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CONTENTS From the Authors PART ONE: IN THE BEGINNING Wobbly Song Foundations 1. THE ONES THAT GOT AWAY Be prepared to capture musical and lyric ideas when they come 2. IT'S HERE SOMEWHERE Have an organized place to keep your song notes 3. THE TOO-EARLY EDITOR Don't stop the creative flow by judging too early in the process 4. DON'T MESS WITH MY MUSE Don't think that discipline will hamper your creativity 5. NOWHERESVILLE Know what you're trying to say 6. HEARD BUT NOT SCENE Have a clear idea of all the details of the song's setting 7. WHY BOTHER? Make sure each song will motivate an artist to sing its message 8. SONGS FROM THE HEAD Avoid writing songs that are too philosophical, emotionally removed and cerebral 9. REALITY ISN'T EVERYTHING Don't force a song to fit your reality; let it have its own integrity 10. I DID IT THEIR WAY Don't write to impress or please others; write from your own passion 11. NO BONES ABOUT IT Give your songs structure 12. WRITING YESTERDAY Don't try to write a song like today's hit; don't write dated material PART TWO: WHAT IN THE WORD? Watching What You Say in Your Lyrics 13. THE CASE OF THE MYSTERIOUS MESSAGE Don't be intentionally obscure in your lyrics 14. NOWHERE PERSON Don't give the singer a negative persona to identify with in your lyrics 15. WHO IS "YOU"? Don't mix up pronouns in a lyric 16. NOT NAMING THE GAME Make sure the title is not buried or nonexistent 17. I'M BIDING MY LINES Get to the point in the first two lines of your song 18. ONE SONG, MANY LANGUAGES Don't write lyrics with an inappropriate mix of conversational tones 19. X-RATED Be careful with sex in your songs 20. SING ME A? Don't depend on punctuation marks to give meaning to your song 21. LYRICAL HANGOVERS Watch out for lyric phrases that hang over to the next melody line instead of ending with their own melodic phrase 22. TO SING THE UNSINGABLE WORD Beware of tongue-twisting word combinations and hard consonants on long notes 23. I CAN'T SEE IT Use picture words in your lyrics; instead of talking about the subject, show it! 24. NO REASON TO RHYME Avoid inconsistent or nonexistent rhyme schemes 25. EPIC PROPORTIONS Write songs of reasonable length 26. NOT ENOUGH IS NOT ENOUGH Write enough to express your ideas completely 27. SORTING THE MUSE Don't mistake poetry for lyrics PART THREE: MAKING THE MUSIC Melodic Mistakes 28. TO STUDY OR NOT TO STUDY MUSIC Don't think you have to study music theory extensively or play a musical instrument expertly 29. FREE SAMPLES Don't think you can sample from previous recordings for free 30. MISMATCHMAKING Don't forget prosody: the marriage between words and music 31. LOST, LOST ON THE RANGE Don't write a melody that has too wide a range for most singers 32. THE LONG AND WINDING MELODY Be sure your melodies lead to the hook; don't let them wander 33. THE HOOK LINE IS SUNK Be certain you have a melodic hook or your title pays off melodically 34. JUST ONE HOOK Include melodic, rhythmic and instrumental subhooks 35. IN SEARCH OF THE LOST CHORD Make sure your chords aren't too complex or oversimplified 36. DON'T PLAY IT AGAIN, PLEASE Make sure your verses and chorus aren't too alike in rhythm and melody PART FOUR: ONCE WRITTEN, LOOK TWICE Rewriting Wrongs 37. DON'T SAY NOTHING BAD ABOUT MY BABY Learn to accept feedback on your songs 38. STRANGER IN A STRANGE SONG Check to see that your message is clear; not hidden between the lines 39. YOU'VE WRITTEN TWO DIFFERENT SONGS Be sure the verses and the chorus aren't about two different things 40. TOO MUCH IS MORE THAN ENOUGH Don't include song parts or lyrics that don't add to the forward motion of the song 41. NEVER SAY REWRITE Be willing to rewrite 42. KILLING IT GRADUALLY WITH REWRITES Don't rewrite a song to death PART FIVE: TWO HEADS, OR MORE, ARE BETTER Collaboration Misconceptions 43. DOING IT ALL Don't think you can/must write it all yourself 44. DIVING IN, CRAWLING OUT Have an agreement with your collaborator before you start working on a song 45. WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS A FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE Talk openly with your co-writer about every aspect of the song 46. LET'S DO IT MY WAY Don't insist on your way when a collaborator disagrees 47. I TAKE THAT BACK Don't try to change your collaboration agreement after the song is written 48. MISSING PERSONS Know how to deal with a song when there's interest and you can't find your collaborator PART SIX: GETTING IT RECORDED Demo No-No's 49. NO UP-FRONT FEEDBACK Don't spend money on demos before getting informed feedback on the song 50. POISONING THE PRODUCTION WELL Don't have an overbearing or put-down attitude in the studio 51. TOO MANY DEMOS SPOIL THE WALLET Don't make too many demos at once 52. TOO MANY PRODUCERS SPOIL THE DEMO Don't let everyone else make your demo decisions 53. BIG-BUDGET BLUES Don't spend too much money on one demo 54. JUST JAM IT Have a clear idea of the feel and sound you're going for in the demo 55. SELF-SUNG DEMO HERO Avoid singing the demo yourself; hire a dynamite singer 56. LITTLE VOICE LOST Put the vocal up front in the mix 57. I CAN'T FIND YOUR KEY Be sure to lay the tracks in the singer's key 58. INSERT INSTRUMENTAL INTERMISSION Don't put long instrumental breaks in a song demo 59. A BIG OVERPRODUCTION Keep your demo uncluttered 60. CAN'T STOP NOW Don't continue to work when the session is going badly 61. SENDING MONEY DOWN THE DEMO HOLE Make the best of mail-order demos PART SEVEN: ALLOW ME TO PRESENT MY SONG Pitching Package Pratfalls 62. NO WAY IN Don't seal your demo package with a roll of tape and a thousand staples 63. LYRICS IN LONGHAND Don't send handwritten lyric sheets 64. READ THIS LEAD SHEET Don't send the lyrics on a four-page lead sheet 65. SAVING THE BEST FOR LAST Don't put your best song at the end of a twelve-song demo CD 66. CERTIFIED UNACCEPTABLE Don't send songs by certified or registered mail 67. GUESS WHO WROTE THIS Put your name and phone number on all parts of your presentation package PART EIGHT: MAKING DISCONNECTIONS How Not to Get Your Songs Heard 68. PITCHING PARANOIA Avoid coming across with a defensive attitude, afraid of being ripped off 69. COPYRIGHT IT, RIGHT? Don't register every song individually with the Copyright Office 70. STAYING IN THE CLOSET Don't be afraid to pitch or show your songs 71. TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN Don't send songs to a company without a specific person's name 72. ONE PITCH AT A TIME Don't pitch to only one potential recording situation at a time 73. SHOTGUN PITCHING Pinpoint your pitches; don't force the wrong song on the right contact 74. I'LL GIVE YOU EVERYTHING Don't be willing to sign everything and anything away at the slightest interest by a publisher 75. ONE HUNDRED PERCENT OF NOTHING Don't be inflexible in negotiating rights 76. NO SIR, THAT'S MY BABY Don't be reluctant to let go of a song because you're saving it for your "artist deal" 77. HOLD IT, HOLD IT, NEVER LET IT GO Know how to deal with songs that get stuck "on hold" with producers 78. MAKE ME A STAR Don't think that someone is going to "make you" a success 79. NEVER AGAIN Don't give up after being rejected 80. BURNING BRIDGES Don't leave a trail of enemies behind 81. LET MIKEY DO IT Don't expect to sit back and let the publisher or lawyer do all the work 82. READY OR NOT, HERE I COME! Know what you're doing before you move to a music center 83. DISTANT DREAMS Don't despair of being a songwriter because you live in the middle of nowhere 84. POLITICALLY INCORRECT Don't think that politics have nothing to do with songwriting 85. BOONDOCKS BLUES Don't think you're not important to the songwriting world because you don't live in a music center PART NINE: THE CD RELEASE PARTY'S OVER Post-Record Release Problems 86. MAJOR LABEL MISHAPS The record deal rainbow does not necessarily lead to a pot of gold 87. INDEPENDENCE DAZE Don't think your work is done when you've produced your own CD 88. IN IT FOR THE MONEY Don't think you'll get rich quick on one lucky break 89. LOOK WHAT THEY'VE DONE TO MY SONG Be willing to relinquish control over the finished product 90. WHAT THEY DON'T KNOW WILL HURT YOU Register a song that is getting airplay with your performance rights organization 91. ONCE IS NOT ENOUGH Join your PRO twice if you're self-publishing 92. NOT WORTH THE PAPER Don't lose those contracts! 93. IT OUGHTA BE IN PICTURES Learn about the drawbacks of writing songs for films 94. PENNIES FROM HEAVEN Don't think your royalties will automatically come to you 95. FALLING OFF THE MOUNTAIN Cope with your success PART TEN: WILD WEIRD WEB Internet Entanglements 96. FEAR OF THE FUTURE "Éthe only thing we have to fear is fear itselfÉ" ; Franklin D. Roosevelt 97. JUST A CLICK AWAY Be careful what you click for on the Internet 98. CYBER SONG SHARKS Steer clear of companies that advertise they are "looking for hit songs" 99. NO CONTEST There are "contests" and there are real contests; choose wisely. 100. FAME CALLING Be wary of the caller who says, "I'm gonna make you a star." 101. DOLLARS AND NONSENSE Make careful choices about where you spend your money on songwriting AFTERWORD "The fundamental things apply as time goes by..." ; Herman Hupfeld INDEX
Library of Congress Subject Headings for this publication:
Popular music -- Writing and publishing.
Music trade.