Tag Archives: Lee Brice

Write Like A Pro

How deep do you dive into your song?

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I hate to tell you this, but YOU are probably never going to write a hit.  But the good news is… the characters in your songs just might.

I recently spent a weekend at the Martha’s Vineyard Songwriting Festival teaching a songwriting workshop with multi-hit songwriter, Jimmy Yeary.  And, boy, I can’t wait to share some life-changing songwriting advice with you!

Read on.

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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

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I re-learned something this weekend.

One thing I love about teaching songwriting is that it’s a great way for me to continue learning the art, craft and business of songwriting.  Preparing a workshop lesson forces me to thoughtfully consider a topic and put it into a framework that songwriters can actually use- a way of writing that you can apply to your own work.  This helps me to remember these lessons and apply them to my own writing.  Not a bad trade off.

I also learn from the professional songwriters around me.  That’s what happened at the Martha’s Vineyard Songwriting Festival with Jimmy Yeary.  Jimmy has written hits for Lee Brice (“I Drive Your Truck”), Kenny Chesney (“Till It’s Gone”), Jake Owen (“Anywhere With You”), Rascal Flatts, (“Why Wait”)  and more.  So, yeah.  He’s legit.  He’s also a great songwriting teacher.

Jimmy was my co-teacher for the weekend, and he kept hammering some important songwriting truths that I know, that I’ve used, but sometimes don’t teach enough.  And, honestly, I don’t always use them enough in my songs, either.  But it’s on my brain right now, and I’m fired up about it.  So let’s dive into some of those lessons today.

Dive deeply into your song.

It’s not enough to just “throw lyrics at an idea.”  It’s not enough to stand at a distance, consider a song idea, then start trying to rhyme it into a story.  No, that’s not enough.  Not if you want to write incredible, moving songs.

You need to really dive deeply into your song.  Dive into the idea.  Dive into the story.  Is it a story about heartbreak?  Go back into your memory and relive a heartbreaking experience you’ve had.  Is your song about a first kiss?  Then don’t just write about a first kiss.  Take some time to go back to YOUR first kiss in your mind.  See it again.  Feel it again.  Feel the emotions.  Then paint the picture.

It can be tempting to stop at the surface.  It can be scary to be vulnerable in your song, to tell the honest truth to your listeners, to your cowriters, and even to yourself.  But don’t stop at the surface.  Your best writing is waiting way down deep.

Become the character in your song.

If your song is a memory or part memory, really try and go back to that time and place in your mind and heart.  Feel those emotions again.

But what if your song isn’t a true experience?  What if you haven’t lived it?

You have to become the character in the song.  You have to imagine what it would feel like- REALLY feel like- to be that person in that situation.

I did not live the story of my top-5 Alan Jackson hit, “Monday Morning Church.”  But I kind of did live it for a little while.  I imagined being the character in the story.  I imagined what my house would look like if I lost my spouse, and I saw a Bible on the dresser.  I imagined how I would feel, and I pictured myself lying in bed and yelling at God.

Jimmy Yeary, Connie Harrington and Jessi Alexander didn’t live the story in their ACM and CMA Song of the Year “I Drive Your Truck.”  It was someone else’s story.  But they became the guy who lost his brother in Afghanistan and drove his truck as a way of coping with the loss.  They pictured the 89 cents in the ashtray.  They pictured themselves tearing up that field.  They brought themselves to real emotion, even though they hadn’t really lived it.

Being clever is fun, but it isn’t enough.  You have to bring “heart” and not just “head.”

Playing with words isn’t going to get you where you want to go.  You must really feel it.  So I want to challenge you to dive deeply into your next song.  Don’t float on the surface.  Dive down deep.  Feel it.  Become the character.  Then write what you see.  Write what you feel.  Be honest.  That emotion and that truth will make your song much more real and powerful.

Remember, YOU might never write a hit song, but just maybe the characters in your songs will.  So be that character.

What about you?  Do you have the habit of diving deeply into your songs, or do you tend to stay near the surface?  Have you done both, and can you tell a difference between the two?  I’d love to hear from you, so please leave a comment!

God Bless and Enjoy the Journey,

Brent

________________________________

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

_________________________________

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.SWP 4

Frettie, Know The Row, Write Like A Pro

Your Song’s First Line Really Needs This!

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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.

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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

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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.

C4X, Write Like A Pro

Kenny Chesney & Lee Brice hits use this songwriting trick. Do YOU know about it?

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If you write songs that do this ONE thing wrong, it makes you look like an amateur.  But if you do it right… it just might be a hit.

Kenny Chesney did it right in “Don’t Blink.”  Lee Brice did it right in “Love Like Crazy.”  And both songs were massive #1 country hits.  These songs were written by pro writers who applied this technique correctly. But I see this technique become a mistake in a whole lot of songs- and it makes the writer look like a rookie.

Want to learn this hit songwriter technique and make sure you aren’t doing it wrong?  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

_________________________________

The technique is to sing ABOUT the main character in the verse and then to sing AS the main character in the chorus.

Sounds simple, right?  You may already do this without thinking about it.  But it’s HOW you pull it off that can make your song either much more commercial or much less professional.

Most of the time you shouldn’t mix your pronouns at all.

If you’re singing ABOUT him in the verse, you should sing ABOUT him in the chorus.  If you’re singing TO her in the verse, sing TO her in the chorus. If you mix your pronouns (“him” to “you” or “you” to “her”), you run the risk of looking like a sloppy amateur.

The pros (publishers and songwriters) know how to keep their pronouns consistent. If you mess them up- especially if you do it in more than one song- they’ll assume you either don’t pay enough attention to the details (sloppy) or your craft needs to improve (amateur).

Additionally, it might confuse your listener. If your “you” turns into “her” or “him” becomes “you,” the listener may think a new character has been introduced. Even if they figure it out, it takes the listener’s heart out of the song because their head is busy figuring out your pronouns.

Save them the work and get pronouns right before they hear it.

But sometimes it is commercially wise to mix your pronouns / point-of-view.

For example, in Kenny Chesney’s “Don’t Blink,” written by Chris Wallen and Casey Beathard, the main character is an old man turning 102.  Kenny obviously didn’t want to sing the whole song AS that character.

However, that chorus just sounds SO much better in the first person!

The Lee Brice hit, “Love Like Crazy,” written by Tim James and Doug Johnson, had two main characters.  The first verse tells of a man who had been married 58 years.  The second tells of a man who started a home computer business.  Brice isn’t passing himself off as either one of those guys, much less BOTH.

But that chorus sounds SO much better coming from the first person point of view!

So how did the songwriters pull off singing ABOUT the character in the verse and singing AS the character in the chorus?

They built in lyrical turn signals.

In “Love Like Crazy” they built their turn signal into the first pre-chorus:

“Just ask him how he did it; he’ll say pull up a seat

It’ll only take a minute, to tell you everything…”

And this one into the second pre-chorus:

“Just ask him how he made it, he’ll tell you faith and sweat

And the heart of a faithful woman, who never let him forget…”

In “Don’t Blink,” the songwriters built this turn signal into the end of the verse, right before the chorus: “

Asked him what’s the secret to life

He looked up from his old pipe

Laughed and said ‘All I can say is…'”

In the second verse, the quote happens right in the beginning:

“I was glued to my TV when it looked like he looked at me

and said ‘Best start putting first things first'”

Using the lyrical turn signal is a simple thing, but it’s critical.  If you just expect the listener to know the turn is coming without you telling them, there’s a good chance they’ll miss it.  And if they miss that turn, you could lose them for the rest of the song.

If you confuse the listener, you lose the listener.

This POV turn signal is a great way to get the best of both worlds. The singer doesn’t have to become the main character in the song, but the chorus still has the impact of first person point of view.

Knowing pro techniques like this can make a big difference in YOUR songwriting.  Applying them will help you write market-smart songs: songs that have a competitive advantage in the market.

If you want to dive deeply into point of view as a songwriting craft; if you want learn how to write songs that will get you noticed in the music business, I have a great opportunity for you.

Every Monday night in April, I’m hosting The C4 Experience.  It’s an exclusive, live online event where I help 10 writers like YOU create explosive growth in your commercial songwriting.  I want you to win, and I’m going to help you write songs that artists want to sing, radio wants to play and fans want to hear.

CLICK HERE TO GET ALL THE DETAILS AND RESERVE YOUR SPOT IN THIS EXCLUSIVE EVENT!

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.SWP 4

Craft

If You Go Ballad, Go Big!

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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”

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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!

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