@songwritinguniversity www.songwritingu.com facebook.com/songwritingu CASE STUDY: EVERYWHERE

LESSON SUMMARY

Melody can be very difficult to discuss but Mike shares his thoughts on devel- oping a melody that raises the tension and finds it’s conclusion in a satisfying way for the listener.

He uses his song “Everywhere,” written with Craig Wiseman and recorded by Tim Mcgraw to illustrate the value of

“Have you discovered the reason to expect people to sit and listen to your song?” KEY TAKEAWAYS & QUOTES

• Internal rhyme moves a song along and finding words that sing well, rhymes takes pressure off rhyming the last word. that move a song along and narrative that eschews redundancy and values • Move the story along. Don’t repeat your- character development and universal- self unless it’s meaningful to the song. ity. • Be aware of what sings well. Mike takes you behind the scenes of • You have to believe your song first. If you writing a song that balances the need write something that sings well but you for authenticity with the demands of don’t believe it, try something else. marketability. It’s also an example of esatblishing song structure and the subtle ways you can break it.

MIKE REID CREDITS INSTRUCTOR • Grammy award-winning songwriter After a pro-bowl career for • Co-wrote “I Can’t Make You Love Me” the cincinatti bengals, mike turned his focus to music and • US Country #1 Single “Walk On Faith” worte hit country songs and • Inducted into the Nashville Songwriters music for the stage. Hall of Fame 2 Songwriting University

FULL TRANSCRIPT I want to talk about a song that Tim McGraw had out some years ago. It’s a song called “Everywhere.” I wrote it with Craig Wiseman. Tim had KEY POINT a nice run with that song. Craig and I have not written a lot of songs. I think actually it’s the only one we’ve finished. We’ve started a few, but that was the one song we finished. I don’t remember what exactly would have been the impetus to write the song, but I remember we started writing a little story and discovered the title of the song later on.

Melody is very, very difficult to talk about. It’s like singing about archi- tecture. But there’s a nice little tension in the beginning of this song. We feel that the song is in the E-flat chord. But the first note of the Tension, resolution. melody is not in the chord. It’s an F. It causes you to feel that tension. One of the things to think about in writing your melodies are begin- Tension and resolution or ning them on notes that are not in the chord you’re playing. The nice tension and release refers thing about that tension is you can’t stay there. It would drive people to a build up of musical in- nuts. They couldn’t turn the song off fast enough. The nice thing about tensity that demands to be that tension is that it demands to be resolved. resolved, relaxed, dissolved and allows a listener to We were born in this little town relax. Growin’ up I was countin’ down Every single day ‘Til we made our get away But you said you could never see yourself Tryin’ to make a life anywhere else This would be your home And I was on my own KEY POINT But ever since you said good bye I’ve been out here on the wind And baby you would be surprised All the places you have been I’ve seen you in

The story is set up. He’s in love with her. She’s in love with him. He can’t wait to leave. She’s never going to leave that town. She was born in that town. She’s never going to leave. He leaves and, and he never quite gets over her. Try a list song.

A list song is a popular So we started now what’s called a list. If he’s traveling, where are the storytelling device that places he’s been? When you think about the places or anything, what holds the hand of a listen- you want to choose are places that sing well. In other words, you’re not er through more complex going to say Pennsylvania. The only time you hear the word Pennsylva- ideas. It is a staple of hit nia is in the Pennsylvania polka. Southern towns sing beautifully. commercial songs.

songwritingu.com Songwriting University 3

Albuquerque Waitin’ out a blizzard Arizona Dancin’ ‘cross the desert KEY POINT Watchin’ the sun set in Monterey Girl I swear just the other day you were Down in Georgia Pickin’ them peaches In Carolina Barefoot on the beaches

Okay, that’s enough places. Now what? What are you going to say? So the summation of all these places, you stayed, I left, I traveled and I still love you and think of you... Master structure to break it.

Pay attention to what’s No matter where you choose to be trending in the industry. In my heart I’ll always see you... Why is it working? Master the structure of songwriting I remember at that moment, we were playing and it got to it and Craig so that you can willfully and jumped out of his chair and said, “Everywhere! He sees her every- purposefully break those where.” And we went, ah, okay. There’s a moment. There’s a moment I rules. told you about. Have you discovered the reason to expect people to sit and listen to your song? That was the moment. Ah, he sees her every- where. That’s another way of saying he can never get over her. Okay, so now where are we in our story now? We could stay. Or we could go back to all the places he goes to now. We’ll do that soon enough. What happens if he comes back to town?

KEY POINT Now days When I’m passin’ through The conversation always turns to you And I hear you’re doin’ fine Livin’ out by the county line Got a man that’s home every night A couple of kids and the kind of life That you want to lead Guess you could say the same for me

Let’s compare their lives. You’ve got the life you stayed for. The hus- Rhyme when it’s time band would come home for dinner, the kids. I’m still on the road... Rhyme is an ancient storytelling tool that can But you and I enhance the musicality of Made our choices your song AND enhance All those years ago the story IF used properly. Still I know Never reach for a rhyme at I’ll hear your voice the expense of meaning. And see you down the road.

facebook.com/songwritingu 4 Songwriting University

That’s something I like to go for, internal rhyme. I like that it moves the song along a little bit. Voice and choice. The internal rhyme. Now, the last thing I want to hear is the first chorus. I don’t want to hear: KEY POINT Maybe in Albuquerque Waitin’ out a blizzard

Really? You’ve already said that. You’ve got to find some other places. This becomes a list song now.You can get away with it still being a ra- dio hit song by having the melody the same. But you have to think of other places and this where it gets fun.

Do I really want to hear Maybe in that? Oklahoma

Repetition can be a mean- Drivin’ ‘cross the prairie ingful device if used careful- ly. If used lazily or too soon, Now at this point we were stumped, Oklahoma driving across the prai- your song can lose momen- rie. What else? Craig says Indiana. Cause it’s a beautiful name from Na- tum and meaning. tive American culture in Indiana. So we tried this..

Maybe in Oklahoma Drivin’ ‘cross the prairie. Indiana isn’t that where we. Always said we would love to try? Never did. So maybe that’s why, KEY POINT Indiana, it sounds so beautiful. That sounds so lovely. Indiana. Isn’t that where we always said we wanted to try? Then I said to Craig, “Have you ever been to Indiana?” He said no. And I said no, there’s no reason to try Indiana. We have to find some other place. So this is when the cynical part of the songwriter kicks in. All right, I’m going to reveal something that Craig is probably not going to be happy I’m telling you. I said, “All right, this is a country song. We’re going to pitch it to a country artist. What city has the biggest country radio station in it?” And it was Dal- las. Dallas, perfect. Need another couple of syllables. Oklahoma, Dallas, short, a couple of syllables. So it came out: Do you believe your song?

If you write something In Dallas, Texas disingenuious it doesn’t Isn’t that where we matter how well it sings it Always said we would will fall just as flat for your Like to try audience as it ultimately Never did does for you.

Now we need to take you back into his heart.

songwritingu.com Songwriting University 5

So maybe that’s why you’re on Every highway Just beyond the high-beams KEY POINT Right beside me In all of my sweet dreams No matter where you choose to be In my heart I’ll always see you. Everywhere.

Another Instance of internal rhyme, be and see. If you do the internal rhyme and land on it, it takes the pressure off of having to rhyme with the last word “everywhere” and you’re good. It feels sufficiently satisfy- ing to do it that way. So that was my memory of writing that song that Internal rhyme was so good to Craig and I.

A rhyme that occurs in the middle of a line, as opposed to an end rhyme. Internal rhyme adds musicality and rhythm to a line without being explcitly noticed.

KEY POINT

Be ready for the moment.

You’re always looking for that moment of realization, that answer to the ques- tion, “Why would someone sit down to listen to this dong?”

facebook.com/songwritingu