Writing Lyrics

[Bondy]

Hey Folks,

Question for you,

Basically I'm working on a new track at the moment and I'm having a vocalist do me some vocals. I need to send her a midi of what notes I want her to sing and some lyrics.

Now I have never worked with writing vocals both lyrics and how they are to be sung. The track I'm writing is very trance influenced and very uplifting. I wanna make it quite catchy too. If anyone could give me a few pointers, would be great! I'm sure it will help others too.

[ckatrun411]

ah, trance uplifting vocals....


ArMs + Baby + Night + hold Me + DreaM + Feeling + ForeVeR

[ckatrun411]

all you have to do is put the words in the right order.

I just did a great one, but its going on one of my tracks now.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[Bondy]

Haha!

Now you see I could of done that, but I want these lyrics to actually have some sort of meaning rather than some girl just saying how much she wants me, haha!

[ckatrun411]

well I've been writing poetry since I was a really young boy, and although somebody is going to say, OH, another completely inane comment of from this guy...

I honestly believe lyrics in songs, have to do with the way the words and music meet.

" If I could take a little, a little time to think it over. "

Thats the first line from a really brilliant song. guess which one...

Ok, Another hint...

" can't stop now, I've travelled so far. "


so ie... Please tell me why, do we build castles in the sky???? ITs the attitude and the timing.

ThatS all folks.

[deastman]

Personally, I always hated that Foreigner song...

Yes, songs can be all about the vocal performance, and the actual meaning can be insignificant. Or you can take a powerful set of lyrics, poorly sung, and also have a powerful song.

Just like making music, it comes down to practice. Your first lyrics will probably suck. Same with the second. And the third. Eventually you'll get better and use less cliches. I'm quite pleased with my own lyrics, but the first ones I wrote back in high school 20 years ago were pretty horrible!

[ckatrun411]

well I think the Foreigner song is a good example...

A) on there own the words are so puny.

B) The chords are probably something like c minor, e minor, g minor, a major 7

but when you put the two together, you have something that sold millions of copies...

Love it or hate it, I think its a good example.

[Kim Lajoie]

I find it best if the singer herself writes and sings the lyrics. The vocal performance is most convincing when the singer believes what she's singing and the melody is comfortable for her (or uncomfortable in the right places).

If you're having trouble coming up with something, you need a system. Here's something I came across in my travels. I don't use it myself, but if you're in a bind you might give it a try.

But here is a process I use with my clients to make lyric writing simple
for them. There are six steps. I suggest you use all of them. Cutting
corners is usually why a lyric doesn't work.

Let's assume, for this assignment only, that you have a melody but no idea
of what to say in the lyric. In a future column, I'll gladly give you
pointers on how to start a lyric if there isn't any music in your head.
But for now, you have a melody.

STEP l.
Play the melody you wrote, or choose one from the radio, writing
non-rhyming prose as it plays. Let your words be a stream-of-conscious
exercise to warm up your imagination. No rhymes. No logic. No
continuity. All whimsy. Completely imaginative. Totally visual. Silly.
Playful.

"A tooth farmer from Fluffy, South Apricot, dug through Exxon's banana
shoe section for kangaroo lingerie, after the De La Hoya/Trinidad wrist
watch from Western Tire Cough Drops slid unnoticed into ..."

STEP 2.
Now we have you thinking and writing a little freer. Good. Let's close in
a smidge. For step two, please write a silly, visual, non-rhyming lyric
to the melody you've chosen. Fill it with ridiculous pictures, as I did
in Step one. Don't be logical, don't make it make sense. Every line can
be about something different. In this draft, try to keep yourself totally
playful, and keep all the rhymes OUT. Here's an example, using the chorus
of "I Don't Want to Miss A Thing" -

A lizard in algebra
Pigs on the 405
Bake chihuahuas
Serving footballs to Lindsay D

STEP 3.
Write an uncensored list of silly, visual titles that fit with the title
line of your melody. Try to get twenty or thirty outrageous possibilities
on your list. Don't write anything you've heard before, okay? Let 'em
roll - don't say "Oh, that's dumb". Come on. Let 'em roll. You might
find one of your ridiculous titles could actually be a real title. "I
love you" is fine. But Jewel's "Swallow the Moon" is sensational. A
great title will write the whole song for you. A mediocre one will leave
you stranded in line two.

STEP 4.
Based on the title you've chosen, write the STORY of your song, in prose.
Maybe writing it as a letter would be easier for you. If any words come
out rhyming, change them so they don't. That way, you'll be able to
express yourself with complete freedom - no constraints for rhyme or
meter.

When you finish this step, you'll know the beginning, the middle and the
end of your story before you begin the lyric. You'll also be able to see
if you have enough story to fill a whole song, so you won't get stuck
half-way through with nowhere to go.

In this step, you'll also be able to tell everything that happened -
without worrying that you don't have enough room or time to include the
whole saga. Tell the story - in as much detail as you want. Chances are
you've never had this much freedom before as a story-teller in a song
because lyrics are very spare, every syllable is critical and the lyric
has to bow to the demands of the melody. So enjoy the freedom you have
here to tell all, without worrying about time rhyme or syllables.

STEP 5.
Using your story, write a non-rhyming lyric to the melody you've chosen.
Remember - no rhymes.

STEP 6.
Now write the final lyric, with the story and the rhymes.

I suggest you try these six steps. Not four. Not two. Six. My clients
who do all of them, get great results. The ones who don't are still
claiming they can't write lyrics.

Just remember - writing is a process. The inspiration draft is just the
first one - one of many - not the final product.

Unfortunately I didn't record where I got it from.

-Kim.

[chardin]

Thank you, Kim. These 6 steps will help me a lot. I really think choosing a great title is an important step.

[chardin]

Has anyone had any success using Magnetic Poetry for inspiration?

[deastman]

I've been playing around with liptikl for a few days, and it seems like an interesting way to get the creative juices flowing. Its currently on sale for $50 for a non-commercial license.
http://www.intermorphic.com/tools/liptikl/index.html

[Ivan_C]

This thread looks very interesting

A rhyme dictionnary is also a good way to help writing lyrics

[duncanparsons]

xoxos wrote a lyric generator.. you can probably find it on his site..

DSP

[deastman]

I actually wrote a lyric generator myself. Only thing is, it writes lyrics in a randomly generated language which bears only the slightest passing resemblance to English. I've been meaning to refine that idea some more. Hmmm...

[jancivil]

I don't know if i am envious or not of anyone who can use a system to come up with something when they're stuck.

for me, it's about how the syllables scan against the time; if it's truly something like blank verse, it's something else, but lyrics are syllables and meter.

Yesterday by Paul McCartney didn't start with lyrics, according to its maker, it was a lick that went against a backing in the right way

scrambled eggs
du du du, du du du
scrambled eggs
how I wish i had some scrambled eggs
oh I. do. like. my - scram-bled eggs...