So you just finished penning a great tune. You’ve sung it over and really like it. That’s good. If you didn’t think it was great you‘d probably not be as motivated to optimize what you now created.
Things that might improve your new creation
1. Compact the lyrics
One of my best friends back in university was very involved in writing poetry. One time he showed me how he cut down poetry lines already written in order to intensify or “compact” the meaning to have more “punch”, It was all about identifying the filler words that didn’t add much to the meaning. Here’s a random example:
Baby, I love that smile you wear so well – becomes – Baby, love your smile
1. Don’t need the “I” ‘cause you’re already there describing it.
2. While you’re at it, “your smile” is way more personal than “that smile”,
3. If you do want to accent the smile further then consider making the next line “You wear it so well”
Another way to look at this or get better at compacting is to read news headlines.Those news guys have compacting down to an art. Of course, you probably have to fill in a little or you’ll be writing & singing news copy but its a great exercise.
“Hurricane flattens town” “Food prices skyrocket” “Crash survivors grateful”
“Astronauts float idea” or “Hockey legend on thin ice”
Those last 2 examples lead to another interesting tweak.
2. Double meanings
A fun part of writing is finding double meanings in what you created. Of course everybody’s going to do their own interpretation of what you wrote and that’s a great tribute to each individual’s ability so see creative differences. Maybe you can learn from their interpretation to see even more meaning in the words so asking friends or community to comment is always a good thing.
Some examples:
“If you’re at the end of your rope, hold on”
“When shopping and your eye falls on a bargain, pick it up”
“Dyeing to be a blonde”
3. Keeping the Theme present
If you have a theme that your song is about, write it at the top of the page and go thru the lyrics verse by verse and check if they continue to relate to that basic theme. This can bring more unity and consistency to the lyrics.
Song Theme Example: Girl falls for her boyfriend’s best friend
Many artists create their work and modify it as they go. Really, that’s the same process as sitting back after you feel its finished enough but then applying some of the above tweaks to improve it .Either way, this modification process can make the tune stronger and focus your attention on clarity.
Go Songwriters Go!
