Your own songs

[chainsaw cheney]

I tohught aboutmaybe making a thread baout songs that all of you might write, just to see what you write about, what you think, whatever. ^_^

[State_Of_Emergency]

i don't write songs, but im interested to know HOW you write them, since i would like to write some, but im not sure how :)

[chainsaw cheney]

aw we have a few, some of the lyrics are really lame, but the song is effective and gets in your head. mwhahaha.

[Comic Book Crush]

i don't write songs, but im interested to know HOW you write them, since i would like to write some, but im not sure how :)

I'm not sure what you mean by how do you write a song, but yeah, haha. Uhm, I dont normally write songs, cos I suck at coming up with lyrics and stuff, but every now and then I will, you just need to write about something thats meaningful to you and then it sorta writes itself. Unless you're naturally good at writing songs and then you can write about anything haha. And if you're talking about music and not lyrics, just play random things until you get a sound you like, and then make sure you write that down, and then keep mucking around with it until you have a song.

Sorry if that doesn't help at all. And if it doesn't make sense, I'm sorry, and you can ask me what the hell I mean. haha.

[State_Of_Emergency]

I'm not sure what you mean by how do you write a song, but yeah, haha.

Sorry if that doesn't help at all. And if it doesn't make sense, I'm sorry, and you can ask me what the hell I mean. haha.

yeah, i get what you mean.. i write em, but they end up sounding too much like poems.....

i should see if they have "songwriting classes" somewhere :)

[Erin]

a song stripped of music is prety much a poem... well, most pop songs anyway.

[State_Of_Emergency]

good point..

maybe i should just write something.. i think its more the "music" part thats confusing me, and the lyrics sometimes end up as stories.. like, big stories

how does Chris write such awesome stuff so easy? gosh, i wish i was that good

[chainsaw cheney]

normally when i feel somewthing or i'm in some kind of mood, these words just come int my head and i keep them until i go over thme later on and words just follow. Or when I'm walking I get words or when I 'm almost alseep. x.x

[State_Of_Emergency]

Or when I'm walking I get words or when I 'm almost alseep. x.x

yeah, same here... i get words when im doing something else, or sleeping.. and then i forget em because i don't have time to write em down

im going, maybe ill see if i can figure some sorta song out

[Erin]

how does Chris write such awesome stuff so easy? gosh, i wish i was that good

thats 'cause writing and playing songs is his job :D besides, he didn't suddenly become an awesome songwriter overnight.

[State_Of_Emergency]

thats 'cause writing and playing songs is his job :D besides, he didn't suddenly become an awesome songwriter overnight.

i know.. still. ill see if i can come up with something maybe. songs aren't my strong point...yet

(ill talk to you later or tomorrow about that movie, erin) see y'all later *waves*

[chainsaw cheney]

lol. yeh, I just make up something on gtar sometimes and then it comes!! when i get lyrics I just go OMG!! give me paper adn a pen! or your phone!!

[State_Of_Emergency]

lol. yeh, I just make up something on gtar sometimes and then it comes!! when i get lyrics I just go OMG!! give me paper adn a pen! or your phone!!

lol :D haha

[Bec]

yeah, same here... i get words when im doing something else, or sleeping.. and then i forget em because i don't have time to write em down

im going, maybe ill see if i can figure some sorta song out

Maybe keep a notepad and pen next to your bed so if you're thinking of something when you're about to go to sleep/just woke up you can write it down before you forget.

I'm terrible with words, and not too great with writing music either.

[Erin]

i just like mucking around on the piano, when i hear something i like i write down the keys/chords i used.

lyric wise, i try, but i don't feel comfortable looking back over it.

[chainsaw cheney]

whats wrong with society whats this thing inside of me?
it only comes before it can go is there something i should know
We lost our way and we're dying to day but one day we will find our way just wait til that day

erh.. i forget the chorus x.x

[Billyasd]

I write songs about little things. This one has no double meaning. It's about cold showers. It's called Cold Shower Shuffle.

Verse 1:

The Cold Shower Shuffle is the cure for all disease
It cools you down, it freeze your fleas
... and also lice

It reliefs all aches and pains that you posess
Takes them away, puts them to rest
... at least for the mean-time

Prechorus:
When you get out of the shower,
the feeling's insane,
like a pair of underwear

full of snow, it remains
But then several minutes later,
that feeling's gone,
so you hop back in the shower and you...

Chorus:
TURN THE COLD SHOWER ON!
You'll turn it anti-clockwise
and do not touch the hot knob
it is the sign of pure evil.

Verse 2:
I heard it through a friend of a friend, "it happens!
prolonged exposure to device causes Gaps in teeth!"
... I asked him, "How, how so?"

He said "the colder the water the more it will make things shrink,
and also make your body turn strawberry pink.
... that's what happens to the teeth!"

Prechorus:
So your saying that cold showers will turn my teeth pink?
Not only that I'm saying it'll make them shrink!
Screw this ol' bud this convo is "the stink"!
So I...

Chorus:
TURN THE COLD SHOWER ON!
You'll turn it anti-clockwise
and do not touch the hot knob
it is the sign of pure evil.

Bridge:
My mother used to punish me,
By taking a cold shower.
This technique didn't work,
It didn't emphasise her power,

All it's seemed to do is show me,
the fun of the ol' shuffle,
-now I do it several times a day,
an addict on chocolate truffle

I woke up in the morning,
had a glance in the mirror
noticed that my teeth had turned pink,
I stood nearer,

My teeth had also shrunk,
and grown apart in fear,
that they'd have to be exposed,
to the relentless tyr...anny... of...

[chainsaw cheney]

haha thats wicked

[livingendrock]

As far as actually putting a song together, its probably best to start off with the music. Dont write a song around lyrics, it gets too confusing and annoying. It all starts with a riff, an idea. then you work from there. Some people are naturally better than others, but over time and with alot of practice, i think anyone can write songs.

With the music, write something that flows. Dont be scared to try something different. ie you dont have to follow the regular formular of intro, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, solo/bridge, chorus. But make sure each part stands out and you can tell where the verse ends and the chorus starts, etc.

Lyrics, try not to fall into the trap of making everything ryme. Sure it sounds better, but if you're writing a line for the soul fact of trying to make it ryme with the previous line, the meaning of the song often gets lost. So yeah, not EVERYTHING has to ryme. And dont be too obvious. Like poety, the best songs have lines that are open to interpretation, or have double meanings.

Coming up with a melody is the hardest part of writing a song. But try get something that fits with the muic obviously. If you have even a brief understanding of music theory, that would help.

im not saying that im an expert lol far from it :P but im in a band and we've written over 30 songs together. At the moment, theres only about 12 that we play because we're constantly dropping songs, or writing better ones lol. So yeah this is all just my take on song writing, and everyone has their own style. So yeah just keep at it. And if you love writing that much, we'll probably hear your song on the radio :)

if anyone's intrested, check out my band's songs. The link is in my sig. And add us too lol we always want more friends! :P

[Comic Book Crush]

haha, i love the song ^_^


I normally just muck around on the guitar or bass, and make up random things until i make something I like. Most of the time I'm just writing a bass line to something Kert's written on guitar though, so I'm not sure if that makes it easier or harder.

[Comic Book Crush]

if anyone's intrested, check out my band's songs. The link is in my sig. And add us too lol we always want more friends! :P

I'm listening to your band now. =]

[KillingInTheNameOf]

http://www.thelivingend.com/vBforum/showthread.php?t=288 ;)

[chainsaw cheney]

i have 2 songs about how much i hate rap and r n b and all that shit...

[KillingInTheNameOf]

I wrote a Rapcore song about how much I hate rap lol

Oh the irony . . .

The song itself was really bad as well so I canned it :p

[chainsaw cheney]

ha awas gunner say, if it was bad then you suceeded

[_jimmy_]

my bands only written 2 songs, hate rap and techno crap. our first song is kind of a hack of dont turn away with the lyrics of the chorus and the outro,just kidna of different. our other song "kassie" is more of a blink 182/greenday approach.

when i write songs i generally write it out first then think of a melody for it,but than my drummer told me to try and write the guitar and lyrics for at the same time. thats how we came up with "kassie"

hope that helps.

[thelivingvines]

I've been thinking of putting these up around here for a while... just never got round to it or found quite the right place. These are some fairly rough demos from over the summer. Just me messing around with some songs at home. My drummer and bassist haven't done their parts which I assure you are much better than what I came up with. I think you'll hear the living end influence anyway. let me know what you think.

blues 101- http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=5C4ECBC176290E9B

bring back the weekend (despite what you may think not a rip of long live the weekend; I wrote this a while before I heard the living end song)
http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=CED4D4A17921B7E4

Take some time-
http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=B20F9B744C2488BC

hope you like em. they're only up for a week so get em while they're hot!

[_jimmy_]

what did you record with?

[thelivingvines]

roland vs2400
se electronics 2200a mic
no idea which guitars i used. Mixture of duo jet and a godin lgxsa
v drums
some shit bass.

[Disease]

If you want to see a couple of my songs, check the singer/songwriter thread..

[tanguyen]

http://tan.dmusic.com

You have been warned right here, some of the songs might sound a bit unpleasant to your ears. If I recommend anything worth listening at all, listen to "Puberty". The rest is diarrhoea coming out of my mouth/guitar.

And just for the record, I am a better guitarist than what you hear. Think I'm vain? I dare you to listen to it all ;)

[Disease]

..well that's really made me want to listen to your music. :p

[Julian]

As someone said earlier, start with the music. You'll find the majority of songwriters do this and it's for a reason.

[Disease]

Yeah, I always go with the music.

[thelivingvines]

I change the way I write my songs so much that I couldn't tell you where to start- I figure if you mix it up a bit you will come up with a better variety of songs. Recently I have been starting with a riff I like and working it into some chords- then trying to come up with something a little more interesing than just a bunch of chords in the chorus. Then putting a melody on top of that.
As far as lyrics go I mix it up a lot. Sometimes love songs. Sometimes social commentary. Sometimes just laughing at myself for all my little deficiencies that make me who I am. Not really a big one for political songs... got one or two about but I don't think I write them so well.
My most recent effort sounds really good. To me it sounds like a combination of Muse and TLE which is kinda the sound I have been aiming for. I'm recording it this weekend and all going well and if I have time to mix it I'll post it up on here.

[thelivingvines]

or you could start with a massive cheer and work your way backwards....

[KillingInTheNameOf]

Haha or write a song backwards and hope that by playing it forwards it has a devil message :p

[KillingInTheNameOf]

haha rhyming much from lines 2-4 :p

[_jimmy_]

same here wizard 23, ill be lying in bed than ill come up with a really good line, than i gotta get out of bed grab the guitar ,a pen and my song writing book and brainstorm some more.

[WHITE FALCON]

me and m singer made up this line but i swear i have heard it before

"underpaid but i still get laid" :D

we're trying to write a song about "friday" kinda like long live the weekend mixed with friday on my mind :D should be goood

[_jimmy_]

wonder how thats gonna go for you.

[WHITE FALCON]

huh? whats that mean lol

[_jimmy_]

the song you said you were gonna write about "friday"

[WHITE FALCON]

yeah i know but i thought you were being a smart ass or something :p

[_jimmy_]

im not that mean spirited!:)

[wizard_23]

hmm... this week ive actually had an idea 4 a song thats not some depressing teenage ballad! Bit of a piss take, the new ones called "Child Support Blues". bout a guy that gets his highskool honey pregnant and has to pay 4 it. Still needs anotha verse but shall post it on completion.

[WHITE FALCON]

hahahahh goood topic!

i rekon it will be funny to read the lyrics :p

[wizard_23]

Riteo.. hope u wernt expectin anythin 2 flash. jus had a crak then and thing its pretty much dun... dont ne1 take offense, its written toung in cheek! so yah... nice lil bluesy numba 2 play round the campfire...

Child Support Blues…

When I was young, I used to see a girl
We’d make plans to travel the world
She was a first love under the stars
In the backseat of my parents car

But things don’t always turn out right
And what happened that night
Would change my life

Let me tell you bout Mary-Skye
She never worried, if you see her cry
But I aint’ ever seen a girl well up
Like when Skye realised I’d knocked her up

It was then I exclaimed, to my wallets pain
I was destined to be struck, with the child support blues

She take my money, spend it on her new man
Trips to Rome, Paris and Milan
Oh Mary-Skye done real well for herself
Robbin me of my modest wealth

Let me tell you, whatever you do
Don’t fall victim to the financial abuse, of the child support blues

So I’ll work hard for the rest of my days
At least until I no-longer gotta pay
For the mess I made in the backseat
My friends were wrong, it weren’t no treat

So no matter what you do, don’t be no fool
Or u’ll end up with a real bad case, of the child support blues
I wish I got protected back in my youth,
Cos’ now I got a real bad case, of the child support blues

[chainsaw cheney]

i wrote a song about... stupid society and crap the other day... it has a cool bass line ^_^

dirnt dirnt dirnt dirnt dirntdirntdirntdirnt!!

Lizza wrote it though... the bass line...since shes the bassist and all.

[Comic Book Crush]

dirnt dirnt dirnt dirnt dirntdirntdirntdirnt!!


yes, and from reading that people will know exactly what it sounds like haha :p

[chainsaw cheney]

i think i missed a few dirnts...

[KillingInTheNameOf]

"underpaid but i still get laid" :D



overrated yet underpaid; what hope do you have of getting laid

That it?

*and how is that too short*

[-George-]

That child support song isn't too bad!! :)

[wizard_23]

That child support song isn't too bad!! :)

Cheers Geogre! dont know how it popped into my head. but i was at work and was bored out of my brains! think i was sweeping a floor or sumthin... Been listenen to heaps of George Thorogood lately so spose that was the type of sound i was after... pretty simple musically (and lyrically).

[Colezy]

Yeah, that song works..although each time I see the title, it cracks me up.I can't take it seriously.