IF YOU DON’T WRITE SONGS, YOU PROBABLY THINK IT’S EASY!

Some people sleepwalk, some people sleep write. “It was a spring morning in 1965 when Keith Richards rolled out of bed and noticed a new tape somehow wound its way through 45 minutes of usable tape. Curious, he rewound the tape and pushed play. A three-note guitar riff came blasting out of the speakers, followed by some basic chords and a simple refrain. ‘I can’t get no satisfaction,’ went the melody, sung by Richards in a sleepy, half-conscious voice. Richards had apparently woken up with a melody in his head, recorded it with his acoustic guitar and then fallen back asleep.” — Andrew Leahy, “Behind the Song: ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction'”.

I know what most people are thinking. Anyone that isn’t a songwriter probably reads this quote and thinks this writing thing is easy, guys just do it in their sleep. While we never know when a “seed” or “idea” for a song will come to us, the real work comes in growing that “seed” into a well written song. 

That initial burst might land you a few lines or a melody or a guitar riff but coming up with a completed lyrics and melody is still a journey ahead that can take a few hours or a few days. ​But that focus and drive to grow the seed into something beautiful is a key ingredient that separates the average and best writers. And it’s that myth that entire songs have to fall out of the sky or it’s no good, that keeps many writers from ever being successful.

They say you must have a magical power. And I say no, you just have that cute butt of yours and work hardest you can imagine and keep writing. Songwriting is same as any other skill just a bit tougher. Any legendary writer you name got their name by accepting the fact that they need to keep writing and making their game better than yesterday. No matter what you want to learn, first you need to educate yourself on that subject and then it’s all about practice. It might take years but trust me, it will eventually work.

Author

Hangi Tavakoli is our in-house established and professional music producer with more than 17 years of experience in songwriting, music production, mix and mastering. He has produced more than 3,000 and written more than 4,800 published songs to-date, including some major hits in international scale.