“There is no new thing under the sun”
King Solomon, Ecclesiastes 1:9
When you write a song, you will inevitably be writing about human nature, and human nature has remained essentially unchanged from biblical times to today. The Bible and Shakespeare wrote about it, and I am sure you have even heard the phrase, “It’s an age-old story.” Whether you set out to write a song in pop, rock and roll, or country music, most will write about love, lost love, unrequited love, new love, or old love. Why is this the case? It is generally the most popular thing in pop or rock music. Of course, it is not the only thing you can write about. Still, inevitably, whatever topic you choose to start your musical “story,” it must be one of universal appeal and one that almost everyone can relate to. The one point that will be necessary to make is that, whatever the topic, your treatment of it must be “unique.” My rock and roll memoirs, taught me this, and maybe it can be of help to you, the aspiring songwriter.
The Parts of a Rock and Roll song
With songwriting, whether for rock and roll or any other genre, the most general comment I could make is that it’s essential to make every single element of a song catchy. That means a great story, as in my rock and roll memoirs, 🙂 with an excellent hook for a chorus, intelligent verse, a soaring melody, and a killer arrangement. Great songs have a beginning, whether it’s a pre-chorus or otherwise, a middle, and an end. It is just like a novel or film, as the purpose is to “hook” the listener at the opening note, keep them there throughout with a great middle, and close like your life depended on it.
The Universal Story of a Rock Song
When writing, consider a universal story as your starting point. Therefore, start by storyboarding it as if writing a novel or a movie, so one day you will be writing your rock and roll memoirs. In so doing, ask yourself, is this an excellent idea for a story? Is it one that needs to be told, rather than one everyone else is writing? Then the chorus hook and the song’s title need to be so catchy that no one can stop singing it, whistling it, or getting it out of their head. The key is to come up with a hook, which is a brand-new way of saying what everyone is feeling in their lives. What you will accomplish by doing so is also a validation of what most are feeling, and thus a sure winner. “I want you, I need you, I love you” was fine for Elvis, but we have come a long way in the history of songwriting since Elvis. There is a limit to the content on human emotions that has been explored since Shakespeare and even the Bible. There is not a lot that is new to human behavior. Therefore, the key is to describe a “universal” feeling that is both catchy and in ways that no other writer ever has or is even able to.
How Do I Find That Magical Hook?
Once again, the word that comes up is “universal.” All need to be able to relate to it, to have felt it at least sometime in their lives, and still, it must be unique. One way to do this is to become a master of the “jargon of the day.” You must become the king or queen of colloquialisms, phrases that all have heard, but have not been utilized in song. One of my longstanding examples of such an “idiomatic wunderkind” is the hit single by Duran-Duran and written by them, “Hungry Like The Wolf.” They were the first to use this in songwriting, but you have probably heard this phrase all your life, as “I am hungry as a wolf.”
What Is A Pre-Chorus?
This is where you get your first chance, at the beginning of the song, to rope in the listener. It’s your first chance to grab them by the balls and reel them in. It should lead you right into the hook. No, not all songs have or require a pre-chorus.
The Verse Can Be A Curse
Here is where you can become lazy, and go with what rhymes, or shine and tell your story, creating the most interest in your tale to be sung, because you didn’t simply “go with the flow,” and if it rhymes, that’s good enough. Good enough is never the goal, and it is not the making of a hit record. This is where you want to stretch and put on your poetry brain and choose the most captivating words in your tale. The verse is the explanation of what the chorus is about.
Can The Arrangement Be Another Hook?
You betcha, as in “Jump Around” by House of Pain. That screech from the beginning that repeats through the arrangement is right there in your face, pulling you into the track. The repetitive nature of the musical track is almost trans-like.
Song Structure Of Rock and Roll or Pop Music
You must understand how to create the structure or the pieces of the pie to create a great song. I mentioned at the start that songs have a beginning, middle, and end, as in my or anyone’s rock and roll memoirs. The beginning opens the door and starts your listening journey, the middle continues the story and keeps you interested, and the end closes the deal. I came across, while writing this, a very detailed explanation from a school based in Los Angeles and London, which did a pretty good job of explaining all of this, and I believe it is part of their actual curriculum. They even offer degrees in Music Production and Songwriting for writers and budding Rock and Roll Stars.
ENJOY THE READING OF THIS ARTICLE
This is another in a series of blogs from rock and roll memoirs as Once A King, Now A Prince.
