Category: SINGER-SONGWRITER

One of the fastest growing genres in today’s music scene, vivid images and a strong personal style characterize this genre. Learn to express your ideas in fresh language and keep your listener with you!

Write a NEW Holiday Classic

While the sights and sounds of the season are all around us, this is the time to write those holiday hits. Maybe you want to pitch to a Hallmark holiday special, approach a music publisher with a new Christmas classic, or just share a bit of seasonal cheer with friends and family.

If you’re like me, you’ve combed through YouTube looking for cool songs and videos to share in holiday emails. Don’t miss out on these listeners! Put a simple lyric video together and upload it to YouTube, Facebook, or Instagram.

 YOUTUBE: “BY CHRISTMAS EVE” – JOHN LEGEND

There have been a few Christmas lyrics about getting home in time to celebrate with family and friends. There’s the classic “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” and songs like Chris Rea’s “Driving Home for Christmas,” but it’s a theme that still has plenty of room for creativity.

In this song, writers John Legend, Amy Wadge, and Daniel Lafrombe have given it a personal touch that makes you feel you’re listening in as Legend calls home to say he’ll be late.

In the chorus he lists all the things he might do to make it back by Christmas Eve: “I’m gonna walk, if I have to run, I’ll stand on the highway and stop someone. I’ll cross the deserts and oceans, a river that’s frozen…” Give this idea some thought: If you were stuck a thousand miles away, how would you try to make it back home in time for the holiday?

A NOTE ON THE MELODY: This is a slow ballad with a strong melody. There are a few pauses between song sections (and one pause in the chorus after “You can count on me”) but the rest of the melody rolls forward line after line, creating plenty of momentum. That’s one of the essential tricks of good ballad writing—the melody is always in motion. Also notice the pattern of long and short phrases that keep the melody interesting… and keep listeners listening.

 YOUTUBE: “MAKE IT TO CHRISTMAS” – ALESSIA CARA

I got a real kick out of this lyric! Although the title sounds like another “make it back home in time” song, it’s definitely not! Here, the question is: Will the singer and her boyfriend stay together until the big day? She says:”Don’t know what I’ll say to Dad when he sees the empty chair. Don’t want to hear my Mom say, “Told you so.” Listeners will stay tuned in to find out how it all turns out. 

There are lots of Motown overtones in the arrangement that add a nostalgic flavor. In a holiday song, a little nostalgia is a good thing.The melody rolls forward without stopping, carrying listeners along. There’s a strong post-chorus filled with retro-Pop background vocals and a solid hook/title line.

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Write about your fav place for the holidays

 YOUTUBE: “IT’S CHRISTMAS TIME IN TEXAS” – LOS LOBOS

Check out this revamping of Freddy Fender’s Tex-Mex classic complete with pumping bass and accordion frills that evoke the genre and locale. How about taking your Christmas song to someplace like Paris? Try a sidewalk café vibe or Edith Piaf-style chanson. (Now there’s a thought!)

Choose your favorite spot and imagine a holiday with local color and sound. This might limit your film and TV pitches to scenes that take place in that particular locale, but it could be a great YouTube lyric video with a few stock photos. YouTubers will love your new holiday classic.

YOUTUBE:  CHRISTMAS VIBEZ – NE-YO ft. SATORI

This is an Urban AC tune with a cool Reggae vibe and plenty of warm Jamaican holiday wishes. The lyric is simple but keeps the Jamaican feel throughout—”Though we celebrate it different where I’m from / Joy we keep it strong.” The melody is catchy, with just the right amount of syncopation to get your body swaying. 

Focus on a single icon of the holidays

YOUTUBE: “THIS CANDLE TIME OF YEAR – SAMANTHA JADE”

In this lyric, writers Samantha Jade and Graeme Press chose a single object to represent the holiday season—a candle—and built their lyric around it. You can hear something similar in holiday classics lilke “Silver Bells” and “White Christmas.”

Instead of listing all the familiar sights and sounds of the holidays, choose just one and explore it.BONUS TIP: You can apply this idea to any holiday, from New Year’s to Hallowe’en. Choose one image and write a lyric around it, focusing on the feelings and meaning associated with it.

Choose a holiday emotion

YOUTUBE: “FINALLY IT’S CHRISTMAS” – HANSON

What kid hasn’t shouted “Finally!!! It’s Christmas!” as they rushed to the tree to tear open their presents? This song, written and performed by the Hanson brothers in 2017, is a wonderful rockin’ tribute to the excitement and anticipation in the build-up to the Big Holiday. I loved it for the fun and enthusiasm of the song, the performance, and the musical arrangement with it’s big nod to the Beach Boys and the Beatles. Check out the YouTube video just for the joy of it.

Writing holiday lyrics

The best way to get authenticity and emotion into your lyric is to put yourself into the situation you’re writing about. That’s why writing your holiday songs at this time of year is such a good idea.As you go through the holidays, be aware of your own emotions and those of the people around you. Or pick a stranger at random and imagine that person’s situation and what they’re feeling. Or watch a classic holiday movie and choose a scene that suggests a song idea.

Draw the listener into the situation with a lyric that features images, actions, and physical sensations. Express the emotion the singer is feeling in ways the listener can relate to. Use the physical senses to evoke sound, touch, smell, and taste. You’ll give your song a unique, believable vibe and guarantee that it won’t be just another holiday song by rote.

Shortcuts to Great Song Lyrics
Film & TV Songwriting

Try it now

Start, work on, rewrite, or finish a holiday song. You can write in just about any style from Contemporary Pop to Singer-Songwriter ballad to Reggae to 1950s Rock ‘n’ Roll. Choose a style that plays to your strengths. A simple guitar/vocal works great for the Singer-Songwriter, Folk, Reggae, and Americana styles. A piano/vocal is fine for Adult Contemporary ballads. You’ll need a more produced track for some of the Rock and orchestral styles.

If you don’t consider yourself the right singer for the song, call on a friend, a fellow songwriter, or someone in your family. Holiday songs are not about being polished and perfect; they’re all about a real feeling. Keep that in your mind and heart and you’ll do fine!

READ MORE:  Contemporary Holiday Hits

Hit Songwriting: “The Other” by Lauv

Songwriter and music artist Lauv.

Although I usually feature songs at the top of the mainstream music charts in this section, today I want to look at “The Other” by Lauv, an artist who took a different path to success and whose work and career provide plenty of inspiration for independent artists and songwriters.

Before huge hits like “I Like Me Better”—which has had over a billion and a half listens on Spotify—Lauv quietly released his self-produced single “The Other.” With one small break it launched his career.

Co-written with Michael Matosic, “The Other” debuted on a friend’s music blog and was picked up by other bloggers, spreading virally through blog aggregator Hype Machine. It just goes to prove that listeners WILL spread the word when they find good music.

Continue reading Hit Songwriting: “The Other” by Lauv

Hit Songwriting: “Hello” by Adele

Hit songwriting with Adele: Hello.
Adele

I often suggest in my songwriting posts that you learn to sing and play (or just sing ) successful songs. But why is that so important? Because you miss so much when you don’t. It’s like the difference between zooming down a highway at 80 mph versus rolling slowly along with your head stuck out the window.

When you slow down, you notice things… road signs, blue sky. You feel every bump in the road and the smells on the breeze. At 80 miles-per-hour you can feel the emotional rush; when you slow down, you can learn what the rush is made of.

I thought it might be fun for you and I to slow down and go through the process of learning to play and sing a hit song together. I chose “Hello” by Adele because, as I listen to it, the 80 mile-per-hour experience is pretty good, and something tells me that if I slow down and take a closer look, there might be some good songwriting tips I could use to create that experience in songs of my own.  So, let’s take it for a drive.

Continue reading Hit Songwriting: “Hello” by Adele

Hit Songwriting: “All Of Me” by John Legend

Learn hit songwriting. Study "Legend" by John Mayer.

“All Of Me,” recorded by John Legend, is a hugely popular piano/vocal love ballad that has been embraced by listeners around the globe. The song went to #1 on seven different Billboard charts in the U.S. and eleven countries around the world. The YouTube video has had over one billion views. (That’s billion with a “b.”) Proof that, even in this era of giant Dance/Pop extravaganzas, a simple song with an honest, emotionally moving lyric can hold its own.

Because the production is so bare bones, the song itself has to sustain the listener’s interest. That’s a challenge for any song, but especially a ballad. There are a number of simple but very effective lyric and melody techniques at work here, ones that you can easily adapt for use in your own songs.

“All Of Me” – John Legend

Recorded by John Legend
Writers: John Legend and Toby Gad

TECHNIQUES TO HEAR AND TRY

  • Write a ballad melody that keeps listeners engaged.
  • Give a personal lyric universal appeal.
  • Introduce your characters early.

Listen to the song. Read the lyrics.

Read the lyrics here: All Of Me – John Legend

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube.

Genre/Style: Pop/Adult Contemporary

(What is a genre? Watch this video.)

“All Of Me” is a ballad in the Pop genre. The memorable, easy-going melody drops it right into the heart of the Adult Contemporary side of Pop. As its name implies, the Adult Contemporary format features songs that appeal to a broad adult age range, from 25 to 55. Surprisingly, this melodic ballad with minimal production also topped the Pop and R&B charts.

There’s a mix of influences here and it’s a little hard to tell who is influencing whom. Certainly this song reminds me of Adele’s huge hit “Someone Like You” but that song may have been influenced by John Legend’s own Neo-Soul hit of a decade ago: “Ordinary People.” And, let’s face it, everyone here is paying their respects to Lionel Richie.

Song Structure

This song has the same structure as most of today’s biggest Pop and Rock hits, yet it doesn’t really sound like one of those hits.
The structure is:

VERSE / PRE-CHORUS / CHORUS
VERSE / PRE-CHORUS / CHORUS
BRIDGE / CHORUS

VERSES: Verse 1 starts the song off with the line “What would I do without your smart mouth?” It’s a great opening line, immediately drawing the listener into the song with an intriguing question and a glimpse into a complex and very realistic relationship.

Verse 2 begins with “How many times do I have to tell you, even when you’re crying you’re beautiful, too.” Another unusual statement that makes us curious to hear more.

Continue reading Hit Songwriting: “All Of Me” by John Legend

Writing With Images: John Mayer
& Sara Bareilles

Learn how pro songwriters use imagery in their lyrics.

Using images in your lyrics  is a quick and powerful way to connect with listeners. Let’s take a look at a couple of strong image-based song lyrics. To find them, we need look no further than today’s successful singer-songwriters. This style relies heavily on the use of images to express personal experiences and emotions.

Song #1 “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room
Writer: John Mayer

Read the lyric here.

Watch on YouTube.

Images in the song

THE TITLE IMAGE: The title of this song is an intensely powerful visual image. Who can resist picturing this couple and the destruction happening around them?

Continue reading Writing With Images: John Mayer
& Sara Bareilles