How to write a song

Or an example of how I end up writing songs

First, you need to experience something too strong (emotionally). Replay a moment in your mind over and over and over again. Repeat the words you would have said in that moment. Good. Now keep doing that for weeks, maybe months. Torture yourself.

Maybe you have some words in your head you keep repeating. Keep doing that. Feel their power, if it’s like a kick in the stomach every time you think them, you’re on the right path.

Now for the music. Many people tend to engage with some sort of mind-altering substance to help them. I always liked to be half-asleep with a guitar in hand. Or like in this space of total emotional nausea overthinking about something that’s bothering me.

Since everyone else is hopefully asleep at this sleepy hour, just barely pluck some basic chords on the guitar, gently push the keys on a keyboard with your headphones plugged in, or poke around on Garage Band or something on your phone. Just fuck around. Repeat the same 2, 3 or 4 notes or chords until they start bleeding into you. Excellent.

Now recite the words you have memorized/that have been killing you at all hours over the past month or so. Repeat those words over those chords until you feel something a little like your heart exploding. You can modify the words and/or the chords however you want.

Okay good, we have the chorus.

Come up with some similar but different set of notes/chords for the verses. Repeat those notes/chords and go back and forth with the chorus chords until it feels right. (You wonder how people memorize their songs — this is how.)

Let the words of the first verse tumble out of you like you’re puking and you can’t hold it back. Write all this shit down or record it on your phone before you forget it.

Repeat the verse and chorus with the jubilation of understanding yourself a little better. Put your instrument down and go to sleep.

Hope that you can get the words for the second verse down in the next six months.

Take a bridge idea that you had from another song six years ago and staple it to the end of this song within the next year.

Teach the song to the band, watch them bring it to life and make it so much better than you could have ever imagined.

Record the song only after playing it live for at least five years.

Photo by Meesh Deyden