The Songwriter Forum - songwriting reviews, tips and chat
Songwriter Forum => The Writing Process => Topic started by: jim morrison on April 18, 2011, 10:56:38 PM
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I know its the spice of life and that and i respect peoples own love songs but why do so many people write about it ??
I get my inspiration from a lot of different things but am trying to give love a wide birth, of course theres nothing wrong with my love life ;D
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Hey Jim!
I'm with you on this one. I don't know why so many people write about love when there's a whole world of less-explored subjects out there to tackle.
Not that I'm a miserable old bastard or anything, but love songs tend to be somewhat predictable and need something a little special to make them interesting... and good!
My favourite 'love' song off the top of my head is probably the art teacher by rufus wainwright. Or darling lorraine by paul simon. But the're both pretty different from your average love song!
What do you like to write about?
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I can only speak for myself here but generally i write about things which are important to me or significant to those around me. I do get my inspiration from lots of different things but few things move me as much as love, good or bad. Why are so many poems about love? Why are so many films/books/insert any other art form here/etc about love? Because it matters to people. The artist or writer and the public can both connect to the piece on an emotional level as well. In general most of us seem to love a love song, cheesey or otherwise because we can relate to it and because it reminds us of good times or broken hearts.
Lets not get snobbish about love songs they are just as valid as a piece of "art" as any other song and deserve the same respect. Some of the biggest selling records in history are love songs, all those people can't be wrong, even if we don't get it. I don't understand chinese writing but it doesn't make it wrong.
Liam.
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The best songs, and most songs are about love in one way or another.
Love makes the world go round!
:-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* Share the love :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-*
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Macca has done alright from love songs! ;D
I see what you are saying and partly agree but I'd guess that from day 1 of songwriting, people have sung about love. In terms of commercial appeal, I would say that love songs are the most accessible by the majority. A song about eating apples won't have that general appeal. Personally when I write, love is perhaps my default setting though I hate being too obvious about the subject. Good call about Rufus, I like it when a writer does mainstream but in a new way.
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I think you summed it up there Liam, fairplay.In answer to your question tone i'll probably be writing about whats on the news thru to personal stuff. I'm very new to all this and did try writing a song for Sian (the girl from my hometown Swindon who passed away) but because of my inexperience nothing i could write really served as a tribute to her so i think i may save this subject for another time.
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Love is the strongest feeling someone can have. Wether it's falling in love, heartache or trying to findlove, I think its wat inspires people to write more than anything. Does for me anyway...
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Love is the foremost expression of humanity, and I think you can write about human experiences without it always being in the context of love. I think for some songwriters love is an easy subject; throw a few cliches in and there you go. As Tone says if you're going to write about love make it special. For me one of the most interesting love songs is The Day Before You Came by Abba! A love song about what it was like not being in love.
Write about human experience and then love becomes a valid subject again, but I don't think it should be the 'default setting' for a song.
Chris
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I've written songs about politics, childhood memories, friendship, hate, wasting time, losing and gaining this and that.....and I can put my heart and soul into performing them. But the only song that I've ever written and recorded, that I listen back to, or attempt to play that makes me emotional to the point of struggling to finish before I dissolve into tears of joy every time.....is a love song!
It's not my best playing....It's not the best recording...It's not the best production. It's a simple guitar and voice.... and It's emotionally genuine. AND I'M PROUD TO BE IN LOVE! :D
That's why love songs reign over all. It's a basic human emotional state. Those of us who feel this basic and overwhelming human emotion, but don't have the "Shakespearian" ability to express it, use someone else's songs.
If you wish to hear my amateur attempt at a Love song it's here....
http://www.jamendo.com/en/track/665883
Mihkay
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You do yourself a disservice. I wouldn't call it amateurish. It's simple and heartfelt.
Chris
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That was wicked!
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I'm very new to all this and did try writing a song for Sian (the girl from my hometown Swindon who passed away)
Hey I'm from Swindon too. (Just thought I'd chip in.)
And since I'm here I'll just have to throw my cards on the table and say at least %80 (if not more) of my songs are about love in one form or another. Not proud of it, it's just what comes naturally. I've tried writing songs about other things but man, they're really difficult! Will keep trying though :)
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love is like going to war, you know your enemy and things about them, you layout our plans and attack hoping for the best but the enemy can surprise you and you cud end up dead or you beat the enemy and get accepted by the enemy's people or it can go horribly wrong and you get hated by the enemy's people after a while and you have to leave.
RoyalMail
What the hell are you talking about? ;D Why Royal Mail and not DHL or Deutsche Post? I'm lost for words. ;D
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forget that part
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................. It's simple and heartfelt.
Chris
Thanks man....It's my most personal song and that's the best description / criticism of it I've had.
:)
Mihkay
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I can honestly say the reason most of my songs are based on love is that I am young and haven't experience much yet. Love has been one of the biggest things in my life in the form of family, friends and realtionships.
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Hello everyone
Hey Hofnerite,a song about eating apples might not work,but what about going into the countryside and eating a lot of peaches.
Warmest regards
roo
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Hello everyone
Hey Hofnerite,a song about eating apples might not work,but what about going into the countryside and eating a lot of peaches.
Warmest regards
roo
;D True!
There's also this I suppose:
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Love is easy to write about.
As far as writing about it goes, you really have to take a new angle on it or you'll be doing what thousands have already done.
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I tend to avoid writing love songs. Not that I'm disputing the fact that there are a lot of great love songs out there..
I think I've probably written a few lines here and there when it's late at night after a few bevvies, but that's about as far as it goes. I'm 24 and I've been with my girlfriend now for four and half years and I still love her to pieces, but I just don't feel the need to write songs about that. I think love is personal to me, and as much as I enjoy getting my point across in song form, I feel that my feelings of love are mine, and hers, and not anyone else's. I tend to write about trivial things, or things that make me angry, perhaps some romantic turmoil would fuel my song-writing in that direction, but at the moment we're just both too easy going! :P
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I enjoy listening to well written love songs. I think that some of the best love songs deal with breaking up or love lost. 'Empty Chairs' by Don McLean is fantastic and 'Goodbye Lucille' by my favourite writer Paddy McAloon are amongst the best love (lost) songs that I have heard. Bryan Ferry's 'Slave To Love' is incredibly slick and emotional. I agree that most love songs need to presented in a unique way. Lloyd Cole wrote 'Jennifer She Said, which is essentially about the promises that lovers make to each other, "Jennifer we can't go wrong, let's put it in writing." It's about declaring your love with a tattoo "It's written there in blue, with a heart and an arrow through."Unfortunately, not all relationships last and some people might regretfully be left with a permanent reminder of their undying love (tattoo) as Lloyd point's out to the woman in question 'You change with the weather and this is the rain" I think this kind of approach to writing about love makes this type of song much more interesting.
Paul
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Most of my songs are about love...there's one about death but even that sort of comes back to love - hopeless ;D