Writing songs vs writing novels

Sargentodiaz · Jul 24, 2009

I was driving along this morning listening to my favoritew radio station when a song came on I remember from the 50's or 60's. (Can't remember the name or artist).

A very nice intro that let me instantly recognize what was to come. Then came the singer and the melody.

And it hit me! Writing and producing the song has to be very similar to writing anything!!!!!

I do the outline or follow the story that fills my head. When I'm finished with these lyrics, I go back to make sure the words are the way I want them.

Then comes the revision and review - like the production effort of finding the right instruments and how to play them. In other words, adding voice or showing the world I've created.

Now, I look forward to producing my story to create a lush and entertaining work.

III · Jul 27, 2009

I think there's definitely some overlap, but I also think writing a song is more like writing a short story (or recording an album is more like writing a collection of short stories). Writing a novel (at least for me) is like running a marathon and requires constant pacing and endurance, whereas writing a 5 minute song is like a short race and it can be hurdles or sprint or relay - anything you want for that 5 minutes.

What I think is most similar, as you alluded to, is the editing process. In recording or writing, I can crank something out quickly and then spend 20X as long editing and polishing it and finally forcing myself to walk away before I go nuts.

ChunkyC · Jul 29, 2009

I'm with Jay. Unless you're Pink Floyd or Yes and composing thirty-minute opuses (opusii?), a song is more like a short story than a novel. But I agree with your idea of building a story being similar to songwriting. One is done with the printed word, the other with a soundscape, yet both require a similar structure (intro, build to climax, etc.) and need to be revised and edited into their final form.

Funny I should stumble across this thread today ... the lads in my band and I just finished hammering out the arrangement of a song of mine that's been in my head for over twenty years. I had a breakthrough that made it finally come alive, much like those AHA! moments you get when writing a story.

Sargentodiaz · Jul 30, 2009

In some ways, the revision process can be frustrating as hell!
Then, you hit your stride and see where you want it to go and it's a real kick in the head!

benbradley · Jul 30, 2009

Yeah, writing a song and a novel, while both are creative endeavors, are different enough to be hard to compare. The big thing is the time frame, as much in creation as in consumption, if not moreso. I've read of hit songs ("Tea for Two") being written in 15 minutes. I've heard of three-day novel writing marathons, but I'd be surprised if any of the results were publishable as-is. I wonder how long the editing would take to make such a novel publishable.

Sometimes even the recordings of hit songs happen in a hurry or aren't as polished as initially envisioned:

The vocal track was thrown on as a rough mix and was not intended to be the final version, but a copy of the recording "leaked" out to a DJ, who began playing it.[1] The song was an instant hit and as a result the more polished vocal track that was at first envisioned was never recorded.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eve_of_Destruction_(song)

Songwriting can be quite complex - getting the words right can be like putting a poem in a crossword grid.

Or maybe it's that I find the melody, chords ard rhythm easier to come up with than the words.

Sargentodiaz · Jul 31, 2009

I think what I was trying to refer to is the work that goes into determinig just what instruments go behind the basic melody.
How do you know when a piano is better than, say a guitar? How often does an orchestral background come into play on a pop song?
I'm currently being blown away by listening to Rod Stewart singing songs from the 30s and 40s. How did those original arrangements come about.

The reason this is getting to me is that my step-dad was a conductor/arranger for the Paul Whiteman Orchestra and also working in a music publishing house in NYC. He later became a studio musician for Republic. I could sit for hours listening him play the piano - he could emulate just about anybody he'd ever heard.

I've alsp had the pleasure of listening to Mozart's music in the places he presented and conducted them. How on earth does someone come up with those arrangements?

Pink Ink · Aug 3, 2009

Hi, I've been around AW for a while, but I'm new here in this section.

I have written both (novels and song), and I agree with III, songwriting to me has been more like writing a short story.

It takes me months to compose a novel; it took me a night to recently compose a song (lyrics, melody, chords). I love both formats, but songwriting gives me more of immediate gratification, it's a nice break from my longer writing projects.

Writing songs vs writing novels

Sargentodiaz

III

rockin the suburbs

ChunkyC

It's hard being green

Sargentodiaz

benbradley

It's a doggy dog world

Sargentodiaz

Pink Ink

girl at heart