Songwriting Craft & Inspiration
ROBIN FREDERICK TAKES YOU INSIDE TODAY'S HIT SONGS.
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.
“Say You Do” recorded by Dierks Bentley definitely plays fast and loose with a few songwriting rules. In spite of that (or because of it), Dierks Bentley made it to #1 on the Country airplay charts and stayed for a fair amount of time. Even though the melody and lyrics of this song have a decidedly unique slant, it still appeals to radio’s demanding listeners. So if you’re just dying to be a song crafting rebel, check out how these writers did it.
“Don’t Start Now” is a great Disco-influenced Club Dance hit that I just couldn’t pass up. Dua Lipa can always be counted on to deliver solid songs that appeal to the Dance crowd and radio listeners as well.
Number 1 on the Dance Club and Top 40 charts, and on its way to a billion listens on Spotify, this is yet another score for Lipa, her cowriters, and producer. So, let’s find a few techniques you can try in your own dance hits.
Recently three different songwriters have mentioned the name Zayde Wolf to me. Now, I am a true believer in the “Rule of Three,” and therefore I made sure to check him out. (Ron Fair, former president of A&M records and a top A&R exec, once told me that if three people — any three people — told him about a band or artist, he would be certain to take a look at them.)
So, I spent some time listening to Zayde Wolf and reading his bio, and I’m glad I did. Here’s a guy who has very rapidly garnered hundreds of Film, TV, Advertising, Trailer, and Video Game placements. Naturally, I began to wonder: Who is he? Where did he come from? How many years of dues-paying has he put in? Turns out none of these questions really apply.
by Robin Frederick
I’ve been thinking a lot about the art and craft of songwriting (as usual) and I keep circling back to a couple of obvious facts:
It struck me that this process is something like the workings of a machine, a Machine for Making Beautiful Things. And like any machine, it needs a “User Manual.” So here’s my idea of what you might find in…
Congratulations on being the owner of a marvelous Machine. You are in possession of something that is both universal (a creative mind) and yet totally unique to you. With proper care, it will give you a lifetime of remarkable service.
Your Machine for Making Beautiful Things is made of countless shining parts whose angles and planes reflect the world like mirrors in the moonlight. It has conveyor belts and cogs that make unexpected connections between ideas and images. Everyday objects, events, and words become intriguing, alluring, strange, or compelling when the Machine goes to work on them.
