

“The main idea,” Eilish said of her offbeat outlook to lyric writing, “was that once you know the basics, then you can change them.” 4. As an example, think of a song like Billie Eilish’s Bury A Friend, which opens with the chorus, allowing her to set the creepy mood from the start. But there’s no law that says you have to structure your lyric this way – and very cool things can happen when you mess with the template. Flip the lyric on its headĪs songwriters, we have the traditional verse/chorus formula drummed into us from birth. You can use them as is or, if you have a craven need to not lose control, bounce off these ideas and write whole new sections.” 3.

You can get some pretty interesting idea combinations. “You write down a paragraph or two describing several different subjects, creating a kind of “story ingredients” list, then cut the sentences into four or five-word sections, then mix them up and reconnect them. “I used it for igniting anything that may have been in my imagination,” said Bowie. Burroughs (and later adapted by Thom Yorke for Radiohead’s Kid A), which involves writing a lyric, then cutting the text into short snippets and rearranging them to create something new. In a 2008 interview, the late legend revealed his use of “cut up” writing: a technique borrowed from Naked Lunch author William S. If you’ve ever wondered how David Bowie penned those out-there lyrics, the answer starts with a pair of scissors. The eerie beauty of the landscape seeps over every word on the album he wrote there – which became Bon Iver’s 2007 breakout debut, For Emma, Forever Ago. It wasn’t until he went off-grid, living alone at his father’s isolated hunting cabin in the wilds of Wisconsin, that Vernon’s lyric writing blossomed. Back in 2006, the then-cult songwriter was stuck in a rut, nursing glandular fever and liver infection, and writing derivative songs in his North Carolina home. For the benefits that a change of scene can give you, take the example of Justin Vernon (better known as US indie-folk star Bon Iver).

Some artists thrive in a familiar writing room, but if the same four walls are starting to feel stale, switch up your setting and see what it does for your lyrics. Read more: 3 ways to increase your singing longevity 1. Here are ten approaches to writing better lyrics that have been used by some of the best lyricists in music history – and might just spark your next great chorus. But you don’t have to spend long on BandLab to hear from musicians who blew their creativity sky high by stepping outside of their comfort zone and experimenting with fresh lyric-writing techniques. We’re not telling you to throw out your notebook or abandon your favorite writing spot. In the half-century since then, some of music’s greatest visionaries – from David Bowie to Billie Eilish – have proved just as experimental, tearing up the traditional rulebook of lyric-writing and using rebel techniques with astounding results. Back in 1967, when The Beatles stole that morning’s newspaper headlines for the verses of “A Day In The Life”, they were probably the first major band to break with lyric-writing convention – but definitely not the last. The best way to broaden your horizons as a lyricist is by learning from the best. To write lyrics that stand out, you need to go beyond “ooh baby” and get creative. But scribbling down a few autopilot clichés about breakups or partying isn’t going to cut it. While the melody, groove and arrangement are all foundations of a world-beating song, it’s the lyrics that will elevate your tune from a lesser-streamed curio to an anthem that everyone in the stadium screams back at you.
