Of course one of your jobs, maybe even your main job as a song writer, well, maybe not your main job but one of your jobs, to keep your listeners interested. From the beginning of the song all the way through the end. Now that takes timing, you don't have to say everything in your first verse. In fact, you shouldn't say everything in your first verse because if you do then guess what? The song's over, and the the rest of it is simply going to be repetition of that same idea. So you pace yourself as your developing the song. You create a journey for your listener. Keep your listener interested all the way through the song, now that's what a producer tries to do. When the producer is in the studio, creating the flow of the song, you know, you have this kind of energy graph that producers are fond of where, you know, the first verse comes in and there's a, not very many instruments and and it's kind of low key. And then, you move up to the first chorus and there's more energy there, and then you know maybe a background vocal comes in, and maybe a cello comes in or something. And then the second verse, which moves down a little from the energy of the chorus, but it's still up higher than the energy of the first verse. And then, the 2nd chorus, that's when the timpani come in and you know, 4 background vocalists and so on. And then, it of course, rises and then you move into the bridge. Bridge which now starts rising, rising, rising, rising, rising and right at the climax of the bridge when it enters the chorus the London Philharmonic Orchestra the Mormon Tabernacle Choir everyone comes out bang and that's the climax of the song. Now that's the producers job. But if your song, if your lyric is, has everything you have to say in the first part of the song. Then the rest of it is simply going to be propped up by the producer. Where you're saying the same thing over and over again, but the same idea over and over again, yet there's nothing that the idea is adding. That's going to match the way that the song is climaxing. Now the producer's going to do that no matter what. The producer's job is to create that journey. Wouldn't it be nice if the song did the same thing? So let's talk about the sort of development of that journey. the creation of a journey in your song. Now remember your song starts from an idea that you have, something that you want to say. And then, you're going to be talking about how, how that idea should evolve. So let's take a, let's, let's, let's take a, a fairly, a fairly straight forward idea. you see a lover, an old lover and you say, hi, how are things going? You look really happy, are you, are you as happy as you look? Are things going really well for you? Is, is, is life good? I, I, I don't mean to pry, I don't mean to, you know ,intrude but I'd just like to know. I'd just like to know and so there is your first box. Now take a look at these boxes. This is actually the way I think about developing an idea. Note that the first box is small, it's connected to the second box, and the second box is bigger. The second box is bigger because, it has to hold room for the first box, plus whatever else I have to say in that second box. And note that the third box is the biggest of them all. It weighs the most because it not only contains its own information but the first two boxes fold into that. So I know that in corporate America, in the world of corporate business, there's the phrase think outside the box. Which of course is never true, but think outside the box. Well we, being the rebels that we are as artists, we're going to think inside the box. Always think inside the boxes. [SOUND] Okay, maybe not but there it is. So here's my first box. Are you really happy ? I just like to know that's the song idea. So now we move into the second parts. When you left me, did you know that, that you're going to move in with him and, and do it so fast. When, when I was out on the road, did, did you invite him over to your place? And, and that picture of you and I underneath the willow tree, that you keep on your dresser, did you put it in the drawer? You know, I know it doesn't make any difference now but, I'd just like to know. And so now the second I'd just like to know means more than the first one, which was simply, hey you look happy. So that you can, we can say that the second one has gained weight and I like that matter for the idea of the second time you hear that idea, that it means more that it gains weight, and so you can see that the first box hay you look happy has folded into the second box, saying. Did you cheat on me? So, what's up, did you cheat? I'd just like to know. And so, the idea, the journey has moved us forward. And then, into the 3rd box could be something like when we first got together, I said it to you. I said, I just want to be able to tell you everything. And I want you to tell me everything. I really want this to be an open and honest relationship. You could told me about him, it's, it's not like I would have tried to stop you, I'd just like to know. I'd just like to know, and so now we've moved through this Journey of the song with I think, at least in my opinion, the biggest idea, this whole thing about honest relationships, et cetera, being sort of the why of the song. Being the big idea, being the place that I want to arrive at. But note that I've taken it through these steps, so that the move from the first box, to the second box, moves then finally to the third box and follow sort of that producers line. So that, as the producer now creates the climax, the musical climax, the production climax towards the end of the song. The idea is getting the most interesting two, and when those two work together everything is beautiful. When the production has to provide crutches for a song that doesn't progress in its idea, then it seems like a lot of sound and fury, signifying nothing. Now, not every song, not every lyric that your write needs to do exactly that because not every lyric that your write is the main focus of your song. But in those songs that you write or you have an idea that you want to communicate, or you have a lyric that has a message of some kind to deliver when you want your listener to pay attention to what you have to say. Then I think this whole idea of creating that journey more and more weight, each time you go through comes into play. So, think about that, this whole notion of letting, of finding ideas that can gain weight. Now how do they gain weight? Well sometimes they can gain weight by moving forward In time. So let's say that I write my first verse. My first verse is something like I used to be so lonely, then I met you. And now, things are wonderful. Love, love, love. Love, love, love. Yeah, love, love, love. Now, I'm not really sure where that second box is going to be now after I've gone through that. And so perhaps you can segregate these ideas separate them out and write your first verse about, when I was younger or before I met you, I was so lonely. I spent my days and my nights thinking, wishing, longing, hoping for love, love, love. Love, love, love. Yes, love, love, love. And now I've met you and here we are together. blissful sitting under the willow tree having a picnic, watching the ducks on the lake. In love, love, love. The ducks and us in love, love, love. Yes, love, love, love. We can do this forever. We'll go through our lives always, always in the brilliance of love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love and so there we go past, present, and future as the development engine of the song, rather than its the first version of it. I was so alone before, I met you, now you're here and will be happy for every love, love, love, love. No place at that song can go. At least, not easily. So past, present, future, an engine for developing ideas. Or, it could be something like, you are so amazing. I really love you, we're going to be so good together, in love, love, love. Love, love, love, yes, love, love, love. And so now I again, really don't know where to go. But note that in that first verse I've talked about you, I've talked about me, and I've talked about us. What if we separate those perspectives? And I start with you are so beautiful, your blond hair pours over your milky white complexion like chicken gravy over mash potatoes. Love, love, love. Love, love, love. Yes, love, love, love. I have been looking for so long for a codependent relationship in which I can do whatever I choose to do. And yet, you will always remain in love, love, love, love, love, love. Yes, love, love, love. everyone I have ever loved is still with me in the freezer downstairs. Let us always be together in love, love, love. Love, love, love. Love, love, love. And so here the perspectives have moved the idea forward. You, I, we. So there's an engine for developing ideas, so that, don't try to say everything right at the outset. When you're developing your idea, take it through the boxes. How can this develop? How can this move forward? And then we're going to be able to work inside the boxes after that which we'll talk about next.
