Exploring The Role of Lyrics In Indie Music - Deep Dive Into Songwriting
I provide a deep dive into songwriting, with a focus on developing skills to write original songs.

Songwriting is one of the most important processes during a composition, just by having lyrics you can make the audience feel happy, anxious, melancholic, or entertained. That's the exact reason why it is not as easy as it seems, the process of writing a song can last hours, days, or even months. And, of course, this is the moment in which you are vulnerable.

Songwriting works in the same way as venting to a family member or friend. It's the moment when all your defenses come down and you are the purest version of yourself that exists. Songwriting heals, matures, and makes us see life more positively.

The artist is not the only one who heals by writing songs, but also the fans who admire and support the artist. There are songs that, depending on what the lyrics say, can raise our spirits. Or perhaps the opposite, makes us feel very sad.

When indie artists write songs, they are usually related to personal experiences because they express all their emotions, feelings, fears, or deceptions. Even though it may not be the case for all the songs in the world, the majority of them are made according to what the artist wants to say. Isn't it satisfying to be able to express everything you feel?

Writing songs is the same as writing a letter, a poem, or a story

The only difference is that you have to take into account some musical issues. Otherwise, they are the same, it is the art of writing. Songwriters have the same passion as writers of novels, poets, or essayists.

In this article, you will have a deep dive into songwriting (as the title says), but most importantly, you’re going to learn how to write original songs by yourself. So, the first thing you should know is that songwriting should be a natural process. Forcing it can become tedious, and the whole artistic process could be lost.

But it doesn't mean that you should write songs only when you feel "inspired", all songwriters emphasize how important it is to make songwriting a routine. Believe it or not, it will allow you to be more agile when thinking of stories, words, or sentences. Writing consistently helps your brain to stay active.

Renowned musician Jeff Tweedy has a book titled "How to Write One Song" that talks about exactly this. However, in the book Tweedy explains that, if you are a beginner, you should start by writing simple songs every day. A common mistake some independent artists make is that they tend to rush into songwriting, but most are not used to writing that much. Many artists try to write hundreds of songs that reach the masses, but they don't have the experience and knowledge

So my advice is this:

• Dedicate half an hour a day to writing a song, no matter what it's about, just try to squeeze the most out of your creativity.
• Before composing a song, try to have a melody you like so you can improvise based on it (if necessary).
• If you want to have an order regarding the composition of the song, you can make a song structure (verse, pre-verse, chorus, etc).
• Makeup stories, not everything has to be about personal experiences.
• Try to compose songs with other musicians, and if you have the opportunity do collaborations with them.
• Enjoy the process and have fun!!

Now that you have some songwriting tips, here are two lyrics from one of the best songwriters in indie rock, none other than Matt Berninger, the frontman and songwriter for The National.

(In case you don't know, The National was a band founded in 1999. It was composed of Matt, Aaron Dessner, Bryce Dessner, Scott Devendorf, and Bryan Devendorf. In 2017 they released an album called "Sleep Well Beast" which won a Grammy!).

If we focus on Matt Berninger's creative abilities when it comes to songwriting, he is an absolute genius.

Song: Wasp Nest

You're cussing a storm in a cocktail dress your mother wore when she was young

Red sun saint around your neck

A wet martini in a paper cup

You're a wasp nest, you're a wasp nest.

Your eyes are broken bottles

And I'm afraid to ask

And all your wrath and cutting beauty

You're poison in the pretty glass

You're a wasp nest, you're a wasp nest

You're all humming live wires under your killing clothes.

Get over here, I wanna kiss your skinny throat

You're a wasp nest, you're a wasp nest

- Source  from Genius

In this song, Matt uses a metaphor to compare his lover to a wasp's nest. But why a wasp's nest? Well, mainly because they are dangerous and aggressive. However, even though his lover might be that way, he still loves her...

Perhaps the most impressive thing about this song is the simplicity, and please remember this word. Simplicity in songwriting is fundamental. To say something you don't need to go around in circles, you don't need to write a 7-minute song, you can do it in the most direct way possible. And that's exactly what Berninger managed to do.

Matt also had some great songs in his solo career, one of them being a collaboration with Phoebe Bridgers. She is also a songwriter, known mainly for her first album Stranger in the Alps (2017), which is full of melancholic lyrics, metaphors, and juxtapositions. If you are interested in listening to her music, click here.

Song: Walking on a String

[Verse 1]

The things you've said are hanging in the middle of my mind tonight, I can't turn 'em off

I try to worry for your soul but I forget to all the time

I'm in a twisted web and I can't pull my head from it

[Chorus]

I think about you walking on a string

It always brings me back here

Into the garden by the hand

You've always had me walking on a string

[Verse 2]

I knew that I was dead before you touched my lonesome skin

You're never running out of ways to worm your way back in

I hang my head and feel the oxygen drain

- Source from Genius

Needless to say, the lyrics are melancholic and even poetic, which allows the listener to identify with the song. It is a love song, and we have all identified with a love song at one time or another. And although this is not Matt's only love song, it is one of the most popular as it is part of a movie called Between Two Ferns (2019).

If you liked this article please share it with other indie artists, songwriters, or friends who might be interested in this topic! What did you think of Berninger's songs?