Category: WHAT’S ON THE SITE

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

Writing Songs of Social Commentary

No matter what song genre you’re writing in, at some point you’re likely to find yourself wanting to express your thoughts about your generation, your community, society, or the state of the world in general. Given the unsettled times we’re living in, it’s not surprising that songwriters are turning toward their art to express feelings of solidarity, uncertainty, pride, indignation, or hope for the future. Whatever your thoughts or feelings are about the world, a song of social commentary is a great way to express them.

What are songs of social commentary?

The words “social commentary” are not, in themselves, either positive or negative. These songs are a means of expressing an opinion, observation, or message, the way you see and feel about things, especially things you feel strongly about.

For example, one person might look at a community and see the good that comes from a sense of belonging, while another might see a close-minded group banding together to keep outsiders at a distance. What’s your view? What’s your experience? Your observations may be lauded or they may be unpopular, but it’s still up to you – and no one else – to say what you want to say, to make your opinion heard.

Songs of social commentary are not limited to politics or protest. They can help us define a sense of purpose and place, identify with those who are like us and not like us, chastise and forgive, identify our strengths and our failings, and help us work our way through an ever-changing world.

Most importantly, a song of social commentary seeks to persuade, to convey the songwriter’s observations, beliefs, or experiences in a way that allows the listener to see and understand the world as the songwriter does. In doing so, the hope is that through songs we can understand each other a little better.

Robin's songwriting books at Amazon.

Themes

This list includes a few of the most popular themes that come up in commentary songs. Each theme can be expressed in individual terms: its effect on one person or on the singer. Or painted with a broader brush: its effect on a whole society or the world. I’m sure you’ll think of more themes, so feel free to add your own, ones that have meaning and energy for you.

Continue reading Writing Songs of Social Commentary

Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You) – Kelly Clarkson

This is just the kind of song that every American Idol finalist and semi-finalist hungers for—and so do record labels and publishers. The melody has a huge range, which works well for singers with big voices, and there’s plenty of passion and excitement in the lyrics. If you’re interested in today’s melodic Pop/Rock genre, this is a song that’s worth studying. It offers a master class in contemporary melody and lyric craft.

Continue reading Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You) – Kelly Clarkson

Hit Songwriting: “Here” by Rascal Flatts

Rascal Flatts

There are so many great things going on in the song “Here” by Rascal Flatts that it’s well worth spending some time looking into what makes it tick. The melody is tight, well-structured, and unforgettable. Lyrics are focused like a laser on the emotion at the heart of the song.

Read the lyrics.

Watch on YouTube.


“Here” recorded by Rascal Flatts
Writers: Steve Robson & Jeffrey Steele

Shortcut numbers refer to my book “Shortcuts to Hit Songwriting.”

SONG STRUCTURE

The song structure is the one that’s used in so many of today’s hit singles:

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

The chorus begins with the line “And I wouldn’t change a thing…” and ends with an emotional payoff in the final phrase “here, right here.” Notice how this phrase is set up with a short pause that gives it more weight and draws attention to it (Shortcut #96).

The pre-choruses both begin with the phrase, “I know now…” The bridge flows right out of the second chorus so it’s a little harder to spot. It actually starts with the last word of the chorus (and the title of the song): “here… in a love I never thought I’d get to.” The word “here” does double duty as the end of the chorus and beginning of the bridge, a great way to keep the song flowing forward and pull the listener right into the bridge. Try this idea in one of your own songs as a transition between sections.

Continue reading Hit Songwriting: “Here” by Rascal Flatts