“Excuse me Joe, but where do you think you’re going with that gun in your hand?” If you were sitting in a restaurant and heard someone speak those very words, how would you react? Would you just carry on with your conversation whilst tucking into your rib-eye steak? No. It’s almost certain that everyone would stop and pay close attention to establish whether there was indeed a gun in the room and to see what happened next.

Songwriting, a discipline in its own right, works in a very similar way… the first line of a song ideally needs to grab attention right off the bat! The scenario with Joe and his gun is in fact the first line from a song by Jimi Hendrix. Although, interestingly, Jimi didn’t write the lyrics as is often the case with hit songs.

So, what does it take to write a song? Assuming that you want to write a great hit song, there are some guidelines to consider when creating an anthem that masses of people worldwide would easily fall in love with.

The art of songwriting is synonymous with storytelling. Each song has a story for the listener to get drawn into and in most cases, a story to personally identify with. This has also got to be done in less than four minutes. In the case of our Joe, he was on his way to shoot his partner downtown because she had been cheating on him. I challenge you to look at the songs that have made a huge impact in your life, songs that you really loved when you first heard them. The chances are the lyrics were speaking directly to some of the emotions that you were going through at the time, or simply told a story you identified with. People don’t usually realise this and just assume the song is simply one they happen to like at the time.

A good song also needs to tell a story well enough that the listener understands it with little effort. You will notice that most great songs have short, descriptive lines in them with nothing too complex in terms of vocabulary. Additionally, the simpler the lyrics, the easier it is for anyone listening to remember the words and therefore find themselves singing along. Rhyming also greatly helps with this and that’s why you’ll find most popular songs rhyme in some way. On closer inspection, you’ll also see that most hit songs contain only a few words in total.

The musical part of songwriting is, of course, just as important as the lyrics. Lots of people don’t pay deliberate attention to the words, but instead enjoy the music, the melody or the beat. Different musical chords have different moods to them and the speed of a song’s beat, known as the tempo, also affects its mood. There are some songs that don’t have any words, but you won’t find many wordless hit songs these days. Even dance and house tracks often have at least one or two vocal phrases in them.

The musical mood of a song also needs to match that of its lyrics. Deep-felt lyrics of heartbreak wouldn’t sit very well in an up-tempo joyful sounding track. Neither would you go to a person with a big grin on your face and tell them in a playful tone that they were fired. In a song with contradictory moods between the music and the lyrics, the listener would find it hard to believe in the singer or the song’s story.

Another songwriting tool that has developed over time is the popular verse-chorus-bridge form. The song has an obvious verse, which is contrasted by a prominent chorus, which is usually the part of the song that people remember and sing along to. The bridge is a section further along in the song where the chords usually change and so does the musical feel. The bridge gives the listener a break from the main theme and then sets itself up for the re-introduction of the chorus into the end.

A song’s name is just as important, as it needs to give the listener an idea of what the song is about and yet be interesting enough for them to want to explore beyond the title by giving the song a listen. Besides, it’s no fun telling your friends about your new favourite song and then realising you can’t even remember what it’s called!

So there are quite a few things to think about when it comes to songwriting… but, like a good story, if you write a good song, other people will enjoy it and share it with people they know!

Everyone has their own individual connection and relationship with their favourite songs, often incorrectly hearing and improvising lyrics to suit their personal interpretation. That’s the beauty of music – it touches people in an enriching and intimate way. Even if some of the misheard lyrics are rather humorous at times, like in U2’s Sunday Bloody Sunday that sometimes becomes ‘Some day buddy, some day’!

Some of SA’s top songwriters
•    Karma
•    Johnny Clegg
•    Mariam Makeba
•    Springbok Nude Girls

Up and coming SA songwriters
•    Josie Field
•    Liesl Graham
•    Jesse Clegg
•    Robbie Wessels

We want to hear from you – who do you think are the top songwriters to come out of South Africa? Email editor@sapromo.com