Robin Frederick, Author at Songwriting Craft & Inspiration

Write a song like “Driver’s License” – Olivia Rodrigo

WHY THIS SONG?
“Driver’s License” is the debut single by Olivia Rodrigo. It got a lot of attention for the way it raced up the music charts and piled up millions of listens on stream-on-demand sites like Spotify and Apple Music. It quickly rose to #1 on the Pop music charts in the U.S and U.K with double platinum sales.

Rodrigo already had a throng of fans from her roles in successful Disney TV series like High School Musical, and there was a strong marketing push for the song from the record label as well (which is one reason artists still sign record deals).

But all of that does not take away from the fact that the song has a ton of appeal and is extremely well crafted. So, let’s pull it apart to see what makes it work and get some ideas for songs of your own.

Learn From a Country Hit : “Gone” by Dierks Bentley

Why this song?

Most songwriters know that the Contemporary Country genre pumps out some of the most well crafted songs in the business. What you might not know is that these songs can provide a gold mine of song crafting techniques you can use to add appeal to your own songs, no matter what genre you’re writing in.

Sure, Country has its own distinctive musical twang but many of the lyric and melody skills are universal. Read on and I’ll show you a few. I’ll use Dierks Bentley’s recent Country hit “Gone” as an example.

Americana Songwriting: “And It’s Still Alright” by Nathaniel Rateliff

FRANKLIN, TENNESSEE - SEPTEMBER 22: Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats performs onstage during day 2 of the 2019 Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival on September 22, 2019 in Franklin, Tennessee. (Photo by Erika Goldring/Getty Images for Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival)

“And It’s Still Alright“ is the kind of song you won’t find on the Top 40 Pop music chart but with millions of streams it clearly has plenty of appeal.

Rateliff has the ability to write powerful songs about common emotions that are shared by many, just the kind of emotions that show up in television scenes. His songs have had TV placements in Roswell, New Mexico; Yellowstone; Lethal Weapon; Grace and Frankie; Nashville; Fargo, NCIS: Los Angeles and more. Let’s see how he does it.

Three Film and TV Songs: Banners, Freya Ridings, & Gregory Alan Isakov

Film and TV songs are hot. Commercials, TV dramas, Reality TV, and competition shows are using more songs than ever. Original programming from producers like Netflix, Hulu, and HBO have erased the notion of “seasons.” It’s a year-round gig and music libraries want to fill the need.

Together, let’s take a look at three singer-songwriters who get a lot of film and TV placements. We’ll dive deep into a song from each to see why these songs are so successful and how you can use many those ideas in songs of your own.

Writing Songs for TV Commercials

More and more indie songwriters are getting their songs in TV commercials. It’s a market that pays high fees and offers great exposure if you’ve got what they need—songs that express the energy and emotion they’d like people to associate with their product.

Let’s take a look at three songs used in national ad campaigns for major brands. Listen to the songs, watch the ads, read my analysis, and then see if you can write and record something in a similar style.

Author: Robin Frederick