How to write a great song

A very basic song can consist of just verses and a chorus or refrain. In a slightly more complex song you will often find an introduction, the verses, chorus, a bridge, and a conclusion.

The verses and the chorus are often two contrasting melodies contained in the same song. The verses are generally more structured than the chorus and take up more of the song.

The chorus is usually the same piece played more than once to break up the verses of the song. Occasionally a variation to the chorus is brought in towards the end. This could be an additional line or two, a change to the lyrics, or an extension of a solo by one of the musicians. This is also sometimes referred to as the conclusion, or concluding chorus or refrain, and plays to a fade out.

The bridge is used as a breather or a suspension in the song to break up a predictable pattern in the song. It might act as an extra chorus or an alternative verse. It often builds a connection between the chorus or musical solo, and the melody of the verse. It may or may not have lyrics, but if it does they are usually simple, or may call for a repetition of part of the chorus, or for some improvisation from the singer.

In addition to these elements, you can improve the interest of your song by adding complimenting harmonies. These are points in the song in which a different note to the melody is played or sung at the same time, which complements and deepens the melody.

Finally, you need to be aware of the rhythm and metre of your song - or the pattern it would make if you tapped it out on a table. This is a good way to ensure that the lines of your lyrics fit the lines of the music score.

Have a look at the lyrics to two of Alanis Morissette's songs: Thank U and The Couch. Thank U is an excellent piece to study as it has a simple structure, and yet is very powerful. You can see clearly which lines are verses ("How 'bout..."), chorus ("Thank you..."), and the bridge ("The moment..."). The final chorus concludes the song with its slight variation in the last three lines.

In contrast, The Couch is a song made of very complex lyrics, based on non-syllabic poetry. You will probably find it very difficult to hear the melody of this song unless you are familiar with it, and this type of songwriting should be reserved for songs you intend to sing yourself, or for very experienced singers.

Images by Marco Raaphorst (Gooi & Vecht Studio)

Some musicians prefer to write the lyrics first and then work the melody around it, others hear a great melody first and fit words to the tune later. Whichever way round your songwriting happens, don't ruin your melody with inadequate lyrics.

What do you want your song to be about? Is it serious, angry, or upbeat? Does it have a message (beware of preaching, though). Choose a concept or theme for your song, but avoid themes that you feel you should use. You'll never write a good love song if you're bored with them.

Decide on the words you want to use. List words related to your concept that sound both attractive and repulsive to you. Depending on what you want to achieve with your lyrics, you might include some of both. Heavy metal and rap would probably lean more towards repulsive, while pop would contain more of the attractive words.

Metre refers to the pattern formed by the beats in a piece of music or the stress placed on particular syllables in poetry. You can also call it the rhythm, beat, or cadence.

In general writing, prose has an irregular stress on the syllables, whereas poetry has a determinable metre. However in songwriting, prose lyrics can be fitted into a melody and made to take on a metre - the beat of the music determines the stresses which turn a sentence into a line of poetry. Alanis Morissette is particularly good at writing, and singing, prose lyrics. A less experienced singer probably won't thank you for handing them complex prose lyrics to work out, so do try to work to a metre as much as possible.

Use the music score of your melody from the start (or as soon as you have one) so that you can be sure your lyrics fit the music. If you can't read music, ask someone to play the tune slowly while you mark out the metre, line breaks, and length of notes in your own shorthand. (Then go and learn to read music, since this is basically what a music score indicates anyway.)

Lyrics don't have to rhyme. If there is an obvious word that rhymes with a previous line, why not give listeners something unexpected rather than bending to a cliché? (Nelly Furtado is a major perpetrator of clichéd rhyming.) If you have to use a rhyming word, try to wrap it in the middle of a line so that it rhymes in the wrong place.

There are thousands of words in the English language. Don't weaken your song by resorting to fillers like "La, la, la" (Kylie, Madonna, Ashlee Simpson). Instead write more lines and find a strong one that fits the metre.

Similarly, avoid repeating the same line or two over and over - give your fans something more. Explore the concept you're singing about. What more can you say about it? Is there a different perspective you can bring in?

You don't need to change the world with your lyrics, but you can certainly use them to turn a good song into a memorable one.

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