Song

Songs That Break The Rules

Posted on by IJ



As soon as we start using the word “rules”, a lot of songwriters coil in disgust at the thought of having to conform to anything.  So actually, I wrote that title to grab your attention in a negative way, but at least I know I’ve probably got your attention :-).

New Discovery! Silicone Molds...I'm hooked!
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The examples of songs I’m going to present in this article simply jump out of the mold, so to speak, and do things that aren’t conventional, but still work.  In some cases, they are subtle, in others, not so.

My first example is of a song that breaks out of the song form mold.  It’s a song by Sheryl Crow called Soak Up The Sun.  Here is a rather standard song form, where “A” is the verse, “B” is the chorus and “C” is the bridge:

A A B A B C B

There are many variations of course,  but while Sheryl’s song starts out pretty standard, with an intro, verse, chorus and then another verse, but she changes it around and instead of repeating the chorus, she throws in a bridge first.   She goes back to the chorus and then another verse, but throws in the bridge again before the next chorus.  So her song form looks something like this:

A A B A C B A C B

Below this article is a player where you can have a listen, it’s a great song worth listening to anyway.


The Beatles were notorious for breaking all kinds of “rules” and still having huge hits.  They loved to throw in an odd chord change or time signature change, and their lyrics were often off the beaten track.  I’m sure the haze of drugs had something to do with that :-).  As an example, here is All You Need Is Love.  Have a listen below and just try counting the time signature and you’ll see what I mean.

Also below is what some might consider a “novelty” song, but it was written by a prolific songwriter named Harry Nilsson.  This song was #8 on the Billboard Charts in 1971 and what makes it unique is the fact that it has only one chord.  The bass alternates, but essentially it sits on the same chord for the entire song, letting the story in the lyrics take the main stage.  It’s called “Coconut“:

These are only three examples where breaking out of the mold works very successfully, and I’m sure you can think of some others on your own.  If you do, post them here!

And, remember, you don’t have to write like anybody else 🙂


Creating Great Songs and Apple Pies

Posted on by IJ


Apple pie with lattice upper crust
Image via Wikipedia

I recently polled some of the members of a songwriting newsgroup to see what a songwriter thinks makes a “great” song. When we listen to a song for the first time and it hits us smack in the face, what is it that gives us that “shiver down the spine”, as one member put it?



Some interesting responses that came out of this went something like this, in no particular order:

  • passionate performance
  • it’s got to do something to my head, heart or feet
  • catchy intro
  • feel
  • emotion
  • easy rhymes
  • story songs with a twist
  • good groove
  • strong hook
  • melody I can hum along with
  • I like the words to surprise me
  • good arrangement and lyric depth
  • a song has to breech my defenses with a good melody (I loved that one 🙂
  • I think my taste is a product of my own circumstances (that was good too 🙂
  • artistic integrity
  • overall sound, mostly melody driven
  • prosody (how perfectly the lyrics match the meter of the music)

Most people who are NOT songwriters would likely express the same things, with perhaps less use of the lingo that we songwriters often use. And still, there is this indefinable “wow” that we can’t really put our finger on, which might also be very different for each of us. How do you define it?

We are, each of us, capable of writing a song. In fact, I’d even go as far as saying that writing a song is really the easiest thing in the world. But writing a GREAT song is what we are always chasing and that mystery ingredient (or combination of ingredients) is often eluding us when it comes to our writing. Anyone of you out there who doesn’t want to write a great song? When we study the craft of songwriting, sometimes we fool ourselves into thinking that all we really need are the perfect ingredients, and how hard can that be? Just look at the list above, and go from there!

But there are a couple of things missing from that list. I think they are things we overlook more often than not. First of all, even if you put all of the “right” ingredients into an apple pie, there’s always a cook who can bake a better one. Is it possible for someone who hasn’t baked an apple pie before to create the perfect one first time out? Well, anything is possible. But it’s more likely that the person who has been baking apple pies for a long time has a better chance of coming close to the perfect pie. So the first missing ingredient is “experience”. With enough experience, enough trial and error, I believe that just about anyone could write a really good song. The thing is that you also have to love doing it enough to put in the time to get good at it. Many would likely never take the time or have the patience to actually learn the craft. Not all of us want to study the craft of baking apple pies either 🙂

Apple pies are also individual…nobody can make one exactly the same as mom does. And that is also true about songwriting. So along with the experience factor, there is the element of uniqueness. What is it about a newer artist that makes them stand out? These days, there are a lot of cookie cutter songs out there. I recently listened to a top 10 list of songs and five of them were hip hop or rap. I have nothing against those genres, but what I noticed about each song was that they had almost exactly the same drum sound and the same BPM (beats per minute or tempo)! Rap and hip hop have been really big in the last few years. What is going to kill the genre, if anything, is that they are all going to start sound the same after awhile, and the audience’s ear will tire of that. You can’t just throw the same song out there over and over and expect people to have the same enthusiasm for it for long.

SO…having a unique sound or perspective (or even production for that matter!) may take you a long way in this business of songwriting. And writing enough songs to develop a track record and get some experience will do the same.

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Song Contests – One Opinion

Posted on by IJ
Tin Pan Alley Festival 2005
Image by michaelpickard via Flickr

© I.Woloshen

I’ve entered a few contests in my time, the most recent one being the USA Songwriting Competition a few years back. I’ve heard different opinions about them both from other songwriters and from people in the business. There is absolutely nothing wrong with entering a songwriting contest, so don’t expect me to completely blast them! However, I do think you have to take a few things into consideration.

First of all, if you are expecting something from a contest, well, it’s a little bit like buying a lottery ticket, in that all you really find out is that you haven’t won 🙂 Very few songwriting competitions offer anything more than a chance to win. There is rarely any feedback from your songs, or calls from “interested” parties as is sometimes implied when they say “industry professionals will be listening to your song” or something in that vein.

Most of the time, contests are judged by a group of people who are listening to piles and piles of tapes and who can’t possibly have any objectivity left after such a long haul! So the good news is that losing doesn’t necessarily mean your song sucks 🙂



This is something else I’ve heard from a couple of publishers, first hand. They tend not to pay any attention at all to a songwriter who claims to have won a contest! In fact, it often deters them! Why? Because winning a contest really doesn’t mean anything to people who are in the business. A “win” is a very relative thing and left to the discretion of the people choosing the songs. Another point is that some songwriters believe that winning a contest means they’ve got a hit on their hands, and it often goes to their heads. Publishers don’t want to work with a songwriter who believes he/she is already THERE in terms of their songwriting ability…they want to work with someone who can be flexible and open to their suggestions.

Some contests offer the winner(s) a chance at a publishing deal. Big deal! All that means is that your song gets signed with a publisher, it does not guarantee that the publisher will be able to place that song with an artist, or even want to. A single song deal means nothing unless somebody actually cuts your song.

On the other hand, there are some contests in conjunction with festivals that I would consider a benefit in terms of boosting your career. These involve the winner having an opportunity to perform their songs in front of an audience, especially at a songwriting camp or event, and would be an excellent way for you to introduce yourself to an audience and an industry. There are well-established events that hold these contests annually and that have a very positive reputation in terms of what they do for songwriters.

If you approach the idea of entering a contest for fun, rather than for furthering your career, you’ll have a healthier outcome. Consider an online poll conducted by Music Dish Industry e-Journal in the Spring of 2001. Songwriters were asked “How would you rate your experience with songwriting contests in furthering your songwriting career?” These are the results:

23% had no experience with contests
9% were very satisfied
11% were satisfied
17% thought it was adequate
18% were dissatisfied
22% were very dissatisfied

Before you enter a songwriting contest, considering putting that entry fee towards joining an organization that really CAN help you, such as NSAI (Nashville Songwriters Assoc. International). These people will listen to your song and give you real feedback, which is what you should really be focusing on!

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The “Hit” Song Checklist

Posted on by IJ
NASHVILLE, TN - NOVEMBER 07: Songwriter Bill ...
Image by Getty Images via Daylife

© I.Woloshen
***All of Irene’s songwriting tips are provided for FREE…beware of those giving advice for money!***

Okay, folks, you think you’ve just written a “hit”…your heart is pumping, your palms are sweaty, you’re suddenly seeing dollar signs and imagining yourself winning the Songwriter of the Year award 🙂

Could it be possible? Could you have just written yourself a hit song? Isn’t it a great feeling? Enjoy it, crack open the champagne…and then consider the following checklist. These are some thoughts and ideas on what kind of process you should put your song through before you put that imaginary award statue on your desk 🙂

1. Has anyone else heard it yet? Who should listen to it? Not your best friend (unless your best friend already has a hit under his/her belt!), not your family, not your dog. If you really want some honest feedback, consider presenting it to a songwriter‘s circle if you have or can find one. Make sure at least 10 other people who have no bias towards you, have a listen. Why 10? That’s just a number I pulled out of a hat 🙂 However, the more who listen, the better you’ll be able to discern if there are any problems with the song.

2. Did you work on re-writing it? There are very few songs that come out “perfectly” the first time. Most need to be polished at least a little so they’ll really shine. I can’t tell you how many songwriters I’ve come across who swear that touching up a song after it has been written will “ruin” it. Arrgghh…

3. If you are writing for yourself as a performing artist, you can skip this one. Can anyone else sing your song? If you know somebody who sings, try and teach them the song and see what happens. Do they trip over certain parts? Is it really “singable”? Remember, if you’re trying to market your songs, then they have to work for other voices and other vocal styles.

4. Here’s a really good idea which will give you some objectivity. Record the song, even if only on a little digital recorder. Then walk away from it for a week. Don’t let yourself even THINK of it, block it from your thoughts entirely. When a week is up, go back and have another listen. Does it strike you the same way? Or is it just a turd? 🙂 Giving it a week is a very small investment in time, especially if you’re considering spending a whole whack of cash to demo it.



The “best” songs don’t necessarily become hits. It’s a LOT more complicated than that. However, you have a much better chance of peaking a publisher, record label or artists’ curiosity if you have a really well-written, well-produced song to present them. Can you judge if you’ve written a hit? You might have a really good feeling about a song…but none of that matters if no one ELSE has a really good feeling about it. So give it time, don’t get ahead of yourself, go through some steps to see if it stands up. And call me when your first royalty cheque comes in 🙂

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The Pain of Separation – Separating Your SELF from Your Work

Posted on by IJ
Separation Anxiety
Image by Brenda Anderson via Flickr

© I.Woloshen

When someone asked me recently “of all of the songs you’ve written, which is your favourite?”, it got me to thinking about that age old idea “well they’re ALL my babies” and it’s hard to choose just one. I have different reasons for liking different songs…some of them are more fun to perform, some of them I enjoy to listen to in terms of how they were recorded. In spite of this, sometimes your “best” work just doesn’t cut it for others. I recently saw an interview with an author who had had some criticism of one of his novels. When he went back to read it again, he thought to himself “No, this is exactly the book I wanted to write.” It wasn’t a case of disagreeing with his critique so much as it was deciding that he had accomplished what he set out to do, and beyond that, he had no control of what others thought of his work.

When you begin the process of writing a song, very often your immediate reaction to it is “this is the greatest song I’ve ever written!!” Of course, you’re SUPPOSED to be enthused and fired up about what you are doing, otherwise, why bother? But sometimes you’ll notice that the day after, it just doesn’t seem to be as good a song as you thought 🙂 This is something called “objectivity”. In the opposite state, subjectivity, you are unable to separate yourself from your work. This is a necessary state in order for you to accomplish your task. Songwriting, in its purest form, is your expression. It can often be a very personal expression, right from your gut. In a sense, your song is “you”.

But there comes a time when you have to separate yourself from your songs in order to fully accomplish the task of polishing them and putting them in front of others to scrutinize. This is a step that is only successful when you have also managed to let go of their personal connection to you, which is not so easy to do.

We all have our favourites of our own songs, the ones we love to play and hear, as I was describing above. So I’m not suggesting that you lose touch with your songs entirely! However, I find that a lot of songwriters become defensive and thin-skinned when their songs are critiqued or reviewed by people who are listening from a very objective viewpoint. This is because the songwriters haven’t managed to create that separation yet. So how exactly do you accomplish this? It is not at all easy to put in a nutshell! Every one of your songs has your name attached to it, and it’s impossible to completely disconnect from that fact. But there are some things that you can do to help this process.



Time – this is a very important factor when learning to be more objective about your work. Just as when you wake up the day after writing something and suddenly hear it with new “ears”, the idea of giving your song a little time and distance can help you to disconnect from the personal aspects of it. I’m very aware of the the fact that songs I’ve written at one point in my life that meant something then, don’t necessarily hit me the same way anymore. That’s because my life has moved on, but the song is in a time capsule and only represents that little point in my life. Which brings me to the next point…

Emotional Distance – you are not “static”…as a human being, you are always changing and (hopefully!) growing. Think of your songs as a snapshot. When you look at a picture of yourself taken yesterday, you are likely much more attached to it than you are a picture that was taken a couple of years ago. This is because “you” were a different person a couple of years ago! Your songs are exactly the same.

The Percentage Factor – do yourself a big favour and learn to embellish the “truths” in your songs with some “fiction”. Don’t make your songs 100% ABOUT YOU. For the songs you can’t help doing that with, put them in your closet and work on writing something else. Why? Because you wouldn’t let anyone else read your diary, would you? This is a kind of emotional maturity you can develop over time in your writing. There are the ones you will write for you, and the ones you will write for the public to consume. Recognizing which is which will help you in many ways!

Talk To Yourself – I don’t mean out loud (unless you are alone, of course!). We all have that little “voice” inside us that reasons everything out, and the one that is childish and emotional. Choose to listen to the reasoning voice. If you are hearing or reading someone’s response to your song and it is negative, tell yourself that they are not criticizing you, but your song. Tell yourself that you’ll learn from this experience. Listen for INFORMATION that might be helpful to you in order to make the song better. If the criticism is totally unreasonable (like “this song sucks!”), be like the author who decided for himself that he had written exactly what he wanted to, and that he has no control over others opinions.

The longer you write, the more capable you will be of accomplishing just the right degree of separation. Your songs will ALWAYS be yours, but they will also be able to hold their own without you 🙂

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