How to Write a Song

Techniques From the Hits, Vol. I

by Anthony Ceseri

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Table of Contents
Introduction... 3

Part 1: Lyrics. 4

Moving Your Lyrics Forward, as Done by John Mayer................... 4

Using Rhyme as a Tool, as Done by Evanescence.................... 8

Part 2: Melody......... 14

Contrasting Your Melody with Vocal Range, as Done by Katy Perry............... 14

More Ways to Contrast Your Melody, as Done by Colbie Caillat.................. 16

Part 3: Song Structure......... 18

Breaking the Monotony of a Simplified Song Structure, as Done by Sleigh Bells................. 18

Getting Away from Popular Song Structure, as Done by Ingrid Michaelson..................... 20

Bonus: Cover Songs......... 23

Performing a Cover Song, as Done by Karen O, Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross.. 23

Final Word........ 26

How to Write a Song: Techniques from the Hits, Vol. I

Introduction
Songwriting is an art. You can create anything you want, because theres no right or
wrong. However, there are tools and techniques you can use in your writing that can help
improve your skill set. Learning these tools can be beneficial to you, if youre trying to
make money with your music, as a lot of these techniques have been used in songs on
the radio, in film and on TV. But even if songwriting is just your hobby, learning these tools
can give you some new ideas for presenting your ideas to your listeners. The more
common techniques you learn, the better youll be able to express yourself. You can
always choose to not use what youve learned, but it can never hurt to have knowledge.
This book includes articles I have written for my website, covering three of the most
important topics in writing songs: lyrics, melody and song structure. For each of these
three topics, well be looking at a couple of hit songs and the techniques they used to
make them enjoyable listening experiences. Once youre aware of these techniques,
youll be able to apply them to you own songs, and see how they work for your music.

How to Write a Song: Techniques from the Hits, Vol. I

Part 1: Lyrics
Lyrics convey a story to our listeners. If written well, they will grab our audiences attention
and hold it throughout the entire song. In this section, well look at some ways to keep our
audience interested in what were saying.

Moving Your Lyrics Forward, as Done by John Mayer

Have you ever been stuck in second verse hell, when you tried to write a new song?
When all of your ideas poured out of you during your first verse? Then you didnt know
what to do with your second verse, except maybe say the same thing in a slightly different
way? Oh, crap and then there was the bridge! Moving your story forward can seem
difficult at times, but dont fret Lets check out some of John Mayers lyrics to see how a
professional has handled switching between sections.
A Seemingly Straightforward First Verse
First, lets look at Verse and Chorus #1 of Mayers song, Daughters:
Verse 1
I know a girl, she puts the color inside of my world
But shes just like a maze, where all of the walls all continually change
And Ive done all I can, to stand on her steps with my heart in my hands
Now Im starting to see, maybe its got nothing to do with me
Daughters by John Mayer

Chorus
Fathers, be good to your daughters
Daughters will love like you do
Girls become lovers who turn into mothers
So mothers, be good to your daughters too
Right now, the idea is straightforward enough. The girl doesnt respond well to the
narrator, because she doesnt have a good relationship with her father. Got it. And its
livened up so nicely by the metaphor about her being an impossible maze in the verse.

How to Write a Song: Techniques from the Hits, Vol. I

Id normally argue the verse line with my heart in my hands is so clich its void of all
meaning, but he definitely brings it back to life by adding the part about standing on her
steps. All of a sudden it becomes visual again. You can see him standing there, probably
outside of her apartment steps with his hands outreached, holding his heart. Nice save.
Recoloring the Chorus
So right now weve got a straightforward idea, beefed up with some cool metaphors. On to
Verse & Chorus #2:
Verse 2
Oh, you see that skin?
Its the same shes been standing in
Since the day she saw him walking away
Now Im left cleaning up the mess he made
Chorus
So fathers, be good to your daughters
Daughters will love like you do
Girls become lovers who turn into mothers
So mothers, be good to your daughters too
What happens here is a great technique that Berklee College of Musics Lyric Writing
professor, Pat Pattison, refers to as recoloring the chorus. We were given new
information in Verse 2 that paints the second chorus in a whole new way from where we
saw it the first time. So lets check out what happened
Where verse 1 implied that there was something off about the girl and how she deals
with men, we took chorus 1 to mean she currently has a subpar relationship with her dad.
But in verse 2 we find out the dad left, and THATS what messed her up this whole time!
Now we head into chorus 2 with a whole new meaning of those SAME exact chorus lyrics.
This is a great way to advance your story without boring your listeners. In the second
verse, so many times songwriters tend to repeat what they said in verse 1, for lack of any
better ideas. Lord knows Ive been there. But thats a surefire way to get a listener to say

How to Write a Song: Techniques from the Hits, Vol. I

yeah, yeah I get it, Ive heard this already and then sneak in a quick nap before the
bridge kicks in.
It also doesnt hurt that Mayer used such a cool descriptive line to sell this point with you
see that skin? Its the same shes been standing in, Since the day she saw him walking
away.
What a great VISUAL way to say the event of her dad leaving affects her now the same
as it did the day it happened. Since a song is an audible medium, having imagery like this
that we can VISUALIZE really helps in driving home our ideas.
Over the Bridge
Now lets look at the bridge and final chorus:
Bridge
Boys, you can break
Youll find out how much they can take
Boys will be strong
And boys soldier on
But boys would be gone without the warmth from
A womans good, good heart
On behalf of every man
Looking out for every girl
You are the guide and the weight of her world
Chorus
So fathers, be good to your daughters
Daughters will love like you do
Girls become lovers who turn into mothers
So mothers, be good to your daughters too
Okay, so a note on bridges here typically, the bridge of a song SOUNDS different from
the rest of the song. Its usually the first time weve heard a part like this throughout the

How to Write a Song: Techniques from the Hits, Vol. I

whole track. So since the SOUND of that section is unlike what weve heard in the
previous verses and choruses, the LYRICS should match that altered intent. So look at
what Mayer does with his Bridge. He shifts his focus from the girl in the verses to a more
general boys in the bridge. This is a perspective we havent seen before. And its fitting
because the bridge is so different, sonically, from the verses. Had he continued the story
about the girl, while the music completely changed underneath, something would feel off.
But whats important to keep in mind is while he shifts focus to boys, he still ties it into the
idea of these boys, or men, needing a good woman to BE that man. So now we head into
the final chorus knowing the following: 1. boys can be strong, because of women & 2.
men look out for girls. So theyre dependent on EACH OTHER to be the best they can be.
Also take of note the use of boys/women/men/girls here.
Now when we head into chorus 3, this whole cyclical idea in the chorus makes sense,
because of what we learned in the Bridge. The bridge says boys are strong because of
women, and men look out for girls. The chorus says fathers need to be good to their
daughters, because daughters become lovers, who become mothers, who have
daughters. The wheel keeps turning. And as long as everyone treats everyone else right,
itll roll along smoothly. But if someone messes up, the whole system is screwed.
Choruses typically have the same words in them each time we hear them. They also tend
to repeat a few times throughout a song. This helps make our chorus memorable so
people will want to hear our song again. Its pretty standard in popular music.
Thats what makes what John Mayer did here so great. He stuck to the standard way of
creating a chorus, since its what people know and expect. However, he made it
interesting by using new information in each section (two verses and the bridge), which
created a new meaning for the SAME chorus, each time we moved forward. Its a great
way to keep your choruses from sounding stale, since theyre repeated so frequently.

How to Write a Song: Techniques from the Hits, Vol. I

Using Rhyme as a Tool, as Done by Evanescence

Another great way to keep your lyrics interesting is to use rhyme as a tool in your
songwriting. Have you ever gone through a phase in your songwriting where you decided
you just werent going to rhyme anymore? I think most songwriters have. But that could
just be because you didnt have a good strategy for rhyming. If you think of rhyming as a
strategy to enhance the mood of your song, and use it in conjunction with a few other
tools which well examine here, it can greatly benefit your songs.
Rhyming Basics
A lot of times, we fall into that old trap where we only write lyrics to three different rhyme
schemes. It seems to be an intuitive songwriting thing that we naturally do if we dont
know any better. If writing a four line lyric, we either write an xAxA scheme, an ABAB
scheme, or an AAAA scheme (where an x indicates a line with no rhyme and an A is a
line with a rhyme):
Some simplistic examples of that would be as follows:
xAxA Rhyme Scheme only the second and fourth lines rhyme
The first line has no rhyme (x)
And the second ones a treat (A)
While the third line matches nothing (x)
The fourth one feels complete (A)
ABAB Rhyme Scheme the second and fourth lines rhyme with each other and the first
and third lines rhyme with each other
The first line found a friend (A)
The second ones still fun (B)
The third lines not the end (A)
But at the fourth we know were done (B)

How to Write a Song: Techniques from the Hits, Vol. I

AAAA Rhyme Scheme all four lines rhyme

If you want a rhyme to shine (A)
Repeat it here and its a sign (A)
That its also in this line (A)
And by the last youre feelin fine (A)
These are all very deep lyrics, I know. But bear with me, Im making a point. As you can
see in the three examples above, they all feel very complete. After each of these three
rhyme schemes are done, its very clear that the section is over.
If youre a songwriter whos constantly writing to these three rhyme schemes, youre going
to eventually get tired of them for a couple of reasons. One, is because youre using the
same three schemes over and over again. That in itself can get tiring.
The second reason is because these rhyme schemes feel so complete and balanced. If
youre writing a song that has lyrics or a mood that is NOT happy and balanced, applying
these rhyme schemes just isnt going to feel right for your song. Instead of getting
frustrated and never rhyming again, try using rhyme to your advantage.
Break the Rules
One option, is to use a completely different, less balanced rhyme scheme. It may not be
as intuitive to you, but one way to create a rhyme scheme like that is to modify one of the
above rhyme schemes to fit your lyrical idea.
The time to do that would be when the lyric and mood of your song call for it. You want all
aspects of your song to be in alignment. So if you have a happy, feel good song with
upbeat lyrics by all means, use one of the three rhyme schemes above.
But if the mood of your song is dark and so are your lyrics, whats above just wont satisfy
your song. So, what should I do then? you may be asking.
Well, lets check out a great example of out what Evanescence did in their song My
Immortal.

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My Immortal
Well look at the chorus of this song, as it has the most effective use of rhyme throughout
the lyric. It modifies the AAAA rhyme scheme and turns it into an AAAx rhyme scheme.
Check it out
My Immortal by Evanescence

Chorus
When you cried, Id wipe away all of your tears (A)
When youd scream, Id fight away all of your fears (A)
And I held your hand through all of these years (A)
But you still have all of me (x)
The rhyme scheme here makes perfect sense for the lyric. This song is about someone
she loved now being gone. When we get to this chorus, lead singer Amy Lee is recapping
the positive things she did in the first three lines, so it makes sense that they all rhyme
perfectly with each other. Check out those three lines on their own
When you cried, Id wipe away all of your tears (A)
When youd scream, Id fight away all of your fears (A)
And I held your hand through all of these years (A)
Then what happens next?
But you still have all of me (x)
Oh! Theres the kicker! But you STILL have all of me. Even though hes gone, shes still
completely consumed with him. And thats all highlighted with a line that REFUSES to
rhyme with the other three lines.
So in other words, these four lines could be saying this:
I helped you
I helped you
I helped you
Youre gone

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Thats why it makes sense the last one behaves differently. Because its SAYING
something different.
Line Length & Number of Lines
Okay, I might have lied earlier. I said the rhyme scheme for this song was AAAx. The truth
is theres a little bit more going on here than I led on. The rhyme scheme is actually
AAAxx. While the chorus reads as four lines on paper, its actually sung as five lines.
It plays out in the song like this:
When you cried, Id wipe away all of your tears (A)
When youd scream, Id fight away all of your fears (A)
And I held your hand through all of these years (A)
But you still have (x)
All of me (x)
If you listen to the chorus of the song, youll hear what I mean. Now, why does it matter
that its actually five lines? Its because we talked about the line But you still have all of
me throwing the whole chorus off balance because it doesnt rhyme. This is true. It does.
But there are two other things that can make a section feel complete, or not. They are 1.
the number of lines, and 2. the length of the lines.
Dont believe me? Fine. Lets check back in with our original brilliant examples.
xAxA
The first line has no rhyme (x)
And the second ones a treat (A)
While the third line matches nothing (x)
The fourth one feels complete (A)

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ABAB
The first line found a friend (A)
The second ones still fun (B)
The third lines not the end (A)
But at the fourth we know were done (B)
AAAA
If you want a rhyme to shine (A)
Repeat it here and its a sign (A)
That its also in this line (A)
And by the last youre feelin fine (A)
In all three of these sections, we have an even number of lines, with roughly the same line
length in each section. Those two things combined with our standard rhyme schemes
make these sections feel very balanced.
An odd number of lines with changing line lengths make things feel less complete. Kind of
like how our lead singer is feeling by the end of the fifth line less complete. Check it out
again.
When you cried, Id wipe away all of your tears (A)
When youd scream, Id fight away all of your fears (A)
And I held your hand through all of these years (A)
But you still have (x)
All of me (x)
See how those three tools throw the section off balance? The length of the lines have
been shortened in the last two lines to leave us wanting more. And an extra line was
thrown in, just to totally throw the section off whack.

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And if you STILL dont believe me (I dont know why Im constantly doubting your faith
in me), imagine if THESE were the lyrics:
When you cried, Id wipe away all of your tears (A)
When youd scream, Id fight away all of your fears (A)
And I held your hand through all of these years (A)
Now I close my eyes, but you still appear (A)
Ahhh!! doesnt that feel better? A nice balanced, symmetrical section! The last line still
means the same thing as it did in the actual version (kind of). But in this case, the balance
of the section doesnt match the lyrical intent. Or the mood of the song. The section feels
happy, while the words and mood of the song suggest feeling incomplete.
You can see how changing your rhyme scheme can change what your listeners were
expecting. And if you take it even further by altering your line lengths and your number of
lines, you can really send their expectations on a roller coaster ride. But Id suggest only
using tools like this when they go hand in hand with the message youre trying to get
across in your songs. Otherwise, you may be doing your listeners a disservice. But most
importantly, experiment and have fun with it. See what works best for your songs.

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Part 2: Melody
While lyrics are how we convey our stories to our listeners, the melody is what keeps our
listeners humming our songs well after the songs are over. As hit songwriter Jason Blume
says you never hear anyone walking down the street humming chord changes. Amen.
In this section, well look at some ways to keep our audience interested in our melodies.

Contrasting Your Melody with Vocal Range,

as Done by Katy Perry
One important concept in melody writing is contrast between sections (i.e. between verse,
chorus & bridge sections). It seems like common sense, yet its often ignored. There are
so many different ways to achieve contrast from verse to chorus to bridge. You can sing
your vocals in a different range than the section before. You can start your vocals on a
different beat that you did in the section before. You can play different chords under the
same melody. The list goes on and on. And youll often see the best results when you use
many of these contrasting ideas together, to highlight the contrast. In this section, I want
to talk about the first idea I mentioned about singing in a different vocal range from
verse to chorus, since its such a common and often effective strategy used in tons of hit
songs.
One song that does it very effectively is Katy Perrys Firework. You can listen to the
song by clicking on the YouTube picture on the left. If you printed this out, you can do a
quick search for Katy Perry Firework on YouTube.com to find the song.
Contrasting Vocal Range
Firework by Katy Perry

The verses (starting at the opening line: Do you ever feel like a plastic bag) are sung
in the lower register of her range. Then when she hits the chorus (at Baby, youre a
Firework), she appears to be at the top of her range, hovering at about an octave
higher than she was in the verses. Pretty standard, yet effective stuff so far. And its set to
what sounds like the extremes of her vocal range, for added contrast.
In this song, what really sells it for me is the pre-chorus (starting at you just gotta ignite
the light ).. She bridges that fairly large pitch gap between low and high vocals in the

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verse and chorus by slowly stepping-up the notes in the pre-chorus. Not only does it really
highlight the fact that the contrast in the chorus is coming, but it builds tension thats
begging to be released in the higher pitched chorus. By the time the hook kicks in at the
chorus, not only are you ready for it, youre singing along at the top of your lungs. Okay,
maybe thats just me. But still
And yes, there are other factors in this song that help contribute to the contrast between
sections, but the change in vocal register, highlighted further with the pre-chorus to bridge
the gap, stands out clear and proud as one of the dominant ones. And rightfully so. It
works exceptionally well in this case.
Tying Music to Lyrics
But the coup de grce here is how this whole starting-low-in-the-verses-but-building-up-tothe-high-pitched-choruses ties into the overall Firework concept. A low lying verse that
goes to a pre-chorus shooting up higher and higher which leads into a high flying booming
chorus! Wow! That sounds just like something an actual firework might do! Coincidence?
Probably not. Moves like this always work best, when they hit on multiple levels. And this
one does. Like this song or not, its writing techniques like this that put Katy Perry at the
top of the charts.
I recommend you experiment with a contrasting melody between your verses and
choruses. I think youll notice that itll really help to break up your song into singable
chunks. If you can tie that vocal range into the meaning of your lyrics, even better.

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More Ways to Contrast Your Melody,

as Done by Colbie Caillat
Vocal range is one way to contrast your melodies, but as I mentioned earlier its not the
only way. Recently, I had an addiction to the song Brighter than the Sun by Colbie
Caillat. I say addiction because I couldnt function properly unless I had my fix of that tune.
I was the stereotypical teenage-girl-singing-along-to-her-favorite-catchy-pop-tune-at-thetop-of-her-lungs-while-driving. In a grown mans body, of course.
Right off the bat I knew it was the melody. But, what was it about the melody that kept me
coming back for more? The answer again was melodic contrast. This songs verses and
choruses are thoroughly contrasted with each other, in more ways then one. They not
only kept the song from being boring, but kept the hook in my head.
Lets examine what the verses did so we can compare them to the chorus. First, go listen
to first verse and chorus of the song. Its to the left. Again, if youve printed this out and
arent familiar with the song, simply do a YouTube search for Colbie Caillat Brigher than
the Sun. Lets examine the verse.
Brighter Than the Sun by Colbie Caillat

Verse 1
Stop me on the corner
I swear you hit me like a vision
I, I, I wasnt expecting
But who am I to tell fate where its supposed to go with it
Dont you blink you might miss it
See we got a right to just love it or leave it
You find it and keep it
Cause it aint every day you get the chance to say
Note Lengths
The verse is quick and choppy. Its notes are mostly eight and sixteenth notes. Theyre
staccato. She doesnt hang around on each note very long. This goes on for about eight
measures, ending with the quickest and choppiest line of them all: Cause it aint every
day you get the chance to say. Which sets up the contrast in the Chorus beautifully.

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Chorus
Oh, this is how it starts, lightning strikes the heart
It goes off like a gun, brighter than the sun
Oh, we could be the stars, falling from the sky
Shining how we want, brighter than the sun
In this section, words like oh, starts and heart are a stark contrast to the choppy,
quick notes we heard in the verses melody. These words are long and drawn out, offering
an excellent contrast to what we heard previously. Go back and listen for it.
Vocal Range between Sections
We saw how effective contrasting vocal range between sections was in Katy Perrys
Firework, but its worth mentioning again here, since its a big player in this song as well.
The first melodic note in the chorus (on Oh) is about a full octave higher than where she
left you at the end of the verse. This is a big contributor to the change in feel youre
noticing from the verse to the chorus.
Vocal Range within Sections
Another thing thats creating contrast here, is her use of vocal range WITHIN her sections.
Although it sounds the same, this is a different concept from what we just talked about.
In her verses, shes keeping her melody in a pretty tight knit range, staying mainly
between a G and a D the entire time. But once she hits the chorus, she jumps up an
octave to a higher G, and hops around a full octave to get her catchy hook across.
Another great tool for creating contrast.

Make It Your Own

Creating melodic contrast from one section to the other is what leaves a listener longing to
hear the hook again. Its a powerful technique. Plus, it keeps your listeners from being
bored, because it prevents the song from droning on and on.

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Part 3: Song Structure

Song structure is about how our songs sections are organized. In this section, well look
at how song structure has been handled in a couple of popular songs.

Breaking the Monotony of a Simplified Song Structure,

as Done by Sleigh Bells
There are a handful of very common song structures used in contemporary songwriting.
One of them is Verse / Chorus / Verse / Chorus / Bridge / Chorus. Its also notated as
ABABCB (where A denotes the verse, B the chorus and C the bridge). A plethora of hit
songs use this structure. Its definitely one our ears have become accustomed to hearing.
Weve heard this song structure so many times in popular music that were practically
trained to expect a bridge right after the second chorus. Next time you hear a song for the
first time, after the second chorus is done youll probably catch yourself expecting to hear
a bridge, even though the song is brand new to you.
A Less Common Song Structure
Another song structure thats much more rare is an ABABAB structure. Its a simple
repetition of the verse and chorus. Its simply two sections repeated (the lyrics will change
in the verses, but the melody and chord changes will be roughly the same). The reason
this song structure isnt common, is because the repetition of the verse and chorus over
and over again tends to become monotonous.
Rill Rill by Sleigh Bells
With this in mind, take a listen to the song Rill Rill by Sleigh Bells. Something interesting
happens at the end of the second chorus. Check out the song, and see if you hear what I
heard (consider the verses to be the sections starting on the line Have a heart and the
choruses to start on So this is it, then). The section after the second chorus starts
Rill Rill by Sleigh Bells

around 2:40 into the provided video link, but Id listen all the way through, to get the full
feel for whats happening.

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Bridge or Third Verse?

What did you hear? For me, what happens after the second chorus is interesting. We
essentially go back to the verse. The melody and lyrics are exactly the same as they were
in the first verse. However, all the instrumentation has dropped out of the song. Its
basically the first verse sung a cappella, with a slight drum beat going in the background,
just to keep the timing moving forward. While its musically the same as the verses, it
does sound different than the previous two verses.
As I mentioned in reference to John Mayers song Daughters earlier, typically, the
bridge, or section C, of a song SOUNDS different from the rest of the song. Its usually
the first time weve heard a part like this throughout the whole track. Thats why what
Sleigh Bells does here is interesting. They use the same melody and lyrics from the verse,
but they change whats happening beneath it to keep the song from becoming
monotonous.
Its almost as if they originally wrote the song determined it would be an ABABAB, verse
and chorus only song. But after listening to it in its full form it sounded too repetitive, so
they changed up the texture of the third verse (or is it the bridge?). I dont know if thats
how the writing process happened, but it certainly wouldnt surprise me.
Judge, Jury & Songwriter
As a songwriter, would you consider this song to be an ABABCB structure, or an ABABAB
structure? Would you consider the section after the second chorus to be a third verse or a
bridge? I guess those questions dont matter as much as this one: Does it work? You
decide. If you have a song thats simply refusing to offer you a bridge, maybe you can
attempt a third verse thats altered to keep your listeners from bailing. It may be worth
messing with. Or maybe youre totally against that idea.
Songwriting is an art, so there are no rules. However there are guidelines that most hit
songs tend to follow. One of those guidelines is adhering to commonly used song
structures (such as the ABABCB structure). Rill Rill by Sleigh Bells certainly bends the
guidelines in this case. You can do that too, if you feel its right for your song. But I will
always suggest you learn the guidelines before you break them. Your songs can only
benefit from that.

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Getting Away from Popular Song Structure,

as Done by Ingrid Michaelson
You may get tired of constantly having your songs conform to a standard structure. If you
get creative, you can offer something interesting and different to your listeners. A great
way to do that is to build tension, which begs to be released. Ingrid Michaelson effectively
creates one of these moments in her song, Keep Breathing, so lets check out what she
did so we can apply the technique to our own music.
A Standard Beginning
This song starts with two short verses that end on the Keep Breathing refrain.
Verses 1 and 2 (minus the refrains) tell us:
Verse 1
The storm is coming, but I dont mind
People are dying, I close my blinds
Verse 2
I want to change the world, instead I sleep
I want to believe in more than you and me
Thats concise and straightforward Its this nonchalant and general language thats
saying I cant do anything about it. Im not going to do anything about it.
The Storm is Coming
What happens next is interesting. When the second verse ends and goes into the second
refrain (All that I know is Im breathing) we have exactly two minutes left in a song
thats less than three and a half minutes long.
Who cares? you may be asking. Well, those last two minutes are almost ENTIRELY the
phrase All we can do is keep breathing repeated over and over again. Theres some
slight variation in the words of the phrase, and after the second refrain, she lingers on the
word now for a bit. But aside from that, its all All we can do is keep breathing for the
balance of the song!

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Normally this much repetition of a section means you wont be needed that Ambien
tonight but not here. Here, it actually works. Lets see why
There are two main things going on after the initial two verses of this song that make the
repetition work so well. The first is that whats happening BENEATH the vocals is
changing so drastically. And not only is it changing, but its building tension.
First listen to the song, if youre not familiar with it. At about 2:07 in the video link provided
to the left, almost all the instruments have dropped out of the song as she says All that I
know is Im breathing. Then, each time the phrase gets repeated, more instruments start
coming in underneath the vocal. Its starting to create a tension. The snare drum has a
huge hand in this. As its pounding away and getting louder and louder, were building up
Keep Breathing by Ingrid Michaelson

a really strong tension thats begging to be released. This has got to break soon, right?
And its going to be leading to something big, right?
So what happens? The tension breaks at 2:41 as the persistent beating of the snare drum
ends and goes into a regular drum beat. At the same time, the vocal harmonies chanting
ahhhh kick in, in the background. The tension has officially been relieved. So lets see
what the lead vocals up to at this point, because it MUST be doing something different
now Nope. Still breathing. Exactly the same as it was before the tension was released.
Yet we still feel the release because of whats going on BENEATH the words.
But theres more. Theres a second thing thats making the end of this song work well. We
talked about this in some of our other examples, as well. The meaning of the lyrics are
tied into the music, throughout all this repetition.
Think about it what happens when you literally keep breathing with your lungs?
Repetition. No matter whats happening in the WORLD around you, your BREATHS
keeps happening. And whatevers happening in the arrangement of this SONG below
the words (drums, guitars, etc), the LYRICS AND MELODY stay repetitive and keep
happening, over and over. The same as they did in the breath before.
When you stop breathing, youre dead. When this song stops repeating, its over.

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Now we can see why almost two minutes of the same lyrics and melody work here.
Because theres a whole world changing beneath the lead vocal. And at the same time
the repetition of the lead vocal ties in so strongly to the meaning of the words. Now
THATS good writing (and arranging). Its structure supporting meaning, pulled off big
time.
This is not a common song structure by any means, but because Michaelson so
effectively broke the rules, the song worked. If youre feeling especially crafty, you can try
something like that.

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Bonus: Cover Songs

While writing your own songs is really what drives you, sometimes youll have the need to
perform songs by other artists. When you do, youll want to make the songs youre
covering your own. Well take a look at some ideas for that in this bonus section.

Performing a Cover Song, as Done by

Karen O, Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross
I recently sat down to watch the movie The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. As the opening
credits rolled, I found myself completely intrigued with the song accompanying the movies
intro. It was oddly familiar, yet totally fresh. At the same time, it was setting a great mood
for the movie.
Then it hit me that it was a cover of Led Zeppelins Immigrant Song. I quickly hopped on
Google to find out who this version was by, and seconds before the answer appeared
before me on my television set, google had the answer. It was by Karen O of Yeah Yeah
Yeahs, Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails and Atticus Ross, who collaborated with Reznor
on The Social Network Soundtrack.
I had always loved the original Zeppelin song, but I was really enjoying this new version.
So, immediately my mind started racing for answers to the question what makes this
such a damn good cover?
I came up with three answers that apply to this song, as well as other great cover songs.
Ill use Immigrant Song as an example to make my points, since its my most recent
favorite.
Immigrant Song by Led Zeppelin

You can check out Led Zeppelins original version with the link to the left (above), and the
cover version for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo right below it. Again, you can do a
YouTube search for those, if youve printed this out.
Once youre familiar with both versions, lets check out how to make a successful cover
song.
Immigrant Song by Karen O,
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross

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Design the Vocal

As always, the lead vocal is a crucial part to whether or not youll have a great track. The
same applies when youre performing a cover song. The worst thing you can do is try to
do an impression of the original singer. Keep it in your own voice, and make it yours. The
only time for impressions would be if youre in a cover band. In that case, youre probably
dressing like the original lead singer as well. Odds are, youre not doing that if youre
simply performing one cover. So stay away from impressions, and be yourself.
How was the vocal handled in the new version of Immigrant Song? For starters, they
used a female vocalist, with Karen O. This was a great call, because of the high-pitched
nature of Robert Plants original vocals. A lot of male vocalists wouldnt have even been
able to pull off the shrieks of Robert Plant. And those who can run the risk of sounding like
imitators. Dont get me wrong, male vocalists have performed this cover well in the past,
but this was definitely a cool take on this song.
Aside from Karen Os vocals matching Plants original pitches well, theres more that
makes her vocal work in this version. Generally speaking, a female vocal tends to be
more delicate than that of a male vocal. That idea works well in this song, because it
creates a cool juxtaposition, of the delicate female vocal against the tough and grungy
bed of instrumentation lying underneath. That juxtaposition is amplified by the fact that in
the original version, the instrumentation isnt as grungy as it is here. Plus, with the new
version being sung by a woman, the contrast between the vocal and the instruments
becomes more intense because in our minds we cant help but compare it to the original,
which doesnt have this much contrast to start off with.
The most important thing to consider when youre designing your own vocal delivery for a
cover song is to properly emote the lyrics, based on what they mean to you. If you do that,
you cant lose with your vocal take. Karen O does a nice job in delivering the vocals in this
track by laying back when she needs to and dipping into an edgier vocal when its
appropriate.
Keep the Essence of the Original
Another aspect important to a great cover is keeping the essence of the original version.
In the case of Immigrant Song, this meant holding true to Zeppelins version, musically.

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The key, tempo, lyrics and structure of the new version, are all basically the same as the
original. Essentially, on paper the two versions are identical. What changed in the new
version happened outside of the technical musical events.
Of course, thats not to say to hold true to the original, you have to keep key, tempo, etc,
the same. Many great covers have changed the musical elements of the original. Sweet
dreams by Marilyn Manson is a version that comes to mind. Manson kept the essence of
the original version with the accentuation of the main guitar lick in the verses, but he
slowed down the tempo drastically from the original Eurythmics version.
Whats important to keep in mind, is to hold onto something defining in the original version
that will let people know where your song came from, if theyre familiar with the original
version.
There are some cases where completely deconstructing the original version of a cover,
and barely replacing it at all can be cool, but I think when starting to work out your cover
songs, itll be to your benefit to find some piece of the original to hold on to, as a reference
point for your listeners.
Make the Song Your Own
This may seem contrary to my previous point, but its not. While you want to keep some
essence of the original song in tact, you also want to put your own stamp on the song as
well. If you check out the bed of the new version of Immigrant Song, you can clearly
hear the Nine Inch Nails edginess contributed by Trent Reznor. Those tough, gritty
synthesizer sounds that we loved Nine Inch Nails for are standing proud.
While the music of this song is all Zeppelins as we discussed in the second point, the feel
belongs to the new crew. If you had never heard the Zeppelin song before you heard this
new version, youd have never guessed it was a Led Zeppelin song. Its because all the
feel in this version is contributed by the new artists. Its not Trent Reznor trying to match
Zeppelins exact original guitar tones, but hes programming the song his way. Its
probably the way he would have done it had he written it. And the same goes for Karen
Os vocals. Shes not giving you a Robert Plant impression, shes delivering the song the
way she would have if it were hers.

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So next time you decide to perform a cover, give some consideration to these points.
How are you going to delver the vocal? In what ways are you going to hold true to the
original. And finally, how are you going to add your own style to it? If you consider these
questions before you perform, youre sure to give your audiences a cool experience.

Final Word
Hopefully after reading this book, youll start listening to how songs are written with a
more careful ear. Listen to whats going on in the songs you hear on the radio, and try to
apply what you hear to your own music. You dont always have to follow the rules of
songwriting, but you do have to know what those rules are before you can break them.
You now have some cool tools to try out in your music. Always test, refine and repeat
what you learn for the best results. And always be on the lookout for new information to
help you improve.
In the end, when it comes to your music, trust your ear. Whatever sounds right, probably
is. I just hope what you read here gets you to sounding right faster than you would have
previously. Have fun and make great tunes.