Story Development

One common mistake that junior lyricists make is to stay with one general theme and not develop the ideas over the course of a song. The risk is that listeners may get bored and lose their concentration. What you would like to do is grab their attention with a great opening line, and then hold it over the course of the song until the last note fades away. One way to help do this is to have a story that develops. The songwriting teacher Pat Pattison uses the analogy of boxes, with each box going deeper.

Look on Week 2 for the link to Pat Pattison's video on story development, where he discusses the idea of boxes and how a song can develop.

Another way to use the box idea is as a kind of outlining strategy. For each verse you have draw a rectangle, one underneath the other. like grey boxes below. In the first box write a succinct description of what the main point of that verse is. Children's songs often are in Verse Refrain form since it makes it easier to remember and sing along with. Here's one called "The Wheels on the Bus". Check out how a repetitive form helps Raffi gets the crowd participating.

The wheels on the bus go round and round. The wheels on the bus go round and round, all through the town!	The wheels on the bus go around
The people on the bus go up and down. all through the town!	The people go up and down
The horn on the bus goes beep, beep, beep. all through the town!	The horn beeps
The wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish. all through the town!	The wipers wipe
The signals on the bus go blink, blink, blink. all through the town!	The signals blink
The babies on the bus go waa, waa, waa. all through the town!	The babies cry
The parents on the bus go shh, shh, shh. all through the town!	The parents try to quiet them

Here is an example of how an outline might look for Johnny Cash's "I Walk the Line." Notice his use of the title in the refrain.

I keep a close watch on this heart of mine I keep my eyes wide open all the time I keep the ends out for the tie that binds Because you're mine, I walk the line	I am vigilant in making sure I remain faithful to you.
I find it very, very easy to be true I find myself alone when each day is through Yes, I'll admit that I'm a fool for you Because you're mine, I walk the line	It is easy to be faithful because I am so in love with you.
As sure as night is dark and day is light I keep you on my mind both day and night And happiness I've known proves that it's right Because you're mine, I walk the line	There is no doubt that I am doing the right thing.
You've got a way to keep me on your side You give me cause for love that I can't hide For you I know I'd even try to turn the tide Because you're mine, I walk the line	Your love helps me feel like doing everything possible to keep us together.

Listen to Rhonda Vincent's "I've Forgotten You". What is the theme of the song? What does the title mean? How do the lyrics evolve as the song progresses?

After you've listened to the song and figured out what is going on, look at the example of a possible analysis below, showing the lyrics on the left and the thoughts that might be going through the listener's mind on the right. The structure of this song is more complex than the previous ones. It has a prechorus that leads into the chorus.

verse 1	Well it's snowing in Miami and it's hailing in L.A. Money's growing like green apples on the trees I've been hanging out with Elvis, yeah and all my bills are paid And they're giving away Cadillacs for free	Huh? what's going on? What the narrator is saying doesn't make sense. Maybe this narrator is not telling us the truth.
prechorus	The whole world gets along And I haven't thought about you once since you've been gone	If she wasn't telling us the truth before, maybe she isn't telling the truth about having forgotten about her ex either.
chorus	I've forgotten you I've forgotten every single time you kissed me I don't miss it like you think I do I've forgotten you How you held me and it felt like it's what you were born to do If I lie enough it might come true, I've forgotten you	She says she's forgotten her ex, but it seems like it's still a powerful memory.
verse 2	There's a million things about you I don't remember anymore Like that time we got that cabin up in Boulder I don't remember how you kissed me up against that old oak door Ain't it funny how things fade right when it's over	Memories of a particularly passionate episode.
prechorus	Yeah I'm doing fine I sleep just like a little baby every night	She's probably not really as fine as she says, since she was lying about everything else.
chorus	I've forgotten you I've forgotten every single time you kissed me I don't miss it like you think I do I've forgotten you How you held me and it felt like it's what you were born to do If I lie enough it might come true, I've forgotten you
instrumental
prechorus	Can't you see how I've moved on No, I haven't thought about you once since you've been gone	Maybe she hasn't really moved on.
chorus	I've forgotten you I've forgotten every single time you kissed me I don't miss it like you think I do I've forgotten you How you held me and it felt like it's what you were born to do If I lie enough it might come true, I've forgotten you	She admits she is lying and hasn't forgotten her ex.

Review the lyrics you wrote in the last lesson. Is there a difference between the meaning of your three verses? Can you anticipate what a listener's reaction might be? What do you hope they will feel when they hear your song? Does the meaning of the refrain get stronger or change over the course of the three verses? If so, write down the variation in meaning each time it appears. Write down the main idea for the song as a whole, like the topic sentence of an essay. Each verse is like a paragraph that follows it. In a song, however, you don't get as many words as in an essay. Every word has to carry its weight. Look at some great songs and you'll see how many are very economical, and all the lines of each verse relate to the message of that verse, like the sentences in a paragraph in an essay are about a different point, and each one moves the meaning of the song forward.

There are many ingredients in a hit song, such as a good title, a strong opening line, and a great hook. A series of verses that evolve can be another feature that helps hold the listener's attention. Another interesting element can be a chorus that gains weight and significance each time it comes back. The development of the verses can affect how the chorus is experienced, even though its lyrics and melody remain the same each time. As Pattison says, the first time it means one thing. After hearing the second verse you may learn something that changes the meaning of the chorus when it comes back the second time. The third voice may add yet more information further enriching the experience of hearing the chorus. Sometimes the meaning of the chorus flips and becomes an ironic comment in light of what is described in the previous verse.

Your writing assignment is now to put a set of lyrics in a country music style. You can use the lyrics you wrote in the last lesson or write a new set. Whatever you decide, make a box outline of the three verses and inside each box write what the main idea of that verse is, and then see if there's an evolution of the meaning. Be clear about what the meaning is, and make sure it comes across in the actual lyrics. Just having an interesting progression of ideas in the three boxes doesn't mean the lyrics will come across to the listener. The lyrics have to actually express the idea summarized in the box so that they follow the progression of ideas.

If you decide to use your lyrics from last week try rewriting parts to make them stronger. Sometimes it is cheaper and faster to get rid of an old building and start over rather than leaving the original walls and trying to remodel it from the inside out. If you decide to start fresh think about the boxes from the beginning, and make sure that the lyrics you write embody the meaning that you put in them.

Many beginning songwriters are quick to become satisfied with their lyrics and don't take much time to rewrite them, let alone start over to come up with a completely new set. Usually you can find something to improve and polish though if you're willing to put in the time and make the effort. The song will probably come out better as a result.

Story development