wanna Be Sedated,” “I Just Wanna Have Something To Do,” “I Don’t Wanna Walk Around With You,” “I Don’t Wanna Go Down To The Basement,” “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend,” “I Want You Around,” “Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue,” “I Wanna Live,” and “I Don’t Want To Grow Up” (although that last one is actually a Tom Waits cover). That’s a lot of mileage to get out of “I Wanna” and “I Don’t Wanna.”

Ramones Gimmick Number Two

Take the name of a person you know and think of a word to describe that person. That’s the title of your song. Now think of a few things to say about this person, and why they have earned the title you have given them. Examples: “Sheena is a Punk Rocker,” “Judy is a Punk,” and “Suzy is a Headbanger.” This is really easy. I will give an example right now.

(insert name) is a (insert descriptive noun).

“Vanessa Is A Goth Chick”

Vanessa is a goth chick; I met her at the Laundromat,
She wants to find a way to change into a bat.
Vanessa is a goth chick, Oh! Oh-Oh!

See? I told you I could rhyme Laundromat with bat.

Misfits Gimmick

Choose a movie you like and write a song about it. The title of the movie becomes the title of your song. Because The Misfits were into gloom, death and monsters, all of the movies they alluded to were old, schlocky horror flicks, but you can choose something more appropriate for your band’s style. They used movies like “Astro Zombies,” “Teenagers From Mars,” “I Turned Into A Martian,” “American Psycho,” “Night Of The Living Dead,” and so on. If your band has, for example, a retro-eighties sound, you could use movies like “The Breakfast Club,” “Dirty Dancing,” or “Fast Times At Ridgemont High.” Hell, just for fun, let’s do Ridgemont High.

“Fast Times At Ridgemont High”

Today the kids are getting high,
The parents can only wonder why,
But the kids won’t let life pass them by,
That’s fast times at Ridgemont High,
That’s fast times at Ridgemont High!
Whoa-oh! Whoooooa!
Oi! Oi! Oi! Oi!

Once again, this is pretty easy. You can use books too (if you’re a big nerd) or television shows.

Heavy Metal Gimmick

I’ll just point out that damn near every metal band uses the same routine (and I’m a metal fan). Choose one of The Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse. Before you run to find grandpa’s bible, I’ll let you know that they are War, Famine, Pestilence and Death. Write a song about each one using the Theme and Variation Method described above, and repeat until your album goes platinum. It ain’t metal if it don’t stink of The Apocalypse.

The KMFDM Gimmick

I realize that many of you might not know who KMFDM is, but that’s your loss. I suggest you find some of their tunes. Their gimmick is simple. Establish you band name, and base all of your songs on being that band. Here are some examples of their lyrics (and these are all copyrighted to hell and back):

01. “KMFDM, doing it again…” (“Light”)
02. “Stronger than never ever before, KMFDM is a drug against war…” (“A Drug Against War”)
03. “A new revolution, the ultimate war, KMFDM is back for more…” (“d.i.y.”)

And so it goes. It’s repetitive, yes, but so is any gimmick. The key is finding the gimmick that is right for you and milking it for all it’s worth. Eminem figured this one out quick.

The Final Word. In all likelihood, whatever illegible gibberish you manage to get down on paper will probably look like rodent droppings smeared over loose-leaf. Don’t sweat it. If you take away the devastating riffs, thundering bass and crashing cymbals, most lyrics sound like total crap. So relax and focus on writing more and more songs, because if you do something ten million times, odds are that you might do it very well a few times. Keep trying. Keep thinking about the stage with the million groupies, the piles of cocaine, the money beds and the supermodels. And imagine yourself saying “Man, I sure hated writing all those crap songs when I was getting started, but look at me now!” And when you make it there, I’ll be there too, desperately trying to take the credit for it.

Oh yeah, before I forget: people who only read the first half of articles are jerks.

-Nolan Whyte

Comments

[high voltage]

This was very good! The messages you gave off were clearly noticeable and were definitely all true! I congratulate you on a job well done, cheers!

[joshsirjoshules]

good article

me need lyric writer

me lyric writer

[joshsirjoshules]

good article

me need lyric writer

me IS lyric writer

[teej]

long but a few very good points

[Nateisdead]

good article.my lyrics are corgan or cobain ripoffs.thanks for making me feel better.

[falconerock]

not bad

[falconerock]

5 stars

[dogsballs]

one of the most obscenely vauge articles ive ever read.

[frusciante_5]

Well written article, but you didnt mention intterpreatation, i think that if someone can write a poem or song that can have a different meaning to someone else, then that is a good display of lyric writing, i also liked your part on gimmicks although i personally wouldnt use them in writing.

another important thing is not wriitng for the sake of it, i wouldnt write if i didnt have anything to write abgout, but as you metnioned here, opening a newspaper and widening your own knowledge of the world is a good way to grab insperation. I think that lyrics from your own mind are the best one4s, that way they can be analysed thourughly by anyone and a different meaning to the song will be created within that persons mind, thats how i get influenced by the songs i listen to.

anyway great article but could maybe cover a more wider scale, anyway 4 stars!

[SBR]

I liked that article, good job

[Captain Colon]

brilliant

[AngusYoung4ever]

wow, you're one of the few column writers who doesnt suck. I commend and/or worship you.

[Atreideslegend]

that article was, obscene....it was so full of cheap tricks and crappy gimnmicks it made me want to die....thank you for the first realistic song writing article ever published!!!! 30 thousand stars

[applejacks]

awesome article.

[Kyle_Klus]

Excellent work buddy... Good pointers indeed... (and you weren't kidding about your spelling either). Much respect.

[Rodders]

Really good....nice sense of humour.....

[frainy]

i feel more inspired to write thanks a bunch. great ideas

[Nolan Whyte]

Yes, I am. Thank you for picking up on that.

[SHANANDO]

[quote=hekainu]... your a twat

It's 'you're' not 'your'.

Great article, BTW.

[zakk_wylde4]

very nice

[Butterknife]

nice. That was pretty great.

[FakePlsticTrees]

You're a ***ing idiot. THe first paragraph alone told me that. I cant stand you "drugs sex n rock n roll" asstards.

[bigrd15132]

It was funny. Decent idea. I hope to see more from you soon, bud. And, for the record, I caught one spelling error. :-/

[bigrd15132]

Oh, and I didn't like the sex, drugs, and rock n roll thing. But it was all in good fun.

[Triple_Tremolo]

^ wow, he said "asstards". That was ridiculous.

Anyway, the article made me laugh ,and even if it was intended as a joke, you could probably salvage some good tips out of it. I mean, look at the examples you gave..... ps, sub-mission, AWESOME! peace

[M3talJ3ff]

Your article held my attention because of some of the quick jokes you had and at the end I was impressed and now i feel like I can write a song about chewing gum and reading stuff on the internet!!!!

[rockinlewis]

ahh a DECENT lyric article!

[guitar_man_jan]

that was great. nice one mate! i feel more confident about writing songs now. i hope i'm not snorting cocaine when i'm older though.

[slashs_#1_fan]

great article mate, i wanna go write some songs. ill leave the cocaine out though, not my cup of tea. well, must go write some songs about slash... woooo!

Well written, wish I'd seen it in the contribution forum? 5 stars anyways.

I like your writing style, it's very tongue in cheek.

[chrus]

WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT LISTEN TO THIS GUY. This article just killed rock and roll.

[chrus]

This article is hella funny. Good job, chap.

[Chen928]

Very well written article. I'm not sure how accurate it is factually, but nice use of rhetoric.

[Mark]

Haha love you're style of writing, article writing in particular :p:

[Scourge441]

I'm not sure how true some of these things are, but they were funny, so 5 stars for you.

[bc2skaterpunk]

if you need rimes check out www.rhymezone.com

[slashs_#1_fan]

bc2skaterpunk:
if you need rimes check out www.rhymezone.com

i like the way you cant spell rhymes even though the word rhyme is in the link you sent. very nice
(that wasnt a dig)

(yeah it was)

[BluesonaPaul]

nice but i couldnt tell if the comment about Pink Floyd was a crack on them or not (if it was then not cool man)...ne way another way of song writing is bein high as a kite....look at the Doors 'The End' ...never would have happond with out LSD and other mind altering drugs (mmm, shrooms)

[Metallicam]

5 stars. The stuff about not trying to come up with original lyrics was sooo.. true. You won't find any band out there that does not use at least some of the gimmicks listed.
And I have no idea how FakePlsticTrees: got "sex, drugs, and rock & roll" out of the article. All you did was mention that that's what most people dream about, and it's true. And what the hell is an asstard? is that like some rip off an asshole/bastard?I don't get it
Great article anyways

[DanThompson]

Best... article... ever...

Seriously, very useful stuff and humourously presented. Cheers!

[Tom Martin]

Man, I love your style of writing, you are great and this article rocked cuz you don't take it too seriously.

I want more articles from this dude!

[Cookie_master]

exe, and very funny
good job

[joyful womble]

made me laugh

[ghettohippygrrl]

I liked it. Some of the advice seemed really obvious but it will help people who absolutely suck at songwriting. I thought it was well-written and you interjected humor well. Thumbs up, homie.

[AnnaPlaysGuitar]

Congradulations; you are the first article-writer on UG that actually knows how to establish a little good ol' ethos. Most of the other guys don't hold much authority, due to their shitty-as-*** writing style. Even if their article is about lyric-writing!

It's great to read someone's opinion that isn't biased towards music-- you know, blindly praising or dumbly worshipping despite its lack of actual content. You said you like heavy metal, but at the same time actually know there's not really much to it! (Instead of smacking the "genius" label on it, just because you like listening to it.)

This is the best article I've read since.... since this one about how metal-heads eat freshly sacrified virgin flesh spiked with nails for breakfast.

Please write another. That's a beg.

[partyinmymind]

dude that kicked ass!!

[Mad_Gouki]

i think maybe you just hate lyrics, lol
good article nonetheless, has some good ideas in it

[slash_is_gr8st]

good article, but was it freakin long enough? I almost fell asleep, just try to keep peoples intrest from now on

oh yeah, for all the people on this site- you're nowhere near as good as Slash.

[Pyro128]

Funny as hell. Thanks Bro. I cant wait till you releace another one

[kornrules09]

one of the best articles I've ever read on here, usually if they are that long I stop reading, but that rocked.

[jr1976]

Ramonesss..

[shimaroller3]

wow that was awesome lol. Lots of fun to read, and some good tips. good work.

[5150man]

really good...it didn't teach me shit about writing lyrics...but at least i know what not to do..and i laughed my ass off

BluesonaPaul:
nice but i couldnt tell if the comment about Pink Floyd was a crack on them or not (if it was then not cool man)...ne way another way of song writing is bein high as a kite....look at the Doors 'The End' ...never would have happond with out LSD and other mind altering drugs (mmm, shrooms)
[POSTED: 15 March 2005 - 16:23]|

totally right...in fact im gonna tatoo on my forearm that pink floyd description

[dre-0]

damn at first i was like this is long as hell

Then while around the end i was sad it ended.
Good Article funny also lol

[travislausch]

ok... i've fvcking had it with these assholes who say the only good lyrics are depressing. happy lyrics hold just as much validity in songwriting as depressing ones, and should be more so as they don't make me shoot myself. If you're depressed, get therapy. Don't try to spread it.

[travislausch]

^*don't make me WANNA shoot myself...

[Joey The Suit]

Holy sh*t that might just have been the best article I've ever read- excellent ideas (I think I had about 3 or 4 musical epiphanies there), not really biased at all, and most of all just hilarious lol

[nirvanateen]

brilliant
if u wrote a book id buy it

[paintball182]

best article i have read in a long time

[Crunch Monkey]

i like your wit man. i also found several good points. GOOD JOB!

[CampfireGuitar]

DUDE WTF this article isnt the ***ing messiah, its decent at best, it sorta flows but it's very weak, poor trasitons and the blatant hooks are pretty weak. I was going to try that in one of my papers, but after that display I'm gonna have to rethink that one. I hope this was satire and thats what every one is applauding but if not shame on you, and shame on you for making them read this. Good effort but develop that a little more man, revise a few times don't be affraid to cut the 5hit that doesn't work.

[InSaynePig]

entertaing and informative - awesome

[emomonkeuman73]

dude this is the greatest article about lyrics writing i have ever had the pleasure of reading. anyone who bashes it is ful of S***! i hope you write some more later on. You really should write a book about music, it would sell like nothing else. Live long and prosper, my friend!

[jeeba jaba]

Wow, I found this article incredibly hilarious and very easy to go along with. First off, you didn't try to make this serious ordeal, and for that I found this article not too pushy or bitchy, just the right amount of everything. You gave lots of tips for begginging writers to help them at least get an idea for what they should do, and you also gave plenty of examples of this to show how it is put into use. This article was very well-worded, and I'm sure if you can write an article that grand, your lyrics rule the penis. A fantabulous article indeed.

[vampwizzard]

i could be like billy joel.. just goto rehab and crash my car on the way!

[loserkid013]

you're my hero

[MechAnimal666]

very nice indeed, well worth reading and nice sense of humor

[flyinguitar]

the ramones thing with i wanna and i dont wanna is kindof there thing and noone else does it so it would be kindof coying and also with the names

[altronataku]

haha that was pretty funny..helpful too

[flyinguitar]

judy is a punk and sheena is a punk rocker

[Diceman42]

FakePlsticTrees:
You're a ***ing idiot. THe first paragraph alone told me that. I cant stand you "drugs sex n rock n roll" asstards.
[POSTED: 15 March 2005 - 14:39]|

Let me guess, you're a avid non-conformist aren't you? Look out everyone, Captain (non)Conformist is here and he's about to stop the evil Drugs-Sex-and-Rock-n'-Roll from ruining his neo-grunge/emo/nu-punk rock triumvirate!

[25or6to4]

^ hahahahaha. the article was amasing.

[Nirvana101]

hotel suite with groupies and a a good dimebag would be sweet : Not to mention I've had that daydream of playing a huge solo in front of 50 000 people. Still gives me a woody

[Gr1m R34p3r]

Haha, great article man!

[goth_kid7666]

i hate to join the long line of congrates but this is the best ***ing article that i've ever read and diceman42 is a ***ing moron ,good job man ,good job

p.s. good use of bands for examples

[ILIKEMUSICALOT]

chrus:
WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT LISTEN TO THIS GUY. This article just killed rock and roll.
[POSTED: 15 March 2005 - 15:49]|

If anything, people nowadays write better lyrics than old rock legends. Look at the examples of terrible lyrics he gave you. They are all old bands that were very successful and the lyrics were if anything. Lyrics today are actually poetic.

[ILIKEMUSICALOT]

were terrible if anything*
DAMN ME AND MY TYPING.

[p2fyre]

Definitely the most entertaining post I've ever read as well as being one of the most helpful!

-Loving the piano/pile of coke/supermodels
Good luck!

[cky182]

Me trying to write lyrics and playing bass.
That article was was very helpful and gave us loads of new ideas. Well Played

[IamJonsCranium]

HAHAHHAHAHAHA!!!.. You are hilarious.

[D3v!l]

standing on a stage with fifty thousand people chanting their names, soloing for two hours, and then withdrawing to the tour bus or hotel suite with two dozen groupies, a case of vodka and a sack of pot the size of a body bag.

W00t! That really IS my dream yeah!

[TheBaron]

Am I the only one who skipped to the part about laundromats and bats as soon as he read about it?

[arsonite]

Well written.

[darkstar9814]

that was awesomely funny

[Bubonic Chronic]

You should add a bit about chords. Again, it's not that hard. And each progression you can come up with has been used 80 trillion times anyway, so fuck it.

CDCGDAmC

There you go, a progression.

[evvo_gc_fan]

excellent ideas. kick ass article. good stuff

[TestForEcho]

Awesome article. 5.

[Kappa]

Argh! More people writing about problems they don't have!

[TheEndHasNoEnd]

what an article
great tips, and it was pretty funny.
5 stars, WRUTE MORE ARTICLES!

[redshademotion]

Awesome article. I really liked it.

[(KO)]

Actually Ben Johnson is American, Donovan Bailey whom he competed with for the title of worlds fastest man is Canadian

[Nolan Whyte]

KO: You're thinking of Michael Johnson, whom Donovan Bailey raced in 1996. I'm talking about Ben Johnson, the Jamaican-born, Canadian-trained sprinter who raced in Seoul at the '88 Olympics, but who was later disqualified for steroid use. The gold went to American Carl Lewis.

[altronataku]

ILIKEMUSICALOT:
If anything, people nowadays write better lyrics than old rock legends. Look at the examples of terrible lyrics he gave you. They are all old bands that were very successful and the lyrics were if anything. Lyrics today are actually poetic.

...so your saying lines from a simple plan or good charlottes song is more poetic than nirvanas or bob dylans or led zeppelin's lyrics? what the *** is wrong with you? retard >_>

[teenage_cobain]

Dude (Nolan Whyte), you know your stuff for sure. This article was sheer genious, no doubt. Five star rating and a million thanks for giving everybody (including me) some help with those lyrical frustrations. Big congrats and keep writing.

Jon

[Voodoo Chile]

Very good article.

[Tom]

that was fantastic

[Rocker_16]

riye on, sum tips on lyric ritin. rite now i suk at it, but my riffs kick ass atleast

[Lord_Xian]

wow i should have read this a few horus ago, although i did have my first ever like song influence thing from nowhere, but it soon turned into crappy rhyme fast, heres my advice to make your band suck, lsiten intently to green day, get 3 chords, then make music fit them so each rhyme matches a note, like a coat, yea!

[rocknroll23]

sweet. I needed help with this.

[leonidas69]

I really think that if writing lyrics was so simple we'd all be stars...

[lwnovember]

awesome artical

[rockguitar417]

i think this is one of the best articles ive ever read here, good job

[gary666]

good article. and quite funny too!

[tigerwithfire]

funny but true you gave away half my secrets of songrwriting right here.. most lyrics nowadays are crap and those are how most bands jostle their brains to leak some measly lyrics.... but the ramones part had me laughing my ass off.... the most enjoyable lesson i've read on this website and i've read 'em all

[kilika]

this article = orgasmic

[Iruleeverything]

if any one reads all the way down to this post,This article is comletely correct about every song writing gimmick. Seriously I'm thinking I should become a gimmicky song writer just so I can make millions and laugh at all you losers who read this post.

[B-Flat]

Im more into insrumentals...



can you do an article about that?



(5 star)

[n0selfesteem]

this is a great ***ing article and i want to sex it up all night long.

[Scot-Guitarist]

that was a pretty good article
worth the time

[DaveGilmour1189]

very good article. five stars. I like ur sense of humor. Just a tip, but maybe be tad more serious if you write another. Still funny though

[harm0n20]

this is a great article! its been so long since ive read anything on this site that i actually enjoyed!!

[schmitt]

good...great...grand...WONDER... awesome article...kicked ass.....R.I.P. kurt donald Cobain.R.I.P.....

[cocox2]

REALLY AWESOME. I LOVE YOU DUDE, YOU ARE...JUST AWESOME, YOU CHANGE MY LIFE.
THANK YOU FOR MAKE ME REALIZE THAT JOHNNY RAMONE WAS A JACKASS. ABOUT THAT... REALLY FUNNY THAT ABOUT THE RAMONES, THE HORRIBLE PART IS THAT IS TRUE.
MY MSN ADRESS IS [e-mail] PLEASE SEND ME AN E-MAIL, I WANT TO TALK TO YOU, PLEASE, YOU ARE AND IDOL NOLLANNN.. WHHYTTEEE

[Band-Aid]

Bravo!

[cocox2]

I ALMOST FORGOT
5 STARS DUDE...

IM THE NUMBER 100 PERSON TO RATE THIS TAB, GIVE MY PRICE!!!

[Overrated]

Nice. 4.9599. I'd give u 5... but i'm clearly an asshole.

[UseYourBrain]

yeah it was a good read... it had good points. Im surprised the writer of this article isnt a rock star.

One the other hand, several people have made positive comments about my spelling, and that?s enough for me.

you spelled On wrong dumbass!... lol i loved that sentence. u have a great sense of humor.

[Nolan Whyte]

Holy shit! I did spell "On" wrong! I'm going to pretend it was an intention joke.

[Nolan Whyte]

Intentional joke. There I go again.

[TaongGumigitara]

...Establish you band name, and base all of your songs on being that band. Here are some examples of their lyrics (and these are all copyrighted to hell and back):...

Another Misspelled word! You meant: Establish your band name, right?!

Anyway great article! 5 stars!

[Nolan Whyte]

Yeah, yeah, I saw that one too...

[Steph Bets]

umm vaguely amusing but only at the end we're you wrote songs.

[ZoSo.Led.Zep.]

woah great article..ive gotta get my band to create a gimmick.

[Heywood Jablome]

Another idea is to take two songs with unrelated themes and put them together. You may find that they fit well together. It worked for The Beatles - "A Day In The Life", The Doors - "Peace Frog", etc. Takes care of those loose verses looking for a home.

[jimjam3]

mate...

he's good... I'm gonna write a song right now
"Nolan once told me
I should probably stop dreaming and start writing..
cause all I'm gonna get is nothing unless I pick up that pen"... (guitar solo)

haha

[MadSchecterGTR]

As a writer, I must say your rules numbered 4 and 6 were the stupidest things I ever heard. Writing is not to sell out and make something catchy for the world to love and know by heart. In 4 you said forget originality? Are you F***ing kidding me? If you don't go by your retarted rules you will always be original. And in rule 6, a gimmick? Like I said real writing is not to get people to love it, it's getting your feelings out. It can sound like sh!t for that matter. By any chance are you like a thirteen year old goth kid who hates his life? Cause in one rule you said write about depressing crap. Just write, all writing is, is writing your feelings on paper. Don't make it a tough and painful process of thinking. It should just come to you.

[Slaytanic Axema]

Now err.... as much as i h8 reading peoples comments about how u suck and their retaliations, i think you should all get a life n learn how to laugh. i didnt even like writing that but u know. had 2 be sed.

10/10, top class, dint teach me s*** tho, loved it.

[iamsatan]

my heroin was heartbreak, a two faced liar, she made me sweet fuel for my funeral pyre

[iamsatan]

i felt lost,insomniated and weak,i try to say i love her but my mouth wont speak

[iamsatan]

dead inside trapped in her whomb, my frail ebryo in his warm cocoon,if i fall and take the blade, is it your life or mine i saved?

[Strat_Monkey]

chrus:
WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT LISTEN TO THIS GUY. This article just killed rock and roll.
[POSTED: 15 March 2005 - 15:49]

chrus:
This article is hella funny. Good job, chap.
[POSTED: 15 March 2005 - 160]

What are you, a schizophrenic?

[iamsatan]

i made those up straight away. like guitar playing is a tool to show emotion lyrics are too u write wat ever u feel is best, lyrics are personal which means theyre urs and no one else has to like them or understand them just do what you want:

the world is so large, too big to see, but in my own mind theres the perfect world for me

[j-man1988]

rubbish. whats that poopy about the goth chick. You can't learn how to write songs . you have to experience you subject. You suck man.

[j-man1988]

oh gosh. I have just read some comments. From what i have read the future of music is grim. You all suck, and you Nolan White. You suck.

[j-man1988]

this article has made me very angry. garrr..

[JJdubyaT]

I laughed I cried and I think I crapped myself. You are a great writer congrats but I hope that these formulas are not the only means by which people write songs

[perfec_circl]

That was one hell of an article.

[StratRat9]

Very nice article.

[wickbone73]

yess!!!..

[Emenius Sleepus]

*uses mr.Burns's voice*: Excellent

[Emenius Sleepus]

seriously though, good article, informative, to the point, clear and consise, well arranged and written with just enough humour to keep the reader interested. Good job.

[darksider]

dang... i can now make use of the stuff i've been writting in my toilet paper for the past three years...
thanks dude!
you article rocks!

[thepuddingking]

good job w/ the article, some good advice.
oh, and i think the sex pistols kick some major ass, as well!

[alk3isthebest]

at least someone is positive. all u negative ***ers that keep saying no one today can write lyrics like the old days needs to crawl into a hole and die. u keep saying everyone sucks and you'll discourage the next hendrix or page.

[lionheart0117]

I loved it, that was funny as hell. Especially the "Grandma smoked all your dope?" part. Wonderful stuff. Helpful too. Good job.

[slash=king]

that was awesome, intelligent and witty

[Nolan Whyte]

To a few of the disapproving readers, such as MadSchecterGTR and j-man1988: I'm glad to see that what is humorous to many is still offensive to a few. I suppose that if you take yourself very seriously as a songwriter, silly, frivolous comments such as this would be enraging. Cheers, everyone.

[Valhalla]

This guys a regular Chevy Chase now isnt he?

[ILIKEMUSICALOT]

altronataku:
ILIKEMUSICALOT:
If anything, people nowadays write better lyrics than old rock legends. Look at the examples of terrible lyrics he gave you. They are all old bands that were very successful and the lyrics were if anything. Lyrics today are actually poetic.


...so your saying lines from a simple plan or good charlottes song is more poetic than nirvanas or bob dylans or led zeppelin's lyrics? what the *** is wrong with you? retard >_>
[POSTED: 16 March 2005 - 14:39]|

Of course a closed minded gentleman like yourself would stereotype crap lyrics around Simple Plan and Good Charlotte. Did I say one bit about them being poetic? I don't recall me doing so. There are many good lyricists out there, you just have to go beyond listening to what's on the radio. The bands you listed as having good lyrics are all mainstream.

[ILIKEMUSICALOT]

By the way, I managed to talk to you in a reasonable manner. I did it without cursing.

[ILIKEMUSICALOT]

Or name calling.

[Azain]

Amazing how conspiricy can surround any opinionated response. Almost as amusing as the article itself. I thought in the very least it was entertaining.

[sv1684]

Great tips, VERY well written.

[egor]

good one ! it can really help some people...

[Spl!nTeRgu!tAr]

VERY nice dude-funny too

[Spl!nTeRgu!tAr]

frusciante_5:
Well written article, but you didnt mention intterpreatation, i think that if someone can write a poem or song that can have a different meaning to someone else, then that is a good display of lyric writing, i also liked your part on gimmicks although i personally wouldnt use them in writing.

thats why Stainds lyrics are so bad ass

[tarekhack]

I've just spent the last 3 hours reading all the reviews and now i can't remember the article. But it seems to have gone down well so hear hear here old boy. I raise my glass to you.

[GuitaristAshley]

Wow. for once, I actually sat here and read the entire post and every solitary comment.. Thus meaning - Highly amusing. Great Work. Loved it.

[bassbloodbath]

(i your reading this)you dont have a life either do you?

[Needled_24/7]

You can use books too (if you?re a big nerd)

ya, good article, but because of that comment, go f.uck yourself. he said read to learn more language. ok, now thats out of the way, again, good article.

[Tuegli]

Rawk The Hell On! Good Article!

[frusciante_5]

Spl!nTeRgu!tAr:thats why Stainds lyrics are so bad ass
[POSTED: 18 March 2005 - 13:25]

sorry? did i mention staind? i dont belive i did, iv barely heard any of their stuff, dont be twat this is my opinion, this is what i like to hear in songs, i think your the "ass" for giving such a shit about it

respect what people are into, even if it is "staind"

[kbass9267]

I guess it was ok. It was funny but rele long. You gotta make them shorter. And put more funnies in there.

[Guitar_Wizard46]

im gonna do what rush did and write songs about total mythilogical stuff so it sounds better if it doesnt make sense

[tre_n_benjis_gi]

Whoa... Awsome article! 5 Stars!!

[ph_ryeman_2004]

very good article, i recently been writting songs with the inspiration of my fav bands, i dont feel so bad bout it now, good job hope to see more work from ya down the road.

[ramenboy101]

ILIKEMUSICALOT rocks. We need more people like you around.

[eastern_riffs]

it was well written,but i'd rather say to forget all the technical stuff related to lyrics and write what comes naturally.If you try to follow instructions on writing,especially on lyrics,what you'll get is stereotyped songs.Write what comes,forget how The Ramones and anyone else got their lyrics.

But,just for sakes,it was a good article,mainly because of your style of writing.

[insanity101]

i think it was good. i enjoyed it. but a lil 2 long

[Spudric jr.III]

I have tons of gimmicks but I cant tell. Anyway great artical informative and funny, Which way is it to Harry's piano?

[loserchild292]

rhyming lyrics makes you sound like a cheesy emo-kid (the fake kind). It's true RHYMING LYRICS for the sake of rhyming MAKES YOU SOUND SUCKY

[j-man1988]

Okay, I liked your little comment Mr. Nolan White. If you take yourself seriously as a songwriter, as you do, then you well and truly suck. Suck, Suck, Suck. I don't like how you have tried to operationalise the concept of songwriting. If people were to follow your little scheme then every song would be based around the same lines, or indeed, the same. You poop head/face. All you are doing (although your probably not doing it consciously) is teaching people how to write mucky wucky music. Oh, and dude, any shmuck can make words rhyme, it's not 'astonishing', it's average, especially yours.

[j-man1988]

ooooh, some lyrics just came to me.
Nolan White sucks, bucks, trucks, lucks, tucks, rucks, nucks, inducts, conducts and most of all plucks (his eyebrows)

[j-man1988]

dude, you really shouldn't pluck your eyebrows. It's just not that manly.

[Diceman42]

goth_kid7666:
i hate to join the long line of congrates but this is the best ***ing article that i've ever read and diceman42 is a ***ing moron

Oh, I'm sorry, did my comment offend your music tastes? HAHAH.
Btw, did you put that 7 in there because goth_kid666 was already taken? Just isn't the same is it?

[BadIntentions]

That was a bitchin article...now someone needs to write one on making awesome riffs.

[chuckles_34]

The Misfits song "American Psycho" isn't based on the move American Psycho.

[doki]

1) sick article
2) a lot of people making fun of you have obvious spelling problems themselves
3) thank you for saying that originality isn't as important as most people think it is. im guessing very few of you people understand the concepts of injust intonation, Atonal music, Microtonal tunings, the use of effects and records in such a way to create new sounds and the difficulty and effort required to do these things. do some research into it, it's pretty cool, but at the end of the day originality doesn't sell. remember, buddy holly and Britney spears have a LOT in common

[Craigo]

look m8, if ur gona say ne thin @ all, make it a gd thing 2 say.

[the_ambassador]

yeee.. gd article thanx

[Nolan Whyte]

j-man1988: I don't take myself seriously as a songwriter. No one who takes themselves seriously as a songwriter could possibly have written such a silly article.

chuckles_34: You're absolutely correct, The Misfits song "American Psycho" is based on the Brett Eaton Ellis book by the same name. The movie was based on the same book.

[hayseed4u]

Good article. As good as any of the songwriting books for which I've shelled out hard earned cash.
Countless times I've taken the lyrics to a song I like and found that without the music they have a hard time standing on their own. They seem bland or ambigous, sometimes little more counterpoints for the guitar hooks and riffs. Panterra's music is some that I could never stand untill I stripped away all the distortion and effects and played it on a gut strung acoustic straight up. Then magic happens, the lyrics flower and stir my soul.
As far as this originality crap goes there are only about a half dozen themes around which any thing can be told, all else are just variations on these themes.

[8dmsguitar]

I like you and your article.

[j-man1988]

Yes, I think I should read more atlas' then i would know where I was going.

[Agwahe]

Nolan Whyte...you rock..

And to all the people who didn't like the article: You are all entitled to your own opinion, but please, be mature about what you say or type, you're not embarassing Nolan Whyte, you're actually embarassing yourselves...

[brian_s]

Some of the songs I've writen I just made up a riff, a few chords and then made up the lyrics to fill the music.

[cherryscented]

Awesome! Really really useful advice. Our singer is a pretty amazing writer and I've always been really jealous of her but even I can see how she could get something much better out of this article. And so could I. Cheers! And even though the article was fairly long, you kept it interesting. Very impressive dude, well done.

[mikedeit]

Wow, that's some really good advice! This will make my band much better.

[Mr. Clean]

Great Article.

Anyone who speaks English can tell you that ?Antichrist? does not rhyme with ?Anarchist,

They do rime, just not in the common way (there are different types of riming (yes you can spell it "rime"))

[chilipepper24]

what you have was great, but i feel like you're missing a lot. there's a million different ways to get inspiration for lyrics, but i think you could have tried to cover a few more. however, i did love the article, the writing style is great, it was funny and interesting and gave me some good ideas. as far as how i get my inspiration, two words: magnetic poetry. and it really works.

[wanna_lick_me?]

this is the most hillarious article i've read, even though it is somewhat useless. extremely entertaining though. Five stars

[TWP man]

F u c king sweet article! 3 million stars!

[Underhander]

ur a writer, dunno bout the articlre tho lol

[iamsatan]

i never really thought u could learn how to write lyrics, though i beleive u can learn how to write the musci to express lyrics better..sometimes ive found out recently that just playin simple chords can help to enhance a song and make the lyrics stand out than my old constant twatting of the low e string and phrygian scales shit...i award this arcticle 5 stars not because of the advice it gave me but because it made me want to pick up my acoustic and sing my heart out

[shameless]

I'm pretty sure that there are already like a hundred articles about this right now...but it was very well writen and not to boring...very informative...

[GuitarWeasel]

frusciante_5:
Spl!nTeRgu!tAr:thats why Stainds lyrics are so bad ass
[POSTED: 18 March 2005 - 13:25]


sorry? did i mention staind? i dont belive i did, iv barely heard any of their stuff, dont be twat this is my opinion, this is what i like to hear in songs, i think your the "ass" for giving such a shit about it

respect what people are into, even if it is "staind"
[POSTED: 18 March 2005 - 19:22]|

frusciante_5, you are a moron. Spl!nTeRgu!tAr was praising Staind. He didn't call anyone an ass. Maybe you should think things through a little better before you decide to be a royal asshole to someone.

[Cpt. Vanquisher]

great article
5 stars

[The Oceanborn]

One the other hand, several people have made positive comments about my spelling,

HAHAHAHA One the other hand....
article was good, but didn't help me much Im still a bad lyrics writer, that's why I stick to writing instrumentals

[frusciante_5]

GuitarWeasel:frusciante_5, you are a moron. Spl!nTeRgu!tAr was praising Staind. He didn't call anyone an ass. Maybe you should think things through a little better before you decide to be a royal asshole to someone.

ah i get it, i misinterpreted what he meant i apologies for any offence to him, thanks for pointing it out. Apologies Spl!nTeRgu!tAr

[SingingSabre]

Impeccable grammar. Well done! I thoroughly enjoyed it!

[flame843]

Great article. Funny, useful, not excessively long, and true. 5 stars!

[the_cheat22]

best article i've read on this site! funny and very informative. you put some obvious thought and effort into this article and it shows. ill reference this quite a bit.

[TheSuperman2000]

Not to bad.....dont know if ill ever remember it....but i enjoyed what i read.....

[_The_Rover_]

2 Thumbs up...

[_The_Rover_]

By the way, you forgot the AC/DC approach, find a saying and repeat it, or change it to sound more rock n' roll...
"Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" "For those about to rock" "Shoot To Thrill" "Hells Bells" The list goes on... They should make a best-of album called "A Collection of Cle'ches'"

[brinsk]

Respect! Very good article. I'm on my way to write a song...bye :

[Ragnarok_Riff]

very imformitave man...a little bit of a different opinion in my eyes...but if u can't take in a little bit of everyones views how are u gonna get good... 5 stars in my opinion...good writing man

[Rachmaninoff]

Good ideas--perfect for the uselessness most lyrics inevitably convey. Point of irony: paragraph 7, sentence 6. I hope that was intended. My compliments to you, good sir, on this your most intriguing article. But what about Power Metal vocals?? Hah!

[SilenceEvolves]

I disagree with your section on originality. It may be hard (okay impossible) to come up with a completely original idea, but you can still find new ways to present or say things. You should've said something like that in there.

[hellachella]

Your article was witty
The rip offs were stellar
You're pretty clever
For an internet feller.

[Floyd93]

That article helped me write better. It was also pretty funny and enteraining.

[lessTHANjake]

long, boring to read, GREAT. you took the time to write somethin long and it turned out great. awesome advice and i hope it will help me in writing lyrics {partly cuz my band members were asses and appointed me to writin our songs}

all in all, great article and keep it up

[lacey_the_crazy]

Lovely article...yes, I did just call it "lovely". By this I mean it's both useful and pretty funny, which is a pathetically rare combination here on UG. A lot of the articles here are hilarious, but only because of how badly they suck. Anyway..good job. Er..."lovely" job.

[brokenGUITAR]

Good article....entertaining and useful

[Seiko-Unleashed]

hmmmm.....ok, only ok

[j-man1988]

Still don't like it. Get a life I hear you shout, nay, never. Don't follow instructions to write songs, do what you think will sound different or good. Nolan White sucks big time.

[Rock 101]

Awesome Article! Funny and edible!

[reelmanefesto]

i cant stand people like you just want to get drunk and get layed if you really cared about the music hat wouldtnt be the main at of the dream i didnt even read the rest of teh artcle

[lexfortres]

ho ho ho.... !!! good article man, I i think you missed the methaphoric lyrics,kinda like beatle ones but your article is eye opening

[j-man1988]

nolan white smells

[j-man1988]

nolan White loves to touch his forehead in puvlic. IT's so gross.

[pytolk]

Your article was awesome man!!!.. i might have to start a band just to show the singer this article!
---..
There's a picture in a gallery of a fallen angel, looked alot like you. - Van Halen, Best Of Both Worlds

[AllPlayDead666]

all I can say, I hate it

[MikeLikes2Rock]

Holy shit. Best article EVER

[will_clip]

Atreideslegend:
that article was, obscene....it was so full of cheap tricks and crappy gimnmicks it made me want to die....thank you for the first realistic song writing article ever published!!!! 30 thousand stars

Lmao. THat was nice

DUDE WTF this article isnt the ***ing messiah, its decent at best, it sorta flows but it's very weak, poor trasitons and the blatant hooks are pretty weak. I was going to try that in one of my papers, but after that display I'm gonna have to rethink that one. I hope this was satire and thats what every one is applauding but if not shame on you, and shame on you for making them read this. Good effort but develop that a little more man, revise a few times don't be affraid to cut the 5hit that doesn't work.

Omg. Did he seriously say that your article sucked cause it was poorly written and lacked structure like transitions. Damn if its not one thing its another isnt it? Good article man. Good ideas and it made me laugh.

[C-man]

very good article. You inspired me to write my own stuff. 5 stars!

[AC/DC Dude8]

briliant. 5 stars.

[Jack3n665.5]

Nice article, that time clock would work ina dress like girls 80s hair metal bands, and there are some really GOOD bands that take inspiration from books and make kick ass songs, such as Iron
Maiden.

[Mike_uk2k]

that is one of the most entertaining article's i've ever read on UG, and i really did learn a lot from it! thanks man!

[0.Configuration]

I WANNA WRITE A SONG!
I DONT WANNA SUCK!
THIS ARTICLE HELPED!....a bit
YEO! YEO! YEO! YEO!


that was a sweet article man, and it wasnt boring like all the others so i was actually able to read through the whole thing, thanks.

[Thrashmetal92]

props man. you gave a lot of information

[blade'n'gutz]

they so true what you said about brainstorming.. except i think its better if u dont intentionaly find a time to do it. some times when you are feeling bad and you get an urge to write the things you are thinking down, dont ignore it! later on you could use it

[Zeus2716]

sweet article some great tips for sh*tty, uninspired writers like myself

[god_luvs_a_trya]

great article, really helped me, thnx man!

[GAC1989]

the best article i ever read im going to write some songs! it is now 22.45 GMT and i have exams first thing 2moro morning oh well lol take credit for screwing up 12 years of school lol . thnx dude

[steph101]

I didnt read the replies - but i'm guessin its all praise - i dont think you need any more praise - but wow - amazing. Definitly learnt something!!!!
Cheers.

[anchains14]

They way you wrote about Rule 2 was a little annoying. You come off as basically saying the only REAL emotions worth writing about and creating songs about are bad ones. Just look at your examples- the dad who kicked you out of the house, the gf who dumped you, etc. And your newspaper example- find some shitty stuff that happened and write a song about it. I mean come on. Basically, the tone of your writing implies that unless you have a ***ed up life or others have a ***ed up life, you can never be an expressive insightful songwriter. This might not have been what you wanted to imply, but it sure comes off as that, additionally proven by how your examples of proposals of different methods of songwriting (like pick a person, brainstorm, gimmicks, etc [xyz is a goth girl]) that are more lighthearted in nature are expressed as the crappy sets of lyrics that you will moan over when the girls and cocaine comes later on.

[smashngrab1991]

I made it a point never to make any songs about my hardship or about my gf, thus i have songs called "polly wants a cracker" and "chixov couldnt rhyme shit"

[smashngrab1991]

and not everyone who writes music is a complete stoner thank you

[ChrisScottAndy]

haha that was funny period.

[Evil Kid 93]

Four words: Best. Fucking. Article. EVER.

Seriously, this was so damn funny, it's rediculous. 5 stars, man. I think you're probably the best writer on UG (and certainly one of the funniest). Great tips on how to write lyrics, too. I usually just go with that "Theme And Variation" thing, that's definitely the easiest way to write a song.

And, oh yeah, j-man1988 needs to shut the hell up.

[Stealthbass]

This is a really interesting article,

it's very helpful

thanks

[Zoso68]

nice ..very helpful

[mrautomatic993]

nice! i found a lot of great tips. thanx!

[tweeres04]

Wicked article...funny too...way to keep it un-boring.

[JohnnyRock]

Good article. I?m not a great fan of internet articles instructing you how to write lyrics but this article did not focus too much on that. I believe that lyrics have to be written from personal emotions and experiences (I agree with your second point ? its good to see someone put this into an article for once). However, I don?t agree with your fourth point, we need to be original and this can be achieved by using personal (hence original) emotions and thoughts as inspiration. If not it results in all bands beings the same and the industry becomes too manufactured (rather like the current music scene).

[MetallicaNRoses]

good, but the best thing on the page was the word asstard

[pagezoso777]

great article funny and helpful makes me want to try and write a song right now. Rule #4 made me feel so much better

[tonytonetone]

i thought it was pretty good, its fun writing songs about shit u know it takes the edge off makes you feel better about these *******s that need to die. LONG LIVE ROCK

[DRoboWHOids06]

Damn that thing was long as hell.... BUT totaly worth it you gave good advice on lyrics and you made a couple people fell beter about staeling lyrics.You gave me a good name for a song and made fun of : yourself,nerds and people that didnt read your article.
oh, isn`t "American Phychos" a band? Eventhough you dont play the guitar and suck at lyric writting you did a kick ass job!10*

[A-Thousand-Lies]

It may be nearly a year after, but damn, that article owned. Good job. I might actually use that (except for the angsty bit. I've already got that down-pat).

[Rosencrantz]

Dude that was awesome. informative helpful hilarious well written etc.

[henza_x]

cool

[Swinger]

pretty good advice, not bad.

[cabbaman98]

hts amazing advice nice one nolan. U make it rlei interstin aswell ur a gr8 guy.

[ginotech]

Yeah, I would definitely buy your book as well.

[Mr. Grunge]

Noice! 10/10

[sweet_emo]

wow...that's the first time i've ever read one of these all the way through...and i wasn't even bored!

[auranos]

Finally a well written article. My fellow English majors salute you. 10/10, two thumbs up, 1 billion stars, kudos, etc, etc.

[mikeman]

I read the whole thing from start to finish. No skimming for me. w00t. But yeah; Impressive. Another good technique is ambiguity. Leave it open to others interpretation.

[METSOAD]

Thanks dude that ruled

[METSOAD]

im still crap though nothing this wonderful article can do will change that

[EvanRice52]

stupid jerks

[vanceboy]

Nolan Whyte PWNS at the columns section of UG.

[Metallica708]

dogsballs wrote:

one of the most obscenely vauge articles ive ever read.

you sir, are a brainless man.

[jonathanonfire]

funny stuff.

[GrungePb]

thats some good stuff there

[Nomadboy]

Awsome man, very good article. Extremely entertaining as well. Keep it up.

[Crazyfool1989]

Muy Bien

[iggy pop]

My dear Nolan i think your on to something. i just wrote enough songs to last me the rest of my life (Yes! one whole song)!

[floydfanben]

um. i
m looking for the crossroads where i can sell my soul, anyone have dirrections?

[gtr-boy]

THANK YOU, U ARE MY MUSICAL GOD

[theRedSpecial]

I think what a lot of these ppl have to realize is that it's only a helper article...like someone said before, lyrics don't always have to be one specific way. But if you're someone who's having a problem writing lyrics or you're just starting out, articles like this can point you in the right direction. And of course, the more you do it, the more you'll realize your own style and you can then play with rhyme on rhyme and other components of a song.

[K!!LsWiTcH]

thanks i could really use some of this advice.

[slash=legend]

vest ever article your a ****ing genius!!!!!

[LeveLHeaD69]

Nolan whyte is teh shiz. this is by far the best advice on lyrics i have ever received in my young life.

[FruFighter]

this is the only article that doesnt make lyric writing out to be a sacred art

very good
5 stars

[Chickenfrmheck]

sweet. next time im gonna write a song, im readin this over first...and i found inspiration...somehow this makes me want to write a song about a fictitious, but realistic and perfectly executed murder...im 13...i dont have problems...lol...dont ask, but i will write a song like that!
great article man

[stratkat]

Great article

[minichibi]

Well written, and although it might not have given all the points in the world (all though it had some pretty decent ones) it made me like nod and laugh a little. So 5 stars (yay!)

[Qazo]

Fantastic article!! Well written, funny and informative.

[BringerOfMetal]

Why do you think that everyone wants to a coked up musician? I hate drugs n' alcohol...
Awesome article though.

[ShredIsNotDead.]

yeah it was a great article, but not everyone wants to be like motley crue...

[ShredIsNotDead.]

...i like motley crue, by the way...
...but i dont like drugs/alcohol...
...hmmmm...
...imagine a straight edge motley crue...
...lol

[SGstriker]

2 things
1. lol
2. This was a very helpful article. 10/10

[joseche]

Long but good

[HexenBexen]

Excellent article! A++

[orgasmickey]

lol, gold.

[bassplaya53]

nolan, you are a legend! ive been trying to write my own songs for ages and it just hasnt worked but now that i found this article it has been a big help.
thanks.

[callum2903]

stop qrting this it was fun but do guitargasm!!!

[guitartiger]

Amazing man this was sooooo helpful, great job im rly impressed

[abdulalhazred]

woo i like writing lyrics
hey watch out for some deer ticks
ooohhhh cool magic tricks
tonight im gettin high at ricks
without this article i couldnt have written that. lol great article

[joe8rulez!]

that was totally good shit!!!! Nolan u r a rock king!!!! can u plz do some more colums

[miller30times]

I WANT TO WRITE A SONG
I want to write a song
I want to write a song
Well I smoke my bong
You can sing along
Because i'm going to write a song
yeaaaaa yeaaaaa smoking my bong

[1339]

this'll help me quite a lot! great article, very humerous too =].

[adr11iano]

that was a legendary article!
absolutely loved it!!

[70'sdude]

ILIKEMUSICALOT wrote:

chrus:
WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT LISTEN TO THIS GUY. This article just killed rock and roll.
[POSTED: 15 March 2005 - 15:49]|


If anything, people nowadays write better lyrics than old rock legends. Look at the examples of terrible lyrics he gave you. They are all old bands that were very successful and the lyrics were if anything. Lyrics today are actually poetic.

there were excellent lyrics in the past, i dont think its fair to make such a generalization.

BTW loved the article, good base to start writing lyrics with.

[bloodchair]

inspirational article, but i don't thinks its fair to stereotype the guitarist dream. I love music, rock of course and i want to get out there. You might even say i want fame, but the truth is the typical lifestyle scares me, but i know i can avoid it (course fame will be incredibly harder than avoiding drugs)

[--ATREYUROCK--]

Nolan, you r a genius

If ur advice ever gets me a record deal, ur going straight on the album thank yous!!!

[axeshredder99]

Awesome article, I really learned a lot!

[snowboarder371]

Amazing artical man good job! =] its one of the only entertaining long articles ive actually read all the way through without getting bored.

[jimmyled]

He's good. I like Guitargasm! too, it rocks, just like led zeppelin!

[Secret7]

Wow :O unbelievable writing
Thank You!

[Samothomas]

Thanks. I'll be further ripping off Robert Plant in a similar fashion Jack White doen.

[Samothomas]

*does

[lestat1836]

this article is so offensive to the reader, I was surprised to see so many positive comments about it even though some of the advice is pretty cool. Maybe I'm just too sensitive here.

[ringocp2006]

good deliverables ...Ringo

[xophrax]

Awesome article, and im proud to say that i read it all! One question though, is it illegal to get a really old poem and sing it and call them your lyrics? If you know, please tell me!

[SG46]

Great article, very helpful!!!

[One Inch Man]

awesome, it was very fun to read and a lot of helpful information!

[FLbassplayer21]

great article i almost hit my singer in the face wen he told me this article was hell