Articles
Songwriting & Music Industry Guidance
Big Messages, Small Moments: How to Write Songs That Say Something Real
There are a few things in life we’re told to avoid at dinner with family, namely religion and politics. As it turns out, those same topics tend to trip up us songwriters, too.
The Emotion Inside Your Rhymes
One of my longtime mentors, Pat Pattison, recently shared a beautiful article with me called “Sound in Motion.” It’s one of those pieces I wish every songwriter could read — not just once, but often. Pat reminds us that our job as lyricists isn't just to say things well, but to give singers the right sounds to sing.
How to Write Lyrics Like Radiohead
I am always in awe of writers who get away with far-reaching concepts or highly metaphorical and abstract lyrics. While the lyrics of more acoustic and grounded artists like Kris Kristofferson or Johnny Cash leans more into reality, artists like Radiohead venture far into the abstract. Their music allows for strange and interesting concepts like alien landings and fake plastic trees.
When I want to encourage a little more abstraction in my own lyric, I look towards styles and songs with that kind of language to be my guide. This is where lot of rock, metal, electronic, and some pop sits. The character is conveying truth, but does it with loads of metaphor and no sense of specific time or place.