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LYR 230 Mastering Lyrics I

"Sometimes you just have to take the leap and build your wings on the way down" - Kobi Yamada

Instructor: Sara Light

Course Introduction  
Listen to the instructor talk about this course:

 

Lesson One
The List Song

Lesson Objective
During this lesson you will:

• Learn why you may use one or more lists in your lyrics
• See how to develop a lyric using lists
• Discover how to use a list to think of a song idea

• Creates interest for the listener
• Provides specificity
• Encourages originality 

Example:  In a song I co-wrote with Danny Arena and Marcia Ramirez called "I Fall," we develop the song by using a list: 

VERSE:
I am a shooting star lighting up the sky
I am a coin that's tossed into a wishing well
I am a melody that's reached its highest note
I'm a leaf in autumn, can't you tell
Everyday I fall - I fall

© Curb/Magnatone Music Publishing (ASCAP). All Rights Reserved.

Listen to the MP3 of "I Fall" and view the entire lyric:



How can I develop a lyric by using lists? In general, you should strive to come up with unique images for your list. You might use a list:

1. Throughout the entire song
2. In a portion of your song to set-up or support the “hook” (title)

I'll explain each of these more thoroughly.

How can I use a list throughout the entire song? This is a method in which the list becomes the pivotal device around which the entire song revolves. 

Example:  In his classic hit, "We Didn’t Start the Fire," Billy Joel strings together a list of historical figures  and events in each verse. The chorus repeats the hook, “we didn’t start the fire” and offers very little further explanation. It is up to the listener to interpret significance of the rapid-fire set of examples that make up the rest of the song. 

Take a listen to a sample of "We Didn't Start The Fire" (RealOne Player):



You can view the entire lyric at Billy Joel's official website here.

Another example of this is the Patty Loveless hit "I Try to Think about Elvis," written by Gary Burr, a fun, radio-friendly song that is primarily a list of what’s running through the singer’s mind while trying to keep her mind off of the guy she can’t stop thinking about. The creative list includes, Elvis, Oprah in the afternoon, champagne, freight trains, Shakespeare and sushi bars. 

How do I use a list in a portion of my song to set-up or support the hook? Sometimes the lyric needs more plot development than only a list. However, an excellent way to set up a hook/title is to place the list directly before the hook/title. In the Alan Jackson hit "Right On The Money" (writers: C. Black, P. Vassar), the singer’s love interest is compared to a list of things that are “right on the money,” in other words, perfect. The lyric mentions examples such as his broke-in sneakers, a home-run pitch, and a three-point jump shot that’s nothing but net. When we get to the hook “she’s right on the money,” we know exactly what the singer means.

In her hit single "A Woman's Worth," pop sensation, Alicia Keys, uses a list to let her man know what he can do to show her what she's worth.  The list includes buying her diamonds, taking her on a cruise around the world, running her bubble bath and more.  Not a bad start :-)
  
Similarly, you can use a list to support your main idea or hook. In this case, the list of examples may not directly precede the title, but it offers specificity that relates directly to the title. 

Example: An example is artist Chad Brock’s breakout single, "Ordinary Life" (writers: B. Baker & C. Harrington) which paints a picture of a man feeling trapped in his ordinary life by listing the daily routine of paying bills, watching TV, going to work, mowing the lawn, etc. 

Listen to the use of a list in the chorus of "Ordinary Life":



Singer songwriter, India Arie broke into the pop world with her album, Acoustic Soul.  Her anthem for real women, "Video," is essentially a list song.  In it, she supports the hook that "she's not the average girl from your video" by listing how she chooses when, and if to, shave her legs, comb her hair, or paints her toes.  She looks in the mirror and loves her feet, her thighs, her lips, her eyes.  

Exercise #1:

What else are lists good for? Lists are a great way to jump-start your creative juices and come up with an original song idea or title. Let’s say, for instance, you want to write a love song, but have depleted your current love song titles. Making a list of what I love about you (“you” being your lover, pet, child, friend, etc) may spark an idea you haven’t thought of before. 

For example, in one of my favorite movies, “Life With Cats and Dogs,” the main character is asked to come up with a “lover’s list.” The first few things on the list are obvious and somewhat cliché like, “I love the way your eyes sparkle.” But as he continues, his list gets more interesting, “I love the way you turn making a tuna sandwich into an event.” 

In the Gretchen Peters penned song, "The Secret Of Life" recorded by Faith Hill, each chorus is a list beginning with the words, “the secret of life…” is “a good cup of coffee,” and “Monday night football,” etc. 

You can make up a list of just about anything. Here's a short list of some topics to get you rolling: 

• The best things to do in your town
• Your favorite books
• The qualities of your favorite teacher
• What you love about being a mom or dad
• Things that really get on your nerves
• The many reasons and ways your pet makes you smile
• The items in your closet or basement or garage
• What things make you run late
• How you know you love someone

Again, when creating your list try to go beyond the obvious and find your personal truth. Making a list forces you to let go, brainstorm and dig deeper than you may normally do. You may find that you can use your list as part of your lyric or that it takes you in a totally different place than you originally thought. 

Some other hit songs that use a list include: 

Pop/R&B

• "Get Here" writer: Brenda Russell, recorded by Oleta Adams 
• "Find One Hundred Ways" writers: T. Coleman/K. Wakefield/B. Wright, recorded by Quincy Jones & James Ingram
• "Fifty Ways To Leave Your Lover" written & recorded by Paul Simon
• "Because You Loved Me" writer: Dianne Warren, recorded by Celine Dion 

Country 

• "What Mattered Most" writers: G. Burr/V. Melamed, recorded by Ty Herndon 
• "I Love The Way You Love Me" writers: V. Shaw/C. Cannon, recorded by John Michael Montgomery
• "Ghost In This House" writer: H. Prestwood, recorded by Shenandoah 
• "Run" writers: T. Lane/A. Smith, recorded by George Strait
• "She's My Kind Of Rain" writers: T. James/R. Lerner, recorded by Tim McGraw

Lesson Summary
Using a list is an effective lyrical device to make your songs more interesting, specific and original. A list can be the primary focus of the lyric or it can be used to set up and/or support the hook. 

Putting It All Together


Estimated time to complete: 10-20 minutes

Look at the list above in the section of this lesson “What Else Are Lists Good For?” Choose a topic or come up with your own topic and brainstorm on a list. Try to come up with at least ten items. The first five will probably be easy…the next five may take a little more thought (thus being more original). On the discussion board for this class, post your results.

Additional Exercises:  
Finding list songs. On the discussion board for this class, post more examples of list songs. Mention the artist, writer (if you know who that is), and genre (e.g., Pop, R&B, Country, Rap, Folk/Americana, etc.).

Post Your Solution (not active for sample course)

End Of Lesson

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