If you're like me, songwriting has always been an impossible art with some convoluted magical process that can only be executed by the musically gifted, some notable examples being famous artists like Shawn Mendes, Ed Sheeran, and Julia Michaels. But as Taylor Swift describes it, songwriting is like "a glittery cloud [that] floats in front of your face, and you grab it at the right time. And then you revert back to what you know about the structure of a song in order to fill in the gaps."
So this glittery cloud. What is it, and when is the "right" time to grab it? My brother explains it like this: the glittery cloud is an idea. Simply an idea. The action of grabbing it though, is your perspective of this idea at the moment. The right time simply means when you're able to find the words to best describe you viewpoint. Using the medium of music in addition to your words allows you to truly create a more in depth experience, which is both cathartic for you as you write it, and cathartic for your audience when they hear it.
So the second part of Taylor's process is applying this raw glittery mass of an idea to the structure of a song. This is a somewhat more formulaic process, but there is still plenty of room for artistic liberty.
To begin with, the parts of a song are:
- Intro: typically one stanza, can do chorus in beginning (like a hook), instrumental (Ex: Shawn Mendes' "Intro")
- Verse: deeper into idea (can set up song if w/o pre chorus), sets scene, either more descriptive or conversational
- Pre Chorus: Sets up for chorus, musically builds up
- Chorus: climax, the star of the show, point of the song, usually the most memorable portion
- Bridge: provides contrast, more out of style with the rest of the song, another layer of perspective that will still lead up to chorus (Ex: Taylor Swift's "Lover")
- Outro: overview of the song, repeat parts of chorus or verse, in a song with storytelling = the end, call to action, etc.
The basic structure of a song usually follows along these lines:
- (Intro)
- Verse
- (Pre Chorus)
- Chorus
- Verse
- (Pre Chorus)
- Chorus
- (Bridge)
- Chorus
- (Outro)
( ) = optional
Now, you don't have to have all of those parts, especially if you're trying to write more of a pop song. Pop songs like the ones on the radio are generally 3 minutes, give or take 30 seconds (of lyrics-- some have long instrumental intros & outros), and including this entire sequence would typically exceed those parameters.
Then again, most people also don't take out all the optional parts-- rather, songwriters might not have a bridge, but have a pre chorus (which is kinda the popular thing right now).
One commonality I've found all songwriters have noted that the actual unicorn idea that "comes out of your face", as Conan Gray says, is a phenomenon that happens spontaneously, and usually at the most random times. It's also important to not though that this glittery lightning bolt comes in different forms for different types of songwriters. Some people get a melody, some people find the lyrics, some get it all together.
Regardless though, it's important that you get it down. Because you will forget. I honestly can't tell you how many epic songs I've written in the shower and lost forever because it just leaves. So, Voice Memos, Notes, receipts, notebook, etc is definitely a must.
...and, that kind of sums up songwriting! It may feel intimidating at first, but like many other mediums of writing, it isn't exceptionally hard once you begin and start to make this generic process your own.
