Song Plots

Song plots END writer's block.

If you have a general idea of what you want to say, it's much easier to piece together four rhyming lines and complete a verse.

Song plots are starting places. They're lyrical patterns found in great songwriting. Think of them as song archetypes.

You can discover new song plots for your songs. Here's how...

• Take the lyrics from one of your favorite songs
• Boil it down to get the meaning and purpose of each section
• Describe each section with a single sentence

Here's an example...

• Verse: This is how I feel
• Prechorus: I'll tell you why I feel this way
• Chorus: This is why I feel this way

The classic Temptations tune, My Girl, written by Smokey Robinson and Ronald White, follows the following song plot:

Verse: This is how I feel

In the verse, the singer tells you how he feels. "I've got sunshine on cloudy day."

Prechorus: I'll tell you why I feel this way

In the prechorus, the singer speaks to the audience and says, "I guess you'd say, what can make me feel this way."

Chorus: This is why I feel this way

Finally, the singer tells you why he feels this way in the chorus: "My girl."

You can use that song plot again and again and again, without getting repetitive.

Here's another common song plot you can use with just about every subject imaginable:

Verse: The way I'd like things to be
Prechorus: Is there hope?
Chorus: The way things are
Bridge: Everything's going to be alright

From that song plot, you can make a quick outline like this:

Verse: I wish we never met (The way I'd like things to be)
Prechorus: Are there any good men/women out there? (Is there hope?)
Chorus: You're a cheating, cheating cheater (The way things are)
Bridge: I'm moving on with my life (Everything's going to be alright)

The Speed Songwriting Cheat Sheet has 5 song plots that you can use. Download it today.

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