Hey everyone. This month seems to be slow songs. I hope you’ve noticed that these songs are starting with just guitar/piano and vocals until the end of the first chorus then having the drum and bass join in. This is very common and helps give a feeling of motion and dynamics with other instruments waiting to join in.
This week’s song contains the same setup and is titled “I Love You” because I noticed that not many love songs out there actually outright say “I Love You” in them – of course this is for the purpose of using metaphors etc. but I wanted to hammer that home in this track.
Let’s check it out then discuss how I wrote it.
Listen here:
How did I write this?
I was playing my acoustic guitar and I heard a theme pop into my head – which is exactly what you hear on the piano – but I wasn’t able to find a comfortable enough spot to play it on the guitar to allow for notes to ring out without tremendous stretches. That after changing the key a dozen times, I opted to just learn it on the piano; this solved everything as the piano is a much more reasonable instrument in all ways than the guitar.
I recorded the intro material and then gradually worked my way to what I wanted the chorus to be. So, in this song’s case, I wrote up to the end of the chorus and then started writing and recording lyrics/vocals to it.
As usual with lyrical content, I wanted it to be general enough to fit most people’s lives in one way or another. If you include very specific things then that could be a very intimate song/set of lyrics for you and your partner. However, if you want it to hit home for more people then make sure to keep the lyrics general and don’t focus on anything that would rule out any one (or more) person.
Speaking of the lyrics, let’s take a look at them
Lyrics
Verse
It doesn’t mean that I don’t think of you
If I can’t hold my head up high
Every day with you is somethin’ new
Every smile a reason why
Chorus
Baby, I love you
I can’t catch my breath with you around
And every bit of me is so in love with you
Verse
I could see a billion different things
But nothing quite compares to you
All I need is just to see your face
And hear about the things you do
Chorus
Baby, I love you
I can’t catch my breath with you around
And every bit of me is so in love with you
Baby, I love you
I can’t catch my breath with you around
And every bit of me is so in love with you
When I was writing and recording the lyrics/vocals, I actually ended up “finishing” the song with just verse, chorus, verse, chorus. I then listened back to it and decided it needed a change/bridge section and then I used that bridge section as a way to create an ending as well. The ending is a variation of the bridge in harmony, but it keeps the same melody.
So, the form of this track is:
- Verse – just piano and vocals
- Chorus – just piano and vocals
- Verse – drums and bass join in
- Chorus – drums and bass are still in
- Bridge – guitars join in with a solo section (4 chords section starting on relative minor)
- Chorus – guitar solo fades out at the beginning of the chorus and then the ending vocals lead into the
- Coda – conclusion using the melody from the bridge with slightly different harmony giving the ending an uplifting feeling rather than ending in any darker harmony
You can use this same form in your own music and write similar lyrics. Remember, when you’re writing a song for a specific person, and that song is just for them, you can make it very specific to match them in whatever way you want; include personal things within it that only you two can relate to. However, if you’re writing a song that may be for a specific person but you want it to reach more people, make sure to use general statements and/or clichés more than not. If somebody can’t relate to what you’re words are about then it’s harder for them to connect to that song.
Parting thoughts
Take your time and enjoy what you’re doing. Think about what kind of song you want to write, what kinds of emotions you want to portray, and consider what kinds of vocal harmonies may help lead you to evoking those feelings in your listeners. And, most importantly, and again, HAVE FUN!
It is exciting and a great deal of fun learning new ways to navigate music and the endless possibilities with it. Music theory helps immensely with writing music. So does having an effective practice routine. These things are both easily accessible with the right teacher/guide that can help you reach your goals. If you’re enjoying what I’m writing and want to learn more, contact me here, or email me here to book your own lesson/time with me and we can go over whatever you want to help you make the music in your head come out of your instrument and/or speakers. I offer a sliding scale with lessons, so finances become less of a barrier so you can be more able to learn and create what you want.
Don’t forget to be kind to yourself and others, practice what you want to improve with, and try to have fun in what you do and with your life. Thank you so much for listening to my music and reading my material. I hope you have an amazing rest of your day/week and I look forward to hearing from you.
All the best,
– Matt