When I sit down to write a song lately, I always end up doing songs based on personal experience and I find myself unhappy with a lot the lyrics I write because it's constantly 'I...' 'You...' 'We...' etc.

I suppose I should just try writing about other people or from a third person or something but I find it difficult sometimes to phrase things right. I don't like studying lyrics / poetry by other people because I think subconcious plagiarism (sp?) takes place to an extent. I used to find that it was a sound i was looking for, not really lyrics, and most of my lyrics were just kinda jammed out, stream of conciousness stuff.

I also find that I'm getting a bit less interested in actually listening to music lately, I'm not sure why. All the music I've listened to within the last few weeks seems to be older stuff too, Bowie etc... Sometimes I'll find a band with a song or two I think is great; yeah yeah yeahs (pin, maps) mars volta (inertiatic esp) the creek drank the cradle (an angry blade) deerhoof (this magnificent bird..) interpol etc but I don't feel really enthused of late to go and check up all their songs and start listening to them... I think it's partly to do with the fact my minidisc is broken so I don't have the chance to listen going to uni or to the wife's.

So umm ... how do you inspire yourself? how do you go about writing songs? etc etc etc?

it's impossible for me to come up with an original melody, so i stopped trying...

i don't have a problem thinking of lyrics, but i barely care about lyrics anyway. so why should i bother...hardly anyone else does anyway..

musically, i come up with completely instrumental songs with fill-in-the-blank melodies all the time. lyrically it doesn't come naturally for me. i write phrases and one-liners ideas all over the place so i'll come up with music first, a lyrical idea or theme, stick a few good lines in it and fill in the rest. i stuck at story-like songs.

Usually I first come up with the music by jamming for hours then I think what the song should be about, eg sad music=sad lyrics or whatever, but sometimes i'll write really good lyrics first with a tune in my head, but the music will usually be less technical. finding a solid songwriting system that suits you is the hardest part of being a musician i think. i would say i'm good all-rounder, i just need to better tie my abilities together.

as for lyrical content, just do whatever feels natural. if you want a deep song, try to come up with something poetic, if you want an edgier song try to have some attitude and try not to care so much. i always try to avoid cheesy or cliched lyrics, but the way you sing them makes all the difference. it's all about soul.
billy put it well in Soul Power. what was the line? "soul powa..."

i used to write alot of stuff when i was a teenager.
feelings, dreams, everything ... you, me, them ,her, god, evil reality whatever. I don't write lyrics as much now but they are alot better. I sometimes struggle but it comes natural. Also it's easier to write BS lyrics and sometimes they are the better songs.

I also write my lyrics seperate from the actual song. not at the same time. Sometimes i use old lyrics with new ones and mix it up.

i tend to get a lot of my inspiration from electric shavers

I fail at writing songs. The couple of successes that I've had were basically just having a riff or whatever feel right for the lyrics (or visa versa) and eventually the two parts became inseperable in my mind.

a lot of the time i'll start to cover a song just for the fuck of it, and since i like to put my own spin on covers, it ends up sounding like a completely original song. It then evolves from there...

other times i lay down short 20-40 second instrumentals over a few weeks and then try to combine them into something crazyily random, but oddly cohesive.

still other times i'll hear some shitty song on tv or radio and assume i can do better and write a song out sheer frustration and arrogance.

like scouse dave though, i have fuck-all time coming up with unique vocal melodies. :mad:

Originally posted by scouse_dave
it's impossible for me to come up with an original melody, so i stopped trying...

i don't have a problem thinking of lyrics, but i barely care about lyrics anyway. so why should i bother...hardly anyone else does anyway..

when did the guy from Staind start posting here?