Songs without words

melahide

Hi folks...

When it comes to write a new song I try to trust my instincts. And generally speaking, it comes very quick into my mind. A melody, the words included. I think you know this - you walk along on a street and suddenly you have an idea. And at home I try to work it out. But from time to time I am stucked.

Because I am not sure, if my lyrics really make sence. Some of them are pretty rough and I can´t find the words to say what I really wonna say. Sometimes I write a song in my mother tong and then I say to myself: "Yeah, the lyrics are good". But when it comes to write in English it is just like... a feeling of not being sure and certain.

Do you know what I mean? How do you guys work on lyrics? Or is here someone who is interessted to work on lyrics with me?

Cheerz
Mhartainn

Aridstarling

Write in your mother tongue, whatever that may be. English is overused as it is!

melahide

I had a gig here in Galway and I sang some of my own songs in styrian language. After the gig plenty of people came to me to tell me, that they liked the type of music but they were upset that they couldn´t understand the lyrics. So they asked me to sing in English... and I would love to do that. The problem is that I, or better no one, can translate lyrics into an other language, because then they don´t make sence... and the sound of the words is different too.

But it looks like that no one is interessted .(

gavitron22

well you could always sing in your own language, thats cool. like who the hell knows what people are talking about in opera or anything like that? but i'm guessing for the full effect you'd need to understand! at least its an indo european language so the change won't be too great. how long are you speaking english?

melahide

Sorry for the late answer.

I was studying english for 7 years at School and had a long pause after that . In my homecountry I was always writing songs in English, but singing my songs here in Ireland feels a little embarrising for me, because ... here the people can hear, that my lyrics are rough .

Just like Brian Wilson said: "Well, I can write lyrics myself, but my partners write better ones..."

niallon

I'll never forget Luka Bloom talking about one of his songs, "Primavera", and describing where he took his inspiration from. He had heard the Portugeuse singer Mariza in performance and as he said himself "I didn't have a clue what she was singing about but I knew it was heartbreaking". I think it is a true testemant to a songwriter that their message can be executed properly regardless of the laguage in which the song is conveyed.

mediafreak

lyrics and the language for that matter are just pieces of the pie. sometimes what makes a good song is if it can still evoke beautiful emotion even if no one understands the lyrics.

melahide

Ok, in this case I agree with you guys!
I am registered in a special songwriter-board and they tried to convince me that the most important thing in a song are good lyrics with a classical rhyme structure and stuff like that. Damm it!

I wish, more people would thing like you guys .

The other day I was playing in Shop Street and sang this Song of mine called "I han di gera". Some people stopped to listen to me... and they told me that they could feel the emotion.. I was really happy with that feedback.

So thank you guys

Cheerz
M

bigobriener

melahide wrote: »

Hi folks...

When it comes to write a new song I try to trust my instincts. And generally speaking, it comes very quick into my mind. A melody, the words included. I think you know this - you walk along on a street and suddenly you have an idea. And at home I try to work it out. But from time to time I am stucked.

Because I am not sure, if my lyrics really make sence. Some of them are pretty rough and I can´t find the words to say what I really wonna say. Sometimes I write a song in my mother tong and then I say to myself: "Yeah, the lyrics are good". But when it comes to write in English it is just like... a feeling of not being sure and certain.

Do you know what I mean? How do you guys work on lyrics? Or is here someone who is interessted to work on lyrics with me?

Cheerz
Mhartainn

theres many methods of writing a song, but most of us fall for the same trap and not know it. We cram the whole meaning in the first verse and theres nothing else to expand with. Spread the meaning out a little. Stick to one point for verse 1 and try make examples of it throughout. Also try not use the same methods of the chorus has to be huge, be experimental with it. Judging it straight away might fall back on you. Some songs just grow on people. If your feeling uninspired, spend some time on youtube some new artists. Like Bon Iver and Lisa Hannigan. These are really inspiring artists. I have made some of my own if your interested. www.myspace.com/garryobrienmusic

donkeypop

melahide wrote: »

Hi folks...

When it comes to write a new song I try to trust my instincts. And generally speaking, it comes very quick into my mind. A melody, the words included. I think you know this - you walk along on a street and suddenly you have an idea. And at home I try to work it out. But from time to time I am stuck.

Because I am not sure, if my lyrics really make sense. Some of them are pretty rough and I can´t find the words to say what I really wanna say. Sometimes I write a song in my mother tong and then I say to myself: "Yeah, the lyrics are good". But when it comes to write in English it is just like... a feeling of not being sure and certain.

Do you know what I mean? How do you guys work on lyrics? Or is here someone who is interessted to work on lyrics with me?

Cheerz
Mhartainn

When writing songs at first, I would have generally started with a hook line, or melodic piece, and then built a song quickly around it. While I liked a lot of my songs, and they had good lyrics here and there, they tended to be bulked up with a lot of chaff lines.

Lately - in the last year - my method is to write out some lyrics first before I even touch a guitar or think of a melody, and then write a song later (maybe months later) from that. This method seems to work well for me when I'm trying to keep a certain continunity in the lyrical style, create a smooth narrative arc, or recognise what is superfluous.

As far as "saying what you really want to say", I find that having an idea is like winning a battle, but there is still a war to be won in writing the song. During that war I find that an idea might change, or might need to change in order to win, and that's okay as long as you feel it's still an idea worth fighting for.

I would try to avoid clichés, like, for instance, comparing an activity to fighting battles and winning wars. Clichés kill songs. However, originality is difficult, and even if you do achieve originality it doesn't mean that what you are left with isn't also dreadfully twee. Unfortunately a huge amount of songs that are written suffer from being unoriginal, clichéd and twee all at the same time.

And then, even if they are original and hip it doesn't mean that they don't have dreadful lines that dont make sense. Consider BellX1's Paul Noonan's song "I am the Defector". It's got lots of good original lyrics which I really like, but then it also has (if I'm not mistaken) "The accountants have taken the movie. Yeah, they’re on set. The people from the mobile phone company say who gets to play and who gets to not "....that is a dreadful line in an otherwise good song.

I'm a monolinguist, with a smattering of French and Irish. I do have one song which has a French language line in it, but I consulted with two French people in order to get it right, and the thought of writing a whole song in French makes me feel light-headed with the amount of work that would be required. I do know that your English is far better than my French though.

Why don't you consider mixing the the two languages, possibly writing choruses in English, something akin to "7 seconds" Youssou N'Dour & Neneh Cherry?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbBSDE-Dywo

If you want to send me a PM about writing lyrics in English, or if you have an idea and you need lyrics for it, then I'll have a look at it/listen to it, see if I like it, and see if I can do anything.