This morning, after writing about performing, I find myself back at the start, with my lyrics writing notebook. I’ve written a couple of things this morning. One is a bit rubbish, but the idea will probably resurface in a better way at some point. The other, I think, is pretty good. It’ll need an edit in a few days, but it can be parked for now. It’s best looked at afresh when I’ve had time to forget it.
The notebook in itself I think is an item of interest. I know other writers use the backs of envelopes, scrap paper, file paper, iPads, phones etc. Some have developed systems over years, and some don’t seem to have a system at all that I can discern.
I have a system.
When I was tentatively writing my first lyrics, under the mentorship of the glorious Dan Whitehouse, he advised me to have a system. He suggested giving every idea a title, even if it was only a two line idea. He then said I should also date it. So I bought a Muji notebook with lovely smooth paper, and some pens of different colours to go with it. Each layer of edit is done in a different colour. I write in ink so I can’t rub things out. I might do a single cross through, because you never know what might come in handy later. Then I number the pages and have a running index at the back. It might be a bit messy sometimes, but it is a system. The good thing about the size of these pages (A5ish, 33 lines) is that it is impossible for a song to get too long. I work first of all on the crisp right hand page, but later edits often stray to the left hand page. But it will fit maybe three verses, a chorus, a mid 8 maybe (not that I know which is which at the start). When I get to the stage where I want someone else to read it, for musical purposes, I print it out. I use Avenir 15pt, 1.5 line spacing. A more recent development is that in the header the title is in bold, in the footer is my name, the date, and the notebook number and song index number, so I can trace it back. Sometimes a print out might come from more than one page of the notebook where I have amalgamated ideas.
I very rarely have musical ideas when I write lyrics. But I do know that these are lyrics, and not poetry. I don’t feel they are quite right until they get the music. What music does is give them life. It smooths out the bumps, it adds emphasis, it gives them space to breathe where they need it. They gain a cadence, and a deeper expression when the music arrives. I don’t really know how or why this happens, just that when I have the right writing partners, it works. Properly works. I don’t know if my bandmates and cowriters have ever realised the importance of what they do, or how much I appreciate them for making my work both physically, and metaphorically, SING!
Thank you my lovelies…especially Andy Jenkins, Ian Sutherland, Mike Clarke and Dan Whitehouse xxxx
