Lyric Writing 101: Part 2
This is Part two of my Lyric Writing guide. Here you will learn
how to accompany words by writing alternate lyrics.
It is important not to mistake alternate lyrics with cover
songs. There are many ways to cover a song, you can alter the
lyrics slightly to modernize it like in the Disturbed cover of
Tears For Fear's "Shout". You can also alter the tune slightly
as seen in Madonna's version of Don MacLean's "American Pie" or
Sheryl Crow's cover of Guns n Rose's "Sweet Child o' Mine" [also
altered to change the voice from male to female]. You notice
that the song in essence stays the same, both lyrically and
melodically. For more examples of cover songs, see the reference
to ‘Triple M's Musical Challenge' in Part 1 of this guide.
What are they?
Alternate lyrics use both the melodic and lyric arrangement of a
pre-existing song. The ‘new' lyrics are sung to the same
melody, and in the same manner as the original song. This
process is not only used by novices, there are a number of
established artists that use this practice.
Why write alternate lyrics?
Many novices use this practice as a tool to help the learning
process of combining words with music. As for established
artists, well there are several reasons why - some possible
reasons are as follows.
* One of the most common forms of alternate lyrics are parodies.
Check out any of Weird Al Yankovic's work. Some of his titles
include ‘Amish Paradise' ("Gangsta's Paradise" by Coolio);
‘It's all about the Pentiums' ("It's all about the
Benjamin's" by Sean Combs, Notorious B.I.G, Sean Jacobs, et al);
‘Constipated' ("Complicated" by Avril Lavinge).
* Alternate lyrics can be used to add a little ‘flair' to
a live performance, or break the monotony of playing the
‘same' song every night whilst on tour. This can be seen
in the Guns n Roses track "Don't Cry" [both versions can be
found on the ‘Use Your Illusions' albums].
* Perhaps too much was written in the original song draft and
the writer adapted the excess to make a ‘new' track. Or
possibly the writer was unable to decide on a particular angle
on the song, and continued to alter the song until they found
something they were happy with. This can be seen in the Staind
song "Outside", you can find one of the original versions of
this song through a simple search on the ‘net.
Getting Started
It is probably best when you first attempt to write alternate
lyrics, to choose a song that you are familiar with. When
choosing a song, try to pick a melody you know well. To start
with, examine the lyrics, making note of patterns such as rhyme
schemes and syllable count. What do I mean by this? Look for
which line ends rhyme together and whether there is a pattern to
it. Count the number of syllables in each line and see if there
is any intentional design to them (note not all will have this,
but it is important to take note of what is there).
* -- * Make sure you know the song well, listen to it 100 times
if need be. You need to be able to not only call the melody to
mind but also how the lyrics are placed and sung.
What are you going to write about? You will need to have a clear
idea of what you are going to write about. If you are going to
write a parody, what topic are you going to use? Jot down any
ideas and thoughts you could cover in the song, use something
like the word association exercises in Part 1 of this series. If
you decide to do a more serious song, jot down some ideas/words,
etc that come to mind - this can help you when it comes to the
writing of the lyrics.
Now I can't tell you exactly how to go about the actual writing
process. Everyone has their own style and methods, to be honest,
I'm not exactly sure how I write, it just comes to me. I can
however, give you some pointers to keep in mind when it comes to
writing alternate lyrics.
Hints and Tips
# I mentioned earlier to take note of the syllable count. By
keeping this count in mind you will be able to keep pace with
the original song. Keep a copy of the lyrics close by for easy
reference if it makes it easier for you. I've noticed a couple
of examples in my travels have disregarded this, ending
disastrously for the song. The reason this happens is because
the ‘beat' [or syllable count] for the lyrics has been
disrupted, throwing out the flow of the song. For example, if
the original lyrics go: 7/8/7/7 and your alternate lyrics go
5/6/5/7; you can tell straight away that there is going to be
some problems in the flow of the ‘new' song. This may take
a little more time and planning in the writing of the lyrics,
but if you stick with the ‘format' of the original song
your lyrics will thank you for it.
There is an exception to every rule, and there is one to this.
You can sometimes get away with being one syllable out either
side of the actual count. Though you need to be careful when
doing this because it has a chance of not working. This will not
work for all songs, so you will need to be careful when applying
it. This technique can help give you a little more freedom to
work with, however, I strongly suggest leaving this technique
until you are more familiar with lyric writing.
# If a lyric has a specific rhyme scheme, try and stick with it.
Just like poetry there are different styles that are used. If a
piece uses freestyle rhyme, you may be able to get away with
using free verse for your lyrics.
# Try to stay away from the lines or phrases used in the
original song especially if you are doing something drastic like
converting rock influenced lyrics into that of say Christian
lyrics. That in itself could be a very effective song [genre
mixing is very popular these days] but only if it is done
correctly. Remember what you are writing about, I recently saw a
piece that tried to convert a piece about street racing into a
Christian based song. This would have been very effective if
they didn't use the same phrases that were in the original song
that conflicted with what the author was trying to say.
# You can, if you like, use a prompt from the original song if
you are writing about a similar topic. As in the first examples
given on types of alternate lyrics, both the Guns n Roses and
Staind songs mentioned, the chorus' stay the same and ties the
two sets of lyrics together. You can use a line or two if you
like to ‘tie' your piece to the original song and to
compliment to your ‘new' song.
* * * * * * * * * *
By using alternate lyrics you are able to teach yourself how to
accompany words with music. Once you feel comfortable with the
accompanying of words and music in this form, you can take a go
at a little harder technique found in the next Part 3 of this
series, Sampling and Ghost Songs.