Writing From The Heart : A Guide for Songwriters

Music has the power to move us, to stir our emotions, and to compel us to take action. Yet, many songwriters struggle with a common challenge: creating songs that are technically sound but fail to resonate emotionally with listeners. In today’s digital age, where streaming platforms dominate and 100,000+ songs a day are uploaded, the emotional connection is more crucial than ever.

Songwriting is an intricate craft, and often, our focus lies on rhyme schemes, crafting catchy melodies, and finding intriguing titles. However, focusing solely on these technical aspects can result in music lacking an essential emotional core. This core is necessary to inspire listeners to add a song to their playlist or to hit the replay button. The simple truth is that the success of your songs depend on evoking a high emotional response from your audience.

The Power of Personal Connection

Songs such as “Someone You Loved” that stem from personal passion and experience tend to have a greater emotional impact. When you write about something you genuinely care about, whether it’s your family, a personal struggle, or a profound experience you have had, that authenticity translates into the music. Listeners can feel the difference between a song that’s a mere fiction and one that’s a heartfelt narrative unless you have perfected the ability to effectively put yourself in the “emotional shoes” of someone else and write things that aren’t based on your experience in an authentic way.

Authenticity is the heartbeat of emotionally resonant music. A song may have a cool story or an interesting title, but if it doesn’t stem from a place of true passion or interest, it often falls flat. The emotional disconnect becomes apparent, and the song fails to leave a lasting impression.

Defining ‘Furniture’ in Songwriting

In songwriting, ‘furniture’ refers to the tangible details and imagery that create visuals in the listener’s minds as they listen to a song. These are the nouns and pictures that listeners can ‘see’, the elements that set the scene and provide context.

The ‘furniture’ in your song should support and enhance the emotional narrative, not detract from it. For instance, an old blue Ford truck is just a vehicle unless you tie it to some emotional memories or experiences involving the truck.  For instance, if the truck was given to your dad when he turned 16 and your dad gave it to you when you turned 16, that truck suddenly has emotion attached to it.  It’s something special passed down through generations in your family! Such details anchor the song’s emotion, making it relatable and impactful.

A powerful technique in songwriting is to show the listener something and then tell them why it matters. This back-and-forth between visual imagery and emotional significance keeps the listener engaged and invested in the song’s story. 

While vivid imagery can captivate listeners, it’s crucial to connect these images to the singer’s emotions. A song filled with great pictures that lack emotional context can leave listeners confused and disconnected from the song’s true message. The book “Song Building” can help you learn to balance these lyrical elements.

Taking the Emotional Temperature

After writing and editing a song, take a moment to assess its emotional impact. Rate the song on a scale from 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest level of emotion. Be honest with yourself about the passion and feeling you’ve written into the song.  I start this process by circling or highlighting the words in my song that convey emotion clearly. For instance, if I have a line that mentions “frightened tears”, I have clearly conveyed that the person is scared.  After I note all of the direct emotional communication,  I look to see if I have conveyed emotion in other, less direct ways.  An example might be “daddy’s worn out work boots”.  That line doesn’t directly SAY an emotional word, but it conveys that daddy worked hard to provide for the family and gives us a warm feeling toward this hard-working father.

Getting feedback from trusted individuals can also provide valuable insights into the emotional content of your song. Ask someone you trust to rate the emotion they feel from the song and use their responses to refine and enhance the emotional depth.

Emotion in music isn’t limited to sadness or love. It encompasses a wide range of feelings, including joy, humor, nostalgia, and more. A song can make listeners laugh, dance, or sing along when it’s crafted with heart and truth.

Toby Keith’s “Red Solo Cup” is an excellent example of a song with heart. It’s humorous, relatable, and invites listeners to join in the fun. This song demonstrates that emotion can be expressed in various ways, all of which can create a strong connection with the audience.

Writing songs that emotionally resonate with listeners is a challenging but rewarding endeavor. By focusing on authenticity, using ‘furniture’ effectively, showcasing emotional importance, and assessing the emotional impact, songwriters can create music that not only sounds good but also feels good. Remember, the heart of a song is what ultimately moves people.

Write on! ~MD

Learn how to emotionally impact your listeners in a big way

with SongTown’s 3-week Online CrashCourse “Adding More Heart To Your Songs” 👉 https://songtown.com/songwriting-course-adding-more-heart/

In this course you’ll learn to:

Gauge the emotional temperature of your lyrics.

Connect emotions to lyrical imagery and melodic choices in your song.

Remain true to the core feelings in your song.

“Describe” emotions to cut deeper to the heart of the listener.

Intensify both the melodic and lyrical emotions as the song progresses.

Write subjects you care about and connect them to a universal audience.

Eliminate technical issues that keep your song from resonating deeper.

Course begins March 11th! Sign up today!