If your big images are in the chorus, keep your verses direct and conversational.įILM & TV USES: “Brave” has been used in numerous TV shows. If you have an image-heavy verse, try making your chorus clear and to the point. But both songs are able to find a balance. This is the opposite of John Mayer’s song which has the big image in the chorus. MIX IMAGES WITH DIRECT STATEMENT: Notice how the images and words with strong emotional content appear primarily in the verse in this song, while the chorus (“say what you wanna say…”) makes a simple, direct statement of the singer’s message.
In this lyric, language filled with images and emotional associations keeps listeners engaged and puts the message across in a way they see and feel. But people will listen if they’re invited to share in a moving experience. No one wants to be told what they should do. (“Find the courage to speak out.”) Message songs like this can easily become preachy: “You ought to… ” “You should….” MESSAGE SONGS:The core idea at the center of this lyric deals with an abstract concept. Nothing’s gonna hurt you the way that words do Or be the backlash of somebody’s lack of love You can turn a phrase into a weapon or a drug The song then builds to its central theme using words with plenty of emotional content: “outcast,” “backlash,” “sunlight,” “shadow” and “skin.” (Weapons and drugs both have negative, dark connotations.) With those two images, though, we get the idea right away, along with added layers of nuance. She could have said: “You can use words in powerful ways,” but that would be too abstract we wouldn’t be able see and immediately grasp what she’s saying. The song opens with the line “You can be amazing.” Then Bareilles immediately explains it with visuals: “You can turn a phrase into a weapon or a drug.”Ĭoncrete objects like “weapon” and drug” paint a picture for us. Sara Bareilles is a very visual songwriter and “Brave” is no exception. VISUAL WRITING: Turn an abstract idea into a vivid experience by “picturing” it. Answer questions like: What does this feel like? Why are you saying that? What made you picture that image? What does it mean? Back it up with phrases that support the the image, as well as phrases that clarify what’s happening. Songwriting techniques to tryĬreate a title with a strong visual image and use it as the first or last line of a chorus.
The script takes care of the story details while a song like this enhances the sense of impending collapse, creating a more intense experience for the viewer. Break-ups and end-of-love scenes are featured in many movies and TV shows. The title image is a metaphor that suggests an emotional situation – a relationship that’s falling apart. Take a look at these two songs – “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room” and “Hold Back the River” – to get a feel for the balance of imagery and direct statement.įILM & TV USES: Obviously, John Mayer’s song isn’t about a couple who are actually dancing in a burning room. You’ll sustain the emotional power of the central image while ensuring that your listener understands what’s going on and the image doesn’t take over. You can read my song guide here.īLEND IMAGES WITH DIRECT STATEMENTS: When you have a vivid, evocative image at the heart of your song, consider filling the rest of your lyric with a blend of related words and images along with direct statements about what’s happening. There are supporting phrases in the verse and chorus – “dyin’ breath” “doomed,” “going down,” “false alarms” – but for the most part the title is allowed to stand on its own as a memorable payoff line for the chorus, adding impact in that all-important spot.Īnother song with a strong title image is James Bay’s “Hold Back the River.” In this song the water reference in the title resonates throughout the lyric but, like the John Mayer song, it’s mixed in with other lines that are simple, conversational statements about the situation.
With a title this vibrant, there’s a natural desire to fill the lyric with related images, like fire, smoke, smoldering embers, etc. My dear, we’re slow dancing in a burnin’ room We’re goin’ down and you know that we’re doomed Who can resist picturing this couple and the destruction happening around them? THE TITLE IMAGE: The title of this song is an intensely powerful visual image.