[slu22]

So, not sure if other experience this, but looking for some input.

An issue has been coming up in my writing for a while now: When my songs are in the formative stages, I create a melody, and sing gibberish over it. The gibberish sounds right, so I try to write lyrics the sound of the gibberish, but then down the road I feel like I'm stuck looking for a certain vowel sound to fill out my lyrics. I feel like I'm limiting myself lyrically.

I know Paul McCartney has said he starts out with gibberish, as do recent indie artists like the War on Drugs and others.

[Skub]

 When I feel strongly enough about the subject of the song,the lyrics almost write themselves.

I can't just write words to fit a song,there must be a reason.

I've sometimes used the method you describe to work melody lines and to give the song some shape,but I never sit down to write 'words' for a song,just for the sake of it. There must be something to drive me,some anger,passion,joy or misery,otherwise the lyrics let down the song.

This is what works for me,there are plenty of great songs with rubbish lyrics,so there are no hard and fast rules.

[Lyrical]

Metallica released a single many years ago called "Until It Sleeps". The B-side of that track was the demo version and James Hetfield just singing nonsense and noises over it.

I found it :-)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ef0zsFRKBck

Anyway... i do this to. I've been writing for many years and I've always managed to say what needed to be said within the constraints of my melody. You should do it and stick to it. There is always a way to say it. I think it makes you a better writer because you really need to think about the words and the phrasing.

Just my opinion but if you end up singing a line that has one too many syllables or just doesn't quite rhyme when you know it really should... then you are being a lazy writer.

[Bernd]

I 'work' like that most of the time. Only, that it's not me who sings Gibberish yet one of my partners. I prefer Gibberish to "lalala" or Midi sounds because it already sounds like real words. Thus I have a real-life intonation and only need to find some fitting words. This approach works fine with English - I'm not sure if I could do it in German (I am German!).

[Paulski]

I usually start with a lyric but sometimes I use the gibberish trick to write a lyrical phrase.
I spew out rhyming gibberish in place of the phrase I need and before long it becomes real words.. just hope that no-one hears my baby talk

[DrSpooglemon]

Well that's basicly pop music right. A melody accompanied by gibberish. Plenty of money to be made there...

[slu22]

Ha! Quite helpful, all of that. Thank you!

[GuyBarry]

I know Paul McCartney has said he starts out with gibberish

Yeah, and he often ends up with it as well!     (Only kidding of course - Paul McCartney's a great writer.)

I was actually under the impression that McCartney used "dummy lyrics" to fill out a melody - "scrambled eggs" being the most famous example, to the tune of "Yesterday".  I think that's what I tend to do as well - lyrics and melody are very closely associated in my mind, so if I imagine a melody I'll usually think of some lyrics to go with it at the same time, even if they don't make a great deal of sense in the context.

[shadowfax]

So, not sure if other experience this, but looking for some input.

An issue has been coming up in my writing for a while now: When my songs are in the formative stages, I create a melody, and sing gibberish over it. The gibberish sounds right, so I try to write lyrics the sound of the gibberish, but then down the road I feel like I'm stuck looking for a certain vowel sound to fill out my lyrics. I feel like I'm limiting myself lyrically.

I know Paul McCartney has said he starts out with gibberish, as do recent indie artists like the War on Drugs and others.

that's the way I work also..gotta find the syllables that will fit the song, lot of successful artists work this way...best way to work IMHO..

[tina m]

yeah I do this aswell ...except I  keep the gibberish & replace the melody  with  noise

[shadowfax]

yeah I do this aswell ...except I  keep the gibberish & replace the melody  with  noise

 

[GTB]

I've used this method occasionally. I once wrote lyrics for a song someone had pretty near finished recording all the music for, with gibberish. All I did was convert the gib to words.
I found it an interesting experience as it challenged me to stay within the existing feel of the song, needing extra discipline but at the same time some of the gibberish suggested its own lyrical ideas and phrases. The end result was quite satisfying.
I would use the method again where I needed to record a melody before I forgot it, then convert to words later - or not... Obladi, oblada life goes on...
GTB

[MartynRich]

I do it all the time and if I can think up words as I go along I'll see if I can make something fit around them. I don't find losing the original sound a problem.

[GuyBarry]

I was reminded of this topic the other day while I was listening to "If I Were a Rich Man" from Fiddler on the Roof.  The lyrics begin:

If I were a rich man,
Yubby dibby dibby dibby dibby dibby dibby dum.
All day long I'd biddy biddy bum,
If I were a wealthy man.
I wouldn't have to work hard.
Ya ha deedle deedle, bubba bubba deedle deedle dum.
If I were a biddy biddy rich,
Idle-diddle-daidle-daidle man.

Do you think that Sheldon Harnick (the lyricist) started out with gibberish and then forgot to substitute proper lyrics?  

[hardtwistmusic]

I do that all the time.  But it never even occurred to me that it might be limiting.  The gibberish simply provides a tone and flow as a placeholder for me. 

Conceptually, I can see how that could limit a songwriter, but I've simply never had a problem letting go of any part of the gibberish (including tone and flow) that I didn't feel was working.  For me, the "gibberish stage" isn't really songwriting, it's just "playing," with a hoped for productive outcome.  But even without the productive outcome, it's always fun.