As I discussed in my last post, “But I’m Only A Lyricist” I’m a (you guessed it) lyricist- I don’t write music or play an instrument (enough to count, anyway).  I write the words to songs.  It’s a specific skill set, but one I have leveraged to land publishing deals and cuts by major artists.

Today, I’d like to talk about seven things every lyricist should keep in mind.  I’m not saying this is an exhaustive list, but realizing the following points has helped me tremendously in my songwriting career.

 1.  You are enough.  It’s okay to be “just a lyricist.”  Writing great lyrics is a valuable skill, and the people that matter know this.  Hold your head up high.  If you think or act like you’re not worthy, people will assume that you probably aren’t.  Don’t be arrogant, but be confident.

2.  Lyrics are only half a song.  For the other half, you need a cowriter.  So pick your cowriters carefully. I know from experience- it’s a terrible feeling to take an idea or a lyric that I LOVE into a cowrite and have someone slap on a sub-par melody.  

3.  Your cowriters have different strengths- bring in ideas that let your cowriters shine. One cowriter may write killer traditional country songs.  Another cowriter may write great female pop country.  Where do you think I’m going to take my cry-in-my-beer ideas?  I don’t go to a steak house hoping for great salad, and I don’t go to a vegan restaurant hoping for steak.

4.  Give respect to the melody. I didn’t used to care too much how a line sang- just as long as they got all my words in there.  That was a proof of both my arrogance and inexperience, and my songs suffered as a result.  Songs are BOTH lyric and melody.  If a line just isn’t singing right, keep at it until you find the line that both says what you want it to say and sings like it should.

 5.  Show up with two or three strong ideas. If you’re a young writer writing with a seasoned pro, they expect it from you.  After all, they can probably write a great song without you- they want your fresh ideas.

 6.  You don’t always have to write your idea. Your cowriter may just have the right idea for that day.  Or a magic idea may spring up out of your conversation.  Don’t let your ego or your need to justify your presence in the room cloud your judgement.  All that really matters is getting a great song.  If you take care of that, the rest will take care of itself.

 7.  They’re just as scared of you as you are of them. People who can create great melodies out of thin air may be a mystery to you- they may intimidate you because you don’t have that skill.  Well, I’ve learned that it runs both ways.  They are often a little freaked that you can write great lyrics WITHOUT melodies running through your mind.  So don’t worry- you each have something the other needs.  And that’s beautiful.

Enjoy the journey,

Brent

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YOU VS…

I’d love to hear your thoughts!  If you have things to add to this list, help out your fellow songwriters and leave them in the comments.  If you think something on this list should NOT be on this list, go ahead and tell us why.  Thanks.

HEY, YA’LL…

Congrats to Charles Billingsley on his new album, “Charles Billingsley In Concert” on Inpop Records.  I’m proud to have my song, “God Amazing” on there.  Thanks for playing it in your shows, Charles!  You can check out the song on iTunes here.

I’ll be honest with you- I sing like a horse.  I haven’t picked up a guitar in years.  I’ve never played a writer’s night.  Oh, and I’m a professional songwriter who has had cuts and staff songwriting deals.

WHAT??

I’m a lyricist, which means I write the words to songs.  Personally, I don’t write a lick (pardon the pun) of music.  God, in His infinite wisdom, chose not to give me the gift of music.  But He gave me words.  Maybe you can relate.

So how does a person find success as a lyricist?  Well, I can only really tell you what I’ve learned from my journey.  I decided early on that if I were ONLY (as if it were something to be ashamed of) a lyricist, then I would be a GREAT lyricist.  I figured if I were going to have success in the music business, then…

…I’d better be great at one thing.  At least ONE thing.

So I focused like a laser on my strength.  I wrote and wrote and wrote some more.  I was living in Arkansas at the time, and only had one steady cowriter, Tim Meitzen.  But I didn’t wait for a cowriting session to write.  I wrote by myself, and I focused on structure.  I focused on hooks.  I focused on storytelling.  Then, when Tim and I would get together, I’d usually have a stack of lyrics ready and waiting for him.

We all love a song that has a great hook.  Well, it doesn’t hurt to have a hook as a writer, either.  If people talk about you and say, “Man, Joe is the guitar-riff guru,” or “Suzi is the queen of country hooks.  You need a hook, go to Suzi,” then you have value in the songwriting community.  It gives you something to hang your hat on.  It’s marketing, really.

“He’s a great lyricist” will get you more attention than “he’s a good songwriter.”

I’ll admit to having bouts of frustration and low self-esteem about being “half a songwriter.”  But, you know what?  If that’s what God has gifted me to do, who am I to say it isn’t enough or that He should’ve given me different gifts?

If God has called you to do something, He’ll gift you sufficiently to do it.

Now, I don’t want to leave you with any false impressions.  Making a living as a songwriter is extremely difficult.  Making a living as a lyricist is by no means any easier.  In many cases, it leaves you with extra hurdles to jump.  But if you’re great at what you do, keep a positive attitude, and learn how to leverage your skill set, you just might get a seat at the table.

HEY, YA’LL…

I want to give a big “congrats” to my songwriting buddy, Gord Bamford, who has been nominated for SEVEN Canadian Country Music Awards!  I’m excited to have a song (“On My Best Days”) on his current album, which is nominated for “Album Of The Year.”  Good luck, Gord!