Song I Wrote. I Need Ideas.

Do you have any good song ideas?

Young Love & First LoveFirst girlfriends, first boyfriends, first kisses, and “puppy love” all fall under this category. Gillian Welch wrote a song called “My First Lover” in this vein. Many songs of this type also contain elements of a coming-of-age story; “Strawberry Wine” is a great example of a lyric about young love and growing up.Desire & SeductionSongs about flirting, seduction, and desire come in many varieties. They range from cute and wholesome to hot and heavy. Compare the writing of “Baby It’s Cold Outside” to “Let’s Get it On”. Seduction doesn’t necessarily have to happen between strangers, by the way — you could also write a song about a longstanding couple reigniting their passion. “Kiss Me” by Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan is a fiery example.Taboos & Forbidden LoveIn this type of song, there’s a logical or a social reason why one or both people shouldn’t be engaging in the relationship, but they’re drawn to each other anyway for intense emotional reasons. Romeo & Juliet has enjoyed 400 years of popularity, and it’s still going strong — this theme is timeless. So, for a dash of excitement, try writing a song about a taboo or a forbidden liaison.Searching & SinglehoodThese are songs written aboutlooking for love. A song in this theme could be a triumphant announcement that a character’s single and available — or the tone could be frustrated. Songs in this category might also be about what the song’s narrator wants from a significant other. For example, Alanis Morissette wrote: “21 Things I Want in a Lover”.Loneliness & LongingSongs about loneliness, heartache, and unrequited love. Also known as torch songs. This includes songs that are about missing a specific person — maybe the missing one ended the relationship. Or maybe they were taken away by a fatal accident, old age, a new job in a new city… and so on. In some lyrics the person is just away for a while, so the mood’s playful and light. Other lyrics can be quite somber, as the person is gone forever. Still other lyrics in this category aren’t about a specific person at all — instead, they’re just about a general desire to be loved or feel wanted. Great songs about longing include “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing”, Wilco’s “Hate it Here”, and Percy Mayfield’s “Please Send Me Someone to Love”.

How do I write my own songs?

If you’ve never attempted to write a song before, this question might seem ominous. But as many songwriters will probably tell you, you just need to decide to begin writing. The longer you wonder about the idea of how to do it, the harder it will start to seem. Don’t worry about making sense or whether what you’re writing rhymes, just write down your thoughts about the idea you have in mind.If you have no idea what to write about, you can begin with your personal experiences:- In love and relationships- Struggles in life- Injustices you see around you- How people treat you, etc.You’ll soon realize you have tons of songwriting topics to flesh out.Of course, lyrics may not start flowing right away and it may take numerous tries before you even get a few lines going. With that said, there are different ways to go about writing your own songs, many of which have already been covered in previous replies. One thing to remember is that a song is only a song when it has melodies that can be performed vocally or with music. As such, you won’t really have a song until your words are added to vocals and instruments are added to the mix.If you play an instrument, such as the piano or guitar, you can start trying to put words to the music while you play. This is a good way to create a hook or chorus by the way. In fact, starting with a hook or chorus is a good way to begin writing a song, and then you can add the rest of the lyrics as you figure out the melody and chords.Another thing to be aware of when writing your own songs is the structure. There are different song structures, with the most popular one being verse/chorus/verse/chorus/bridge/chorus. There are a number of variations that you can learn about and some will even come to you naturally as you grow as a songwriter.Writing your own song is an immensely personal experience, so different people have different ways of going about it. Some have writing schedules, others walk around with tape recorders and notebooks for whenever the inspiration comes along, and others set themselves songwriting goals (a song a day, for example).There is so much to learn about the songwriting process and much of it will come to you along the way. So, the best thing you can do is to just get started.

I want to write song lyrics. I don't know how to start, and I need inspiration. What are some methods I could use to start songwriting?

I write lyrics.  They aren't great but they are getting better.  I also write blog posts which aren't great but are also improving.  Here are a few tips that I can give you.1.  Study the lyrics of lyricists that you admire.  There is no better way to learn how to write lyrics that reading the lyrics of those that you admire.  That goes for novels, short stories, and blog posts as well.  My current favourites are Bob Dylan, John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats, and Andy Hull.  Your favourites will probably vary, but it doesn't matter. 2.  When an idea comes to you, write it down.  I can be walking along and have an idea pop into my head and I either write it down or record it on my phone.  It can be an idea for a song, a line that pops into your head, or whatever.  The more ideas that you have down, the better.3.  Just write!  It doesn't matter if what you write totally sucks.  Much of it probably will.  Most of what I write sucks, but I keep doing it.  I was wrong when I said above that the best way to learn is to study the lyrics of those that you admire.  The best way to learn is to just do it.  Practice, practice, practice.  You'll get better.4.  Revise.  Never stop trying to make what you have written better.  Go back a day later, a week later, a month later, and see what you can improve. Change a line here, a word there, a verse here, a chorus there.  Keep revising, and keep improving what you have written.Just the thoughts of a mediocre but improving writer.