SONGWRITING
THE CHALLENGE OF WRITING BETTER LYRICS | Kevin MacDougall
I recently heard a new song from one of the
Maybe it gets to you, too.
the ship. Instead, we increasingly see the safe
biggest names in congregational worship. The
song was extremely catchy, and sure to grab
approach of a committee using interchangeable
COLLABORATION CAN BE STIFLING phrases to produce something utilitarian. Lyrics
Where the Psalm says, “My heart overflows small.
the attention of a lot of churches going for that
sort of sound.
that are kinda just... fine. But they ultimately feel
with a good theme,” a lot of songwriters of faith
And yet… the lyrics seemed like an afterthought.
today wouldn’t seem to know what that feels Keep in mind that artists need to play an integral
like. To have a concept hit you with so great an role in how communion with God is expressed
Like they had been flown in from a thousand impact—so that one main idea is filling you to to (and by) the people of God. The prophets
other songs with nothing of their own to say— overflowing, and you simply have to articulate wrote the majority of Biblical poetry, not the
no consistency of theme or vision. I would go it artistically. priests. It’s artists who have the boldness and
so far as to say that, if you were to ask someone
tenacity to speak truth to power and articulate
who had just sung the song what it was about, The #collab culture of writing today is more God’s heart for today. When too many priests
she’d probably have to shrug and say, “Umm... likely to represent committee than it is the take control of that noble work, the scandal
God?” impassioned expression of an artist. The can get lost. This can be true of a song written
song I mentioned above is one that, like so by a bunch of people whether or not a pastor
To be clear, I’m not suggesting the lyrics were many these days, was written not only by the was one of them. The songs written in groups
theologically alarming, just that they were so... musicians, but the pastor of a church. When I can easily fall prey to being songs which
flat. So vacant in poetry, so devoid of evocative see songwriting credit going to someone who reflect everyone and yet no one. A lot of the
imagery, and so lacking in anything resembling likely has some theological training, I’m always lyrics which automatically come to mind in a
the Divine Scandal which would motivate reading lyrics to see what having that person group writing setting are words we’ve been so
wonder and awe in the pen of a writer. as a collaborator amounts to. And I’m sad to inundated with that we reproduce them without
say, I can’t usually find anything of substance. a second thought.
This new song is not an outlier. It represents It’s the same platitudes and truisms and clichés something all too common in worship music— the worship leaders could have written anyway. Collaboration can be a great thing. It often is.
lyrics which read almost like a parody of The same Christianese. Absolutely. But collaboration is not a substitute
worship lyrics.
I feel like I need to clarify that I’m not one of those
for deep and personal expression. Even when
I’m left thinking to myself, “You needed the collaborating, a song still needs to reflect at
collaboration of a pastor… for that?” least one person’s passion to say something.
people who thinks modern worship has gotten
The music suffers when we gather together
too “touchy feely” with God, or that it “doesn’t What are we even aspiring to do here? And to “work” a song and end up with a bunch of
have good theology, like those hymns.” That’s where’s the poetry? lyrical generalities.
frustrated with so many songs that sound great You might even argue that the trend of “pastoral In contrast to that sort of lowest common
and yet still don’t seem to be about anything. oversight” from some megachurch worship denominator approach, art isn’t safe. Art
I see so many shallow and interchangeable teams dominating playlists today hinders more moves, inspires, challenges, and stirs to
lyrical passages. I see words and phrases that than it helps. There’s no danger to these lyrics. wonder. It’s not always easy to digest, and it’s
sound like they were written on autopilot. And No overflow of a beautiful theme. So often, it not always simple. It’s not always marketable,
sometimes, it just gets to me. doesn’t sound like artists are at the helm of either.
not me at all. And yet I still can’t help but be
46
October 2019
Subscribe for Free...