Song Crafting

The Basic Song Ingredients

Ask any lawyer about song structure and they will tell you 50% of a song is the lyric and 50% is the melody or music. This is how the courts and the copyright office view songs. A songwriter approaches a song from a different perspective, to the writer a song is a creative expression of themselves. So what is the structure of the song from the writers perspective?

Lyrics are the words, a rhythmic pattern that can be set to music, the melody or chord progression turns the lyric into a song. The combination of these two structural components makes a song unique. This seems simple right? The confusion arises when you realize how few chord progressions are used in popular music. When George Harrison was on trial for copyright infringement by the owners of the song "He's So Fine" (they claimed his song "My Sweet Lord" was the same song) it was noted in testimony that there are only so many chord progressions and eventually even the most original song writer runs out of options.

Creative musicians can minimize the song similarities by adding riffs and solos that make the song unique. A simple blues riff, or scale appears in hundreds of songs with out court cases arising. The music and lyric that supports the riff is what sets each song apart from others.

Lyrics have similar problems because common phrases or quotes may seem perfect in multiple songs. Beware of using slang it may express your thoughts today but be dated tomorrow.

As you plan to put the basics of a song together the lyric and the music, remember imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery but for a songwriter it is the quickest way to court.