Write an Emotional and Meaningful Song
It is easier to write a meaningful song than you might think. This article provides helpful steps to get you started. As you follow them, you may find that the lyrics and music just start flowing. Just reach into your soul - and follow the steps below.
Contents
Steps
Coming up with ideas
- Think about your life. What do you want to write about? Love? Things you're struggling with? Wishes, hopes or dreams? Broken hearts? Maybe you want to write about your feelings like what makes you sad, happy or regretful. Think somewhere along those lines, but only you know what you want to write about.
- Base the topic on what you've experienced in your life. This tends to bring out the most authentic and relevant lyrics. For example, you may want to write about love because you just had your heart broken or you've found your soulmate. Maybe you want to write about sad things because your parents divorced.
- Just remember how you've felt about any given situation, that you have strong feelings about, and use the memory of that situation as a great inspiration for your song.
- Aim to create a meaningful piece: something people will take to heart and remember because they can associate their experiences with yours.
- Think about the good or bad times, or about another person or place you really like. Every person has different lives and different experiences but similar feelings arising. Just combine those feelings.
- Write a song about your mother, father, sister, or brother. You could use any relationship to be inspired.
- Listen to an inspiring and similar song, just close your eyes, and your heart will take over, if you are meant to write it, you will write it. Look to your favorite artists and musical legends for inspiration.
- Don’t only listen to “your usual type” of songs. Vary the genres and tempos to see the different ways to write songs. It will make writing easier if you understand how others write as well.
- Don't overthink the ideas. It doesn't have to take forever to write a song, it really doesn't. Think of an experience you've been through but don't try to make it too deep, too meaningful or too clever. Stay with what feels right and work with that instead of overworking it.
Writing the song
- Find a quiet space to be like in your bedroom, living room, or even a nice peaceful place outdoors. Choose somewhere you won't be disturbed and where you feel inspired. Under the clothesline at the back of your house might just turn out to be the perfect songwriting locale!
- Start writing. Rely upon your heart and soul to help you create the song. Don't worry about the music just yet. Right now, you just need lyrics.
- Remember, the average song has a chorus (the part that repeats in the song), at least 2 verses and a title.
- Remember those feelings or emotions and just let them flow.
- Give yourself time to compose something you're proud of.
- Sing a line that you like and write it down on a piece of paper. Random lines can be drawn together later, as you develop the song. What's important is that you capture them as they come to you.
- Work at it. Ask others to listen to your lyrics. If you find that people don't like them, keep working at it and use their feedback as inspiration to improve the lyrics and expression of feelings. While your feelings matter, other people can act as soundboards for how they perceive (or don't perceive) their own feelings being reflected in the song. This will matter when it comes to the song's popularity, as it needs to resonate with the listeners.
- Don't be afraid to make changes. You will, usually, never get all the pieces to fit on the first run. Sometimes the lyrics have to be changed to fit the music and vice versa.
- Choose a title. Make sure it reflects what your song is about For example, a song called "I'm so in love with you" has a pretty obvious meaning. "Mother" is a more mysterious title, because it could mean many different things.
Adding music to the lyrics
- Create a tune for the song. Use music that fits the mood. A sad song has a lot of minor and diminished chords to it. A happy song will be set in major keys. Angry music usually has a driving beat and minor keys. Let the lyrics guide the music. The composition will dictate the chord changes, and basic layout of the music.
- To start to get a tune together, begin with writing chords to go with the lyrics. After you have the basic chords down, you can write notes and a beat.
- Use a tape or voice recorder to record the song. Play it back to listen for where you want to make changes.
- You may even want to perform it for someone.
Tips
- Write with your heart. There is nothing more important than your own feelings in songwriting, and to really make someone feel something when they hear it, you have to feel something too. If you're writing a romantic song, you can try to write the loved one's probable feelings mixed with yours.
- Be emotional! It's necessary to get deep down in emotion, and the best way of being emotionalized is to just think about your past. For example, if you had a girlfriend that you loved, but she broke the relationship, that is a good thing to think about when showing true emotion in a song.
- Don't get frustrated if you can't get it right away. Songs seem simple, but if you dig deep down, there's a meaning or a message that was supposed to show through.
- Song writing lets you express your innermost feelings and it can be helpful during rough times, but don't forget, you've got real people around you to help you with whatever you're dealing with.
- Emotional reference is what makes any song great. Put as much of your feelings into the song as possible.
- While writing a song if you want to make words rhyme or don't want to use the same word over and over again, use a thesaurus and a rhyme book or website.
- If you still don't know how to write an emotional song, then it doesn't mean you are not a good writer, it just means you haven't yet had the inspiration to do so!
Warnings
- Don’t keep trying too long if the lyrics won’t come to you or it will become harder to write. Stay relaxed and take short breaks in between verses if it helps you.
- If you hit a wall, stop and come back to it later. Don't try to force it.
- Don't get too explicit while writing, because then people will think you're dirty, not inspiring and musical.
- If you can't remember the lyrics after a few days, no one else will either.
- Don't stress about people making bad comments if it means something to you. You know it will dig to people's hearts, and maybe give emotion. That's all the really matters.
Things You'll Need
- A journal or paper to write on and a pencil to write with
- A basic understanding of musical composition
- A recording system of some sort, even if it's just a small memo recorder
- Feedback, preferably from someone that will give it to you straight and not just tell you what you want to hear
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