Songwriting Success: How to Write Songs for Fun and (Maybe) Profit

179 Pages·2004·2.35 MB·English

by  Michael Lydon

SONGWRITING SUCCESS
HOW TO WRITE SONGS FOR FUN AND (MAYBE) PROFIT

SONGWRITING SUCCESS
HOW TO WRITE SONGS FOR FUN AND (MAYBE) PROFIT
An introduction to the art and business of songwriting by one struggling singer-
songwriter for the aid and comfort of other strugglers.
MICHAEL LYDON
Routledge
New York • London
29 West 35th Street New York, NY 10001 http://www.routledge-ny.com/
Published in Great Britain by Routledge 11 New Fetter Lane London EC4P 4EE
http://www.routledge.co.uk/
Copyright © 2004 Michael Lydon
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor &, Francis Group. Music examples by Steve Cohen Graphic
examples by Michelle Drollette CD recorded at Batcave Studio, NYC. Engineer: Gary Dorfman
CD edited and mastered at MacIntyre Music, NYC. Engineer: Reed Robins
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2005.
“ To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s collection of
thousands of eBooks please go to http://www.ebookstore.tandf.co.uk/.”
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or
by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system without permission
in writing from the author.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Lydon, Michael.
Songwriting success: how to write songs for fun and (maybe) profit: an introduction to the art and
business of songwriting by one struggling singer-songwriter for the aid and comfort of other
strugglers/Michael Lydon. p. cm.
ISBN 0-203-49634-5 Master e-book ISBN
ISBN 0-203-60630-2 (Adobe e-reader Format)
ISBN 0-415-96929-8 (pb: alk. paper) 1. Popular music—Writing and publishing. I. Title.
MT67.L93 2004 782.42′13—dc22 2003026492
for Ellen, my muse, my partner, my wife; and for Martha Sanders, Dave Lewis, Ed
Fennell, Ron Wolfe, Zane Massey, Rudy Lawless, and Terry Newman, an inner few of
the many guys and gals I’ve played with— thank you for your generous, soulful music.

Contents

Introduction ix
A Note on the CD xi

part I: The Art of Songwriting

chapter 1: Deep Background 2
chapter 2: Reading Music 5
chapter 3: Chord Structures—Part I 10
chapter 4: Playing, Singing, and Performing 22
chapter 5: Lyrics—Part I 35
chapter 6: Song Forms 43
chapter 7: Melody 52
chapter 8: Rhythm 60
chapter 9: Style and Story 69
chapter10: Chord Structures—Part II 77
chapter 11: Lyrics—Part II 89
chapter 12: Refinements 100

part II: The Business of Songwriting

chapter 13: Business Basics 106
chapter 14: Getting Heard 114
chapter 15: Song Contracts 124
chapter 16: Staying in Business 142
Appendix 145
Song Index 153
General Index 158
Introduction
So you want to write songs? Join the club!
The Lord must have told the Adam and Eve of songwriters, “Be fruitful and multiply.”
So many of us minstrels are wandering the earth these days trying to be heard that I’d like
to tell a few thousand of you, “Give me a break; quit and become accountants.” Fat
chance!
Joking aside, songwriters face constant competition. In every city and town, down the
block in every neighborhood, other guys and gals are writing songs, and many of those
guys and gals are good, really good. So, even if you are good, you may never win fame
and fortune. For years your masterpieces may be heard by a circle little wider than your
family and friends, earning only a fickle trickle that keeps you in guitar strings and
groceries. While a few lucky bums, who are no damn better than you, are racking in the
big bucks, Grammies, and covers by superstars! Maddening!
I’ll try my best to steer you toward the big bucks, Grammies, and superstar covers, but
since songwriting is a tough business, I also caution you: Don’t let making money be
your only goal. If you do, you’ll most likely burn out from frustration. Don’t give up, but
let this first lesson sink in: enjoy your work for the pleasure it gives you—that may be the
only reward you’re gonna get.
Writing songs, fortunately, delivers rich rewards. For creative challenges, lifelong
learning, and just plain fun, nothing beats writing, singing, and playing your own songs.
Looking back at my own thirty-year career, I remember the birthdays of new songs as
golden moments in my life. These were days when I walked about on a little pink cloud,
a new melody playing about my ears, my mind happily darting this way and that for the
perfect rhyme, the perfect finishing phrase. I’ve had low moments too, of course, but
living through them has given me three cornerstones:
1. Love of Craft—Enjoy songwriting; strive to improve your skills; respect songwriting’s
traditions as you innovate.
2. Love of Self—Believe in your songwriting; write songs to tell the truth about feelings
and ideas that matter to you.
3. Love of Other People—Use songwriting to share your joys and sorrows with other
human beings.
Ground your work on these cornerstones, and you will continue to write songs and to
enjoy writing songs, no matter how well or badly you do in the marketplace.
Actually, the best marketing tip of all is to make craft, self-expression, and reaching
other people your deepest goals. Songs that become hits and then long-lived standards
are, without exception, well-crafted songs that express true feelings and touch many
hearts.