[The Corsair]

I have to comment in this somewhere.
Everywhere on this forum the average songs deems to be love-based in some way. Have we not discussed the perils of writing love songs enough or have people ignored them?

[Ramshackles]

I don't think any of my songs are love-based...

[Paul]

I don't see anything perilous about writing love songs!  I embrace many themes in my writing.  Equally, I'm happy to include my feelings about love in the songs that I write!

Paul

[The Corsair]

It's a strong emotion certainly but it's overdone and honestly gets boring. It's difficult to be original with the whole concept and the same sh!t keeps getting pedaled out (this is everywhere, not just the forum)

I know that a lot of the stuff here is not love-based and that which is love-based is mostly original and good but cringingly often I find another generic love song here.

[Kafla]

Personally I don't get the whole rubbishng of love songs, I think you should be free to write about what you want

There seems to be this theory that you are a deeper more important writer if you dont write about love, I do not subscribe to that at all

Some of the best songs ever written have been about love and I dont get the correlation between average song and love song - surly there isn't one

I fully respect all songs posted on this forum - it takes a certain degree of balls to put a song up here - lyrics and music. Sure I might not like them all but that's my taste.

Sorry Corsair I think you are way off beam with this post my friend 

[misswhiterabbit]

ooo controversial!   although an interesting point Corsair and one I've encountered a lot in the past.

I was once told by a songwriter friend (male) not to write love songs because i'm a girl and its to over done/cheesy. But I don't think it's so much the theme that is cliche but the same lyrics that get reused over and over again when approaching it.

I think you can still write a decent love song, you've just got to work that bit harder to be original.

[The Corsair]

ooo controversial!   although an interesting point Corsair and one I've encountered a lot in the past.

I was once told by a songwriter friend (male) not to write love songs because i'm a girl and its to over done/cheesy. But I don't think it's so much the theme that is cliche but the same lyrics that get reused over and over again when approaching it.

I think you can still write a decent love song, you've just got to work that bit harder to be original.

I agree with you there.

I find the issue is that so many songwriters do love songs and even though many of the world's best songs are love songs there are thousands more that aren't that great or are just plain terrible. I do criticise friends who jump straight to love as something to write about as it's something that you're only really going to get wrong until you have real experience or have built up more knowledge as a songwriter.

Love as a theme in songs seems to be a top level and bottom level thing... The worst songwriters write generic songs about love and the best write amazing songs about love. Perhaps the image of those amazing love songs is what encourages people to try and write them too often...

[shucky2011]

I thought this was an intriguing suggestion. That love is such a commonly addressed theme, maybe its becoming harder and harder to write songs about. It made me think of the songs that ive posted on here which ive realised all seem to address love in some form or another except for one of them. I'm looking for constructive criticism on all of them so feel free to check them out. They are: Sleepless Nights, The Mermaid Wronged, Red Deep Red, and Kill Grief. 

[tone]

I think there's something worth exploring here. And I think it's related to a lot of would-be songwriters having nothing to say, or having not found their voice. I don't mean that in a critical or derogatory way. I just mean, if you find yourself wanting to write a song, it's probably tempting to pick love as the subject matter because it's something we've all experienced. Unfortunately, if not done well a love song tends to suffer more than a song about something else, because a love song needs some integrity and a strong personal touch to make it work.

I also think a lot of love songs get written when relationships break down, and the heartbroken protagonist needs an outlet for their grief. So they write a song. And often, they're so entwined with their own heartache that they lose perspective in the songwriting process. The end result sounds self-indulgent and often corny - but because of their emotional investment, the writer often can't see it.

It's one of the reasons I don't write love songs - it's so difficult to get right. But I probably touch on love in a lot of my songs - but don't have it as a central theme. Besides, I like to surprise my audience

[Mr.Chainsaw]

It's not MY fault that the moon hits her eyes like a big pizza pie!

[Paul]

Mr.Chainsaw,

Great comment, that really made me smile!   

Paul

[Mr.Chainsaw]

Glad I could be irriverant, Paul

As regards the subject,

I'm a chef by trade. I'm sure you've all heard it said before, but there are similarites between food and music. Specifically, there's only so many ingredients in the world.

No ones inventing new vegetables to eat. No ones breeding new animals to taste. What we've got is pretty much all there will be.

The same with words and emotions. No ones invented a new form of love. It's the same emotion our species has been experiancing over and over again through history. And no ones inventing new words to express this age-old emotion (I'm not accepting bromance).

So, why bother writing?

Why bother cooking?

Because we still crave these things. We still yearn for the unrequited bacon, the acidic tang of tomato rejection, the crisp freshness of lettucey acceptance. We want it delivered in a warm, crusty well structured song.

Our needs haven't changed over the centurys. Only how we articulate them. If the passion and the sincerity are there, we will always relate to it. And that song, like the emotion, will be timeless.

...shit, I really fancy a BLT right about now

Peter

[The Corsair]

Glad I could be irriverant, Paul

As regards the subject,

I'm a chef by trade. I'm sure you've all heard it said before, but there are similarites between food and music. Specifically, there's only so many ingredients in the world.

No ones inventing new vegetables to eat. No ones breeding new animals to taste. What we've got is pretty much all there will be.

The same with words and emotions. No ones invented a new form of love. It's the same emotion our species has been experiancing over and over again through history. And no ones inventing new words to express this age-old emotion (I'm not accepting bromance).

So, why bother writing?

Why bother cooking?

Because we still crave these things. We still yearn for the unrequited bacon, the acidic tang of tomato rejection, the crisp freshness of lettucey acceptance. We want it delivered in a warm, crusty well structured song.

Our needs haven't changed over the centurys. Only how we articulate them. If the passion and the sincerity are there, we will always relate to it. And that song, like the emotion, will be timeless.

...shit, I really fancy a BLT right about now

Peter

True (especially the BLT part ) but the over-saturation in love songs would be like if almost every chef opened/worked at and Italian restaurant.

[Kafla]

I love Italian 

[The Corsair]

I love Italian 

Well played...