starting to compose pop music and lyrics

1. Christopher Baker
musicstudentinfo.com
Songwriting & Lyrics

2. Composition –
Composing A
Pop Song
Lesson Objective:
1. To know how to write a set of
lyrics
2. To recall some basic elements of
music theory.

3. Objectives
for Today’s
Lesson
During this lesson you
will:
Know some steps to
writing some lyrics
Understand how the
use of rhyming
scheme and the
structure of syllables
can help you
structure your lyrics.
Be able to create a set
of lyrics, following
the steps provided.
You will demonstrate
this by:
Reading and working
through the provided
lyric-writing booklet
Analysing existing
lyrics and being able
to discuss their
construction using
musical terms.
Starting to write your
own set of lyrics.

4. Starter:
Can you name some songs which have lyrics about the following
themes?
Love - Happy
Love - Sad
Depression
Friendship
Political
Problems
Death/Illness
Anger
Having Fun
Accepting
yourself or
others
Social Issues –
Crime/Drugs
Sadness
Family
A Celebration of
something/one
Song
Lyrics

5. Writing a Set of Lyrics
Some key terms:
Rhyming Scheme
Syllables
A rhyming scheme is the order in which the lyricist orders the lines.
Rhyming words help the piece become more memorable.
If all the lines have the same number of syllables (more or less!) then the
lyrics will be more successfull.

6. Popular Rhyming
Schemes
ABAB
This was never the way I
planned,
Not my intention.
I got so brave, drink in hand,
Lost my attention.
AABB
So no-one told you life was
going to be this way,
Your job’s a joke, you’re
broke, your love lifes D.O.A.
It’s like you’re always stuck
in second gear
When It hasn’t been your
day, your week, your
month or even your year.
AAAA
Well in five years time we
could be walking around a
zoo.
With the sun shining down
over me and you
And they’ll be love in the
bodies of the elephants too.
I’ll put my hands over your
eyes, but you’ll peep
through.
AABAAB
I can’t win, I can’t reign.
I will never win this game,
Without you, Without you.
I am lost, I am vain,
I will never be the same,
Without you, Without you.

7. How to write a set of lyrics – Step by step...
Choose your theme
Decide in detail what the ‘story’ of your song will be and use it to
structure the content of the verse/chorus.
[Remember: The chorus tells us the main point, the verse fills in the detail]
Write out a list of key words related to your theme and then find a rhyme
for each of them.
You can now start using these to develop the lines of your song.

8. A Quick Example
Our theme:
Our story:
Key words and rhymes

9. Our Lyrics...
Our rhyming scheme: AABB
_______________________________[
]
_______________________________[
]
_______________________________[
]
_______________________________[
]

10. Writing Your Own Set of Lyrics
Lyric-writing can be hard,
and they can sound very silly
when you look at them on
the page, especially if you
are trying to write about
love or something similar...
However, just think of the
many terrible lyrics that
have been written, and how
famous they have become...

11. Examples of
Cringeworthy
Lyrics That
Became
Popular...
‘And I was like baby, baby, baby oh, and baby, baby,
baby oh! Like Baby, baby baby oh, you said you’d
always be mine.’
[Justin Bieber,
Baby]
It’s Friday, Friday, getting down on Friday, everybody's
looking forward to the weekend, weekend.’
[Rebecca Black,
Friday]
‘They call me girl, they call me Stacey. They call me
her, they call me Jane. That’s not my name. That’s
not my name. That’s not my name. That’s not my
name.’
[The Ting Tings, ‘That’s
not my name’]

12. More Bad
Examples...
‘Coming out of my cage and I’ve been doing just fine. Gotta
Gotta be down because I want it all’
[The Killers, ‘Mr
Brightside’]
‘Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away, now it looks as
through they’re here to stay, Oh I believe in yesterday.’
[The Beatles –
Yesterday]
‘Are we human? Or are we dancer? My sign is vital, my hands
are cold. And I’m on my knees looking for the answer, are we
human, or are we dancer?
[The Killers –
Human]
‘What’s that coming over the hill, is it a monster? Is it a
monster?
[The Automatic –
Monster]

13. Task: Writing a Chorus
Try to complete a chorus of lyrics on our
chosen theme.
Ensure that you complete all the preparation
tasks – especially if you are not very confident.
If you do complete your chorus and are feeling
confident make a start on your verses.

14. Some suggestions for opening lines...
‘That man’s/girl’s no good for me.’
‘How can I survive without you in my life’
‘The world’s at war, yet it’s this we ignore’
‘I hate your nasty words and your evil mind’
‘Going out tonight to have a good time’
‘You might as well be gone’
‘Why don’t you save my life?’

15. Objectives for Today’s Lesson – How Many
Did you Achieve?
During this lesson you will:
Know some steps to writing some
lyrics
Understand how the use of a
rhyming scheme and the
structure of syllables can
help you structure your lyrics.
Be able to create a set of lyrics,
following the steps provided.
You will demonstrate this by:
Reading and working through the
provided lyric-writing booklet
Analysing existing lyrics and being
able to discuss their construction
using musical terms.
Starting to write your own set of
lyrics.

16. Common Song Structures

17. Homework
Complete
Complete a minimum of a
verse and a chorus of your
lyrics.
Lesson
For next lesson
Be
Fabulous Awake
&
On Time