Music Publishing & Songwriting

“You’d think that people would have had enough of silly love songs…”

Paul McCartney wrote that– back in 1975. And guess what? Now they have. Okay, sure– there are still some that breakthrough every now and then. But Ne-Yo’s big breakthrough hit last year was “I’m so sick of love songs…” It’s a different world out there.

I know we’re coming up on Valentine’s Day and all. But romance in songwriting is over-rated. If you want a hint to drastically improve your chances for writing a hit song, here’s one:

No More Love Songs.

Have you ever thought about how many hit songs are not about romantic love? From “Who Let The Dogs Out?” to “I Believe I Can Fly”, there are countless classic songs that are not centered on romantic relationships. Despite all that history, I’m always amazed at the number of writers who focus almost exclusively on love and romance as lyrical subject matter.

The rest of the listening audience has noticed this as well. When we hear a song for the first time, the unspoken assumption is that it will have a romantic storyline. By turning instead to an unexpected subject, especially a controversial or provocative one, the writer can instantly add a twist that will make the song stand out. Songs about child abuse (“Luka”), poverty (“Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)”), abortion (“Papa Don’t Preach”) or politics (“Sunday Bloody Sunday”) show that pop music can effectively address almost any social issue. Songs about baseball (“Centerfield”), cars (“Little Deuce Coupe”), and fashion (“Chains Hang Low”) work as well. Any subject is a welcome relief from the expectation of another break-up or make-up song.

Now You Try It: Take a finished lyric, or a title idea that has yet to be developed. Leaving the title or catch phrase as it is, can you put a twist on the lyric, by constructing something that isn’t a straightforward love song? Think about the topics that concern you, whether it’s politics or partying. Nothing is off limits. The only thing you can’t do is write one more song about that mean boyfriend and what he did to you– or the mysterious beautiful girl down the hall who doesn’t know you’re alive.

My point is that in a business in which a song must stand out in order to be successful– writing about the same thing as everyone else is not an advantage. A change of subject is always healthy.

Of course, I’m not really advocating a ban on love songs. My wife would kill me. But by varying your topics a bit, you may stumble on a way to address the L word from a different, more interesting angle. And that’s the key.

Have no fear– there will always be a place for a unique, and original love song. As the lyric says, “on this you can rely… the world will always welcome lovers, as time goes by…”. But a little change would do us all good. When it comes to lyric-writing, love is not all you need.

Happy Valentines Day!

Maybe its the Kerouac thing– but writers love to hit the road. In the last week, I sent one songwriter from the Midwest out for a week of collaborating with artists and writers in Stockholm, another from the Midwest went to Nashville to co-write with some of the top Country and Christian music writers (both genres are centered in Nashville), another writer came from Dublin to work with urban writers in Philadelphia and New York, and still another flew in from London to work with some of New York’s best singer/songwriters.

This is part of what publishers do– helping their writers to find new collaborators around the world, and then getting those writers across the globe with the hopes of making magic and creating a hit. Not a bad deal for the writers, who get to see new places (albeit usually they only see the inside of a recording studio), meet new people, and even write a song or two in the bargain. Not such a fun thing for the publisher. We tear our hair out making the arrangements, deal with last-minute cancellations, hope we picked out the right collaborators, foot the bill, and then cross our fingers for one or two songs that make the whole effort worthwhile.

So what does make it work? What are the keys to creating a successful writing trip? Here’s some tips from a writer turned publisher. Just wish I knew then what I know now.

1. When In Rome…
Learn how writers and publishers work in different places, and adapt to it. In Nashville, everyone treats their calendar like it’s writ in stone, and people schedule 3-4 weeks ahead. In New York, no one knows what they’re doing until a week before. In London, writers like to spend a couple of days together in order to write a song. In Sweden, it takes about three hours. In NY, you work all night. In Nashville, you start at 10am.

We all have our ways we like to work. But the point of a writing trip is to try something new. So don’t cling to the old. Learn the local customs.

2. Don’t book. Overbook.
As a publisher, the one thing I learned quickly that has proven constantly true is that when planning writer trips, you can always expect the worst. Someone will get sick. Someone’s studio will break down. Someone will suddenly be approached to collaborate with a budding superstar, and you will be dropped from that very carefully arranged calendar in an instant.

When I book writing trips, I like to try to schedule two writing sessions a day– one in the day, and one in the evening. That way, if someone cancels, the day is not lost. Of course, if no one cancels, then the writer is doing daily doubles for a week, which can be pretty grueling. But that’s why they call it a job.

3. Never Arrive Empty-Handed.
Come with some ideas in your head. If you primarily write tracks, then bring some new tracks with you. If you’re a lyricist, come armed with some title and concept ideas. If you write melodies, have a few tunes in your head, in case no one knows where to start. Those first few minutes of a writing session, once the hellos and airport stories are done, can be excruciating. You always feel better if you’ve got a few ideas to break the ice. Even if you don’t wind up using any of them, you’ll be more relaxed with a few ideas up your sleeve.

4. Don’t Slight The Nightlife.
I know– after two writing sessions a day, who is going to want to go out at night? But if there’s an opportunity to go hear some music, meet other songwriters, hear the hot local band, or just go support an artist that you’ve been working with, take advantage of the opportunity to make the scene. Part of the value of writing trips is the chance to establish yourself in a new musical community. You need to take any opportunity to meet other musicians and writers while you’re in town.

The best writing trip I ever saw involved Stargate, now one of the hottest production teams in the industry, with hits like “Irreplaceable” for Beyonce and “So Sick” for Ne-Yo. When they arrived in NY, they were a well-established production team in the UK and Scandinavia, but almost unknown in the US. By the time they left a month later, they had written some of the biggest hits of the year. Much of the credit goes to their managers, Tim Blacksmith and Danny Poku, who not only set up the calendar, but also spent their day doing A&R meetings, while the guys worked in the studio. Much of the credit also goes to Stargate, whose strong work ethic had them turning out a song or two each day– for a month.

And of course, alot of credit goes to Luck. Stargate met Ne-Yo by chance at the studio– that impromptu meeting led to “So Sick”. But that’s the point of a writing trip. You put yourself in the right place, at the right time, with the right people. And then you write. And write. And write some more.