How To Write Songs - 6 Songs That Taught Us How To Write Songs
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- Опубликовано: 15 июл 2024
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One of the best ways to learn how to write great songs is to learn from great songs and songwriters. Here, we take 6 songs that each taught us a crucial principle or technique about writing great songs.
Drawing from a range of inspirations from Radiohead, Tom Waits, to Gillian Welch and John Mayer, Benny and I talk about the specific musical or lyrical technique that we learned from these 6 great songs.
Of course, these 6 songs are just a beginning! We picked these for this video because they showcase a range of different principles and techniques: we talk here about chromaticism in chord progressions, about borrowing chords outside the key, about balancing types of language in your verses, about narrative and non-conventional song forms, about verse development and great chorus writing, and how a great intro can set your song apart.
More will come out of this series, as we explore how to listen to music so that you can extract ideas, and put them to practice in your own songwriting.
CONTENT:
00:00 - Intro
01:06 - #1 Even When I'm Sleeping, by Leonardo's Bride
07:17 - #2 Karma Police, by Radiohead
14:56 - #3 Why Georgia, by John Mayer
19:55 - #4 Big Joe and Phantom 309, by Tom Waits
30:02 - #5 One More Dollar Gillian Welch
38:29 - #6 Romeo and Juliet, by Dire Straits
VIDEO NOTES:
Book - 'Popular Lyric Writing,' by Andrea Stolpe
Book - 'Steal Like an Artist,' by Austin Kleon
Song - 'All Too Well,' by Taylor Swift
Book - 'The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms'
Book - 'The Devil's Dictionary,' by Ambrose Bierce
SOME MORE FROM ME:
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My own music is here:
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ABOUT ME:
I'm Keppie. I'm a professional songwriter, and songwriting teacher. I've been teaching song and lyric writing for over 10 years now for some of the best contemporary music colleges in the world-Berklee Online, the Sydney Conservatorium of Music's Open Academy, as well as for the Australian College of the Arts. At other times, I've taught for the Australian Institute of Music, as well as the LA School of Songwriting.
My goal is to help people write better songs! My experience in the classroom, with thousands of students at this point (many going on to find careers and success in music), is that your songwriting, like all things, can get better with meaningful, deliberate practice. My intention is to share the skills, knowledge, information, and ideas that I've gathered with anyone who wants to improve their songwriting.
ABOUT BENNY:
Aside from being a killer lapslide players, Benny is a core member of one of Australia's best and most bearded country-bluegrass-rock bands, The Green Mohair Suits. Benny writes songs, as well as instrumental music for advertising, games, audio and visual media. He has taught song and lyric writing in Australia for the JMC Academy, and the Australian Institute of Music.
The Green Mohair Suits: greenmohairsuits.bandcamp.com...
Ben Romalis: www.silamor.com/music
MUSIC IN THIS VIDEO:
'Even When I'm Sleeping,' by Dean Manning © Mushroom Music
'Karma Police,' by Radiohead (Philip James Selway, Jonathan Richard Guy Greenwood, Edward John O'Brien, Thomas Edward Yorke, Colin Charles Greenwood) © Warner/chappell Music Ltd
'Why Georgia,' by John Mayer © Sony/atv Tunes Llc, Goodium Music, Specific Harm Music
'Big Joe and Phantom 309,' by Tom Waits © Artemis Muziekuitgeverij B.v., Fort Knox Music Inc., Trio Music Company, Trio Music Co., Inc., Lark Music Inc, Fort Knox Music, Inc.
'One More Dollar,' by Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings © Universal Music Publishing Group, Wixen Music Publishing
'Romeo and Juliet,' by Mark Knopfler © Universal Music Publishing Group
#howtowritesongs
#songwriting
#howtowriteasong
#johnmayer
#direstraits
#leonardosbride
#radiohead
#tomwaits
#gillianwelch
Do you know what these vids are making me want to do? Go back through 10 years of badly written, half-finished songs and transform them into what they were supposed to be when I started writing them.
Until I read your post, I thought that I had the world's biggest collection of half-finished songs 😂
@@Teapot-Dave honestly, I've been incredibly unproductive as a lyricist for the last 10 years. Much more prolific at writing utter dross these days!
@@burtcocain1986 Well "utter dross" sells records. Look at Bohemian Rapsody by Queen, which is totally mish-mashed nonsense from start to finish, and random words which don't make any sense (it's my most hated song of all time).
@@Teapot-Dave what part of "Scaramoosh scaramoosh will you do the Fandango" are you having trouble understanding?!
@@burtcocain1986 Exactly! 😀
SO enlightening. Thank you. “Why do I love this song?” can be answered on many levels. You’ve prompted me to dig a little deeper and to ask the same question about my own songs.
It is a true joy to be a remote student following your classes - situated in Norway as I am. I enjoy all your free stuff that you so generously have shared, as well as your more systematic in depth courses at reasonable prices. So keep up the good work! Kind regards, Frode
"Surprise is entertainment" Sting quote from an interview with Rick Beato ! After I heard this simple quote it changed everything about the way I understand the song ingredients :) Now I see ( Hear ) this everywhere and in a good way. I loved this video as much as listening to a new hit song. It pulled me in and had me taking notes, Thank you so much , Sincerely.
I’m just at the point where I’m starting to learn song structure, so I’m super grateful for videos like these
You two have the best songwriting lyric advise and instrumentation samples on RUclips.
In my opinion, you explain by example. It makes sense to me as a beginner/intermediate learning songwriter, and musician. I will visit often.
What a beautiful comment, Lynn. Thanks so much. We put out a monthly newsletter, if you're interested! howtowritesongs.org/subscribe-to-the-newsletter
A perfect example of Internal/External songwriting is Colors by Black Pumas (I have been obsessed with this verse ever since I first heard it and the way this picture is painted in my mind listening to the song) THANK YOU for breaking this down and putting this puzzle together for me, I didn't quite grasp how intentional this language is - It's all external, until the blend at the end - a masterful verse.
I woke up to the morning sky first
Baby blue, just like we rehearsed
When I get up off this ground
I shake the leaves back down to the brown (brown brown brown)
'Til I'm clean
And I walk where I'll be shaded by the trees
By a meadow of green
for about a mile
I'm headed to town town town
in style
I have few creative bones in my body... but I love understanding the hidden elements behind "why" I love something like a nice melody, a captivating chorus or an emotional story. I have only heard some of these songs but wow, what a wonderful experience having you both bring these elements to life. Such a treat! 😍🤩
Thanks Gary, really appreciate the feedback!
Love this channel. It's so easy to watch - I'm eating breakfast and taking it all in, and then I'm off do work on a couple songs with some new inspiration. Thanks! 😊
Chord cliche in the song “Everybody’s gotta learn sometime” was also a massive hit.
Thanks for another great video. It’s great how you play the examples together. I really connected with your final comments. When I started writing I thought all my creativity and flow should already be in me somewhere, itching to get out and be totally and individually me! No stealing! It was exhausting and I would get stuck. Now I listen and look for inspiration everywhere and use others’ interesting ideas as inspiration. I don’t feel guilty using something stolen as a platform to morph from. I found after a process of filtering and forming and playing around I get something I’m happy with. I suppose the big picture is we are all working for the best songwriting we can all do, and it helps to learn from others.
The little river band reminiscing is a good example of a melodic introduction that is separate from the other sections.
I *did* stay with this video until the end and subscribed to the channel straight afterwards. It is so great to hear someone say "You can't copyright a chord progression". I like to think that I am original, like everyone I suppose, and when someone points out that I have used the 'same chords' as something else I want to shout "What about bloody twelve bar blues then?". I also enjoyed being able to see your hands the whole time and follow exactly what you were talking about. You both have obvious love and enthusiasm for your craft, as well as knowledge and insight. I look forward to watching th rest of your opus.
You guys have great chemistry together , thanks for the excellent content 🙏
Thank you both for making this video! I feel like I was familiar with all of these principles, but this really helped crystallize them into something I can effectively.
Lĺĺĺĺĺlĺ
So much great info. Keppie I was at Berklee when you were there but my head was into jazz at the time! Enjoying learning via this channel and the patreon 🙏🏻
Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen. These will show you vivid imagery, characters, and story. Not only that: the melodies are knowable quickly.
For now an unknown channel for a lot of people, but mark my words, this channel will grow fast!
Fantastic video. Much appreciation to you both. Would love more song analysis like this
More to come!
Thanks for the inspiration to write again. Learning a lot from you!
I am so blown away , finding you two today...really needing to make that leap with the musical composition part. The examples you used are all heroes of mine and artists I love...Your insights are invaluable , and have propelled me forward in my pursuit of completing many songs....Inspired, and buzzing with ideas 🌺 thank you both so much!!!!
You two are a great team! Each bringing their own perspective and insights. Very much appreciate sharing the knowledge! Thank you 💜
Thanks Dan, really appreciate the feedback!
What have you two written that we all can listen to?
I just came across this channel a few days ago. I love the content. Thank you and keep it up.
The funny thing is that Radiohead's Creep is quite "influenced" by The Hollies "The Air That I Breathe" 😁
Albert Hammond was made a a songwriter on the song
Hahaha so funny I was thinking the same thing
and then Radiohead tried to sue (or settle) with Lana Del Rey for her song Get Free. Pretty funny.
@@montysloungetv so thats how albert hammond jr ended up in a swiss prep school with julian casablancas. 🤣
And that was influenced by 'It's Over' by the Big O.
Lovely folks sharing generous insights, thank you kindly! Excellent song choices. Miss, you made me fall in love with Country music again. Your voice is a breeze on the prairies. 🕊
Really useful, love the length. Thanks. 🙏
Greetings from Toronto! I love this channel. You guys are great…
Thanks so much love these videos!
So good, so eye opening. Gonna go back and look at my dusty old songs again, see if I can put a shine on them!
Great balance between theory and practice. So good. Thanks.
Outstanding! Clear, practical and very helpful. Well done.
I've always loved Dire Straights' Romeo & Juliet. You have me interested in open tuning now. Thanks! And I had never heard of Gillian Welch. They are very helpful as examples. Thanks you two!
Thank you for breaking down all of these different songs. Very helpful in understanding the processes.
Love your insights and then examples, good show
amazing video. The best Song writing Channel on RUclips for sure!
Wow, thank you! You might be interested it the mini course we just released here: www.udemy.com/course/how-to-write-songs-the-songwriting-process-start-to-finish/?referralCode=8B3DC2EAEAC9833FECBF
You guys are so educated in music 🎶 and a pleasure to listen to. I'm not going songwriter but if I was I'd listen to you the whole day!😅😅😅😅😅😅
When I first started write poetry /lyrics ,I went to the best Lennon and McCartney. This is before internet . All I had was a Album and my ears. I would count the lines in each verse, chorus. Grew from that.
Only just got to the end of the Radiohead section but what a fantastic video. Already learned two great chord progression tips. I love the song analysis stuff you do. Keep it coming.
Wild applause! Thank you for a great class.
Guys, got to thank you for this great video. I agree about Austin Klein's book - I have all 3 of them! Great work here - well done!
Fantastic. Thank you for sharing this.
Great insights! Thank you so much!
I have always loved Dire Straits songs. Brothers In Arms is a favorite that displays well the genius of Mark Knophler and his writing.
This is my new favorite channel, thanks for the cool content.
Thanks so much for this inspiration and very useful info! I most def subbed!
Thanks so much! If there are other things you'd be keen to see covered in future videos, please let me know by messaging me on fb or insta! facebook.com/keppiecoutts
instagram.com/keppiecoutts/
47 minutes very well spent! Those song examples were all amazing - the Karma police analysis really hit the spot for me as I'm a huge fan of that album and it is a bit mystifying. I had to watch a second time to take notes. This is amazing free content - to anyone reading this comment, I'd suggest the Udemy course and other things Keppie and Bennie do. I did a songwriting course with them last weekend and it was first class. I finished the song within a week of the course. I get so much momentum from these processes and principles.
Thank you so much for this, it is fantastic
Great analysis! Thanks
glad i stumbled upon this channel. 🤘
Excellent stuff, thank you. Especially borrowed chords from Karma Police, but all the others too. Cheers.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge! 👏
The was a great discussion. I'm trying to get better at songwriting.
Pat Pattison taught my favorite classes at Berklee. Thanks for the video.
New fan in Canada. Great teaching. You articulated a lot of things I do instinctively.
Thanks Ayla, really appreciate the feedback and support!
Enjoyed and learned a lot! Glad I came across your videos.
Glad you found us! I send out a free newsletter with my top songwriting tips and prompts, if you're interested, Michael! You can sign up here: howtowritesongs.org/
Amazing & inspiring video. Bravo and thank you!
I did last until the end and enjoyed it so much. Thank you!
The English have always called it "thumbing it" Great channel by the way! Just discovered it. Thank you
Oh yeah. And I love your videos. Super helpful.
Part of Tom Waits deal,is that he has a whole dictionary of expressions from the 30’s, which is were cup of mud comes from. Thanks y’all
Great video and very informative! Now I understand why I like karma police so much ! I also really enjoyed listening to you going over Tom Waits lyrics. I could honestly see a series of videos discussing his lyrics.
Thanks for the feedback and yes, making a series of videos discussing the lyrics of Tom Waits would be an enjoyable task indeed.
@@htws this may sound crazy but I've made up a few melodies by humming license plates numbers. Putting 2 or 3 together. No 2 people will ever see those same plates together. I've heard of people doing something similar with spelling out a word. Please entertain the thought. If it works then share this idea!!
I am obsessed with OK Computer!! My favorite Radiohead album.❤
Really, really good, useful content. Thanks.
Appreciate the info and insight.
Also, my memory jingled-
Karma police -sexy Sadie??
Intro to Romeo and Juliet-intro to Bruce Springsteen “Jungleland”
Radiohead have said of Karma Police that it was their attempt at a version of ‘Happiness is a Warm Gun’.
Thanks for this. Another great video. I did watch it over a few sittings, as that allowed me to take it all in. If I was offering an example of a song that taught me about writing, it would probably be John Prine's "Angel of Montgomery". To hear a man sing the opening line "I am an old woman" taught me to be brave!
Wow what a beautiful example, Gary!
The Millworker James Taylor.
45:48 That is the most inspiring definition of song analysis I've ever heard. Thank you. I can't get myself to analyze songs. So I'm gonna do that instead :)
You’re welcome! I just heard a Rick Rubin talking about the same thing on a podcast episode too, explaining that the Beatles were really trying to do Motown, but ended up sounding like the Beatles instead ;)
Subscribed, notifications on. Wake me up, Y’all are great!
Welcome aboard!
Stuff a wonderful video. Thanks guys
This is good. I think what i find hard personally is the tune comes to my mind first and then trying to putting words around it to match the tune makes its difficult
What a great idea for another video! I’ll add it to the list…;)
As a songwriter for a living, I would say: what do the melodies sound like? Sean Douglas (big hit songwriter) says he finds sounds in the melody he’s singing and sometimes they sound like words (or are just random words that you sing when coming up with a melody) and often that’s a good place to start building on.
I loved the dobro. It really fit the song. Well played.
Thanks, Jim!
You two are wonderful together. So many times in video or podcast featuring two people we get the benefit of hearing two voices, but they are often expressing the same idea. With "How To Write Songs" I find myself looking forward to the next section, because I know I am going to hear & learn something new or a different perspective. BTW, I can stop thinking about the fantastic line "the conversation flowed like honey".
Thanks, John
Gig Harbor, WA
Thanks John, glad to hear you're enjoying the format... and you're right, the honey line really 'sticks' in the mind... might need to turn it into a song
Great video. I relate to the concept of keeping the story moving with every new verse. But also keeping the repeated chorus lyrics completely relevant to the evolution of the song's story. Do you think you can do a video of how to write a beautiful melody that perfectly matches the emotion of the lyrics?
I'll be looking for that hopefully soon. Again, thanks for the great content.
Great video idea. Realistically, it’s worth about 10 videos exploring that concept, but we’ll certainly add it to the list!
Great idea paul!
Great information, thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
Well that was brilliant! Thank you…
omg her voice is so perfect!
Love this content
Thank you for this video! Love what you guys do! Love your slide playing! Romeo and Juliette will be the greatest song ever written.
Thanks Antonio! Really appreciate the support. And yes… ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is one of the all-time classics!
Its been my favorite song since the first time I heard it.
Good stuff.. thx! Great insight..
Glad it was helpful!
That's some great Dobro playing.
Thanks Wes, much appreciated! You a dobro player also?
I checked out a few of the songs mentioned and found out that the Tom Waits song in the video wasn’t written by Tom Waits! The credit on Apple Music went to Tommy Faile. I thought that might be Tom Waits’ real name but Wikipedia described him as an old entertainer a generation older than Tom Waits. It’s actually a demonstration of the point about stealing at the end of the video.
True! The video notes have all the correct references :) It sounds so Tom Waits though...no wonder he was drawn to it!
It was recorded by Red Sovine and released in the 60’s. Waits did rework some of the wording (hard to call them lyrics) but is is recognizable for sure. Sovine made a career out of spoken word songs. He had big hits with Giddyup Go and Teddy Bear but my mom had the It’ll Come Back album for the 70’s and that’s the one that sticks for me even though I doubt it charted very high.
Just one huge thanks!
You're welcome!
beautiful singing
But again, we have to realize that nearly all of human development is based on adding to, or building on, what someone has done before us. That IS the nature of human progression - that is still doing something new. I got caught up for too many years in thinking ALL I created had to be completely unique - but now I strive for "inspired by" and consider it a "building process".
Thanks for your videos, I'm enjoying and leaning from them.
Cary - 65 - pursuing songwriting since 2019.
Speaking of Karma Police and songs that are atonal (not dissonant, but lacking an obvious tonal center) -- the Beach Boys "God Only Knows" is a great example as well.
Hey Jeffrey, great point - I think we'll need to do a video breaking down 'God Only Knows'... I adore Brian Wilson
The F in Karma Police could be seen as a tritone substitution of the dominant chord in Em, in other words, it is a sub for the B7. F is a tritone away from B.
Sheesh you guys are incredibly knowledgeable. Loving your videos. Have you guys written any songs for well known artists?
Hey Lucas! Links to all our music are in the video notes.
This is great.i love music theory
I didn't know Gareth Southgate was a songwriter!
haha... very funny... and not a comparison I've heard before, but as someone who use to watch a lot of Premier League I think its rather appropriate
You are both uniquely wonderful in your approach and passion for songwriting. I wrote my first song when I was 8 years old, which was when the Beatles hit America (surprise, surprise). Today I spend 30 to 40 hours a week immersed in creating and practicing my compositions. The compositions are a combination of Appalachian, Folk, and Classical genres. While these musical styles may seem a disparate mix they work very well for composing on the guitar using a finger picking technique. The result is many of my compositions are instrumental ballads and waltzes using 3/4 and 6/8 timing.
I have a request: I would love for you to critique the song "Che Gelida Manina". The song structure is very unique and it has three musical sections that have very different tonal relationships to one another. The harmonies, countermelodies, tempos, and dynamics are very beautiful and varied. I spent many hours studying this particular piece and it really gave me some important insights, inspiration, and tools for achieving a freedom of thought and expression in songwriting. A really nice version is by Andrea Bocelli on RUclips. By the way, the song is only 4:20 long! Anyway, great job and love your videos.
That is so kind and generous of you to say, LP. Thank you :) It is much appreciated, and we are glad you've found something helpful. I will check out that song today :)
Please feel free to join our newsletter if you're so inclined! You can find the sign up here: howtowritesongs.org/
Also, I'd love to hear your music. Is there somewhere I can listen?
@@htws Not sure if my reply went through. Please let me know if you received the info on my recordings.
When I was 15 yrs old in 1969 I thumbed my way across America with $25 in my pocket. Hitting ever truckstop I could find bumming rides from all those truckers. So the story of Big Joe rings loud and clear in my heart. Thank you...
I hope y'all do Wilco! They have great chord progressions/tunings as well
In 𝘒𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘢 𝘗𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘦, I'd classify the "This is what . . . " section as the bridge, and the final "I lost myself" part as the chorus. Otherwise you've got a "bridge" to nowhere. Guess the labels don't matter that much, though, either way.
Really interesting, thanks. Probably the most influential and innovative songwriter in contemporary music is the New York genius Laura Nyro, particularly her revolutionary pop album Eli and the Thirteenth Confession (1968). Nyro breaks all the rules and is very complex and unique. Olivia Rodigo's recent massive hit 'Drivers Licence ' is based on Nyro's You Don't Love Me When I Cry (1969), right down to the ring at the beginning of the song.
Yes, totally agree.
That Creep Chord progression is very unique that the Hollies used it in " The Air that I breathe" and have writing credits on Creep
What's bizarre is that Radiohead didn't hand over those writing credits right out of the gate, versus waiting for the inevitable lawsuit. Anyone who grew up in the 70s recognized "The Air That I Breathe" the very first time we heard "Creep." Hell, I thought it was a satire of the original lovey-dovey vibe.
Oh you mean that Hollies minor four move.
Phantom 309 was an old country story song. I don’t recall who sang or wrote it. It’s interesting that Tom Waits had/wrote a version.
I only recently discovered this channel... really enjoying it... but have you done anything about phrasing? Some of the simplest, cleverless lyrics can be transformed by how you sing it, no?
I think Tom Waite’s use of the line “every now and then when the moon is full of water” doesn’t have anything to do with the tides. It’s a reference I think to the idiom “once in a blue moon” because water is blue.
I love Tom Waits. However, he didn't write Phantom 309. It was written by Tommy Faile in 1967. It was first recorded by Red Sovine.
Wow! I had no idea! It sounds like such quintessential Waits! Thanks for this, Deric!
@@htws No prob. Keep up the great channel!
Although it wasn't written by Waits, all the lyric references that were mentioned, were added by Waits.
19:50 - Phantom 309 was written in 1967 by Tommy Faile. Would've been great to do one of Tom's originals!
I'm a big Tom Waits fan, just wish there had been one or two examples of songs you can learn from that came from eras predating Tom Waits because I'd be willing to bet "one more dollar" that's where he drew his inspirations from