Songwriting Tips

Since our very first experiments in songwriting, we often tend to find a lot of inspiration from our favorite songs and musical heroes. This is totally okay, even if you will often find people telling you how important it is to develop your own voice and style. Of course, these people are right, as every artist needs to develop their own vision and aesthetics in order to achieve greatness. However, this does not mean we should neglect our passion for a certain genre or the impact this passion has on our own writing.
As our songwriting muscle gets stronger and stronger, as we train it more and more, it can even be a great idea to analyze some of our favorite songs and see what we can learn from them. It is surely one of the most fun ways to study or refresh some topics and techniques we might not completely grasp.
In today's article, I would like to go through a list of songs that I think will help you become a better songwriter. Some of these are simple tunes, while some others are pretty intricate and complex.
No matter how challenging their structure is, they all have something in common: an interesting lesson for us.
Without any further ado, let's dig into the five songs that (I think) will make you a better songwriter.

She Loves You - The Beatles

I won't lie to you: I'm a huge Beatles fan, so there is no better way to start this list!
I decided to begin with She Loves You for one simple reason: its song structure. This great hit by the Fab Four breaks one of the main traditional songwriting rules, as it starts with a chorus.
There is a lot of debate on how to build a great chorus, and even on the possibility of not having choruses at all. However, I think this sweet and simple tune covers all we need to know when our goal is to build a catchy, memorable, even legendary chorus.
First of all, by putting the chorus at the very beginning of the song, Lennon and McCartney decided to grab the listener's attention right away. However, this is not enough. They actually succeeded in this endeavor because the chorus itself had three main characteristics: a good balance between repetition and variation, an easy melody with an easy set of lyrics, and some chromaticism to balance out the extreme simplicity of the motif.
In other words, if your goal is to write a catchy tune and grab your listener's attention straight away, follow these steps.
Number one: write a very simple chorus. It should feature no more than two or three motifs, repeating and alternating. Use a little number of words. Number two: make your chorus a bit more interesting with one of the musical devices you have at hand (such as chromaticism, syncopation, or whatever you feel like using). Make sure you don't overdo though. Number three: put your catchy chorus at the very beginning of your song structure. Et voilà! You are on the right way to writing a great tune.

Space Oddity - David Bowie

David Bowie was a truly innovative songwriter. To learn a lot about the craft, it would be worth studying most of his songs. For this list, however, I decided to stick with just one epic tune: Space Oddity.
This song is an example of great songwriting for at least two reasons. First of all, the storytelling in its lyrics. Secondly, its harmonic structure.
Space Oddity is basically a short story in itself, with a clearly defined character who has a goal and who has to face some obstacles to get there. The inspiration for the story comes from space travel, which is a very exciting theme in itself, but the effectiveness of the story comes from David Bowie's ability with storytelling.
It is no secret that David was a sort of bookworm and that novels were often his main sort of inspiration. We can surely see his love for fiction in most of his songs, especially in Space Oddity.
By studying the lyrics of this tune, you can also become a better storyteller.
How is Major Tom defined? What elements describe him as a person? What elements describe his journey as the main event in the story? What is his goal? What are the obstacles that stop him? And how does the story end? How does the author wrap everything up?
Try to reply to these questions to have an overall idea of how to put some quality storytelling in your songwriting.
Space Oddity contains another valuable lesson: we can sometimes break the rules to achieve the sound we are truly looking for. In particular, Bowie breaks one common guideline in his chord progression. Usually, we don't put the third degree right after the first one. What Bowie does with those two initial chords, C major and E minor, is often considered quite a weak solution. It is not really a mistake from a harmonical point of view, but composers tend to avoid this option because these two chords have too many notes in common to provide the contrast we need to give motion to our song.
However, we hardly notice this issue in the context of the song. I actually think that this solution provides a sort of mysterious, ethereal feel to the song's opening, which is exactly what we need to convey its story.
The lesson here is that songwriting is a game of balance and connection. The musical element has to fit the lyrics and vice versa. If we need to break a few rules to fit our vision or storytelling, then so be it.

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - Elton John

This is another great song to analyze if we want to become better at our storytelling as its lyrics portray a well-developed story with at least two defined characters and a lot of motion.
However, I decided to put Goodbye Yellow Brick Road on this list for another reason: Elton's ability to keep postponing the climax of the song. This happens with some other hits by him, such as Tiny Dancer.
Elton John does the opposite of what The Beatles did in She Loves You. He brings us through a lot of different song sections before getting to the pivotal point in the song, which is usually the chorus.
In Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, we actually have a pre-chorus that prepares us for that. It is a simple vocalization of the word blues, a technique that also highlights the theme of the song and that brings us to the core of the story, where Elton finally sings So goodbye yellow brick road.
Postponing the climax of our song can be extremely effective and exciting for the listener, but only if we follow Elton's example and we make sure that each previous section contains the seeds of what is coming next.

Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen

You probably saw it coming. Love it or hate it, there is no doubt that this epic song by Freddie Mercury is a songwriting manual in itself.
There are many lessons we could learn from it. So many, I should probably write a whole other article about it. For the sake of this list, I will highlight one important aspect: the song's complexity.
Bohemian Rhapsody is a great example of how we can add multiple song sections, each with its own harmonical structure and development, without making our tune confusing. The strength of this song comes from its endless flow, from one section to the other. We get from the ethereal, choir opening to the piano ballad of the first couple of verses. We slowly get into a rock feel, only to be surprised by a central Opera section (that is quite crazy and complex in itself). At this point, we get into a proper rock'n'roll tune before landing on a piano ballad again, in a sort of circular motion that recalls the opening verses.
This flow is achieved with a well-planned balance between the different harmonical structures. Some chords act as the bridge between these sections. Some other times, it is actually the melody that drags on a certain element, common to the two parts. When we get to the Opera section, instead, we have quite an abrupt change. This is the surprising element of the song, the one we need to make things exciting and unheard of.
By studying the balance in Bohemian Rhapsody, you can learn a lot about song structures, harmony, and how to deal with the passages in your songs.
Not to mention, once again, how great the story behind the lyrics is.

Both Sides Now - Joni Mitchell

Let's end this list with a feminine touch.
Joni Mitchell hated her song Both Sides Now for quite a lot of time. Her ex-husband and musical partner Chuck Mitchell had allegedly described the tune as too naive.
It might be true, but that's where its greatness lies.
I put this song on this list for three main reasons.
First of all, Joni Mitchell wrote this song in an open tuning. This automatically creates a very interesting sonic environment and it allows much more flexibility in terms of harmony.
Secondly, the harmony itself presents Joni's typical approach to the suspended chords. She uses them a lot in her songwriting, not just as embellishments or passages, but as the main progressions. This is what gives this song, and many other tunes she wrote, a sense of wonder, uncertainty, or inquiry (as she puts it).
Thirdly, Both Sides Now presents a sort of symmetrical structure that is very pleasing to the ears. It develops around three simple progressions: an introduction (that also works as an interlude between the verses), a verse, and a chorus. Joni alternates these parts keeping the same melody and even the same structure in the lyrics. Each verse, however, adds something to the story or, in this case, her personal reflection on life and love.
By making the listener comfortable through all these repetitions, Joni is able to deliver some deep meaning.
This is a great way to build a song that focuses on a very important message or that wants to highlight the emotional impact of the lyrics rather than just the story behind them.
If you write very deep and personal songs, keep this trick in mind!

Obviously, this list could go on and on and on. There are way more songs we can learn from, but I think these five examples are quite useful already.
To become a better songwriter, don't forget to keep expanding your musical knowledge by adding more and more different tunes to your personal list.