From the course: 20 Unofficial Rules of Songwriting

Rule #1: Make your lyric conversational

From the course: 20 Unofficial Rules of Songwriting

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Rule #1: Make your lyric conversational

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- Rule #1: Make Your Lyric Conversational. The whole concept of a conversational lyric is that it sounds like people speak. There are a couple of reasons for this: one, it makes it easier to listen to, it makes it easier to connect with, and it's less distracting. In the song example, one of the things that we did is chose a line to open the song that was actually a direct quote from a conversation I was having with my co-writer at the time. She sat down and one of the first things she said before we started writing was, "I'm a little bit tired of singing about love." To which my response was, "That sounds like the first line of our song." So now, let's listen to a little audio snippet to give you a sense of what a conversational lyric sounds like. (gospel-flavor organ and guitar) ♫ I'm a little bit tired ♫ of singin' 'bout love ♫ So there you go: a very simple, relaxed opening line to a song that feels, at the very least, conversational. Now, for our Grammy Award-winning song example, there is nothing more conversational or relaxed than "Don't Worry, Be Happy" the way Bobby McFerrin did it. So take a look at your Spotify playlist, find "Don't Worry, Be Happy" and give that song a listen. I guarantee you'll find that lyric to be very conversational.

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