Does the shape or form of the song show us where we are going, clearly, like a good map? Are there sections we can easily recognize - verses, a chorus, maybe a bridge, hooks we can latch onto (vocal or instrumental), an intro or outro? Are the components put together in a way we can follow, with a beginning, middle, and an end? Does this map allow the story or purpose of the song to clearly unfold? Do you use everyday conversational language? Can we understand what you’re saying, immediately? Is there at least one image (a picture) that helps us see what you see, clear as day? Do you have the title in the chorus? Does the title tell us the point of your song? Does your story keep reinforcing your song’s purpose? From my experience, this is the bit that most newbie songwriters skip over. What are you trying to say? What is the point of your song? Is it easy to understand? Can you explain clearly what your song is saying in one sentence? Universal messages of love in all its forms, songs of longing and hope, sorrow, collective anger or outrage or something upbeat and danceable to get you through all have their place. Look at each of the building blocks of your song and see if you can do things, well, simpler. So, how does that change your working day? If you know what you want your audience to experience immediately, then you can set to actively building that intensity for them. Are you moving folks, or are you a soundtrack they can drink beer and chat to? It changes your artistic motivation from pure self-expression to dedicated communication. Simplicity allows you to take your initial idea and stay focused on the end result – the hearts of your audience. In other words, it’s not just about you! When an audience truly connects with your song, they can experience intense emotion. Simplicity is not just you sharing what you have to say, but listening to what the audience actually hears. Simplicity helps you, the songwriter, really get to the heart of what is so powerful about this art form. Remember, songs don’t have long to get anywhere, a mere three to four minutes. So you can get to where you want to be, faster. Simplicity cuts out the middle man and cuts to the chase. That’s why popular music regularly goes through back-to-basics purges like punk (both the 1970s and 1990s editions), electro (with iterations in every decade since the 1970s) and for that matter rock ’n’ roll itself. Yet musical or verbal complexity can easily add clutter rather than depth, not to mention idle pretension. To tell a story or sum up an attitude in a handful of sung verses or a salvo of hip-hop rhymes, and to unite them with music that lodges those words in memory - and, at best, also summons the feeling behind them - is a songwriter’s job description…. Simple touches your heart and makes you listen.Ĭoncision, admittedly, is the essence of pop: its discipline, its challenge, its genius. Simple asks what are you trying to say, and expects an unequivocal answer. Simple means one story well told, one emotion well reached, a connection made with an audience. Simple can be two chords: Eleanor Rigby, two words - Anchor Me, or two notes - Born Free. Simple does not mean shallow or dumbed down. Oh yes, my friend - keep it simple, stupid! It reminds us that we should be able to sing along – not necessarily professionally, but at least in the shower, or in the car in a traffic jam, or while we’re vacuuming, or when we’re slumped on the couch heartbroken, sobbing under a blanket. It reminds us that we, your audience, should be able to remember something about your song after ONE listen. It reminds us of the purpose of songs – they provoke emotion – we should feel something.Ĥ. We hear them – and need to understand them quickly.ģ. It reminds us that songs are short and they travel in real time.Ģ. KISS ( Keep It Simple Stupid) is the ultimate acronym to have tattooed at the front of your songwriting brain.
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