Use Words Differently

​​Last month, I wrote that there were two strategies to write lyrics free from overused words and expressions.   I outlined Strategy One -  use different words. 

Today, I'm covering the second strategy to stay 'simple, yet fresh' with your lyrics -  use words differently. 

Photo by Thais Ribeiro on Unsplash

When you start to write your own songs, you may think that because songwriters have been using many of the same words in so many songs,  there’s no room at the table for anyone else. 

Important words - especially those simple, clear, really useful ones -  like love, you, I, us, me, heart, always, eyes, night feel well thrashed. How on earth do you make your mark?

Strategy Two is to use words differently. There are many ways to do this but here's three.

1. Context

How you set common conversational phrases up in a lyric can make them virtually pop. The lyric immediately before or after becomes almost a wrap-around balance of familiar vs. surprise.

Exhibit A - Fiona Apple

In her song Shameika, the first line sounds utterly conversational and normal usage but it's a great set up for the second line where the lyric come alive with the unexpected postpositive adjective (invisible) and an internal rhyme (teeth with streets). Both lines scan exactly the same, rocking along at 4 dactyls apiece. 

I used to walk down the streets on my way to school
Grinding my teeth to the rhythm invisible

Exhibit B - Prince

The phrase 'moon-June lyrics' is a dig at the Tin Pan Alley perfect rhyme pair that stumped songwriters resort to. But it depends on the context. Here's Prince using it in Sign O' the Times and you barely notice because the set up is so deft.

Sister killed her baby 'cause she couldn't afford to feed it
And we're sending people to the moon
September my cousin tried reefer for the very first time
Now he's doing horse - it's June.

2. Imagery

The power of metaphor can revitalise words you need to use. Finding new ways to describe love is always a challenge!

Exhibit C - Lori McKenna

Here Lori McKenna creates a pretty picture in her song Rocket Science.

Love is rocket science
What comes up it must come down
In burning pieces on the ground
We watch it fall
Maybe love is rocket science after all.

Exhibit D - The Weeknd

And The Weeknd is so struck he can't feel his face in this memorable love twist, Can't Feel My Face

I can't feel my face when I'm with you
But I love it, but I love it, oh
I can't feel my face when I'm with you
But I love it, but I love it, oh

3. Rhythm

Singing and speech have a great deal in common but melody allows the extension, compression and dilation of words to shift emphasis and underline emotional impact. Singers spend lungfuls of time on vowels and luckily 90% of contemporary songs are in the first person, so that's a lot of chances to sing I!

Exhibit E - Whitney Houston with Dolly Parton's I Will Always Love You.

Greatest vowel allocation rhythm presentation ever!
​

Exhibit F - Fiona Apple  I Want You to Love Me

In a completely different style but similar principle, Fiona Apple holds the You in the song's title and refrain for a full three bars of 4/4 on middle C over a pretty prickly accompaniment. You are left without doubt she means it!

The point being it's how you embed everyday words in your lyric, how you allocate the time and pitch spent on them and how you connect them to our imaginations that allows our collective consciousness to grab your song and run with it!

Talk soon,
Charlotte
ps Only one spot left on the Next Level Songwriting Retreat  22-25 January in Tahora. Come get busy!