Writing Songs & Lyrics Based On Experiences

Ok, there are a few different aspects of writing I noticed while reading friend's lyrics and my own. I first realized that everybody has a certain style of writing. I know this is a pretty obvious statement, but then I thought about what caused different styles of writing.

My theory is that certain style of writing first depends on what style of music you like. Obviously if you like punk rock, you are most likely to be writing lyrics to a punk rock tune.

The second thing your style depends on is whether you’re a guy, or a girl. To be honest, girls ARE more emotional than guys are. Sorry my fellow ladies but you know this is true. If writing feelings about a recent break-up, a guy’s point of view would tend to have more anger than sadness, like a girl’s lyrics may. (But luckily today, the genre "emo", short for emotional, has emerged. Male artists all over are able to express their feelings of sorrow and heartbreak through this genre.)

The last thing I advise you to know and remember is that my song writing technique is truly spiritual. In other words, using my technique, a song will turn out to be just a piece of one’s truest feelings, so don’t even try to write a song in a room full of people.

The best thing to do is to go to a place, alone, where you feel most comfortable. For most, this would be their bedroom, but for some who share a bedroom, the most comfortable place may be the bathroom, with locked doors. What ever floats your boat will work.

The purpose for this is that a relaxed environment provides a place where it is easy to connect with your-self. Only you know your deepest secrets, and your truest feelings. Which means only you can write a unique song which is based on your feelings, thoughts, opinions, and point of views.

After you have followed what I recommended to you, it is time to follow the lesson. To tell you the truth, the advice I gave you above is the lesson itself, which means we are almost done! 8^D!

In the rest of the lesson, I would like to tell you how to write from your personal experiences, and give you some ideas. If you are having trouble figuring out what to write about, don’t get frustrated. Start with ideas that you feel strongly about. Many amazing songs and lyrics can come from:

• a recent boyfriend/girlfriend break-up,
• a recent death in the family,
• moving away from home,
• a fight between you and your parents or a best friend,
• a divorce between your parents,
• or just feeling down.

Well, since I gave you some ideas to think about, now I’ll tell you how to write songs and lyrics based on your experience. This part is quite easy. First, clear your head of everything except that experience, whether it is good or bad. This should be easy to do, if you followed my advice and you’re alone in a comfortable room.

The next thing you want to do is start writing down everything you are feeling inside about your experience. Write down your emotion about it, what you think of it, why it makes you feel that way, and anything that pops into your head.

Doing this could even open your mind to feelings you didn’t realize you felt. That is why this is good to do when you’re under stress, it relieves a lot of negative feelings, even the ones stuck inside of you that you couldn’t see.

After a few or more pages, reread what you wrote down. Look at that sheet, and say hello to the rough draft of your song! Now all you have to do is put things together. Here is an example:

This is the actual list of emotions that I wrote after Brian broke up with me:

• “I lived off your love for so long, that when you left me, it felt like nothing was holding me from falling every day.”

• “The hardest thing to see is the love of your life, leave you to chase after a girl who is already taken.”

• “I will always keep this letter because there will be a time I will have to look back and see how I got through the hardest thing that I’ve ever had to overcome in life.”

• “Some day I will look back at this letter with pride as I say, ‘Wow, it was me who made it through that?!? Jeez, I can make it through anything’”

From this list of feelings came the lyrics to my first song...

“I used to think that I could never live without your love.
But with time I realized I’d rise above.”

“What I use today,
Is all the heartbreak that you gave,
To get over the things that keep me down.
And now I know I’ll never have to frown.”

I changed it up a bit and added a tune to it since I wrote it, but for my first lyrics, I’d say that it’s not all that bad right? Well Now that I have given you some advice and a few examples try my way out! It may seem like a lot, but you’ll realize that it’s a lot easier than it seems. In fact it’s the easiest technique I’ve ever used! Let me know how it goes for you!

Comments

[Nacho2006]

that was really helpful, and yeah, guys get emotional too, and now we're learning to express that with sorrow rather than waling and anger.

[EpiMach]

good article

[cfmartin]

great article, cool song too

[idontknow]

good article, am stuck with that writing stuff at the min. Just one thing, pparently this is the 'easiest technique u've ever used'? Well wasnt that ur 1st song? twas pretty good tho

[AcoustiGreg]

not too shabby at all....

[ZeroX]

that was awesome helped me a lot

[kirei-ryuu]

Sall good my lady, i think this technique is good and a helpfull lesson for newbies. But im sticking to my own way, it inspired me to go back and put more to my wor in progress. Though i find it easier to just think what you feel, and speak it in flowery terms (for a lack or better words), just sing from the heart you get good and bad jot down the good and build on it, allways works for me.

[guitarer]

man this is a bad article. -5 stars,

[leoguitarist]

you did a great job explaining your technique. keep up the good work. - )

[Kutless]

good article. That's pretty much how I write lyrics for my songs.

[Ralph]

that's one way, this is my way: I just take a shower

i don't know why, but I experience my moments of inspiration while I'm in the shower, maybe cause I'm bored or something :P

It also helps to keep a notepad with you at all times (even in the shower, well at least near the shower) It really sucks when you come up with a lyric but don't have anything with you to write it down. Example of a legend for a lot of peepz is Kurt Cobain, he wrote most of his lyrics in notepads n stuff.

nice article btw

[NoRoom_forError]

Really, a nice article. Keep on using what works for you... I write each of my songs differently... I usually always keep a pen and paper on me in case random ideas pop into my head.

[Cobainliveson]

HEY ya that was an ok article and those techniques are good n' all, but im sorry that song is lame!! It has to much crappy rhyming. Like that frown part, not everything has to rhyme, im sorry but that part was really lame!!everything else is good tho

[darkness04]

kool article never tried it, bt am gonna give it a go : )

[xfile]

worst article ever

[megalomaniac13]

this article helped me alot

[Colonel]

As a person that makes their living writing songs and prose, I like a lot of what you said.
If I may add a little to that...

Remember that a story's main feature is movement. A story tells three things. What it was like, what happened, and what it's like now. This is a "story song".
Though some songs start and finish with the same action, love, pain, anger...

Keep it simple. Use words that people use in their every day life. And remember, Hook Hook Hook, (or the title of the song)
They might not remember the third line of the second verse that you thought was the best part of the song, but they will remember the Hook!

[TimmyPagePatric]

'If writing feelings about a recent break-up, a guy?s point of view would tend to have more anger than sadness' well just to point it out, here's an odd case: Frankee, F.U.R.B.

I know, its come back song, but i like to point these things out.

Overall, a very detailed and dedicated lesson,
Nice One!

[ScarletSunshine]

the example was terrible....the lyrics were lame...but the advice was good

[bc2skaterpunk]

Thanks for the good article this is just what i've been lookin for

[Whisper_Child]

"There's a lesson in this, you live to love, but you die love sick. I never thought it could hurt like this." That's how I write. Lots of times I make verything very metaphorical. I NEVER use names and on the rare occuation or two that I did they were not the same name.

[guitarista_rg]

nice article

[Slimmy]

Hi, Im Daniel... 18 yrs of age, I have been playing for 8 months now. I know tons of covers, but I cant make my own shit up... I can write lyrics... and I can come up with tabs, chords... (The musical part), But I always have hard time putting them together... Like the words dont match up with the song, or visa versa...
Can someone give me some advice?

[ShaunaO]

That was the most useless advice Ive ever heard.

[stpd1]

all i got from this is how to write lyrics when depressed bout something
what about when i'm not?

[skiracer271]

You know, were not all writing pop punk and emo

[Rock 101]

Pretty obvious stuff. Very obvious. Man, you wasted your time on this.

[Devandickens]

hey thanx alot ive been playin guitar for 2 years and me and friends are making a band (now complete) and uve made it easier to write songs now...
Great article!

[sysiphys]

Let us not forget about originality. Everything now-a-days seems to be the same old crap just slightly remolded from the same turd ball ; NIce article too!

[Balladeer]

That was awesome dont listen to those awful jackasses. ive had writers block and this was the juice to help me through it. Everyones a critic, but you keep trucking.

[purerock]

for some reason I thought there might be some real insight in an article on this subject... guess I was wrong. song writing doesn't always require you lock yourself in a closet. you're writing a song with the intention to perform it I assume. not everything you think about needs to be put on display. personally I write lyrics whenever I'm inspired, and I don't have to run to the bathroom to do it. some of the other comments mentioned notepads, good advice, I actually carry a personal recording device so I can record melody as well as lyrics if I think of something out of the blue. but in the studio is still the best place to write music for me, as I can bounce things off my bandmates and come up with stuff on the spot.

[yoshi413]

Colonel:
As a person that makes their living writing songs and prose, I like a lot of what you said.
If I may add a little to that...

Remember that a story's main feature is movement. A story tells three things. What it was like, what happened, and what it's like now. This is a "story song".
Though some songs start and finish with the same action, love, pain, anger...

Keep it simple. Use words that people use in their every day life. And remember, Hook Hook Hook, (or the title of the song)
They might not remember the third line of the second verse that you thought was the best part of the song, but they will remember the Hook!
[POSTED: 01 June 2004 - 09:10]|

I agree! The way to make it is basically build the base of the problem, then tell the details of the problem, and then tell how it turned out.

I learned the hook thing the hard way when I realized I hated my choruses and love my verses. lol

Though I disagree with the everyday words thing. Using everyday words makes you sound like a person writing rhyming words on a page and not the poet you want to sound like. Big words and fancy phrases are the best way to go.

Check out my lyrics at my site: [url=http://www.geocities.com/tim_yoshi413/songs]Mistrodden Song Lyrics[/url]

[yoshi413]

Damn, the link thing didn't work. Oh well, my site's at http://www.geocities.com/tim_yoshi413/band

[InsideTheHabit]

i liked this article, it had some good advice, but i didn't entirely agree on the subjects of writing. sure, you could use them, but there is so much more to write about other than a break-up with a boyfriend or girlfriend, or a fight with someone. Think about life itself, what inspires you. Not all writing has to come from a bad experience. in my opinion, you don't have to be a drug addict, victim to a parental divorce or something to write real good lyrics.
Another thing, just me, but i like to write more metaphorical stuff rather than just display everything in black and white. I guess this way it can be interpretated into anything you want, making it relate to a lot of people.

[Wyldey Rhodes]

Plant ur pickles firmly
its writing like seriously u cant tell someone what they are writing is shit... bcuz well shit smells different to different people, some people may like the scent of a turd that others might not, so u cant tell someone that it sucks, and emo is another form, u cant make fun of it, the same way people cant make fun of ur music
Toodles

[Wyldey Rhodes]

o and u giving advice is probably the worst thing to do in art, when u give advice u change the movement of whatever it is that is in progress, to guide or give options would be best

[oniro_mvolta*]

f**k man, songs dont have to be so minor and down, minor sounds good but still this article needs to be balanced, i suggest another lyrics article, if ur up to it

[WhoanessDude]

How come female writers suck? This isn't a stereotype or a shallow comment...but seriously...all the girls I know that write...are horrible.

Anyways...a better tip than your stupid article...open yourself up to less common words...and subjects which you don't find on MTV everytime a music video comes on.
The Dictionary and the Thesaurus are two of my best friends. Read Every Time I Die's lyrics...you'll see what I'm talking about. And I don't mean look up words in the Thesaurus and replace them...I mean study words in the English language, and know your vocabulary. Doing nothing but looking up words and replacing them is immature and seems like you'd be uneducated. Do it on your own.

Also, don't always write about negative things. Every subject mentioned in this article was negative, and that's not a good way to look at things. Trust me.

Emo means more than emotional...so don't even try to explain it.

[WhoanessDude]

Oh...and you don't always have to rhyme...it sound too fairy-tale. Also...some of these major label bands just sound like they're trying waaaaay too hard to rhyme. Making it sound...well...again...immature.

[playthedeftones]

Good article, but what do you do when you want to write about the GOOD things instead of the bad? like, for example, when you're with somebody that you'never felt a certain way with anybody else, and you can't stand the thought of being with anybody else, and all that good stuff? I'm not a really good lyric writer, but I can write guitar stuff fairly well. HELP!!

[belka]

Absolutely fabulous!

[Flyckten]

Great article but maybe it should be called "Writing songs & lyrics based on emotions" instead of experience. Anyway good article.

[Luki3650]

Great article!
I'll try your technique the next time when I write a song:

THX!

[Darksoulz777]

LOVED the article cuz thats about how i write my lyrics now that u got the lyrics down any tips on the music plz!!!!
well ur awesome keep it up!

[the_evil_sheep]

Thanks that really helped me. just need to sort out a tune now.

[RoughDraft]

hahahaha,,,,i write in the shower too...the ink goes everywhere!XD

[mikhail]

Thanx..it helped me a lot a lot

[thestudios]

First off, there's absolutely no reason why you need help writing a song. When you write something, simply write what you feel. When you write what you feel or what you see than you're being true to yourself. You don't need anybody else to tell you what you feel, because you know best. And if you're human, you'll always have lots of things to feel over or care about, so you'll never run out of things to write about. To me this lesson seems like nothing more than an excuse for this poor sap to leak out some of his cheese ball lyrics in a sad attempt to gain some recognitionand attention. To be had by this bogus lesson, all the help you need is in your head and in your hearts

[Bobather_909]

emo seems to be the only thing i write, good article for newbies, but i went through a phase of writing, but i was shit, went back to it about a year later, and every1 seems to love my stuff, all i need now, is a band to write for (hopefully my own)

[Angry youth]

u missed out political lyrics, happy lyrics, religous ... missed oads

[Angry youth]

and loves easy to rite and connect with, its when u write a different style yet connect when pple call u gd

[Vodd]

An example of good lyrics would be John Frusciantes work. Awesome. I think its cool that ppl are willing to use their time to give advice and help on stuff like this whether it helps u or not.

[guitarist79]

nice article, but your song sounds a bit unoriginal, i think people should write with differnt dimensions. You know the type of songs where you can't tell if the conflicts are internal or external, it makes you think more, and leaves the reader or listener interested.

[Craig01]

has anyone ever heard of stating the obvious?

[Alien_from_a_cd]

^^Yeah, but I gotta say you can see s/he went and did something...apart from us jackasses who sit on our asses and flame everything...

[feuer_rader]

i wanna rite punk so sum1 giv me the jist of wot this article ses

[shroomy]

emo sux, necer did like it, and never will like it. too much Whining and complaining. I still don't understand haw anyone con enjoy listening to that sappy annoying BS. WHY?

[Matizula]

nice article. i can make nice riffs and compile to a song but never make good lyrics to suit the song. I usually just scream or humm the tune when my band plays the song. i'm not much of a poet.

[guitar guy 6006]

Worst song ever!!! but good advice (kindof)

[lucesolarecal]

that was cool, just fyi not all emotional lyrics have to be emo, look at conor oberst or elliot smith, or most indie stuff.

[kazmot]

not bad! it's great... for an amatuer like you c" )

[MATTTHEMOP]

hmm. criticisms: not all songs have to be emotional at all, or if they are, not emotional in an angry, sorrowful kinda way.

and 2nd, song writers have been expressing their emotions in songs long before the rise of emo. i think emo is a stupid name because most music is emotional anyway. would u call radiohead, jeff buckley, pearl jam, nirvana, etc, emo? i wouldnt.

[stutterfly]

THE LYRICS WERE REALLY WEAK BUT THE TECHNIQUE IS RIGHT. I JUST ATE A REALLY KILLER BURRITO.

spam deleted

[MillencolinFan]

EMO IS SHIT

[atm_sk8er]

hahahaha, this whole article was written and comented on by a bunch of emo fags. emo is when a bunch of whiny pussies whine in a song about how their gf dumped them for obveous reasons, and they expect sympothy. boo hoo, it's an excuse for not knowing how to really write lyrics.

[someone love me]

hey. this article wasa great,even though ive been doing this to write songs and just make it through hard times for about a year now. its still good advice for begginers. but i disagree with the girls are more emotional, i mean im a guy, and ive been through a LOT, and im more emotional than a lot of girls i know. call me emo, call me a pansy, i dont care, but im emotional. butyeah great article.

[someone love me]

WOULD EVERY ONE STOP FUCKING MAKING FUN OF EMO? I SWEAR. PEOPLE WHO YOU CALL "EMO" (YES, I GET CALLED EMO) AND "EMO" MUSIC IS NOT A BUNCH OF PANSY LOOKING FOR SYMPATHEY. ITS A BUNCH OF NORMAL GUYS, WHO ACTUALLY FEEL PAIN IN LIFE. MAYBE BECAUSE THERE NOT MAN WHORES AND THEY CARE ABOUT THING LIKE 'LOVE', LIKE I DO, OR MAYBE THEY WANT MORE IN LIFE, AND WE ALL FIND THE HARSH TRUTH THAT THINGS NEVER GO HOW WE WANT THEM OR HOW WE THINK THEY SHOULD, IT HURTS. AND WE FEEL LIKE EXPRESSING OURSELVES TO HELP OTHER PEOPLE THAT ARE GOING THROUGH EXACTLY THE SAME THING. BECAUSE IT IS HARD. AND PAINFUL. WE DONT JUST SAY "AH JUST FUCK IT. THINGS ARE OK" WE DAY"HOW COULD THIS POSSIBLY HAPPEN? WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN? HOW WILL I EVER MAKE IT THROUGH THIS?" AND BY DOING THAT, WE END UP LEARNING FROM THESES THINGS IN THE END, SO IN THE END, WE ARE BETTER THAN YOU HARD GUYS THAT THINK EMO IS GAY. WE'RE NOT WINING. ITS NOT LIKE THAT. WE ARE ACVTUALLY LEARNING AND OUR HEART WILL EVENTUALLY BE ABLE TO HANDLE ANYTHING. ESPECIALLY PEOPLE WHO GO THROUGH A LOT. IT WILL ALL WORK OUT. SOME HOW. SO UNTIL THEN, WE RIGHT "SAD MOOSHY" SONGS TO EXPRESS OURSELVES. THE END.

[Rik_Sixx]

This was a pretty decent article, but you make it sound like you can only write songs about sad things like death, break up, fights with parents - whats wrong with writing about happy stuff? surely that should inspire you more and you would enjoy the writing process more?
other than that niggle, really good article.

[Pearson]

I followed this it was awesome. I managed to finish off my lyrics to a song ive been "waiting" (name of the song) to finish. Cheers dude, its awesome

[hobophobic]

everything was cool except it was too narrowed down on depressing songs! a lot of songs can be inspirational and empowering, without expressing just pain. One thing about songwriting is that a lot of topics are tired out. Its up to out generation to open to new horizons, or else well get stuck in the repetition of songs like those of which have already been written. Thats how hendrix, the beatles ect became famous, they were DIFFERENT. everyone has gone through things, but the contrast between all of us is what we learn from our experiences. pain is one thing, but to rise above and conquer shows Integrity & ingenuity . ps im a girl! lol

[ampqueen]

thank you.. now i don't have to write songs about my experiences when i piss lyk:

as i started to squirt
drops riquotched towards me from the watery pits
i tried to run, but i was hit.. this is for you Sgt. Pepper!


im joking! hehehe

great article

[Orange~Love]

Inside I feel like I can write some good stuff, thanks too you.

[Joey20]

brillent acticle, help me to c how i could really make a good song

[7ilby]

Dude that's all good and well for you, but some songs based on experiences aren't bad eg.)Black Sabbath's 'Sweet Leaf'

[Sailor_no1]

Not too bad. I think it's possible to write about different things other than bad experiences though. Your technique is a good basic start though and good luck to your song writting in the future!

[volcomdude59]

rock on dude thts the way i make up my lyricz for my band

[yohanand]

emo fags

[Nickelbitch]

yeah i used the same techniques in my songs since i was 11... none of that emo crap though... im up with all that death & shit... all rock though... great article... might help a rookie

[cool boarder711]

hey can anyone help me my name is tim im 15 and i have the battle of the bands comming up in april my band wants to do an original sooooo any help is good help to me [e-mail]

[the.iron.maiden]

hey, take a deep breath. battle of the bands? eesh. anyway, just take a look at some of the wacky things your inpirations may have written. it doesnt have to be bohemian rhapsody. sweet and simple. look at van halens 'jump.' dont you love the 'chorus.?'try a three chord chorus, with some simple strumming and picking in the same key. i couldnt strum to save my life, but ive already started a demo tape. yes, it is crap. but i worked hard on it. do something different. WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU HAD FOR DINNER IF YOU HAVE TO. just keep away from the creepy, depressed feelings of the song. all the bands, no names given( dont wanna be shot) are doing that.BE DIFFERENT. just look at all of the weird songs people love. just do it.

[nosyrbp99]

this is an awesome lesson thingy haha it really works
i went into this room where nobody was and it was really comfortable and stuff and wrote down my feelings about something and my lyrics are awesome iv never felt good about my lyrics b4 reading this and now im really confident that they will make an AMAZING song thanks

[oily_stage]

[oily_stage]

[slash010203]

gr8 man thanx i just made me first emo song

[strid_29]

cool

[guitar14]

ok
im gonna try it thanks

[qwdudeqw]

I need some help writing a song still...if any one is interested maybe they could help me get some lyrics or maybe we culd start a band even....im not sure if im even posting in a right forum...

[qwdudeqw]

hey its me again... if u wuld wanna help me with some lyrics just post on this forum on lessons and say
'To qwdudqw:' before u message me

[qwdudeqw]

by the way if any wanna start a band.. i play drums and guitar as well...sorry for postign so many things

[flurgon]

Good article when i start writing song i always **** it up by getting angry!!! I like MCR and Green Day but i write really heavy stuff and i dont know why.

[hippieboy444]

sweet stuff.

[al.the.killer]

xfile :
worst article ever

took the words right outta my mouth...
and let me explain something to some of you ignorant youths...

emo=rites of spring, sunny day real estate, atom and his package
in other words, emo was never popular and the stuff was actually good. emo=emotive hardcore NOT EMOTIONAL. the lyrics weren't about nasty breakups and meaningless bull, but about the problems with society, for instance, several emo bands are known for their songs about stupid kids that think they're punk because they litter and fight, even though both are obviously the opposite of punk ideals

now the thing most of you have been calling emo is a music that has no genre(i assume you mean junk like fall-out boy and taking back sunday). most people who know what emo actually is just call this scene rock, and it's completely oblivious of any ideals or musical knowledge.

understood?

[claptonisgod21]

cheers was gud helped me loads have had trouble gettin my emotions into a song but this really helped. thanx

[Amy2201]

Hiya this was quite helpful but it kind of stated the obvious. But its a good article and gives good advice so i applaud u! lol! and all of u sayin its stupid and worthless, all i have to say to u is shhhh run home little child, tell ur mother about ur issues dont take it out on innocent people who are tring to help. well done to the author

[werewolf55]

This has really helped me and my friends write a lot I'd like to say thanks

[iggy pop]

Songs can be about anything. In my band i wrote a song in german about Bilbo Baggins

[theghostofme]

can i just say why is everyone dumping on the writer?? so some of you may think this lesson thingy is total crap, but some of us dont'. so next time, keep your opinions to yourself. and btw, anyone who thinks emos are stupid and sing about meaningless crap you're wrong. we sing about things that matter to us, and if you don't understand that then you seriously need a life. i think this article is amazing, and if you think you could do better, you should write one of your own instead of critisizing innocent peoples work.

[tafxkz]

[quote]WhoanessDude wrote:

How come female writers suck?


Janis Jop is a great song writer

[patmann3]

can i just say why is everyone dumping on the writer?? so some of you may think this lesson thingy is total crap, but some of us dont'. so next time, keep your opinions to yourself. and btw, anyone who thinks emos are stupid and sing about meaningless crap you're wrong. we sing about things that matter to us, and if you don't understand that then you seriously need a life. i think this article is amazing, and if you think you could do better, you should write one of your own instead of critisizing innocent peoples work.

I agree totally!!

[in_your_mouth]

YOU SUCK!!!!!

[iggy pop]

A girlfriend of mine wrote a song 4 my band once. it sucked donkey kong. to unreal. peace out y'll

[Jikroo]

Its quite good. Im gonna try it. Thnx alot.

[nadialeatz_4272]

so why didn't you say anything about writing songs about something happy?? All of your examples are sad.

xx

[fretmaster01]

this helps but..

nadialeatz_4272 wrote:

so why didn't you say anything about writing songs about something happy?? All of your examples are sad.

xx

what about the happy ones?

[fretmaster01]

wait... lemme answer that question... blaR! well.. i think all you do is think about the good experiences instead of the bad ones.. then you can use it and also apply these advices, except switch the emotional feeling around.. i guess...

[I_Dont_Know]

memories are a good gateway for writing. and you do need a hook like

The world is a vampire

[Random dude]

or u could write about something about something possitive insted of only writing about the bad things that happen to u.....

[stukes 04]

k first off i have a question. someone up there said you have to have a good hook or chorus or something to have a good song. But i would have to disagree. Bob Dylan, the greatest writer of all time, didn't use a chorus/hookin many of his songs. Especially if your telling a story in your song. it's just like in a tv show when u wanna get to the end to see what happens but you keep getting those commercials that interupt. I agree it is still good to have a ctachy chorus but it is not a prerequisite to a good song.

and second. Why do people knock on what other people like. Personally i'm not a fan of emo, )i like old rock and newer stuff like audioslave and stuff), but if a guy likes emo than let him listen to it. the world would be a better place if we didn't classify music into different names. Because the truth is everyone likes certain songs that they don't want other people to know they like. For ex. I don't mind the song sexy back by justin timberlake b/c its got a good beat and my g/f likes to grind to it. i dunno all i have to say is that we should stop beaking the people who like *emo*. Just becuse they listen to it doesn't mean you have to.

Anyway, about the writing everyone here left pretty helpful advice because the truth is different things work for different people. Personally, i usually just think about something i feel strongly about until i get pissed off, happy, or sad about it an then write down what i'm thinkin. it doesn't have to ryhme or make sense to anyone else for that matter because writing is an expression of your own thoughts and it doesn't matter if anyone else gets it or not.

[ihatethisgame]

Wat is this? Last time i checked rock wasnt about feelings....it wasnt really about anything and thats y people like the older bands these days becuase today rock SUCKS becuase of all the feelings that r sopposed to be in country and pop music...so next time u find urself writing a rock song like that remember that it will suck.(and also that song u wrote was horrible expecially those rhymes)

[doomnight]

ihatethisgame... Just saying, It could've helped if some of the old rockers went to school, maybe they WOULD have the brains ABOUT something. Because, as you said, rock wasn't really about anything. And on this subject, its spelt especially.

[doomnight]

Thanks Xtreme. But all the lines I write seem to be the same and have "day" or "away" on the end. Its really annoying. There's probably some song minorly stuck in my head.

[doomnight]

I tried your way of writing songs. I could only write about one verse. I've found that if I listen to some songs that I don't know the lyrics to, then I start producing lyrics effectively. And after about 10 minutes of using your technique and listening to music at the same time, I've got myself a page and a half xD Thanks for sparking my song ideas.

[ihatethisgame]

I actually have one more thing to say.....the lyrics didnt have to be about anything in the days of good music becuase the guitar was sweet so it didnt really matter, but today u can hardly EVER come up with a GOOD guitarist.

[darkiii]

the hardest problem is to find a place where you feel safe and relax.. and where you can leave your feelings freely there..

[flobotone]

tanks so much you have realy helped me relise a fue new things about my experiences and helped me write a nice slow song as a apology
thanks

[Eddy1612]

Hey don't every stereotype guys as not emotional cos it doesn't work that way. Many guys are emotional it's just they either find it hard to write their feelings clearly or they don't want other people to look at it and judge them!

[Td_Nights]

Personally,i write about the sometimes awkwardly placed sarrows in my life,but other than that,i often pass "spacing out" and feel as if i sometimes lose hold on reality at points,in which i can write about nature in an extravagant way.I don't know if that's a plus or a minus...

[Td_Nights]

Oh and i live in a smaller town,so with the street lights on at night i just walk around backstreets and the main roads with paper and pens,waiting for what comes to me.

[pgfan92]

A great band, Genesis, did many amazing songs based on historical influences, yet did draw from their personal lives, however, it was well hidden. I'm talking about 70s Genesis, to those who know of the band.

[red_hots_fan]

That is some good damn advice there! I haven't tried it yet but I'll tell you how i went when i try it. I absolutely suck at writing lyrics but I'm really good at writing music! I'm open to all ideas bout how to write lyrics as I have always wanted to write my own song! Once again thats really good advice! Thanks!

[Artix]

GOD DAMMIT Y DO U PPL HATE PPL IF U THINK THEY'RE EMO AND THEY ARENT EMO THE MUSIC IS DUMASSES (EMO MUSIC RAWKS!!!)

[Oasis-fanatic]

Artix wrote:

GOD DAMMIT Y DO U PPL HATE PPL IF U THINK THEY'RE EMO AND THEY ARENT EMO THE MUSIC IS DUMASSES (EMO MUSIC RAWKS!!!)

go to hell

[Ruben94]

Great article!

[gonzaw]

I think writting lyrics doesn't always have to be about feelings, or people, or depresion, etc. cause that's what everyone is doing nowadays, so in a way it doesn't make you fell so special about your songwritting. Writting lyrics has limitless boundaries, so you don't have to get limited in certain points, you can write about anything (a city, a math problem, or even a duck) but you have to do in your special way, you can even write about a topic thinking about another one, conecting both in your lyrics.

[woodlandsclose]

this is a good lesson but gonzaw u are correct man

gonzaw wrote:

I think writting lyrics doesn't always have to be about feelings, or people, or depresion, etc. cause that's what everyone is doing nowadays, so in a way it doesn't make you fell so special about your songwritting. Writting lyrics has limitless boundaries, so you don't have to get limited in certain points, you can write about anything (a city, a math problem, or even a duck) but you have to do in your special way, you can even write about a topic thinking about another one, conecting both in your lyrics.

[NandoD]

I think this article is pretty inclusive with political lyrics or "happy" lyrics or whatever you want to write really. See the point is that you write down everything you think and then just pick the best lines, yes it's an old technique but not everyone knows it and if you find it doesn't work for you it's only because you haven't practiced enough. This is pretty much how I write my lyrics and I've gotten much better over time.

[hystericmonkey]

this is defenitly the best way of writing lyrics but the hardest part is writing the music to go with it.

[minefreakx9]

Oasis-fanatic wrote:

Artix wrote:

GOD DAMMIT Y DO U PPL HATE PPL IF U THINK THEY'RE EMO AND THEY ARENT EMO THE MUSIC IS DUMASSES (EMO MUSIC RAWKS!!!)
go to hell

roflmao i agree with this guy . . .

[minefreakx9]

minefreakx9 wrote:

Oasis-fanatic wrote:

Artix wrote:

GOD DAMMIT Y DO U PPL HATE PPL IF U THINK THEY'RE EMO AND THEY ARENT EMO THE MUSIC IS DUMASSES (EMO MUSIC RAWKS!!!)

Oasis-fanatic wrote:
go to hell

roflmao i agree with this guy . . .

[Gunsandammo90]

this actually kinda helps, i'm thirteen and a bad lyricist. i'm in the middle of writing a song i got inspired after see Pirates of the Carribian 3 here's what i got, i'm trying to put a fun,punk feeling to it:

Life of a pirate

Yar matties
I be a pirate and proud of it

Well…
There’s…

Sailing all the way to the setting sun
Fighting with the boys for the last barrel of rum
Drinking up all that up until all your brains are numb

Oh yes

The life of a pirate is for me
A pirate one day I shall be

I’d be taking my crew straight into town
And go pick up a las I just found

[the_triangle]

i still like the yelling and pissed-offnes

[rising_against]

there are alot of aspects to songwritting, u have missed out alot of them, and for people reading, this is ONEmethod or writting songs, i wood rely on this for every song u write.

and really, wot u sed is right, style is important, as if we all had the same methods of songwritting, music would be pretty boring.

some of the aspects of songwritting in this article are ok, would help more newcomers to songwritting.

using views/opinions/situations that you feel strongly about it is a gr8 idea (not always nessisary), yet i dnt beleive lyrics must come from negative experiences in life such as PEOPLE DYING?!

there are many songs written from the things in life which make people fulfilled, like the love of there life, traveling the word, things that they may acheive.

as well as this, song writting duznt nessisarily have to be so direct with all the aspects of the situation, good idea's for lyric writting metaphors or taking on a different persona... for example: if u feel u are trying to live up to every1s expectations, u dnt have to say that in ur song word for word, u could take on a new persona, such as in the song Superman by Five For Fighting.

[xxemo_kittyxx]

great article, its cool how you mentioned that it's hard to write in a room full of people-because it really is.

[Robbertto]

i dont really like emo music because it always gets you down (plus i dont like the guitars in all of the songs ive heard). i like upbeat rock and happy lyrics because they almost always get you in a good mood. plus metal is always fun lol
well thats just my opinion

[the tnt men]

I im having a problem finding a spot to write music I live in a town its Junee they is lots of people ever way. my house is loud with music all the time if you live in Junee or no a place with no people please tell me at [e-mail] ...and the article is good the best

[Flexak]

For writing emotional songs this technique is really helpful, i need to find some way how to write funny songs too

[Closure777]

ehh. the best thing to do to improve your writing is writing often. your songs will get MUCH better if you DONT write about personal things. if you want to make a breakup song, its okay to think about how you felt, but dont get "swollowed" in the emotion. dont think about every little thing that happend to you. dont relive the experience. instead, just use good words that ryhme for inspiration, or just the main idea. the emotion will naturally come out of the lyrics, the lyrics may not naturally come out of the emotion. ussually when we are emotional, were also confused. confusion has no place in a song.

[dragon88]

thats what i'v bin doing but ideas hit all the time in rooms full of people or by my self

[Silent_Jester13]

Great job. It really helped me. Heres my first lyrics job.

Is real now? Is this our world?
Senseless fighting, rain of blood across the ends of earth.

Still im not the same, i'll never change.
Next time I make the same mistake, will you come again?
Forward Apathy and its still the same.
What the hell has come of you, and will you come again?

Im dying, above the moon.
Your crying, in your sea of shame.
Never worse, whats to blame?
You made your stand, but still rest in your web of lies.

Still im not the same i'll never change.
Next time I make the same mistake, will you come again?
Forward Apathy and its still the same.
What the hell has come of you, and will you come again?

Word that were once meaningless, have spared another life.

[Crisspie13]

great stuff and sorry about the duesch bag ex bf...

[gyrojones]

And if you dont have any experiences to write about really?

[NOnamesLEFT]

****ing emos

[deeph9]

da method seems good, but 4 all u guys who want to rite punk n stuff u just have 2 mix up the method i mean seriously, makin fun of this article wont make ur lyrics better. if u change it slightly u can make ur lyrics upbeat and punk by changing the way the article suggests. It worked for me, u just have 2 work it out 4 urselves.
cya

[weorge]

good idea,lots of people say it works for them, but really corny lyrics dont make them rhyme just flow, if everything rhymes it sounds really poppy and corny lokk at major bands and youll see lots of them only rhyme a little

[weorge]

and if anyone has any info on how to make rhythms for lyrics, I NEED IT, seriously it always ends up like someone elses song so any advice give me

[Sublime Stylee]

Here's some advice... stop writing about how sad you are because of some breakup. It's extremely cliche and boring! No one wants to here that shit.

[Nan On Fire]

wow great tips thankyou

[Leedostar]

Cheer up Emo kids

[JimmySHK]

V Good Article...Thanx 4 the advise! =D

[emodead666]

**** u....Emo is not Emotional but emo is the short term for emocore....

[ddusandu]

oooo my dad died - let me make song about it ... -_-!

[Lord_Hondros]

Nacho2006 wrote:

that was really helpful, and yeah, guys get emotional too, and now we're learning to express that with sorrow rather than waling and anger.

I disagree. I still yell and get angry.
Nice article though.

[iml84myd8]

yeah EMo is short for Emotive rock

[STFU_Nao]

emotive hardcore. Rites of Spring, Saetia, etc. Sure, these bands had some emotional lyrics but that's totally not the point since a genre is NEVER defined by lyrics.

[mafuhungy]

Can't say im for the lyrical thing im just no good at it I get frustrated because it's never what I want. But the rest, great tips thanks alot.

[emodead666]

hey emo is not short for emotional/////its EMOCORE

[wrathangel]

this was actualy quite helpful, given that im actualy a metal head, i've started to do what you've said (writing shit down ect) but the only difference is that im writing down a lot of angry and hateful stuff (which is why i am a metal artist because i use it to releive anger rather than drinking, doing drugs or fighting someone) so ta for all of this

[i-love-aimee]

great article im going to try make a song

[MetalmanOfDecen]

kurt cobain, is so much better so are his methods this lesson sucked..dint help at all...

[oakn]

• a recent boyfriend/girlfriend break-up,
• a recent death in the family,
• moving away from home,
• a fight between you and your parents or a best friend,
• a divorce between your parents,
• or just feeling down.

You know there's good feelings to. Like:
*Recently got a girlfriend/boyfriend.
*You won a competition.
*You or someone close got rid of their drug addiction.
*Just something that makes you happy like, summer, messin' around with your friends...

[azwad]

Good idea! I will try it.