Lyrical Ideas Are Everywhere. Just Listen!

It’s amazing the amount of lyrical ideas we can pick up if we just listened out for them. This concept is explained very clearly in an article by Shamir Rele from his “Songwriting & Beyond” blog called “Songwriting Tips – Listen For Lyrics”.

Personally, I found this article very useful. I hope you do too.

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Songwriting Tips – Listen for Lyrics
By Shamir Rele

Do you ever have a time where you’re searching for lyrical ideas? I know I do.

Some of you may have already read my newsletter ‘Super-Charge Your Lyrical Ideas’ – and hopefully you’ve grabbed some idea’s from it. Here, I’ll go into it a little bit more.

You should certainly take what is happening in your daily life and try and ‘listen for lyrics’ as they happen to you.

Overheard Chit-Chat
For example, I overheard a conversation at a restaurant the other day (which usually isn’t very difficult) and somebody said the phrase “there’s just no use in me trying”. I immediately jotted it down, came home and starting to write a song based around that phrase.

The song was about a relationship and the girl tried her best to keep it together, but it was sinking situation and the hook (chorus) would sing “there just ain’t no use in my trying”.

This is a very simple yet powerful idea.

Write about your Friends Situation
There isn’t anything like taking ideas from your friends or relative’s life. Of course, if it’s seemingly negative then you may not want to tell them where the inspiration came from

If your friend’s mother just had a heart transplant and the family is going through grief, then why not write a song about it? In fact, why don’t you go one further and make out like the father is cheating with another woman?

Fictionalizing a real life story is often a great way to write a song. Perhaps the father cheating can be a feature of the song.

Yes, this may seem harsh – but look, who’s to say you have to reveal your sources of inspiration? Remember, you are only writing a song here.

Grab the Daily News
What’s happening in the world today? Earthquakes? Tsunamis? Politics? Violence? Racism? Think about the implications of events that are unfolding before your very eyes.

These are the things and the people of the world are listening and watching.

Remember to take things to a new level with your song – meaning think of the depths of these events and circumstances and write from a ‘how this effects us’ stand point.

This is incredibly powerful because people will WANT to sing your song as it effects them too.

Ideas from TV and the Movies
How many times have you watched a movie and have been completely moved by it? This is exactly the feeling people experience when listening to a song they love. It makes them feel validated in some way.

The lyrics are totally congruent with their emotions. Writing about specific situations from TV and films in realistic genres (ie. not sci-fi and horror) will be a route to evoke somebody and then hopefully to like your song enough to want to hear it over and over.

As you can see, the above will surely get your ears listening for lyrical ideas in different situations. Once you make a habit of this, ideas will be flooding in your mind – sometimes non-stop.

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About the author

Shamir Rele shows us that anyone can learn how to write a song with his ‘no nonsense’ styled approach songwriting tips.

Grab your tips here http://www.SongwritingTipsOnline.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Shamir_Rele

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One of the reasons why I found this article very useful is that I have a real block in my songwriting process when it comes to writing lyrics.

No matter what I do, I find it a real challenge to write lyrics as freely as musical ideas.

I’m pretty sure that this block is a self imposed one however, it’s articles like this one that give me the confidence to write the lyrics that I want to write.

Anyone out there have other tips on writing better lyrics? Let me know, I’m all ears.

Until next time, happy writing,

Corey Stewart
Singer/Songwriter/Musician

Keywords: songwriting, songwriter, songwriting tip, songwriting idea, songwriting help, songwriting blog, corey stewart

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Thursday, July 24th, 2008 Lyric Writing, Songwriting Articles

7 Comments to Lyrical Ideas Are Everywhere. Just Listen!

Nolan Smock says:

July 24, 2008 at 11:56 am

I keep a small notebook on me at all times for just this reason! If you keep your ears open, you’ll always have lyrical ideas.

It never fails that I’ll hear a group of words that just sounds like a song title or a sentence that works well as a lyric. I try to keep my lyrics conversational anyway, so it’s perfect. Conversation from television, films, and radio (talk) work well too. My band name, The Charming Youngsters, comes from Groucho Marx’s old show, You Bet Your Life, when he addressed a couple of teen contestants. One song, “Inaudible Chatter” comes from a description in the closed captions to a movie.

I free-write a lot, and while it brings out good ideas, I feel the words said between humans works better in a song. Songs are communicating, after all. Me spewing words on my paper is one thing, and usually therapeutic, but two folks talking over dinner is something different entirely, and something slightly more universal.

Blah blah, I’m rambling. Just wanted to chime in and say, “Yes! This works!” Carry a notepad around! It doesn’t have to be fancy, either, I use cheap memo pads since it mostly travels in my back pocket.

By the way, I have my new EP posted for streaming on my MySpace. Give it a listen! I’m pretty excited about it.

Matt says:

July 24, 2008 at 12:15 pm

Hi Corey, good times last night. It’s funny, since I started reading your blog the floodgates opened. I’m on my fifth song in the last month or so, which is beyond prolific for me. The song I posted recently was loaded with stories about real people, a handy approach I took from the article you posted referencing Livin On a Prayer and the way people with real names and personal stories make for more engaging songs. Maybe you should read your blog too.

songwritingzen says:

July 24, 2008 at 12:36 pm

Hey Nolan you’re absolutely right about the notebook thing.

I carry one with me and in the car most times and it does help. Conversational lyrics seem to be the type of lyrics that people latch onto the most because it seems more real for the listener.

BTW, I’m going to be checking out your EP on your MySpace page very soon.

Matt, I’m really happy that reading Songwriting Zen has opened the floodgates of creativity for you. I’d love to hear some of your new stuff at an Open Mic sometime.

Yes I do read my blog however, isn’t there a quote that says that mechanics have the worst cars? I do find it hard to take on my own advice sometimes. I definitely need people like you to give me a kick up the bum from time to time.

Like right now

Matt says:

July 24, 2008 at 2:39 pm

You are an inspiration Corey, so the notion that your lyrical spigot might be clogged up breaks my heart.

Like I said, if I were you, I’d poke through your old entries and latch onto some of the ideas…writing prompts, people with stories, specifics over ambiguity, observation, conversation, etc. These are all concepts I am playing with now thanks to your blog, and my songwriting sandbox will never be the same. Happy writing.

Shamir Rele says:

July 25, 2008 at 8:02 pm

Thanks for presenting my article Corey

I believe songs are ALL about empathy and connection. To ‘get’ that you can easily pull the source from the SAME place that the general public do.

TV, movies, general chit-chat, family/friends and the world news are all incredibly powerful ways to fuel your creativity without putting yourself before the song.

Shamir

Jamie says:

January 13, 2009 at 10:26 am

I get my ideas from all of that, as well. I think that this helps….however, basing a complete song around a simple phrase isn’t always easy, and sometimes frustrating….especially during periods of ‘block’.

Sometimes I get them from movies….other times from phrases I hear from people I know. But they come to me easier than that just thinking about them unconsciously. And the ideas I get really excited about are the ones that ‘pop up’ automatically. Most of the ones I use, the general public has no access to, unless they hear it in my song…LOL

Jamie

songwritingzen says:

January 13, 2009 at 2:10 pm

“And the ideas I get really excited about are the ones that ‘pop up’ automatically”

As well as just listening for lyrical ideas you also need to be in the right frame of mind to accept any songwriting idea that comes your way. What you’re describing Jamie isyou becoming more like a radio antenna and picking up the songwriting ideas as they drift along the ether.

Many songwriters describe their process in this way. It’s as if they are just the medium, the channeller as it were, for the songwriting idea to take shape through.

BTW I also hope you had a fantastic Christmas…

Corey