What is Great Songwriting?
Recently I took a few minutes to consider all the songs I’ve written over the years. It’s always interesting to go back over past material and consider how much one’s craft has changed. Hopefully with life experience, musical education, and exposure to better artists, one’s writing will improve. While I do believe I’ve had some good compositions, I don’t think I’ve written a truly great song, yet. So, what is great songwriting?
3. Great Songwriting Is Timeless
A great song is a creation that is timeless. While it may reference time specific elements, it is not defined by them. Last night my wife and I watched the sit-com “Everybody Loves Raymond.” It’s one of our favorites. In this particular episode, Ray was using one of the huge, bulky, computer screens so common in the early 90’s. My wife and I had a short laugh about how far computers have developed. Then we discussed the future of technology. All of this occurred while the episode played in the background. The presence of dated material pulled our attention from the core message of the presentation.
Great songs are deeper than culture. They transcend life here and now and interact with humanity, philosophy and theology. Songs like the Beetle’s “I Want to Hold your Hand” are popular over half a century after publication because they are not rooted in their own time. “I Want to Hold your Hand” is a song about the desire for the simplest of human physical connections. That message is just as relevant today, (you see how I didn’t put a year there!) as it was in 1964. It’s a theme to which anyone from any culture can relate. Whether the style is to your taste or not, it’s a truly great song.
2. Great Songwriting Is Simple
Great songs are intentionally simple. And there are reasons for this. Continuing with the Beetles example, their song “Yesterday” is deceptively simple. Most of the lines in the song rhyme with “yesterday.” While many writers would have changed things up a few more times, Lennon and McCartney chose to hammer away on the song’s message by emphasizing the title’s rhyme. Adding anything more would have over complicated the song.
All the time, writers try to accomplish too much in one song. My grandfather loved to write Gospel hymns. And over the final years of his life, he did write a couple of good ones. Most of his work however, was way too broad. I unintentionally hurt his feelings once by telling him that he had gone from one end of the Bible to the other in less than two minutes!
While many rabbit trails are obvious, staying on topic can actually be more difficult than we realize. With great songwriting, every single line serves the subject. Great songwriting doesn’t over-extend just for a rhyme.
1. Great Songwriting Is Singable
Great songs must be easily singable because music is appreciated when it is internalized. This is true not only of vocal music, but of instrumental music as well.
One of my piano professors in college drilled this into me when she required me to sing the melody of every piano piece I played. As a result, each composition took on a life of it’s own. It was no longer music to be listened to, or played externally on an instrument. Instead it was expressed by my person as I walked down the sidewalk or took a shower. I found myself singing my piano recital repertoire everywhere I went. Great songwriting does that.
Too much music is written without giving any thought to its sing-ability. Listeners who cannot sing, are not able to interact with the song. Without a singable melody, our listeners become hearers.
A Great Song
A good song may have a wonderfully singable melody and be beautifully simple in structure, yet plagued by faddish harmonic progressions. (Looking at you, cheezy 1980’s bands.) Or a good song may be timeless with a great melody, but contain complex rhyme patterns. A good song does not have to be perfect. I’ve written some good songs.
But to truly be great, a song must bring all three elements together. And it must do this at a high level. A great song is always relevant. It is beautifully simple. And it begs to be sung.
The difficulty in bringing timelessness, simplicity, and sing-ability together in an unforced manner is what makes great songwriting rare. And it’s why most songwriters and composers will work their whole careers and never write a great song. Like others, I may never write a great song, but dedication to my craft demands that I never stop trying.
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