that inspire me. On one page I write the lyrics, on the other I write down what I like about them, how they apply to my life, what they remind me of, etc. When I was a kid, my dad and I would always sit down with the liner notes to our favorite albums and have a long discussion analyzing what we thought the writer was trying to convey.
One of the more hilarious moments was when we were driving on the way to Lake Chelan for our annual camping trip, listening to my favorite band at the time- Third Eye Blind. Third Eye Blind had a hit song titled “Deep Inside of You” that I innocently thought was about the memory of someone who you loved always being with you in your heart, or something along those lines. I was fifteen okay! My dad kind of did that grown-up cough when they know akward conversation is going to start, and he gently brought up “honey, I think he might be meaning something a little more than just that…” (By the way Third Eye Blind, thank you for initiating an important teenage sex talk. I’ll never forget it!)
But seriously, I love talking about and thinking about songwriting. Of course…I can’t over think it. I just like to learn about other people’s process- it is so fascinating. I recently discovered the blog Writers on Process and it is blowing my mind. Wye Oak, Mirah, Thao, Dave Bazaan, YACHT, My Morning Jacket- all kinds of amazing songwriters are interviewed about their writing process. As a songwriter myself, it is also really inspiring and helpful for me to read about other writers struggles- to remind myself that I am not alone.
Thao Nguyen on songwriting: The hardest part is the psychological obstacles I put up for myself. There’s a lot of self-doubt sometimes, and because of that I start and stop a lot of songs during the creative process. I’m too concerned with how people will receive it, and I wonder if I’ll ever write another song again. Sometimes when I write, I think it’s the last song I’ll ever write. Then I can’t believe I wrote another one.
Janelle Monae: I used to be a perfectionist, and then I started to be unafraid to fail, not afraid to make mistakes, and then a lot of great things came out of my voice, a lot of character came out of it, and I was able to stretch outside of anybody’s expectations of what I could do. I transformed into a more evolved person, an artist.
Wye Oak: Writer’s block comes from self imposed guilt about not producing enough. Here’s my philosophy: “living is work.” When you work in a creative field, part of the process is just being in the world.
I recently spent sometime teaching and preparing songwriting workshops at the Rain City Rock Camp for Girls- a rock and roll Summer camp where girls form a band, learn an instrument, write a song, and perform at Neumos within one week! At first I thought, I can’t “teach” songwriting. I’m not an expert. Who am I to tell someone how to write a song? So I approached the workshop as a conversation- what are some basic song structures? What do you look for in a song when you are listening? What makes a song get stuck in your head or gain significant meaning to you personally? What prevents you from writing? What inspires you?
It is amazing the power that can come from hearing the words “you can do it.” So many of the girls voiced a fear that they could never in a million years write a song. In a culture that tells young listeners that a song is something highly manufactured, polished, and perfect, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that a song is whatever the hell you want it to be. People may not like it, people may LOVE IT, but no one can tell you what counts or does not count as a song. I have to remind myself of that as well. It’s important for me to think actively and critcally about the things I love. Knowing and understanding why a song makes me cry, or laugh, can only make me a stronger writer in the long run, right? Maybe I’m just a huge nerd :)
