Lyrics Writing Tips:

How a title becomes a lyric.

The best way to demonstrate this is to give an example. Let's say I'm interested in writing a song called "California Girl." (The title occurred to me one summer morning when I was sitting on the beach in Santa Monica eating sushi for breakfast, feeling very much like a California girl. You never know when a title will hit ya!) Okay... I don't know what this song is about yet or why this phrase interests me but it does, so I need to find out more.

First: Ask Questions. Start by asking the questions this title wants to have answered. Let's say your title is "I Drove All Night." What questions need to be answered: "Where did you drive?" and "Why did you do that?" Now apply this idea to '"California Girl": "Who is she?" and "What is she doing?" How I answer those questions will determine what my song is about. Now, you may answer them in very different ways than I do and that's just fine. There could be several songs written with the title "California Girl" and they would all be different. My "California Girl" is no longer the teenager of the Beach Boys songs. I want to know how her life turned out, what she thinks about when she remembers those long ago golden summers. This has a strong emotional pull for me so that's the song I should write. You might want to write a party song or a song about young lovers on a beach. Your choice will depend on which of those ideas has the strongest emotional appeal for you - THAT is the song you should write.

Notice that I didn't start this song by wanting to tell a story or relive something that happened to me. Instead, I am just following my feelings. This is how songwriting (or writing poetry) teaches you about yourself. If you already know what you want to write, don't write a song, write an essay. A song is about DISCOVERING!

Second: Make a list of words, phrases, or images suggested by the title. "California Girl" obviously makes me think of sun, waves, playing, warmth, ocean, paradise, beach, sand, etc. Sand makes me think of flowing, changing, so I add the words "flowing" and "changing" to my list, then try to think of things that flow and change: time, water, dreams and add them to my list, too. After you have a list of related words, make a list of words, phrases, and images that are opposites. My list would include: cold, night, dark, sadness, loss, lonely, etc. this is a kind of free-association game. Don't be judgmental; just write down whatever comes to you.