Music Lyrics, Song Lyrics RSS FEED
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Writing Marketing Jingles and Song Lyrics for Advertisements
by Stuart Leventhal
When a creative writer works on copy writing lyrics for marketing purposes, the focus is on livening up the sales copy with cute or humorous jingles. Writing lyrics for business and industry can be very lucrative since good creative jingle writers are hard to come by. Copywriting takes on a similar form no matter what niche you are writing for. When copy writing lyrics, just like with any other sales and marketing copywriting, one must keep in mind you are writing a message to a certain audience. To do this, you must understand the way that your particular audience thinks and acts. The first step is to figure out who you are targeting and what sort of message will appeal to them.
A jingle that children like may not work for adults or teenager customers. Some musical lyrics appeal to female customers but alienate men. Remember, most companies will test your jingle on a small audience before sinking money into a full blown marketing campaign. Your fee will grow based on repeat business which relies on how many sales your cute song brings in. Always figure out the target audience first. Creative writers who are great at copywriting lyrics know what their audience wants and they give it to them.
Copywriting lyrics, is different from regular song writing because the writer is working with a lot of restrictions based on the product and service you are being paid to promote. One also has to be able to produce under the added stress of an add deadline. You will be working to get a message across but you also are working to provide instant recognition of a song product, service or brand via your song. But copywriting lyrics, is not only just about sales. The ability to put words together in a manner that moves listeners to buy is a talent that very few lyricists have. Words have the ability to carry the listener to different places, to bring them up or down. This is a tall order by itself. But, jingles are generally short bursts of lyrics not a full traditional song. So a good advertising lyricist must be able to write stanzas that work fast, engage emotion all while identifying with a particular product and brand almost immediately.
When you are writing lyrics, you have to entertain first then work the sales message into your song. Often, listeners will not remember the whole jingle but the hook or chorus will be very catchy. Crafting the music lyrics for marketing copy starts out similar to writing an article in a newspaper because you are informing your audience about an important feature of a product or service. The gift is in being able to persuade your listener to believe your client’s message. Your song is going to represent the business brand. The lyrics must be professional and respectful as well as promotional and entertaining. It’s hard enough to move an audience with your words without the added distraction of having to also spur them to think about buying a product. But these are the two difficult steps that must work in tandem with each other to produce success. Cute jingles are great but always remember the proof is in the amount of sales and overall buzz and hype your jingles create.
Copywriting lyrics, can be a great way to help a lyric writing artist gain exposure as well as helping a struggling artist support oneself while waiting for that big break to come in the sometimes hard to break into music industry. Copy writing promotional lyrics takes discipline but with practice any good creative writer or poet can develop the skills needed to adapt their art to marketing formats. Working under pressure to achieve results as well as working with deadlines and clear restrictions is a challenge to a writer who is used to having the freedom of working when he or she wishes, on any theme they choose.
A jingle that children like may not work for adults or teenager customers. Some musical lyrics appeal to female customers but alienate men. Remember, most companies will test your jingle on a small audience before sinking money into a full blown marketing campaign. Your fee will grow based on repeat business which relies on how many sales your cute song brings in. Always figure out the target audience first. Creative writers who are great at copywriting lyrics know what their audience wants and they give it to them.
Copywriting lyrics, is different from regular song writing because the writer is working with a lot of restrictions based on the product and service you are being paid to promote. One also has to be able to produce under the added stress of an add deadline. You will be working to get a message across but you also are working to provide instant recognition of a song product, service or brand via your song. But copywriting lyrics, is not only just about sales. The ability to put words together in a manner that moves listeners to buy is a talent that very few lyricists have. Words have the ability to carry the listener to different places, to bring them up or down. This is a tall order by itself. But, jingles are generally short bursts of lyrics not a full traditional song. So a good advertising lyricist must be able to write stanzas that work fast, engage emotion all while identifying with a particular product and brand almost immediately.
When you are writing lyrics, you have to entertain first then work the sales message into your song. Often, listeners will not remember the whole jingle but the hook or chorus will be very catchy. Crafting the music lyrics for marketing copy starts out similar to writing an article in a newspaper because you are informing your audience about an important feature of a product or service. The gift is in being able to persuade your listener to believe your client’s message. Your song is going to represent the business brand. The lyrics must be professional and respectful as well as promotional and entertaining. It’s hard enough to move an audience with your words without the added distraction of having to also spur them to think about buying a product. But these are the two difficult steps that must work in tandem with each other to produce success. Cute jingles are great but always remember the proof is in the amount of sales and overall buzz and hype your jingles create.
Copywriting lyrics, can be a great way to help a lyric writing artist gain exposure as well as helping a struggling artist support oneself while waiting for that big break to come in the sometimes hard to break into music industry. Copy writing promotional lyrics takes discipline but with practice any good creative writer or poet can develop the skills needed to adapt their art to marketing formats. Working under pressure to achieve results as well as working with deadlines and clear restrictions is a challenge to a writer who is used to having the freedom of working when he or she wishes, on any theme they choose.
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Working in the industry of copywriting lyrics will ultimately force the traditional, carefree, easy going, poet or lyricist to develop their skills to a higher level that will carry over into all areas of the artist’s creative writing. At worst, copywriting lyrics is a great way for talented lyricists and poets to earn some extra money doing what they love, which is first and foremost, writing music lyrics. And the publicity stirred up by a creative popular jingle, can be just what your career needs to finally get you noticed by the Pop, Rap, country or Rock and Roll record companies.
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Writing Song Lyrics
by Stuart Leventhal
Writing song lyrics and music lyrics is a great way to express oneself. Lyrics are usually written in the form of poetry, rhythm and rhyme. Developing your skills of using words and different parts of speech to convey your thoughts and emotions is the key, for writing engaging song lyrics and memorable music lyrics. Songs come in many sizes, shapes and styles; Pop, country, rock and roll, opera, theatrical, hip hop, to name a few. Some are written to express cultural pride such as with English, Irish or Scottish folk songs. Others are written for spiritual comfort as with religious hymns. There are work songs such as songs from the plantations, railroad songs, river boat songs and cowboy ballads meant to be sung on the open range. There are marching songs that soldiers sing to help them bond. Songs written to be sung by a soloist and tunes created for a chorus line of many.
Think about what you want to write about. You can write lyrics that reflect your political stand or express your views on relationships. You can write about love, a social injustice such as poverty, family, life, a special place that’s dear to your heart like a botanical flower garden or anything you choose. Do you want your song lyrics to be about hope, despair, longing or perhaps you wish to teach a life lesson with your song; honesty is the best policy, nice guys finish last, faith conquers all. Poems and songs are relatively short, so you have to be able to get your point across quickly for your message to be effective. Make your words paint a picture through the use of metaphors, similes, descriptive language, rhyme and emotionally charged text. Your lyrics should engage your audience or readers in a sing song way first and foremost. The deeper meaning can be disguised or hidden and revealed through the use of symbols, tone and the under current.
Be creative and original. Ideas are all around you. You don’t have to pattern your lyrics after anyone else. You can find inspiration in news headlines, by observing others, by looking closer and noting fine details, such as when you are watching nature, like a major storm brewing. What makes lyric writing so interesting is the many points of view people can write from. Try taking the unpopular view point like writing about an incident through the eyes of a criminal. You don’t want what you write to just mimic what someone else is doing. Share your emotion, show attitude, trust in your spontinuity. Write from your own experiences and beliefs.
Writing to a piece of existing music, can help you keep a line on the form of your song lyric as you create stanzas. While it is not mandatory to write to any particular melody, it can be helpful to hear a score and then write your song lyrics to fit the tune. The existing music already has a structure which you can easily follow along with. Basic song structure usually consists of verses, a chorus and a bridge. Lyrics as well as poetry can be written in a variety of structures and tempos or you can choose to write free verse
Reading or singing your lyrics out loud helps develop the melody. Make changes as you need to. Song lyrics should fit with the type of music you are writing them for; Rock and Roll, Country, Soul, Contemporary, Rap, Bee Bop, Hip Hop or the blues.
Keep practicing your lyric writing. You may not regard your first attempts as very good songs but don’t let that discourage you. Set them aside and pick them up at a later date for a revision and rewrite. Shuffle your stanzas around. Replacing a word or phrase, adding a word or removing a word may be all it takes to pull it all together. The more you write, the better you will get.
Focus on creating a balanced flowing combination of melody, word messages, sounds, chord progression, rhythm and rhyme. Let your ideas flow naturally. Relax and allow the inspiration to come to you. Remember, you can keep revising over and over, as much as you wish, until you feel it is ready. Sometimes you are too close and you need to lay the work aside to let the song ferment. Every lyricist has a different style of working. The first step is writing a single word, phrase or sentence down. It almost always leads to something bigger sooner or later.
A traditional song pattern has four or five verses consisting of four lines each, with a four line repeating chorus every two verses. Aim to write at least five or six verses so you can discard the worst ones or combine two vague verses editing them to make one good verse. Next you need to come up with a chorus or two to choose from. Creating the verse to fit the melody is the most important part for the lyricist. Once the first verse is created the rest should come a lot easier since all the verses usually have the same melody. First get the basic stuff down then worry about adding the flair.
Read what you wrote then sing what you wrote. An underlying, bigger picture should be developing by now. Patterns should be emerging. Does the song form a narrative, a declaration or a description? Is it starting to take on the shape and feel of a call to action piece?
BANDS! SINGERS! PRODUCERS!
*All Lyrics On ANEWTALE.COM Are For Sale!
CUSTOM LYRICS ALSO AVAILABLE!
(EMAIL For Details: editor@anewtale.com)
*See Poem Section For more Lyrics!)
Is it philosophical? A greeting? Or a reflection? Is the tone of the song fun, humorous or ridiculously nonsensical? Once you recognize a consistency that you can sink your teeth into, start moving around the words and phrases that don’t fit in. Restructure and reorganize until all the stanzas have the same rhythm.
Think about how you want to come across and how that fits with how the song is naturally forming itself. Do the vowels and consonant sounds make a repeating beat? Does one phrase stand out, out shining the others? Consider repeating a particularly strong line or phrase. Remember, the first time an audience hears a song, they remember the parts that stand out the most. One or two well-crafted lines will impress them the most. These are the money lines that will repeat and repeat inside your listener’s head.
Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite…A good song is rarely written in one sitting.
Think about how you want to come across and how that fits with how the song is naturally forming itself. Do the vowels and consonant sounds make a repeating beat? Does one phrase stand out, out shining the others? Consider repeating a particularly strong line or phrase. Remember, the first time an audience hears a song, they remember the parts that stand out the most. One or two well-crafted lines will impress them the most. These are the money lines that will repeat and repeat inside your listener’s head.
Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite…A good song is rarely written in one sitting.
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More Music Lyric Writing Tips
by Stu Leventhal
The toughest job in lyric writing is getting started. When I’m in the mood to write music lyrics but have no firm ideas, I’ll simply pick up a magazine or newspaper and scan the pages, titles and even advertisements for inspiration. Sometimes, single words resonate, such power, mystique or raise enough questions to inspire further explanation or at least addition exploration. An overheard phrase can be inspiration for more development.
Baring witness, to an extra bright and colorful rainbow or experiencing a breath taking sunset may be all it takes to spur the start of a new song.
The second toughest job in lyric writing, once you’ve come up with an emotional beginning, is getting the first stanza finished. The first stanza sets the emotional tone for the rest of the piece. The next challenge will be to sustain the established level of emotion, you’ve established in your first stanza, throughout your whole song. An additional challenge will be to keep the song sounding fresh and innovative all the way through. This is your song, claim it. Give the lyrics your unique voice. Make the song say, what you want it to say. Free expression has no boundaries. As creative writers, we don’t want to be grounded.
Don’t add a line just because it rhymes. Writing music lyrics differs from writing poetry because lyrics are slightly easier when it comes to rhyming. The distraction of the stanzas being sung plus the added feature of music playing in the background allows for close rhymes to be perfectly acceptable; mine/time/sign or love/enough/above. The singers add drama and clarity of meaning and the music peaks and valleys add emphasis that makes up for the sometimes un-perfect rhymes.
Paying closer attention to how songs are used in commercials, can give a new lyricist a lot of insight into how lyrics are crafted to add emotion and memorability to a moment. Study how the songs, strategically placed in great films and TV dramas, are used to enhance a scene. Pay attention to how the lyrics are chosen and worded to deepen the emotional impact. Choose a scene from one of your favorite movies that doesn’t already have a song playing in its background. Then attempt to craft lyrics that fit in or increase the emotion level.
You don’t have to be a musician or even know how to read music notes to become a great lyricist. But, taking a beginners course to familiarize oneself with the basics of chord progression, melodies, rhythm and learning the essence of crafting each of the many different styles of music can add more dimensions to your lyric writing skills. Many lyricists begin by tapping out a beat then in their mind they add a melody then they start fitting words and phrases to the already established tune. Many popular songs use ‘generic’ usually four chord progressions that have been used in many, many hits. By listening to popular music tracks it will become easy to recognize the similar sounding progressions that are so general that they can’t be copy written and thus are considered to belong to everyone. These ‘generic’ progressions are great for new lyricists to use when practicing song writing. You can also pick up a rhythm and even a melody from listening to the static noise going on around you. Listen to the pattern of the wind, traffic sounds, a crackling fire place or the rain.
To make your songs memorable, you are going to have to use repetition. But beware, too much repetition is boring.
The second toughest job in lyric writing, once you’ve come up with an emotional beginning, is getting the first stanza finished. The first stanza sets the emotional tone for the rest of the piece. The next challenge will be to sustain the established level of emotion, you’ve established in your first stanza, throughout your whole song. An additional challenge will be to keep the song sounding fresh and innovative all the way through. This is your song, claim it. Give the lyrics your unique voice. Make the song say, what you want it to say. Free expression has no boundaries. As creative writers, we don’t want to be grounded.
Don’t add a line just because it rhymes. Writing music lyrics differs from writing poetry because lyrics are slightly easier when it comes to rhyming. The distraction of the stanzas being sung plus the added feature of music playing in the background allows for close rhymes to be perfectly acceptable; mine/time/sign or love/enough/above. The singers add drama and clarity of meaning and the music peaks and valleys add emphasis that makes up for the sometimes un-perfect rhymes.
Paying closer attention to how songs are used in commercials, can give a new lyricist a lot of insight into how lyrics are crafted to add emotion and memorability to a moment. Study how the songs, strategically placed in great films and TV dramas, are used to enhance a scene. Pay attention to how the lyrics are chosen and worded to deepen the emotional impact. Choose a scene from one of your favorite movies that doesn’t already have a song playing in its background. Then attempt to craft lyrics that fit in or increase the emotion level.
You don’t have to be a musician or even know how to read music notes to become a great lyricist. But, taking a beginners course to familiarize oneself with the basics of chord progression, melodies, rhythm and learning the essence of crafting each of the many different styles of music can add more dimensions to your lyric writing skills. Many lyricists begin by tapping out a beat then in their mind they add a melody then they start fitting words and phrases to the already established tune. Many popular songs use ‘generic’ usually four chord progressions that have been used in many, many hits. By listening to popular music tracks it will become easy to recognize the similar sounding progressions that are so general that they can’t be copy written and thus are considered to belong to everyone. These ‘generic’ progressions are great for new lyricists to use when practicing song writing. You can also pick up a rhythm and even a melody from listening to the static noise going on around you. Listen to the pattern of the wind, traffic sounds, a crackling fire place or the rain.
To make your songs memorable, you are going to have to use repetition. But beware, too much repetition is boring.
Not enough repetition will leave your song
sounding like it doesn’t have a definite purpose yet and is still searching for its theme. Songs are usually written in a pattern that repeats itself over and over even when the actual words are changing from stanza to stanza. This is what helps make a good song easy to remember. Using the right amount of repetition is how and why some tunes become ‘catchy’ tunes.
sounding like it doesn’t have a definite purpose yet and is still searching for its theme. Songs are usually written in a pattern that repeats itself over and over even when the actual words are changing from stanza to stanza. This is what helps make a good song easy to remember. Using the right amount of repetition is how and why some tunes become ‘catchy’ tunes.
Songs come in all lengths but when you are just starting out, your target
length for a song should be close to the standard which is about three minutes
long. This, of course, will include the repeating choruses. The most common song
structure is ‘verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, and chorus.’ The bridge
should have a completely different melody, lyric and chord progression from the
verses and the chorus. The bridge’s role is to provide a break, for the listener
from the repetition of the ‘verse, chorus, verse, chorus,’ pattern. The bridge
usually provides a hint to the underlying, deeper meaning of the
song.
The key to great song writing is to
invite your listener into the song. The trick is to make them feel as if the
song was written for them. The lyrics should be about them or something they
care intimately about. I’ve frequently heard it said that the popular music of
our time lacks culture. That, the new songs being produced today have been
cheapened and weakened by the music industries association and obsession with
commercialism. That, the over whelming amount of new popular songs created in
our era are silly, juvenile and exploitatively aimed at pushing its listeners
most primitive, emotional buttons and therefore most ‘popular’ new songs have
very little if any literary merit what so
ever.
It’s easy to romanticize the past,
especially when looking at art and culture. People frequently say we have to
take a step back before it is too late. We’re losing our values. There’s
something missing in today’s society. And then the finger pointing begins. We
throw out names like; Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Oscar Hammerstein, Sammy Cahn.
Who do we have in our decade that even comes close to compare? The problem with
being critical of your own times is you are too close. When Elvis Pressley first
hit the scene, the contemporaries called it ‘Devil’s music’. The fact is, the
days of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. are long gone, as are the
times when Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers were king and queen of the dance
floor. We look back with awe and respect as we should. But that awe and respect
for nostalgia does not take away or cheapen anything our own current icons of
today are accomplishing.
Sheet music
similar to the classic sheet music of the nineteen thirties is not being
produced today because it is not relevant today. Great Broadway musical scores
are no longer being created because they are not representative of our times. We
love the grand styles of music from our past. We deservedly call them genius. We
put their creators on pedestals and study them at universities. As I am sure the
emerging icons of our decade will be called geniuses, put on pedestals and
studied too, thirty, forty and fifty years form now. The Beatles were once
described as producers of ‘Bubble Gum’ music. Now they are hailed by most
authorities as the Greatest Band of all time. Only time will tell what music,
lyricists and performers, from our current decades will go on to claim their own
pages in the history books. If history has anything to say about it, one thing
is for certain. The future stars of music and lyric writing will be unique,
innovative, and fearless. And, they will find a way to speak to and for the
majority of the people. As, William Shakespeare did in the late 1500’s into the
early 1600’s and as Bob Dylan spoke to and for a generation of disgruntled youth
during the 1950’s through the 60’s and into and past the 70’s. Both these
lyrical geniuses still speak to people who discovering them today.
The best advice I can give to the new
creative lyricist is, don’t try to write Elizabethan sonnets or imitate anyone
at all. Find your own voice. Write with sensitivity and of course artistry to
entertain. But, also write with strong arguments about current themes and people
will listen. Once you’ve mastered creative lyric writing you are now ready to
start looking for an appropriate music collaborator who can add a melody, chords
and write the instrumental parts of your song. Have someone preform the whole
song live, music and lyrics. Then, if necessary, tweak the rough edges so the
words flow smoothly and effortlessly with the instrumental.
length for a song should be close to the standard which is about three minutes
long. This, of course, will include the repeating choruses. The most common song
structure is ‘verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, and chorus.’ The bridge
should have a completely different melody, lyric and chord progression from the
verses and the chorus. The bridge’s role is to provide a break, for the listener
from the repetition of the ‘verse, chorus, verse, chorus,’ pattern. The bridge
usually provides a hint to the underlying, deeper meaning of the
song.
The key to great song writing is to
invite your listener into the song. The trick is to make them feel as if the
song was written for them. The lyrics should be about them or something they
care intimately about. I’ve frequently heard it said that the popular music of
our time lacks culture. That, the new songs being produced today have been
cheapened and weakened by the music industries association and obsession with
commercialism. That, the over whelming amount of new popular songs created in
our era are silly, juvenile and exploitatively aimed at pushing its listeners
most primitive, emotional buttons and therefore most ‘popular’ new songs have
very little if any literary merit what so
ever.
It’s easy to romanticize the past,
especially when looking at art and culture. People frequently say we have to
take a step back before it is too late. We’re losing our values. There’s
something missing in today’s society. And then the finger pointing begins. We
throw out names like; Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Oscar Hammerstein, Sammy Cahn.
Who do we have in our decade that even comes close to compare? The problem with
being critical of your own times is you are too close. When Elvis Pressley first
hit the scene, the contemporaries called it ‘Devil’s music’. The fact is, the
days of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. are long gone, as are the
times when Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers were king and queen of the dance
floor. We look back with awe and respect as we should. But that awe and respect
for nostalgia does not take away or cheapen anything our own current icons of
today are accomplishing.
Sheet music
similar to the classic sheet music of the nineteen thirties is not being
produced today because it is not relevant today. Great Broadway musical scores
are no longer being created because they are not representative of our times. We
love the grand styles of music from our past. We deservedly call them genius. We
put their creators on pedestals and study them at universities. As I am sure the
emerging icons of our decade will be called geniuses, put on pedestals and
studied too, thirty, forty and fifty years form now. The Beatles were once
described as producers of ‘Bubble Gum’ music. Now they are hailed by most
authorities as the Greatest Band of all time. Only time will tell what music,
lyricists and performers, from our current decades will go on to claim their own
pages in the history books. If history has anything to say about it, one thing
is for certain. The future stars of music and lyric writing will be unique,
innovative, and fearless. And, they will find a way to speak to and for the
majority of the people. As, William Shakespeare did in the late 1500’s into the
early 1600’s and as Bob Dylan spoke to and for a generation of disgruntled youth
during the 1950’s through the 60’s and into and past the 70’s. Both these
lyrical geniuses still speak to people who discovering them today.
The best advice I can give to the new
creative lyricist is, don’t try to write Elizabethan sonnets or imitate anyone
at all. Find your own voice. Write with sensitivity and of course artistry to
entertain. But, also write with strong arguments about current themes and people
will listen. Once you’ve mastered creative lyric writing you are now ready to
start looking for an appropriate music collaborator who can add a melody, chords
and write the instrumental parts of your song. Have someone preform the whole
song live, music and lyrics. Then, if necessary, tweak the rough edges so the
words flow smoothly and effortlessly with the instrumental.