Creating a Popular Song from Scratch – Lyrics

To create a popular song from scratch, you probably need the following:

An idea/story

Words (lyrics)

Melody and Harmony

Instrumentation (orchestration)

Song structure

http://www.songstuff.com/song-writing/article/aaba-song-form/

Intro and hooks (intro can be hook but doesn’t have to be)

Singer(s)

Musicians

Studio and studio people

Producers

Money people

Distribution, marketing, social media, sales

In this e-book, though, we will focus on the words (lyrics), taking inspiration from Sheila Davis’ book “The Craft of Lyric Writing”.

There is one huge paradox, though. The vast majority of popular songs have words. But how many of the words do we remember, as opposed to the tune?

Sometimes, we barely remember half a line. And yet, how can you have a good song without good vocals?

A strong name

A strong opening line

A strong “hook”

A familiar structure as a base (e.g., AABA)

Picking a point of view and creating empathy.

Use short words and long vowels. Be careful of meter (rhythm) and rhyme.

End lines with open vowels and soft consonants (eg. …ng)