Tag Archives: I Drive Your Truck

Know The Row, Think Like A Pro, Write Like A Pro

Songwriting advice from hit songwriter, Jimmy Yeary!

Leave a comment

Here’s golden advice from a #1 songwriter.

Jimmy Yeary’s Lee Brice hit, “I Drive Your Truck” was awarded Song of the Year honors at the 47th annual Country Music Association Awards, as well as Song of the Year at the 49th annual Academy of Country Music Awards. More recently, he landed another chart-topper with David Lee Murphy and Kenny Chesney’s “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright.”

Yeary’s songwriting credits also include Kenny Chesney’s #1 hit “Til It’s Gone,” Rascal Flatts’ #1 single “Why Wait”, Jake Owen’s #1 “Anywhere With You,” and Martina McBride’s top 10 hit “I’m Gonna Love You Through It.” He’s also had songs recorded by George Strait, Leann Rimes, Troy Olsen, Heidi Newfield, and more.

Jimmy was a recent guest on Frettie.com’s “Know The Row,” and he shared some great, real-world advice for songwriters.  Here’s some of what he had to say.

Read on!

________________________________

To BE a pro, you need to THINK like a pro, and this FREE ebook will help transform your thinking, your songwriting, and your success.  Get it today!

Click Here For The Book

_________________________________

Here is a bit of Jimmy’s advice (paraphrased):

You don’t necessarily need to write with the artist. It certainly helps, but the right song can overcome that. I’m a firm believer that the best song wins.

If I write with an artist, I generally let that artist lead and guide. Nobody knows what the artist wants to say better than the artist.

If I feel the emotion of the song, you (the listener) will feel it. If I don’t feel it, you won’t either.

It’s really important to be yourself- to do what YOU do. Expose that to other people and let them decide if the value you bring is something they want. And it helps to be a writer that people want to be around.

I go through a ritual every day to get my brain revved up. Reading, vigorous exercise and brain exercises get me ready to write. I can’t just wake up, hop in the truck and go write.

Get going early. Bring in ideas so you can find the idea quickly.  Then you have more time to work on the song.

I know what makes me be my best. And then I make sure I do those things that make me the best I can be.

If you want a Blake Shelton cut, you better have every Blake record and study ALL the songs. Because if you haven’t, other songwriters have. If you want to give yourself the biggest advantage, you have to study their music.

The key to everything I do is the prep I do. I have a healthy diet, I exercise, I read, and I study artists and the market- on a very consistent basis- to give myself the best chance for success.

I don’t want to write a good song. I want to write a great song.

What’s important between cowriters is not having ego. You can’t get easily offended. You have to be able to be honest with each other.

One of the worst attributes you can have as a new songwriter is thinking you’re really really good. You need humility to get better. The more stuff you can figure out that you’re doing wrong, the more stuff you can fix.  And that’ll make you better.

If you’d like to hear EVERYTHING Jimmy had to share, the full video replay is available in Frettie’s Member Area.  It’s right there along with full video replays of other events with hit songwriters, Byron Hill & Chris Lindsey, music publisher Scot Sherrod, artist/writer Aaron Goodvin, and more.

CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE

If you want to join our next event live, “Know The Row” is a cool opportunity for us to hang out together (online) with a music industry pro.  It starts off with a brief conversation between me and our guest, as he or she reveals information YOU need to know about the music biz.  After that, we’ll open it up to YOUR questions.

This month, our guest is hit songwriter KENNA WEST!  Kenna has had over 31 #1 singles in the gospel and southern gospel markets.  She currently writes for Word Publishing.   He’s has been nominated for multiple Dove Awards, multiple “Songwriter Of The Year” nominations (AGM, SGM), and over twenty “Song Of The Year” nominations.  Artists who have recorded Kenna’s songs include Karen Peck & New River, Jeff & Sheri Easter, Marty Raybon, Brian Free & Assurance, and more.

This is something you do NOT want to miss!

This event will be on Thursday, November 29, in the evening.

Can’t make it to the live event?  Every “Know The Row” is recorded and added to the Frettie Members Area.  These videos are a resource for Frettie subscribers.

CLICK HERE TO GET ALL THE INFO.

God Bless and Enjoy the Journey,

Brent

Brent Baxter is a hit songwriter with cuts by Alan Jackson, Randy Travis, Lady Antebellum, Joe Nichols, Gord Bamford, Ruthie Collins, Ray Stevens and more. He’s written a top 5 hit in the US, a #1 in Canada, and a top 10 in Texas.  His songs appear on 5 industry-certified gold & platinum albums & singles… so far.  He also hosts a top-rated songwriting and music business podcast called, “The C.L.I.M.B.” which can be found on iTunes or your favorite podcast app.

Frettie, Know The Row, Write Like A Pro

Your Song’s First Line Really Needs This!

Leave a comment

Imagine yourself in a dark movie theater.  The movie starts to play, but there is just sound- no picture.  You’d be upset, right?  Then why do we often write songs that way?

Why don’t we give our listeners some pictures right at the beginning of our movie/song?  After all, the hit songwriters know how important this is, and they do it consistently.

________________________________

To BE a pro, you need to THINK like a pro, and this FREE ebook will help transform your thinking, your songwriting, and your success.  Get it today!

Click Here For The Book

_________________________________

I think the movie analogy is an appropriate one for songwriting.

Songs are basically 3-minute movies.

And just like someone making a movie, we want to hook our audience immediately.  We want to draw them into our story as quickly as possible.  And you know what does this extremely well?

Imagery.

Well-written imagery quickly lets the listener know the setting for our story or gives them a sudden emotional punch.  Or it builds mystery or interest.  And, along with good melody and production, that will keep the listener listening further into the song.

The main job of your song’s 1st line is to make the listener want to hear the 2nd line.

Here are the first lines of a few of my songs that have been recorded.

You left your Bible on the dresser, so I put it in the drawer – “Monday Morning Church” sung by Alan Jackson

Sunday morning was a fight, I was runnin’ from that clip-on tie – “Every Head Bowed” sung by Alan Jackson

Past the cotton fields and the old Spring Mill, we laid a blanket out where the world was still – “Crickets” sung by Joe Nichols

There’s a towel on the bathroom door, a t-shirt in my dresser if you like – “Last Night Last” sung by Lady Antebellum

But don’t just take MY lyrics for it.  Here are the first lines of 9 of the current top 10 songs on Billboard’s Country Airplay Chart.

I believe kids oughta stay kids as long as they can, turn off the screen, go climb a tree, get dirt on their hands – “Most People Are Good” sung by Luke Bryan

I ain’t heard you laugh like that in a long time – “Singles You Up” sung by Jordan Davis

Baby, lay on back and relax, kick your pretty feet up on my dash – Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line

She wants to get married, she wants it perfect, she wants her grandaddy preaching the service – “Marry Me” sung by Thomas Rhett

Don’t think I’ve ever seen your kind of pretty wandering ’round this midnight mad house city – “The Long Way” sung by Brett Eldredge

Like a rainy Sunday morning makes me wanna stay in bed, twisted up all day long – “You Make It Easy” sung by Jason Aldean

This is perfect, come kiss me one more time – “Heaven” sung by Kane Brown

When the devil’s knocking at my door, when I’m broken and I’m battle worn, down in the valley, on my knees – “She’s With Me” sung by High Valley

Seen my share of broken halos, folded wings that used to fly – “Broken Halos” sung by Chris Stapleton

The song in the #10 spot, “All On Me” by Devin Dawson, doesn’t have an image in the first couple lines, but all the rest do.   That’s 90% of the current top 10, and it’s something you should pay attention to.

And note that not all the images are literal.  In “She’s With Me” and “Broken Halos,” the images are more metaphorical.  But they STILL put a picture in the mind of the listener.  So you don’t have to JUST paint a literal picture of the situation.

But in case you aren’t quite convinced yet, here are a bunch more first lines from other hit country songs over the past several years:

Doublewide Quick Stop midnight T-top Jack in her Cherry Coke town – “American Kids” sung by Kenny Chesney

Quarter in the payphone, clothes drying on the line – “Automatic” sung by Miranda Lambert

Those high heels with that sun dress, turquoise heart hanging ‘round your neck – “My Eyes” sung by Blake Shelton

Summer comin’ through a rolled down window, tearin’ down an almost two lane back road – “We Are Tonight” sung by Billy Currington

Sun shines, clouds rain, train whistles blow and guitars play – “It Just Comes Natural” sung by George Strait

I’ve packed a cooler and a change of clothes – “Want To” by Sugarland

Driving through town, just my boy and me. With a happy meal on his booster seat– “Watching You” by Rodney Atkins

I can take the rain on the roof of this empty house– “What Hurts The Most” Rascal Flatts

She’s a yellow pair of running shoes, a holey pair of jeans– “She’s Everything” Brad Paisley

I could do this for days. Now, I know there are examples out there of purely emotional songs that do well. But if you look at the songs that are not written by the artist or by the producer or by an established hit songwriter, I think you’ll see a trend.

Put images in your song’s first lines to draw your listener in.

One more great example is from a recent CMA and ACM Song Of The Year:  “I Drive Your Truck,” written by Jessi Alexander, Connie Harrington, and Jimmy Yeary and recorded by Lee Brice.

“89 cents in the ashtray, half-empty bottle of Gatorade rolling on the floorboard”

It’s like the opening shot of a movie that starts with a close-up of change in the ashtray, panning over to a Gatorade bottle rolling on the floorboard.  The song follows the camera as it moves over to the dash, the backseat, etc.  This pulls us in.  It also gives us clues about the truck’s owner.  It’s such a well-written song!

If you’re interested in writing commercial songs- if you want to give your songs their best chance to succeed, I have a great opportunity for you.  In May, I’m hosting Frettie’s “Know The Row” with one of the writers of “I Drive Your Truck,” Jimmy Yeary!

Not only did Jimmy write this Song Of The Year, he’s also written hits for Kenny Chesney, Jake Owen, Rascal Flatts and more.

And this is YOUR chance to sit down face-to-face (online) with a real-deal professional, hit songwriter.

You and I BOTH want to learn what Jimmy has to share.

Here’s the deal.  You can join us online from anywhere in the world on Thursday, May 24, 2018 from 7pm-8pm Central time.  And this special event is FREE to members of Frettie.com!  (But don’t worry- you can still purchase a ticket even if you don’t want to take advantage of all of Frettie’s membership benefits.)

CLICK HERE TO GET ALL THE DETAILS & MEET HIT SONGWRITER JIMMY YEARY.

Brent Baxter is a hit songwriter with cuts by Alan Jackson, Randy Travis, Lady Antebellum, Joe Nichols, Gord Bamford, Ruthie Collins, Ray Stevens, and more. He’s written a top 5 hit in the US, a #1 in Canada & a top 10 in Texas… so far.

Frettie, Know The Row, Write Like A Pro

How To Make Your Ballads More Radio-Ready

2 Comments

It seems like every songwriter writes more ballads (slow songs) than uptempo songs.  But MOST ballads will NEVER get recorded.  Of the few that do, most never get on the radio.  But a few slow songs beat the odds and not only become hits, they become MASSIVE HITS.

Today, I want to discuss one way YOUR ballads can beat the odds and have success.

________________________________

To BE a pro, you need to THINK like a pro, and this FREE ebook will help transform your thinking, your songwriting, and your success.  Get it today!

Click Here For The Book

_________________________________

I’m a lyricist, and I don’t write melodies. I leave that to folks who are great at that. However, I know from experience and observation that MELODY MATTERS. It’s huge.

Let me be clear- a song with a great melody and average lyric will get cut a lot faster than a song with a great lyric and an average melody.

(Of course, the real winners have BOTH great melodies AND great lyrics.  So don’t think you can be lazy on lyrics, because you’ll probably get beat out by songs that are great at both.)

Your melody has to fit your idea, simple as that. This is not to say that sad songs HAVE to have “sad” melodies (I’ll touch on that later), but if your lyric is angry, your melody probably shouldn’t be too “sweet.” Likewise, if your idea is for a tough guy, the melody should be one that a tough-guy artist would sing.

In general (there ARE exceptions), if your song has a slower tempo, it probably needs to have a bigger, more rangy melody. There just aren’t many slow songs with soft melodies getting cut these days. You put your song at a disadvantage when you frame it that way.

If you’re going to go ballad, go big.

A good example of this is “I Drive Your Truck,” written by Jessi Alexander, Connie Harrington, and Jimmy Yeary and recorded by Lee Brice. It’s a sad ballad. But it doesn’t FEEL like a ballad because of the power in the chorus. Lee just sings his backside off.  


If they hadn’t CHOSEN to go the power ballad route, I don’t think the song would have worked as well- and I definitely don’t think it would’ve been a #1 hit country single.

Not only was this ballad a #1 hit, it was named the CMA and ACM “Song Of The Year.”

If the tempo had been too fast, it might have trivialized the subject matter. If they had given it a soft, flat melody, I think the singer would’ve come across too whiney.

Again, if you go ballad, go big.

If you’re interested in writing commercial songs- if you want to give your songs their best chance to succeed, I have a great opportunity for you.  In May, I’m hosting Frettie’s “Know The Row” with one of the writers of “I Drive Your Truck,” Jimmy Yeary!

This is your chance to sit down face-to-face (online) with a real-deal professional, hit songwriter.

You and I BOTH want to learn what Jimmy has to share.

Here’s the deal.  You can join us online from anywhere in the world on Thursday, May 24, 2018 from 7pm-8pm Central time.  And this special event is FREE to members of Frettie.com!  (But don’t worry- you can still purchase a ticket even if you don’t want to take advantage of all of Frettie’s membership benefits.)

CLICK HERE TO GET ALL THE DETAILS & MEET HIT SONGWRITER JIMMY YEARY.

Brent Baxter is a hit songwriter with cuts by Alan Jackson, Randy Travis, Lady Antebellum, Joe Nichols, Gord Bamford, Ruthie Collins, Ray Stevens, and more. He’s written a top 5 hit in the US, a #1 in Canada & a top 10 in Texas… so far.

Craft

If You Go Ballad, Go Big!

3 Comments

Man vs Row

Brent Baxter is a hit songwriter with cuts by Alan Jackson, Randy Travis, Lady Antebellum, Joe Nichols, Gord Bamford, Ruthie Collins, Ray Stevens, and more. He’s written a top 5 hit in the US and a #1 in Canada… so far.

I’m a lyricist, and I don’t write melodies. I leave that to folks who are great at that. However, I know from experience and observation that MELODY MATTERS. It’s huge.

Let me be clear- a song with a great melody and average lyric will get cut a lot faster than a song with a great lyric and an average melody.

Your melody has to fit your idea, simple as that. This is not to say that sad songs HAVE to have “sad” melodies (I’ll touch on that later), but if your lyric is angry, your melody probably shouldn’t be too “sweet.” Likewise, if your idea is for a tough guy, the melody should be one that a tough-guy artist would sing.

In general (there ARE exceptions), if your song has a slower tempo, it probably needs to have a bigger, more rangy melody. There just aren’t many slow songs with soft melodies getting cut these days. You put your song at a disadvantage when you frame it that way.

If you’re going to go ballad, go big.

A good example of this is “I Drive Your Truck,” written by Jessi Alexander, Connie Harrington, and Jimmy Yeary and recorded by Lee Brice. It’s a sad ballad. But it doesn’t FEEL like a ballad because of the power in the chorus. Lee just sings his backside off.

If they hadn’t CHOSEN to go the power ballad route, I don’t think the song would have worked as well- and I definitely don’t think it would’ve been a #1 hit country single. If the tempo had been too fast, it might have trivialized the subject matter. If they had given it a soft, flat melody, I think the singer would’ve come across too whiney.

Again, if you go ballad, go big.

Also, if you’re interested in writing commercial songs, I’ve put together a book/workbook to help you write songs that are commercial and marketable.  It’s called, “Cut/able: Lessons In Market-Smart Songwriting,” and it teaches you how to break down what’s getting cut, help you find gaps in a major artist’s catalog (gaps that YOUR song might fill), and how to compare your songs to the songs on the radio.  You can find out more by clicking on the image below or by clicking here to write songs that connect to listeners and music industry professionals.

cutable 3d final white

God Bless,

Brent

Biz, Mini

Hurt Like A Man: Luke Bryan & “Drink A Beer”

5 Comments

cropped-music_row_signs322.jpg

Brent is a hit songwriter with cuts by Alan Jackson, Randy Travis, Lady Antebellum, Joe Nichols, Gord Bamford, Ray Stevens, and more.  He’s written a top 5 hit in the US and a #1 in Canada… so far.

In today’s country market, male artists generally don’t like to be seen as weak, vulnerable, or too sensitive- it doesn’t fit their brand (for more on this, CLICK HERE).  This in in contrast to country music of the 1990’s when artists like Colin Raye, Doug Stone, Vince Gill, and others were often very vulnerable.  So, for today’s market, how do you write a song about a guy that is heartbroken about the loss of his friend?

You make him hurt like a man.

Written by Chris Stapleton and Jim Beavers, “Drink A Beer” is undeniably manly.  Sure, the singer is hurting and heartbroken, but he keeps it locked up inside.  No tears are shed (at least not that he says), and he doesn’t call his mom to talk about it for hours.  No, he goes for a walk alone and ends up drinking a beer in memory of his friend.

Not that real men don’t cry- “I Drive Your Truck” by Lee Brice is a great example of this.  But even when that manly singer sheds a tear, it is balanced by knowing his brother would punch him in the arm for it.

God Bless,

Brent

YOU VS…

Anything you’d like to add or ask?  Leave a comment!  Also, are there any topics  you’d like to see addressed in a future MvR post?  Thanks!

FOLLOW AND SHARE THIS BLOG

If you like this blog, don’t miss a single post!  Subscribe by putting your email in the “Follow Man vs. Row via E-mail” section on this page.  It’s either in the upper righthand corner or down below.   Also, please share this blog with anyone you think would benefit from it.  I appreciate it when you share it on Twitter, Facebook, and anywhere else.  Thanks!

Brent’s Twitter: @Razorbaxter

Brent Baxter Music:  http://www.brentbaxtermusic.com