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How To Write A Commercial Song

by Richard Melvin Brown

There are some proven methods for writing commercial songs, and with a little bit of effort almost everyone with some creative juices flowing between their ears can come up with some great song ideas and turn those ideas into some pretty good songs.

THE BASICS

A good song is usually made up of two basic ingredients: Words and Music.

Some writers will write the words first and then compose a suitable chord progression and melody to compliment their lyrical ideas.

Lyricists will often write a song lyric and then hand it over to a musical composer to compose some appropriate music to it, and turn it into a song.

Other writers (especially seasoned musicians) will compose the music first, and then either write the words to the already composed melody, or make a tape of their (music only composition) and give it to a lyricist to find the right words to go with their musical ideas.

COLLABORATION

Although I have written many songs with both the words and music, I quite often collaborate with lyricists to create good songs. The reason I do this is very simple. I am a much better (music) writer than a lyricist.

This is not to say I haven't written some good lyrics, it only means that I am the kind of lyric writer that needs to be inspired to come up with a great story. When I find that I just can't think of anything to say, I call up one of my lyricist friends to give me a hand.

Don't be afraid of collaboration, sometimes two heads are better than one.

RULES OF SONGWRITING

Although there are no absolute rules for writing a great song, there are certain formulas and guidelines that seem to help enormously in creating songs that are pleasing to the majority of people.

A commercial song is a song that has wide appeal to the masses. Pop Music, Country, and Rock and Roll are styles of music that are very popular to huge numbers of the population.

Although there are exceptions to the rules in songwriting, most popular songs are very simple in structure.

EXCEPTIONS

A song that comes to mind that seemed to break all the rules of formula writing is Jimmy Webb's "MacArthur Park". It is truly a wonderful song, but it definitely does not fit into the mainstream of popular songwriting.

To begin with the song is about 7 minutes long. Most pop songs are about 3 minutes in length. Some songs, especially ballads can go longer than 4 minutes, but that is pushing it. Most radio programmers do not want to play songs longer than about 3, or 3 and a half minutes in length.

The song "MacArthur Park" also has a very complex chord progression and melody, not to mention lyrical content that is definitely out of the norm. I think you get the picture. Although there are certain formulas that work very well in writing popular songs, that doesn't mean you can't break the rules if you choose to.

KEEPING IT SIMPLE

For beginner and amateur songwriters I think it is a wise decision to keep to the rules and keep your writing as simple as possible, without compromising your creativity.

If you were to read one of the books that list the top songs of the year, from way back when until the present time, you would find that the majority of the hit songs use popular and proven song structures. They have only 3 or 4 chords in their chord progressions. The lyrical content is not exceptionally complicated but simply directed at arousing emotions in the listener.

A while back I saw the great songwriters Kris Kristofferson on a talk interview show. The host asked Kris what his song "Help Me Make It Through The Night" means to him now, years after he wrote it and years after many other artists recorded it.

Kris scratched his head, paused for a moment and then said, "Oh, about a hundred thousand dollars a year."

"Help Me Make It Through The Night" is a simple song with only four chords. It has a simple, direct message. And years after it was written, the song still earns the writer a hundred thousand dollars a year.

What could better illustrate the virtues of clear and simple songwriting?

KNOW YOUR OWN STRENGTHS

One of the top ten questions I get asked by newcomers to the industry is, "How do I get heard in the music business?" Before I can answer that, I have to know exactly what they want to be "heard." When I ask them about their goals -- whether they want to be songwriters or recording artists -- the most common response is, "Both."

Listen to the truth

The unfortunate truth of the matter is that, while many of thenewcomers I counsel may be gifted as songwriters or as singers, very, very few are equally blessed with both talents. While one ability may come rather naturally, the other often needs significant honing.

The problem is, not everyone wants to hear the truth. Some great singers (who are average songwriters) can make the really average songs they've written shine through the sheer power of their vocal ability. They make the phrase "I love you" sound so good that you almost believe they invented it. In equal numbers come the great songwriters (who are average singers) who have been told by family, friends, lovers, and late-night adoring coffeehouse/honky-tonk buffoons that, despite the fact that their tempo, pitch and teeth are bad, they have star quality. And no matter how badly they sing, their songs are still strong enough to survive a mediocre vocal performance and sound like hits. (This is the only reason karaokemanufacturers are not hunted for sport!)

Check your ego at the door

The bottom line is: lose your ego. It's called "absenting of self." The person most likely to come between you and your career goal is you. Don't make the best of your talent a donkey for the least of your talent. Get some unbiased feedback from industry pros (available through a variety of NSAI programs), and if you are indeed weaker in one area, focus on your strength.

If you're a great singer -- but an average writer -- don't be upset if someone loves your voice but wants you to sing someone else's songs. Go find those great songs while you learn to become a better writer. By the same token, if you're a great songwriter -- but an average singer -- don't be upset if someone wants to record your songs but passes on you as an artist. Remember, this is called the music "business," and the business end of our industry knows that the majority of the G.A.P. (Great American Public) just wants to hear great records. They don't lie awake nights wondering who wrote and/or sang the songs they like on the radio.

Be smart

If you have a sneaking suspicion that the preceding law even remotely applies to you, then do yourself this favor: picture the music industry as a large building with an entrance for singers on one side, and an entrance for songwriters on the other. Maybe you can't go through both doors at the same time, but you can concentrate on getting inside through the door that opens the most easily for you. Who knows? Once you're inside, you can end up just about anywhere.

Check your Checklist:

-Have you kept your pronouns consistent? If it's "she" in the verse, it should not be "you" in the chorus (unless you left "she" for "you").
-Have you varied your rhyme scheme from the verse to the chorus to subtly alert the listeners that something (the hook) is coming their way?
-Is there a significant change in the melody from the verse to the chorus?
-Do the opening couple of lines of the first verse set the stage for the story that follows?
-Is the hook in the right place? With rare exceptions, the title/hook is placed at the end of the chorus, not somewhere in the verse or the backyard.
-Is the language you use to tell your story contemporary, i.e. would you hear it in normal day-to-day conversation?

More Tips

1. Make sure you've told the whole story.

A song should have a beginning, a middle and an end. For an example -- you did that, I did this, and now we're doing that and (INSERT YOUR HOOK HERE.)

A hook is the main idea of a song, and usually, but not always, is the song's title. Your job as the songwriter is to lead the listeners step by step through the story and deliver them to the hook -- totally involved and completely satisfied. Remember that songs generally are either a dialogue between two people or a narrative simply told. After you've written your song, look at it all. If you wouldn't have said it naturally to a lover, friend or enemy the way it's written, then it probably should be rewritten. Poems make very boring songs.

2. When you're stuck, try another angle.

For those of you locked in what professional writers know as "second verse hell," I will pass on a tip that a wily old writer told me some years ago. If you've completed your first verse and chorus, and there seems to be nowhere else to go because you've said everything you wanted to say, make the first verse your second verse and write a new verse (to explain how you got to the second verse). This tip works often enough to make it one of the most valuable tips ever given to me.

3. Know when to quit.

Finally, never overwrite. After you've told your story, hit your hook and get out. Too much will always be too much.