How do you generate ideas for original lyrics?

Answer 1

Here's one of my favorite brainstorming strategies!

LYRICS BY LISTING

1. Use a random word generator to get a one-word suggestion
2. Begin listing any ideas that word evokes.
3. Look for a common thread or metaphor from that list: if you find something you connect to emotionally, then that's your song.

Example

The generator gave me the word "twin" and my free-write looked like this:

Twin flames, twin sisters, groups of two, two-by-two, Noah's ark, mirrors, The Parent Trap, The Shining, evil twins, Jekyll & Hyde, 1+1=2, gemini

After writing my list, I see a common thread: the duality of identity. I feel drawn to write about how the face people show the world isn't always how they truly feel inside.

Here are my starter lyrics:

I wake in the morning and put on my mask

The one with the sweet-as-pie smile

I step out the front door and silently bask

In being somebody else for a while

I am a liar,

I'm Jekyll & Hyde,

I'm someone and no one at all,

I am the truth

But I quietly hide

Because outside I feel far too small

Answer 2

For me, original lyrics usually do not begin with a plot or a clever line. They begin with an emotion. I do not really separate lyric writing from sonnet writing because the process feels the same to me. I start by asking what I am feeling, then I ask which of my senses can carry that feeling into an image, object, memory, or scene. Once I have something I can see, hear, touch, taste, or smell, the emotion becomes easier to shape into language.

For example, if I feel useless, I do not stay at the level of simply saying “I feel useless.” I look for something in the world that matches that feeling. In one case, I heard a news segment about pennies no longer being minted. That immediately gave me an image to work with. Then I start asking questions. Am I the penny? Why does that object fit this emotion? What was a penny once, and what is it now? It was minted with purpose, once bright, once collectible, once valued. Now it is dingy, overlooked, and easy to discard. That gives me an emotional arc, which is what I need to begin writing.

That is usually how my ideas grow. I start with the emotion, then find the object or image that can hold it, and then I interrogate that object until it opens up. I ask what story it already contains. What changed? What was it before? What is it now? What has been lost? Those questions help me move from a vague feeling into something original and specific. By that point, I am no longer just writing about sadness or shame or longing. I am writing about a penny, or a tide, or a mirror, or a meal, and those things let the emotion become more vivid.

The same thing happens with warmer emotions too. If I begin with nostalgia, comfort, or tenderness, I still search for a sensory doorway. In one of my sonnets, that doorway was a lullaby my mother used to sing. From there, I ask more questions. When did she sing it? What time of night was it? What did the room feel like? How did I feel when her voice was there, and how did I feel when she left the room? Then the thought stretches even further into love, fear, and grief, because I start thinking about what that memory means now and what it will mean when she is gone someday.

So I guess my answer is that I generate original lyrics by following emotion into image, and image into questions. I do not wait for a fully formed idea to appear. I let the feeling attach itself to something physical or remembered, then I keep pressing on it until it reveals a shape, a tension, and a transformation. That is usually where the writing begins for me.

Answer 3

First off, there is absolutely nothing wrong with taking inspiration from your favorite artists/bands! However, we never want to copy them--just take the pieces we like from their music to enhance our own ideas.

I start by having students write about things they care about, like real experiences or emotions. We use simple exercises such as free writing or journaling to get ideas down without overthinking. Then we organize those ideas into lyrics by looking at structure and examples from songs they enjoy. This helps organize ideas into song lyrics.

Answer 4

This is an awesome question to ask!

Each songwriter tends to bring unique perspectives to their work.

There is no one "right" or "wrong" way to do this, but it might help you to think about these topics as you settle on the types of lyrics that you'll be writing:

1. Personal interests such as sports, art, dancing, food, fashion, or film.
2. Where you are from.
3. Your dreams for the future!
4. Family and friends.
5. Belief systems that matter to you.

My students have found that random word generators have helped them, especially when writing rap lyrics!

Consider what connotations you might have with the words that it generates. If you can really associate emotions and ideas with generated words, then you can get into the groove of building out the rest of your songs' lyrics.

I also like to write choruses that connect the more unique verses of each song.

Best of luck to you on your songwriting endeavors!

Answer 5

This depends on whether this is a hobby or on a deadline. If it's a hobby, I would say don't force it. Lyrics usually come to me when I'm just living life, and something evokes a feeling. Sometimes it is easier to think of it as just a poem when you start out. Keep up to four different syllable counts for the different sections (verse, pre chorus, chorus, and bridge). As this becomes natural, you will be able to hear the song forming in your head.

I can't speak to the best ways to do this if this is your vocation or job, not my area but this works for me as a hobby :)

Answer 6

I would recommend writing everything down that has been on your mind lately, whether it is about a relationship, your job, your family, random thoughts, questions you have been asking yourself, really anything.

Because there are potential song topics everywhere, and if you write down a lot of thoughts you might come up with a cool theme for a song or even some snippets for lyrics already just by writing down your thoughts and feelings :)

You could also start with fun titles, either inspired by movies, books, or poems (titles are not copyrightable), or some of your favorite movie quotes - maybe that inspires new lyrics as well!

There are a couple of fun strategies to come up with original lyrics, if you want to learn and explore more songwriting strategies - feel free to reach out 😊