The Art (and Ache) of Songwriting

No, it ain't just like the movies

That perfect night and summer air

Sometimes you struggle just to find it

Gives your heart it's scars when it's not there

Those, ladies and gents, are the first couple lines of a song I suddenly got the inspiration to write. Being a proficient songwriter is most definitely a gift... and one that I definitely do not possess. Some people just have the ability to flow and crank out a great song in half an hour. Me... probably quadruple that, then add a few more hours the next day, and day after that, until I scrap the entire thing. 

If you have ever written or attempted to write a song, then you know these two truths I'm about to say:

1. Your new song sounds like the greatest thing ever written. Period. Tenacious D ain't got nothin' on you.
2. When you come back and reread your lyrics the next day, they are the worst thing ever written. Period. Friday sounds a hell of a lot better than your crap.

BUT, if you can manage to get past that second day, reevaluate yourself, your lyrics, and that G-D-Em-C chord progression you're using, you may just end up with a half decent song. 

Personally, I like to draw inspiration from the emotions and experiences I've had rather than singing about a type of feeling I've never encountered first hand. I am definitely a very mellow player. Think Ben Rector with a bit of early John Mayer and The Fray.

Most of you know this about me, but I used to play Bass for a band called Texas Riot (Classic Rock meets Texas Country). I left the band in Summer 2010 due to school and other time restraints, but my time in the band was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I'll definitely have to make a post about the band times. It's probably about as close to being a celebrity as I'll ever come. 

Sidebar: That is, besides being a child model, of course. (Cue Blue Steel)

So, next time you have a really great idea for a song lyric and/or lyrics, don't doubt yourself. Pursuit it. But don't try to hard. If you sit down and tell yourself, "Ok, I want to write a song right now," it's never going to happen. In the words of the late John Lennon, sometimes, "You just take words and you stick them together, and you see if they have any meaning. Some of them do and some of them don't."

Disclaimer: If you happen to write a song and it sounds anything at all like Friday: BURN IT. NEVER LET IT SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY AGAIN.

I'll leave you with a cool, nay, awesome demonstration of just exactly what I'm talking about when I mention those people who can crank out great songs like it's nobody's business. This is Synthetic Muso-Regurgitative Composition: