Left: Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell has been hailed for her poetic lyrics, pictured right. Sometimes a great song is all about the lyrics. Here’s a guide on how to . TheNOT. FOR craft your own. NOT FOR Right: DISTRIBUTION Singer-songwriterDISTRIBUTION Bob Dylan. Above: Artby Chris Sampson Handwritten lyrics to his 1965 hit song, ofhat comes fi therst in songwriting, the lyrics or the a songwriter. Along the way, however, there are many tech- . “Mr. Tambourine music?” Professional songwriters are asked this niques that you can learn about the craft—both lyrically. and Man.” question countless times over the course of theirLyric musically—that will not only make the process easier, but career. But for as long as inquiring minds have can dramatically improve the quality of your. songs. PHOTOS: (MITCHELL) JACK wanted to know, songwriters haven’t come up In upcoming articles, we’ll discuss the musical elements ROBINSON/GETTY IMAGES, (DYLAN) MICHAEL OCHS with a good answer. of songwriting. But for now, let’s start by studying the art ARCHIVES/GETTY IMAGES The truth is, there’s no step-by-step formu- of the lyric. la to songwriting. The creative process is often a whirlwind of PHOTOGRAPHY: lyric fragments, half melodies, and beginnings of chord pro- IN A WORD gressions that eventually fuse together into one complete mu- Before we dive in, let’s consider the role that lyrics play in Wsical statement. a song. Have you ever read a song’s lyrics before listening Through practice, you will learn what works best for you as to it? If not, give it a try. For example, read the four lines PHOTOGRAPHY: 6 ✤ MUSIC ALIVE! ✤ October 2016 musicalive.com musicalive.com October 2016 ✤ MUSIC ALIVE! ✤ 7 .