Songwriting 101: Are You Afraid Of Writing A Bad Song?

[MetalDave]

Greg, weren't you reading the posts? You are your worst critic! You probably trashed some great songs and think they sucked. I have to agree with Brandon Just boom chuck boom chuck weedely weedely whaaa. hey that sounds like shit! What does shit sound like anyways? In alot of ways the lamest songs are the best sellers of them all. there are people who don't know how to write music that are listening. if they can relate they will love what you thought sounded like dog feces. Have you ever read anything from some of the bands that have made it big? they say things like we just put that #1 hit on the album to fill up an empty slot.... The whole band thought it sucked. Look at Tom Petty or Neil Diamond or even John CougerMellonkamp they write hits all the time and I'll bet they felt like hey why did you put that shit on my album? but it sells big time. It's like making a funny face. or Brandon sitting in that chair naked. when you do it you think it is stupid but it look cute to everyone else..... LOL well not Brandon naked but the funny face... When you go to the dog pound to pick out a dog the one that does the stupidest shit sticks in your mind right? I really have to agree with the theory of just do it. Sorry Nike' Hang on sloopy hang on, WTF? a 16 year old kid wrote that hit. Rick Deringer probably has had an embarassing moment or two from that... Then again he made it big from it too.

[brandondrury]

it look cute to everyone else..... LOL well not Brandon naked but the funny face

YEEAAAHHHH RRRIIIIIGHT! You liked it!

When you go to the dog pound to pick out a dog the one that does the stupidest shit sticks in your mind right?

Great analogy. I'll be stealing that one!

I do want to say that I personally find it way more fun to take something that was already barely written and dick around with it (and turn it into something cool) than I do trying to create something from scratch. So when I write, I just blast through the first part. Okay, the verse is 2 chords....B and C. The chorus, whatever. Grab the first melody that pops in my head. Great. Now arrange it and turn it into a kick ass production.

Brandon

[lolgreg]

My issue is when I used to WRITE... I wrote bad songs. I wouldn't agree with the whole "you're your own worst critic" ideal at all. My friend never trashes songs and no one ever likes the ones that he thinks are "eh." He demos them all before trashing them.

-Greg

[MetalDave]

Oh I see I thought you said YOU know when YOU are writing a bad song so YOU trash it right away... My Bad! I guess I should pay better attention, sorry I blew up!

[MetalDave]

Originally Posted by Nezscape

Just saying hello, Gald to be here and I am here to learn. That is my only agenda

Hey Nezcape we know you have input too. "We can all learn from each other".

[Whammo]

It's all in how you look at it. Songs are just ideas- music is a form of communication. So songs are not bad in themselves. It's how we feel about them that determines their quality. There is no objective measure of a songs worth.
Music is a language. I wouldn't suggest one attempt to write an epic poem in esperanto the first time out. But anyone can write a reasonably clever haiku with a little effort.
Start with the simpler forms first. A folk song, a dirty little blues tune. One of those 3 chord songs that repeat themselves.
But you should have something to say. Even what I have to say is that I have nothing to say. It doesn't even have to be anything original. You don't even have to believe in it. In that case you merely have to believe that you don't believe in it.
Anyway, how I look at things is that feelings can't change facts. But facts can change feelings.

[MetalGod]

Originally Posted by brokenlover

This may seem random/odd. but a lot of people have so many ways of doing things. outta curiosity do most of you write the music or lyrics first?!

I think this differs a lot from person to person, and from situation to situation. I usually try to write the music first, it's easier to write the lyrics when you have a framework.

It also depends on what kind of music you play. If your songs are mostly straight 4/4 or similar it's usually not so hard to write the lyrics before the music. I play mainly prog metal so writing the lyrics first usually means a bit of struggle later on when trying to fit it into the music. I have at times written lyrics before the music, and then I always end up having to rewrite a lot of the lyrics to get it to fit rhythmically.

In the end it's down to whatever works for you...

[BillyShears]

I think a fear of writing bad songs is like fearing death - a waste of time because you can't avoid either of them.

It doesn't matter how good a songwriter you are, over the coarse of your life you are still going to write bad songs every now and then. Look at John Lennon (one of my favorites) here's a guy who wrote Strawberry Fields and I Am The Walrus and then years later came up with Sometime In New York City which has some absolute horrors on it.

Just about every band biography I've read has mentioned how the main songwriters had to write dozens a bad songs before they found there feet. Paul McCartney reckons he and John wrote about 100 songs (probably an exaggeration but it would have been lots) before they wrote anything they really liked.

[JWhis]

For me, my goal is just to make something I am personally happy with. So I usually develop all the ideas at least through a verse or two, then if I like it (which I usually do, having made it myself ) I'll work on creating the chorus etc. There is no good/bad songs, there are songs you like and songs you don't like. If you don't like all your songs, then maybe songwriting just isn't for you, which is fine, look at Joe Cocker he covers everything LOL. And if you do like your songs, don't worry what other people think cause that's not what it's about anyway. Of course, my point of view is the more classic "artist" view, not "popular" music view.

And to the point of "beats", take it from the Master himself, Pete Townshend, here is a small clip (within copyright limits) of one of his demos. Proof that you don't have to be complicated.

[brandondrury]

If you don't like all your songs, then maybe songwriting just isn't for you,

I'm not sure I agree with this one. I would almost argue the opposite. If you don't hate at least some of the crap you've written, maybe songwriting just isn't for you.

Brandon