SONGWRITING
CAN YOU BE MORE SPECIFIC ? | Kevin MacDougall
I want to begin this month ’ s article with a note : My previous column ( from last month ’ s February issue ) was titled “ Songs of Peace ,” and has come to take on a somber , fateful new tone in light of current world events . I recommend checking it out if you haven ’ t . It opens , “ Our world is in distress . For many of us , these are contentious times . Volatile times .” And it goes on to talk about how our songwriting can benefit from the Biblical mandate of peace for the purpose of God in bringing oneness and wholeness — quieting our fear , anger and anxiety .
You can read it here .
That column is all the more relevant a month later , I think . And this one was planned to build on its foundation with something that proves , once again , to be a timely subject .
We ’ re all interested in how we might best engage people with our songs . How we can reach for maximum resonance , and what gives songs that sometimes elusive quality of being intensely personal for people .
The answer is so simple it can go ignored : If a song is to be personal for the one who hears it , it should be personal for the writer , too .
I almost hesitate to point this out because it should go without saying , but I think it ’ s a reminder we might need in our times of global access to everything . A tendency develops in local churches to aim for the broad focus of what they ’ re hearing in conferences or seeing on YouTube . The average congregant doesn ’ t push for this , but the average pastor and worship team frequently does . Church leaders are prone to fear losing those who attend
services , and this fear leads to all manner of compulsion .
How that affects many of us as songwriters is that we might all end up replicating a current trend from whichever megachurch ’ s writers are getting the most airplay . We can do that consciously or subconsciously , but it happens . A lot .
It ’ s certainly true in Nashville , where I live . Song craft often becomes something of a generalized exercise , aiming as broadly as possible . That aim is meant to lead to something transcendent , but it can also lead to songs that are quite limited and vague . You can end up lyrically and musically reliant on clichés and platitudes , and in service of a lowest common denominator rather than writing songs which are an expression of depth and realness for you personally .
If given the choice between writing something safe and inoffensive ( but forgettable ) to most people , or something more personal and challenging that maybe not everyone can connect with , but some will connect with deeply … I will take that second path . Every time .
We live in a global age , but we can still think locally .
In an age of overwhelming generality , we can offer specificity .
I have observed a great irony . When it comes to songs that do end up resonating with people all over , the writers will almost inevitably tell you that something very specific inspired them . When you hear a song story , you ’ ll hear about a conversation the writer had with someone , or a discussion which began in their small group , or a loss suffered by someone they know , or a prayer their congregation prayed , or their grief over something faced by a family member , etc . You never hear a song story that begins , “ Well I was just sitting there thinking of what the whole church might want to sing …”
And it ’ s no different outside of the church . Look at some of the most far-reaching and transcendent songs in Pop / Rock history , and you ’ ll find very personal stories behind them . Consider a writer like Paul McCartney . A dedicated showman , he spent his younger years as a pretty guarded person emotionally … And yet :
• “ Yesterday ” was a melody that came to him in his sleep , which he used to ruminate on his experience of life ’ s growing complexity .
• “ Blackbird ” was written as a personal reflection and endorsement of the Civil Rights Movement .
• “ Hey Jude ” was written to comfort John Lennon ’ s son as his parents were getting divorced .
• And “ Let It Be ” was written as Paul started to see his band coming apart at the seams . When he sings “ mother Mary comes to me ,” it ’ s not a religious statement , but a reference to his actual mom , whom he ’ d lost to cancer when he was only 14 .
So the biggest songs usually start out quite small . And the collective intimacy experienced by people singing those songs in churches ( or stadiums ) everywhere usually begins with an