Bearing in mind the fact that I’ve been dealing with the music industry for many years, I decided to share my experience and give some tips.I will publish them from time to time to support beginners, who are dreaming about a big career, but also maybe … to inspire old stagers 😉
Contrary to common trends I’m going to write about things I’m an expert on, so for sure I won’t write about cooking… But I wish I could cook, because I love good food…
If you haven’t guessed yet, I’ll tell you…. Yes! I’m going to write about show business, mainly about the area that is most familiar to me – music. Well, it probably isn’t surprising to some of you that a composer / musician is going to write about it, but believe me, it isn’t that obvious, because it sometimes happens to me that journalists interviewing me before or after concerts start with a question like ‘what do you do?’
So come back here and be sure that thanks to this blog you will discover the world of professional musicians, artists and entertainers from the inside.
My first lesson is about lyrics. Why? I don’t know. That was the first thing that came to my mind.
Good lyrics are rare. 99% of the texts that I get email end up in the trash after 15 seconds. Good lyrics are as rare as a good screenplay.
So if you write good lyrics, you can be sure that you won’t be unemployed, and your bank account will grow like a weed with royalties.
At first, ask yourself the following question – what are good lyrics?
The answer is simple: good lyrics are texts that were turned into good songs. That’s all.
And it doesn’t matter whether the text is poetic, trivial, vulgar, sublime, or crude. If you created a hit and the song is hummed by the millions of listeners it means that the text was good. It means that the lyrics inspired the composer to the spiritual departure, or it aroused a stroke of materialistic genius…
Thus, the composer is the one who can practically make something good out of the lyrics or not. You have to be lucky. You can meet a composer, who properly reads the rhythm and meaning of the lyrics, and will be able to bring out the best in it, but you may also find a composer who will waste potentially good lyrics.
There are no rules. They’re great composers who are not able to cope with potential hits and there are those who can hit the charts even with let’s say, a phone book …
There is no recipe for a hit when it comes to text, but there are some universal and unchanging rules which should be followed.
The text must have a rhythm. Irregular lines hinder the flow of melody and ‘block’ notes. Sometimes I get such lyrics…. and what to do ? I always try to ‘save’ them – I cut them into pieces, reduce the number of syllables etc. I do my best to make the lyrics rhythmical. But dear authors! It is always better when it’s done by songwriters! So to avoid stress and nerves, remember to write rhythmically.
The lines should be as short as possible. The shorter a line, the more possibilities when it comes to melody a composer has. Then s/he has fun, space for counterpoints etc. Do not write in complex and complicated ways. Learn to express your thoughts concisely and briefly. After all, this is not a mower operating manual.
The lyrics should have a clear ‘schlagwort’, a catchy, easily memorable phrase. The lyrics should also have a clearly defined chorus. There is no good hit without a repeated chorus.
And basically, lyrics should be meaningful and have to express something… It’s great if the lyrics tell us a story and have clearly outlined thoughts. In English it is easier. People have become accustomed to texts about nothing and often songs based on one or two, banal words become hits. In Poland it isn’t acceptable. Of course such song can be popular for some time, but its success will be short-lived, and nobody would call such song a hit. Such kind of creativity can be perceived as kitschy, primitive or highly alternative. But we are all focused on success, creating real hits, and I assume that nobody wants to lock his writing in the sock drawer.
I was lucky that I was able to work with great songwriters, talented artists, and absolute pros. It is not always like this, but once you do it, your career takes off. But what should a not yet known artist do? When s/he isn’t showered by lyrics by famous songwriters?
There are two possibilities. The first is to discover a talented author who is also looking for a promotion and then join forces to create a duo (or trio – performer, songwriter, and composer). You can also set up a band and then you are in a very good situation, because you are self-sufficient.
The second option is to order the lyrics from a professional songwriter. This isn’t cheap – you can spend from 6000 to 10,000 PLN per song. But that’s how it is – good quality costs.
Let’s return to the novice lyricist, who wants to show their work to the world, but s/he doesn’t have any achievements. Then you have to show what you’ve written to the public. You can send lyrics to composers (I personally get a lot of them), you can take part in competitions, or publish them on the web. Nowadays the Internet provides many possibilities.
But you have to remember not to make simple mistakes that may immediately disqualify you.
If you want to make a composer interested in your work, send him/her your lyrics. Obvious? Not always. I often get e-mails in which someone writes that s/he is a songwriter, invites me to co-operate and informs that if I’m interested ‘it’s possible to send a sample of lyrics’ Wow. Gracious you! Mail deleted.
But what are text samples? Samples can be found in laboratory. So simply send your lyrics.If you send a text, don’t waste time on formatting, fancy fonts etc. Without the frills – it will be better to read.And don’t write lengthy introductions. Nobody reads if it is more than two or three sentences. A few words about yourself, your achievements (if there are any) and that’s enough. If the text is good it will defend itself.If you don’t get any answer after a week it means that I didn’t like the lyrics. But this doesn’t mean that they were bad. I just don’t feel them. If you are convinced that the text is good, don’t give up – send it to someone else. If you do not get a response from 10 people in a row, send other text. And so it goes. This business is about trying and you can’t be discouraged by some refusals. To tell the truth, sometimes you will be trying for many years before the first big success happens.
That’s all for now.