WRITING A SONG

1. Start with the Title• The title is going to be the line that everyone remembers.

• It defines the message of the song.

• Short phrases make good titles because they grab attention and they’re easy to remember.

• The ideal length for a title is one to five words.

• Action words, images, or short phrases make good titles. 

Some Title Ideas• A Dream On The Edge• Hiding in the Shadows• What You Can’t Change• Slipping Away• Back to the Future• Walking Home• Say It to Me Softly• What’s Stopping You?• Touch the Moon• Never!• Racing to Somewhere• Say What?• Thunder In The Rain• No Next Time• Always Good To You• Closer Than You Think• Chasing Dreams• Never Late Again• A Steady Heart• Change (Can Be a Good Thing)• A Thousand Times

2. Asks Questions about your Title• A title like Taylor Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble”

suggests questions like :

• “Who was trouble?” • “What kind of trouble?” and • “How did things turn out?” 

Asks Questions about your Title• Here are some questions that work for many titles:• What does the title mean?• How do you feel about that?• What caused it to happen?• What do you think or hope will happen next?

• Think about 5W and 1H!

3. Use Figurative Language• Make a list of words, images, and phrases related to your

title. • Write down single words or short phrases.• Don’t think about rhyming or making sense at this point. • And try not to be critical of your ideas – just write down

what comes to you.

3. Mindmap for Song Ideas

4. Song Structure• - Verse: Same structure but different lyrics. The verse lyrics

give us information about the situation, emotions, or people in the song.

• - Chorus: We may hear the chorus of a song three, four or more times. The chorus lyrics sums up the heart of the song. The title of the song almost always appears in the chorus section and may be repeated two or more times.

• - Bridge: It provides a break from the repetition of verse and chorus. The lyric often provides an insight or revealing moment.