Mary Gauthier’s “False From True” is a demonstration of how a simple lyric can pack a powerful punch.
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In my previous blog post, I wrote about why some songs seem to fade quickly from public consumption, and it often has to do with a combination of things from the dated sound to the dated song topic. If you want to look at the issue from a more positive angle, it might be better to focus on: what makes a song last forever?
Certainly the most important part of getting your music noticed and your top-notch skills acknowledged lies most in the excellence of your lyrics. A topic can be as common — you might even say banal — as “I love someone who doesn’t love me, and here’s what I think about that.” But find the right words to say that, and you’ve got something that can go the distance and give you the reputation for songwriting excellence you’re looking for.
Chord Progression Formulas – part of “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” eBook Bundle packages.
A case in point of the kind of songwriting that gets attention for polished lyrics comes from Louisiana-born singer-songwriter Mary Gauthier. Her most recent album, “Trouble & Love” (purchase here), is a truly wonderful example of how to craft song lyrics that really connect to the listener.
The song “False From True“, co-written by Gauthier and her friend Beth Nielsen Chapman, describes intense emotions using powerful imagery, but does so with simple, basic, everyday words. Take a moment to listen to the song, and give the lyrics a read.
Some favourite lyrical phrases from “False From True”:
You woke up inside a cage
I woke up consumed with rage
A stranger showed up in your eyes
Hard as steel, cold as ice
There’s two of you and one don’t feel
And I don’t know which one is real
As you can see, the imagery is powerfully effective, but the words used to convey the images are ones that everyone would readily understand. The power comes from the speed with which the image is conveyed: “inside a cage”, “hard as steel, cold as ice”, and so on. The listener doesn’t need to parse the phrase to understand it. They merely need to put all the images together, and that’s the beauty of imagery done well.
To summarize what a song like “False From True” can teach you as a songwriter:
- Keep your words and phrases simple and easily understood.
- Keep your imagery basic so that listeners can understand it and feel its impact quickly.
- Match the simplicity of lyrics with the simplicity of your melodic line, chord choices and instrumentation.
- Use an instrumentation that avoids the latest technological fads.
- Spend a good deal of time compiling word-and-phrase lists. Find creative but simple ways to communicate your feelings.
Above all, be sure that the topic you choose is one that is going to resonate with people. “False From True” speaks to an issue that many would relate to: that the person they’ve become partners with have a side that wasn’t necessarily noticeable at first, but becomes an issue as the years roll on.
For this song, Gauthier has written a short introduction-essay that you can find on her website – very helpful for songwriters. It’s a kind of “here’s what’s in my head” sort of thing that bridges the gap between thoughts in the mind and lyrics on the page.
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Written by Gary Ewer. Follow on Twitter.
“The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” eBook Bundle packages look at songwriting from every angle, and have been used by thousands of songwriters. How to use chords, write melodies, and craft winning lyrics. Get today’s special deal.
I agree that simple can be amazingly effective in song lyrics. I’m redundant for repeatedly mentioning this band, but since your blog is about pop music and they’ve sold over 50 million albums in the last 15 years, Coldplay are very good at using this concept. A lot of their tunes are of the timeless variety and perhaps some of it has to do with the accessibility of their lyrics. The opening two lines of their latest album are: “I think of you. I haven’t slept.” Pretty straight forward. Although the chords are not your standard triads by any stretch. This concept also might not apply to rap or hip hop at all. Lil Wayne has some lines that have more play complex word play than they have words total. I’ve had lightbulb moments when I “get” something i heard him rap days earlier. And it makes him that much more respected and intimidating to his fellow rappers who aspire to more or less compete with him. Very different genres, soft rock and rap i suppose. Both commercially viable though.
Reblogged this on I Write The Music.
Very effective lyrics in False from True, revesal also of saying “true or false” and replacing or with from, increases the rhyming possibilities shows her lyrics are streatching outside of the box.