As a drummer, I’ve never been the main person in the band who cranks out the music and lyrics. I’ve written 3 songs in my life, and one was about a wombat. I’ve always felt weird showing my songs to the rest of the band.
I was a tiny 15-year-old girl when I started playing in divey, deathrock-y clubs, drumming for Boo, Super Heroines, and a one-off band with an obligatory punk rock name – "The Urine Samplers."
Years later, when I co-hosted The Darwin and Cat Radio Show, I never lost my punk rock connection. We used T.S.O.L, Fluorescein, and X songs as our bumper music.
Punk rock will always be with me. It's my home, and I can't let go of it.
Today, I write, edit, and I still drum. I wanted to blog about the writing and editing process, but not from the techy/webby/ghostwriting angle that I use in my work day. So, I reached out to my musician friends and asked about writing and editing – from a songwriter’s perspective.
Maybe we can crack the code and see if there is an actual songwriting formula! Does that exist?
But first – a drummer joke!
What do you call someone who hangs out with musicians?
A drummer!
Here Are the Questions
Do lyrics generally come first to you?
Do music/bits/riff come first?
Do you ever break grammatical/structural rules to fit lyrics to music?
For example — The famous “I can’t get no satisfaction” sounds a lot better than “I am wholly unsatisfied with the situation.”
Thanks for Letting Me Bother You!
I let everyone know that I’m writing this for my M.A. in English, Professional Writing, which sure sounds fancy. I’m really not that fancy!
Here we go!
Jack Grisham (vocals) – T.S.O.L.
Jack Grisham is the lead singer of the legendary SoCal punk band, T.S.O.L. Formed in 1978, T.S.O.L. will never be pigeonholed into one genre. Their music spans hardcore, deathrock, post-punk, art rock, and even mainstream pop. T.S.O.L. is still an active band – touring and recording – in 2022. They have released six studio albums with Grisham, appeared in numerous films and television, and have completed a documentary on the band’s history – directed by Grisham – set for release in late 2022.
How Does Jack Grisham Write Songs?
Jack: I never write the lyrics first. I’m too lazy. For me, it’s melody first. The band will play a riff or a chord, and that’s cool. They start with chords, and I’ll add the melody… no words yet. It’s like I’m speaking in tongues. I make up words. You know, Paul McCartney first wrote “Yesterday” as “scrambled eggs.” It’s like that. But sometimes, some of the lyrics are written off the cuff and never get changed.
Do You Bend Grammatical Rules to Make a Lyric Fit? Jack: Constantly. I call it the People’s Language. It’s plain speak, without dumbing it down. You never want to dumb It down for anyone.
T.S.O.L. – I Wanted To See You
Jill Emery (bass) – Hole, Mazzy Star, Shadow Project, Super Heroines, Tear Drain. Artist.
Jill Emery is a veteran of the Los Angeles music scene and is probably best known as the bassist for Hole, 1990-1992. You can hear Jill on Hole’s “Pretty on the Inside” which features one of Emery’s paintings on the back cover.
Thoughts on Songwriting
Jill: I have a bit to contribute. I take pieces of songs, then craft them together. Whether it’s lyrics or music, they start with the seed of an idea or a riff. Then I create the whole song around it.
I always put words or sentences together that are maybe not proper, but to me, that’s writing. I’m pretty much self-taught in most walks of life. Say for instance – my song, “Sunshine You’re Not.” The lyric is – “Sunshine you’re not no one.” Not exactly grammatical, but it flows in the context of the song.
Btw, a masters! That’s exciting!
(Thanks, Jill!)
Tear Drain – Sunshine You're Not
Michael Quercio (bass, vocals) – Three O’Clock, Salvation Army, Permanent Green Light, Jupiter Affect
The Three O’Clock were part of the “Paisley Underground” music scene in Los Angeles in the 1980s. Their first full length LP “Sixteen Tambourines,” released in 1983 on Frontier Records, was the first commercially successful independent album. Coined by Quercio, The Paisley Underground – which included The Bangles, Dream Syndicate, and Green on Red – caught the eye of Prince, who later signed The Three O’Clock to his Paisley Park label and wrote “Neon Telephone” for their final album.
Michael Quercio has crafted some of the most perfect pop songs of all time! I was eager to get his take on writing and editing. He offers a distinctive view on songwriting grammar:
Ahh, a grammar purist!
Quercio goes on to say:
"The song is written in my head. The music/bits/riffs are adapted after I take the song out of my head and record it into a device to remember it."
Here is that perfect song I mentioned earlier! Jet Fighter.
Gwynne Kahn (bass, keyboards, guitar, vocals) The Pandoras, Boo, Mad Monster Party, Backstage Pass, The Negro Problem, Nipper & the Seaturtles.
Gwynne Kahn is descended from songwriting royalty. Her late grandfather, Gus Kahn, wrote numerous recognizable “Tin Pan Alley” songs of the 20th century, including:
Carolina in the Morning
It Had to Be You
Ain’t We Got Fun
Yes, Sir, That’s my Baby
Gwynne’s father, Donald Kahn, also had a hit – “A Beautiful Friendship” – recorded and released by Ella Fitzgerald.
How Does Gwynne Kahn Write Songs?
Gwynne: Some of my best titles come from the Weekly World News.
I usually come up with a title first, then the chorus based on the title. Then I fill in the verses.
As for breaking grammar rules, I vaguely remember my father reminding my mother (the Grammar Nazi) that "Don't We Have Fun" probably wouldn't have been a hit like “Ain't We Got Fun.”
Super Cute Gwynne when she was in The Negro Problem!
Even More Friends Answered my Goofy Questions!
Joe Casey – Screenwriter & Creator of "Ben 10"+ guitar/vocals
Grammar is completely malleable when it comes to writing lyrics. Whatever fits and whatever gets the idea across. Nothing should be off-limits.
Greg Mora – Guitar/bass/drums/vocals – Geffen recording artist – Fluorescein
Rules were made to be broken. I’ve beaten myself up trying to write a line for something that just doesn’t fit. By that point, whatever comes out is what I’m going with. It helps to know other languages to use as filler!
Randy Stodola – Guitar/vocals – OG Los Angeles punk band – The Alley Cats
I take poetry I've written & set it to music. I don't follow grammatical structural rules because poetry doesn't. I concentrate on the musicality & rhythm of the words when I write poetry & how that relates to the emotion of the words.
Debra Diament (Debbie Diamond) – Vocals/guitar – The Januaries
When I worked with the Januaries, the music would tell me what the song was about. I would see a whole story play out and just start making sounds on top of the music. And then start coming up with the words. A lot of times I had to sit in a bathtub because I needed to be in water. And yes, I break grammatical/structural rules.
Mark Fletcher – Bass/guitar – Das Yahoos, Bunny Rabbits, Walker Brigade
Breaking grammatical structure is a necessity, even for a copy editor. The goal is to maintain the cadence and the rhyme scheme, sometimes at any cost.
Steve Moramarco – Guitar/vocals – The Abe Lincoln Story, Bean, Hill of Beans
Usually, it’s a word or phrase that has a poetic feel or interesting philosophical/emotional proposition. From there, I’ll pick up the guitar or sit at the piano, trying to hash out the structure and premise, hopefully coming up with a hook or 2. Then I’ll write the words out on a piece of paper, occasionally referring to a rhyming dictionary if need be.
Now Do We Know the Secret Formula for Writing a Great Song?
Nope! We’re not any closer to cracking the code, because there is no code. Writers, artists, and editors mix a brand of magic with their own unique processes. The only similarity is hard work. Art doesn’t create itself – you have to get off your keister and do it!
I am fortunate to have rad people in my life who I can call on – friends who will graciously help me with my homework. Thanks, everyone!
Steve Moramarco is the perfect songwriter to close this blog piece. He has written what is inarguably the best song to elevate my mood any time I hear it. It’s a song – actually a request – I think we can all relate to!
Hill of Beans —Satan, Lend me a Dollar
Comments