The Trouble With Lyrics

 

© I.Woloshen

This article was published in the Spring ’98 edition of “Tickled By Thunder” – a periodical for new and budding writers of all types…

When I begin writing a song, the music always comes first for me and the lyrics often end up being a great struggle. For some reason I can make swift musical adjustments, but lyrically I can be left wringing my writing hand in despair. For instance I have a song that’s completely finished and has been for at least two months, but no lyrics. I’ve made a few attempts, but for the most part, if it doesn’t come quickly for me then I know I’m in for a very long battle and I usually end up procrastinating. I’ve written other complete songs since! Does that make sense?

There are some basics I will go through once I sit down seriously with that piece of music. First I’ll bring out any recent snippets of ideas, either written down or still in my head, that may make an appropriate topic. It’s good practice to keep a journal or notebook with ideas, lines or words you like for future reference. I may not even decide the topic, but instead just make up some lyrical nonsense and draw something out of that. When you’re adding lyrics to music, the music dictates to some degree the mood of the song. However, I once heard Joni Mitchell in an interview talk about the “pathos” she often likes to create in her songs. “Happy” music and dark words, or vice-versa, can create a beautiful piece.

More often than not, a phrase will come to me and the song will sort of reveal itself as I go. When an idea begins to form, I’ll move in that direction. However, if I choose a topic first, I will very often begin writing in the first person with my own feelings about it. It may be in the form of lyrical lines, or I might just write down words or phrases that I associate with it. This won’t necessarily end up in the finished product, but what it does is put an emotional energy into the idea, and other ideas will branch off from there. A thesaurus comes in very handy at this point. How many other words are there for “love” or “hate”? I’ll even flip the pages of the thesaurus with my eyes closed and point to a random word! Try it sometime. Use the word in a way you may never have used it before. Try a few of them, and see what you come up with.

A song, when the lyrics are well-crafted, will have a flow to it that consists of either a series of thoughts, ideas, or a period of time, in some sort of sequence. If there is a chorus, it should in some way sum up the entire song, really bring the whole idea home. A bridge? Some songwriters argue about the necessity of it, but if I feel the whole thing needs a little change of pace, a bridge can do that. It can be completely instrumental, or the lyrics should reflect some fresh viewpoint that takes the listener out of context for just a moment.

The purpose of my lyric writing has always been to say something common in an uncommon way. Before I “fine tune” the song, I try to get a general sense of whether or not I’ve made a statement, or created a mood or emotion. Sometimes if I feel that I’m not saying anything new, I may trash the whole thing and start fresh. There’s nothing wrong with starting over! If you just don’t feel enthused about what you’re writing, it’s not worth flogging a dead chorus. Man! Did I say that? Some sculptors say that they look at the material they’re about to work with and visualize the finished piece already there. Their task is simply to remove the unwanted material. This is similar to the song crafting process.

At the point of crafting it, I will look for the rough spots. I may have written some disposable lines just to fill in somewhere and I’m now going to refine those parts. I’ll sing it out and find the parts that I trip over. The following are five common problems with lyrics, not in any particular order. Go through yours the next time and see if any of these apply to your songs:

1. Forgettable title – if your intention is for people to remember the name of your song, then be sure to title it with a word or phrase from the song that you use more than once. That’s why most people will use something from the chorus, if there is one, because the chorus is repeated. If you’re really stuck on a title, but it isn’t repeated, is there a way at the end of the song you can use it in a repetitive fashion? I ran into this problem with a song called “Motor Scooter”. In it, I had what is called a progressive chorus, meaning that the chorus changed lyrics every time I sang it. I didn’t use the words “motor scooter” again until the last line of the last chorus. How did I solve it? In the production, I had the background vocals repeating it between the lines of the chorus…and when I sing it in public, I very often get the audience to sing those background vocals! Then they NEVER forget!

2. Repetitive ideas – don’t say the same thing over and over. Don’t repeat an idea. Don’t tell us something you’ve already said. Don’t…

3.Improper use of a word or words – Look that word up, even if you think you know, but you’re not completely sure. Coming across as intelligent and insightful is one thing, but using big words to impress people is entirely another!

4.Emphasizing the wrong syllable of a word – EM-pha-size, not em-PHA-size.

5. Suddenly introducing new characters or topics – the song’s ideas are flowing along nicely and all of a sudden there’s a new person in the picture with no introduction…it’s confusing to listen to. Don’t change direction too much with a song unless it’s crucial.

The struggle is almost over…well, not quite. Now you have to memorize the song! Is this a part of writing it? You bet it is! If I have trouble memorizing a certain part of the song, it’s usually because it isn’t working. The words before don’t lead nicely into the forgotten part, or the line is so uninteresting or difficult, that it isn’t worth remembering! After you memorize it, is the thrill still there? If I generally enjoy singing a song often, it’s a keeper. The true test, however, is taking it in front of an audience. Even if you’re not a performer, bringing your tape to a demo critique, or just playing it for people will be a real eye-opener. Was it just you, or is this a GREAT song? Having a critique of the song by either other songwriters or even industry-types” is worth the sweat too. If two or more people point out the same thing, good or bad, it’s a point to consider.

Mary Chapin-Carpenter said once in an interview that she has trouble “letting go” of a song. She’s tempted to keep tweaking here and there, refining and changing it endlessly. Sometimes I get lazy and don’t do enough refining, and sometimes I have the same temptation to keep picking at it. When is a song finished? Only you can answer that. For me, it’s when the struggle feels like it’s finally over!

IJ

Performance Anxiety

 © I.Woloshen

This will not apply to all songwriters…not everyone who writes also performs, although some writers play their material live to publishers, etc. Performance anxiety is a difficult thing to deal with in that it involves fear, which is completely irrational. I have been struggling with stage fright for many years. People never know I’m nervous, because I’ve become very good at hiding it! For those who don’t perform and don’t understand the feeling, I try and relate it to having to make a speech in front of a whole roomful of people. Then I see the gleam of terror in their eyes!

The only way to deal with fear is to go through it. For a long time, I tried to talk myself out of the feeling, which is futile. The more you resist, the more ominous it becomes and harder to ignore. Alot of what you are experiencing is a physical reaction to a thought. You picture yourself getting up in front of those people and what happens? You get a rush of adrenaline…I feel it especially in the pit of my stomach…then it shoots out all over the rest of my body. Adrenaline does funny things to your body and is associated with the “fight or flight” syndrome which is an ancient part of our physical system. The blood gets thicker, in order to prevent heavy bleeding in the event of an injury. The body becomes numb to pain, going into a kind of shock. The adrenaline does this, as well as making the muscles very energy efficient and extraordinarily strong. You’ve heard of people suddenly being able to pick up cars off of their loved ones? They become superhuman as a result of this syndrome. These days, we also develop the same symptoms in reaction to extreme stress, including stage fright.

The result of all of that adrenaline is usually the shakes. Suddenly fingers can’t find the notes and chords so easily…the voice takes on a strange quiver…the knees seem about to buckle. Another thing that happens to me just before I’m about to perform, is that I start to yawn! People think I’m bored, when what’s really happening is that my body’s attempting to get more oxygen and other gases because I’m not breathing properly.

I’ve gotten some interesting tips over the years that I’ll share with you. They may or may not work, but perhaps the process of thinking through what you’re experiencing will give you some ideas as to how to deal with it.

I try to pack up everything I’m going to need either very early in the day or the night before when I’m thinking straight and will remember everything! The day of my performance I try not to be too active or demand too much of myself. Some may find it better to keep busy and that keeps the mind off of it. However, I find that if I try to avoid the thoughts too much, they get more out of control. I try to nap in the afternoon, even 20 minutes is just enough to give me that extra bit of energy I’ll need later. I also take a long hot bath to relax and soothe myself. I never eat before a performance…the nervous stomach and food just don’t go together. But drinking water or juice is good. Sometimes I’ll have coffee or tea, but not too much. Caffeine and adrenaline is a deadly mix! I never indulge in alcohol before I perform. There’s the false notion that it relaxes you, but I find that ultimately I don’t perform as well. It’s almost as if I do better when I’m in touch with the nervousness!

I get to the place early. This gives me a chance to sit and get used to the room, chat with people and get my things set up. For me, talking to people beforehand also helps me to relax. Sometimes I’ll do this exercise if I’m feeling some tension in my chest: I push the palms of my hands together in front of my chest, hold for about ten seconds, release, and repeat a few times. If I’m more nervous than usual, I’ll walk around abit to release some of it.

There was one time a couple of years ago when I was just getting into performing again after several years away from it. I was so nervous about this first performance that I figured I was going to have to write every word and every chord down because I didn’t think I was going to be able to remember ANYthing! I spoke to an acquaintance who had some interesting advice to give. She told me that some performers when we’re nervous are reacting to old negative thoughts about ourselves…you know, the things our parents or teachers told us when we were young…”don’t be such a showoff”…”behave yourself”…”children should be seen and not heard”. As we get older we start to suppress the natural performer part of ourselves in reaction to how we are “supposed” to behave in public.

My friend told me that when I feel at the peak of nervousness, to find some quiet place where no one can see me, and GROWL! She told me to EMBRACE that showy, hammy part of myself and say YES! to it. It sounded pretty darn weird to me, but I tried it! Just before the performance, I was literally pacing around the room…I couldn’t sit still or think straight. So I found a back door and peeked outside, and finding no one there, I went out and closed the door behind me and ROARED! Then I had to laugh at what I was doing…and you know, I did one of my best performances that night! What I learned was that I have to forgive myself ahead of time for any mistakes I might make, for any fumbles, and enjoy what I’m doing when I’m doing it. My enjoying it, my laughing at myself or my situation, helps the audience to feel the same way! We click together and I relax enough to do a better job. I read a great line in a book once that said that “fear” and “excitement” are literally the same feeling! It’s our interpretation of it that changes. Now I tell myself that I’m excited instead of terrified…

IJ

Song Structure

 

© I.Woloshen

Often I come across songwriters who are confused as to the labels we have for different parts of a song. Verses and choruses are obvious, I think! However, what is a bridge? A pre-chorus? Intro? Extro? Here are my definitions (I’m smart enough to know that definitions can change from writer to writer!):

A bridge is a musical and/or lyrical break in the song, often inserted after a couple of verses and choruses. It can, when written effectively, give a little change of pace to the song once the repetition begins to become obvious to the listener. Sometimes I might write a simple musical break with no lyrics, usually in the same key, but with a different chord progression. Lyrics are often part of a bridge, however. I’ve also met pro songwriters who HATE bridges and never write ’em! To each his own!

A pre-chorus is a lead up to the chorus, a kind of “build” if you will. They are not as common as bridges, but can be very effective in bridging the verse just before the chorus.

Intros are at the very beginning of a song, the introduction to it. If you are pitching your songs, better keep your intros SHORT!! Publishers, A&R reps and label execs usually don’t have the patience for long self-indulgent intros, and may give up before you even get to the first verse! Sometimes an intro can be effective by foreshadowing the chorus chords just a little, or a quick build of instruments into the song. When I’m playing live, I may stretch the intro to a song and let it build a groove before I start singing.

Extros are often mis-labeled “outros” (I hate that!)…and are the lead-outs or endings to a song. Again, they can get too long and self-indulgent. The faders on recording equipment back in the sixties and seventies lead to just about every recorded song fading out…! There’s nothing that beats a nice, tight and unexpected ending, though!

Middle Eight – this is a term you might hear that sometimes refers to a type of bridge, and other times is simply an instrumental break, usually (but not always) eight bars long. In a rock song, for instance, it might contain a guitar lead…Eddie Van Halen howling alone on his guitar for eight bars 

Breakdown – sometimes about two-thirds of the way through a song, you’ll suddenly hear just the drums playing alone, or the vocals alone, or hand-clapping, etc., with nothing else in the mix. Then, there will be a build-up of instruments again. This is what is referred to as a “breakdown”. It’s more of an arrangement term, rather than a songwriting one. But if you’re in a studio trying to get a good recording of your song, you might use this trick to make your arrangement more interesting.

And here’s my extro…. 

IJ