Being creative is something anyone can do, but directing that creativity in a way that makes a tangible thing takes study, practice, and guts. Pablo Picasso once said that you have to “Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.” One of the best ways for someone to better their craft is to emulate those who have gone before them. The same applies to good songwriting. Copying the methods of others can allow someone to learn a structure through which they can tap into their own creative voice. Here are ten songs from across multiple genres that I think are great examples of what any songwriter would want to emulate. I tried to include various song structures and styles as well as different types of lyrical perspective and complexity. There are SO many songs that could be included on this list, though – if there’s any you wish would have been included, leave it in the comments below! Note: In no way is this a ranking of any sort! Each song is simply one that is particularly well written and is also easy to learn from. :) 1. Light Of A Clear Blue Morning - Dolly PartonDolly Parton wrote this song at a low point in her life as she struggled to leave the Porter Wagoner show and pursue her solo career. Her pain, exhaustion, and hope shine through not only the lyrics, but in the structure and build of the song. It has a typical song structure (verse-chorus-verse-chorus-music fill-chorus), but Parton uses it so masterfully that it doesn’t feel derived in any way. One of the beauties of this song is the way that it continues to build in energy and hope even when it seems like it’s already reached its peak. The melody starts quietly, creating an angsty and exhausted tone which is broken by the first triumphant chorus. The second verse goes back to contemplation of identity after struggle, and once identity is found, instead of reverting back to the triumphant chorus, the beat is entirely switched and it becomes a joyful dance. Parton’s genius is in chronicling the actual emotions that one feels at the end of such a struggle. It takes the listener on a journey. Rather than dwell to much on one moment, she depicts movement, life, and growth. 2. It Gets Better - Rex Orange CountyRex Orange County is well known for writing insightful lyrics and unique melodies. “It Gets Better” one of my favorite songs by him due to its contagious energy and combination of unusual switches and chord changes. It starts with a standard ROC verse which includes a beautifully placed chord change at the end, which shifts the song from a major to a minor key. The full structure goes something like this: verse-chorus-post chorus-verse-chorus-funky bridge-chorus. The bridge is almost unstructured, removing the beat and moving to a distinctly different melody from the rest of the song that has an almost jazz-like uniqueness. This gives the song an almost conversational feeling as the writer explains that the song is for his significant other and describes what she means to him. The colorful structure and incredibly joyful feelings that this song derives from its listeners makes it a particularly interesting one to delve into. 3. Sweet Jane - The Velvet UndergroundLou Reed’s clear, monotone voice provided the perfect dichotomy to the heavy guitar hook underlying “Sweet Jane.” It was written in a simple structure, with the verses and choruses alternating until the outro. Reed’s lyrics described the plight and simple life of average people who struggle to make ends meet from the perspective of a rock’n’roller who struggles to make it big. While Reed tends to prefer ambiguity in the interpretation of his songs, it could be argued that the chorus (“Sweet Jane” repeated three times), which drives the song to its emotionally high apex, is meant to show that despite the struggles they have, Jack (one of the characters) still has his “sweet Jane.” 4. Wouldn’t It Be Nice - The Beach Boys“Wouldn’t It Be Nice” opened the Beach Boys’ album Pet Sounds with a blast of serotonin. The whole album is an almost manic delight in the world and an expression of child-like wonder and simplicity, which is heightened by the Beach Boys’ signature harmonies. The youthful excitement of this song resonated with people of all ages. Brian Wilson’s expert songwriting not only told listeners about someone who felt this kind of love, but made them feel that way as well. The song structure is very different than most that are commonly used nowadays. It starts with a chorus, moves to a short refrain (which changes to a minor key, grounding the happiness with a sense of reality), chorus, refrain, bridge, chorus, refrain, and chorus/outro. Wilson uses minor keys sparingly but with specific purpose to keep the youthful perspective of the song realistic and communicable to his audience. 5. The Rain Song - Led ZeppelinYou know those songs where you just sit there the whole time, stunned and unable to say a thing because it’s too beautiful? This is one of them. This live version captures everything that makes this song so good - the songwriting is pure magic. It doesn’t rely on production, but on the ambiance of the melodies created by Plant’s vocals and Page’s guitar. The lyrics are classic poetry reminiscent of Tolkien, who had major influence on their writing (see the reference to Gollum and Mordor in “Ramble On”). They reflect a simpler time when nature was an inseparable part of everyday life. However, the lyrics are far from the main character of this song; there is only one verse in almost the whole first four minutes of it. In true Zeppelin form, the song has a very complicated structure, which looks something like this: (guitar melody=gm, guitar chorus=gc) gm-verse-gc-gm-gm-gc-gm-gc-verse-gc-bridge-verse-gc-outro. If it isn’t already apparent by the overwhelmingly instrumental song structure, there are two vocalists: Plant and Page’s guitar. Each tells its own story and harmoniously engages with the other, creating a tranquil, almost euphoric escape from everyday life. 6. Cupid - Sam Cooke“Cupid” is a great example of a simple song structure that was masterfully used to create a dynamic tune. Sam Cooke began the song with the chorus, a structure that became commonly used in pop music at the time. The structure is a basic repetition of chorus and verse, placing extra emphasis on the melody of the chorus. The verses act as an explanation of why Cupid is so important to the singer and provides a change from the chorus, while still standing in the background of the song. I particularly love this live version because it shows how Cooke brought this song to life. Having written the song himself, which was not very common at the time, he is truly able to sing from the heart while still having the ease to interact with the audience, bringing them into his story. 7. Breakaway - Lennon StellaLennon Stella is an up-and-coming artist who is just now somewhat getting the laud she deserves. “Breakaway” is written in a very heartfelt way and prismatically displays the range of emotions and perspectives one experiences during family trauma. Stella wrote the song in response to her parents divorce when she was 19. The structure of this song is similar to many used in pop music today: verse-pre-chorus- chorus-post chorus. Stella mastered the shift between each part of the song, adding harmonies, removing beats, and changing chords to emphasize various words and emotions. 8. Isn’t She Lovely - Stevie WonderStevie Wonder is known for writing songs that are undeniably soulful and groovy. “Isn’t She Lovely” was written about Wonder’s daughter Aisha and expresses the joy and wonder of a first time father through its upbeat melody and grateful lyrics. It has a very unique song structure, being made up entirely of verses, which I would label as choruses, due to the repeated refrain of the song’s name. The only break is for the harmonica solo. This song is a testament to how powerful a hook can be. The single melody of the chorus never feels overdone because it is so well written and performed. 9. America - Simon and GarfunkelPaul Simon is undeniably one of the greatest lyricists in history. “America” captures the longing anticipation for the American dream and at the same time expresses a feeling steeped in a hesitant strain of concern over its existence, at least in the way that the narrator believes it to be. It was written at a time when many were questioning patriotism and what it truly meant to be an American. Simon and Garfunkel’s harmonies highlighted the fine line between hope and sorrow that many were feeling. The lyric in the bridge “She said the man in the gabardine suit was a spy; I said, ‘Be careful, his bow tie is really a camera’” reflects the playful nature with which the culture had taken to coping with the Cold War. Simon’s lyrics are pure poetic storytelling; he pulls from the emotion of the words to create the melodic flow of the song. Doing this takes the listener along with him as he builds all the elements of the song together to communicate and incite in others the feelings he felt when writing the song. 10. Every Beatles SongNot to be cliche, but it was so impossible for me to choose a single Beatles tune to put on this list, that I thought I’d add them all. The Beatles’ music is probably the best one-stop study of music there is. Their music is not only written unexplainably well, but in such a ridiculous variety of ways, crossing different genres and testing different structures that listening to them not only helps you to understand their music, but music as a whole.
And that’s what good music does.
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Five. Sitting in the back of an old minivan, carsick, excited, and exhausted from the nine-hour drive to visit my grandparents in Tennessee, but still singing Don’t Bring Me Down by ELO at the top of my lungs. Ten. Driving out of the Walmart parking lot at night and seeing colors as my dad played Here, There, and Everywhere by the Beatles on the CD player rigged to the car. Fifteen. Clothed in black skinny jeans and flannel with my earbuds in, blasting Trouble by Coldplay and I Just Don’t Know What to Do With Myself by the White Stripes as I researched the merits of various domestic policy options for my debate club. Twenty-one. My iced coffee in one hand while the other gripped the steering wheel, the windows down, and the spring sun warmly glinting through the trees. My sister and I drove around to get out of the house after the COVID-19 quarantine had begun, singing loudly to Everywhere by Fleetwood Mac and jamming to The Ocean by Led Zeppelin. I love music. I grew up surrounded by some of the best tunes, thanks to my family. Echos of these songs played in my mind over and over days after I had heard them. I would sing along to them and, eventually, figure out the melodies on piano. Inspired by the power of music to change people’s perspectives, share the human experience, and create impossibly colorful feelings, I started to write my own music when I was about nine. It was bad. Really bad. Let’s just say that, if I ever release an album, a bop called Karate Man will never appear on it. I’m someone who knows some fantastic music, but doesn’t know enough, and wishes I could know it all. An impossible feat, I know. I mean, I can’t even listen to an entire album I’ve never heard before at one time because it stresses me out. Trying to hear, understand, and evaluate all the amazing music out there is almost like being caught beneath a landslide. However, as expressed by the Oasis song after which I cheesily named this blog, it seems like an incredible landslide to be caught under. Join me as I sort through the landslide and find great new music, connections between fantastic songs, the history behind some of the best songs and songwriters, and try to better understand what good songwriting is all about. This might be an Icarus situation (Alexa, play Here Comes the Sun). If so, you will all be witness to my slow, melting descent into madness. But if not, you just might be able to share in my joy as I seek to better understand the beauty of music. :) - MT |
AuthorHi y’all! I’m Morganne: a college student living life in the South. I love listening to, creating, and analyzing music from many genres and across all time periods. ArchivesCategories |