How to Write Relationship Lyrics

How to Write Relationship Lyrics

I feel like writing this particular blog is sort of like a pompous side of me saying “let me show you how to feel love.”  Writing relationship lyrics are so personal and subjective.  And they should be.  Of course, I’m not going to “show you how to feel love”, but I can show you how to write about it when you’re in love or have a great relationship with someone. 

It could be your romantic partner, a family member, a best friend, or someone you just met that day and feel like you’ve known for a lifetime.  There are no rules to what constitutes a relationship for yourself and another person.  If you feel it is, it is.  Often times songwriters write about something or someone they have just experienced in life. What I’m trying to say is that it’s all an open game when writing about relationships. 

Here are 7 steps of relationship lyric writing techniques:

1.      Think about who the top 4 (or whatever number) most important people are in your life.

2.      Now trim that to 2, then 1.  Write about that person.  You can write about the others another time.  That’s one of the cool things about lyric writing.  There is infinite material to write about.

3.      Think about what that person means to you.  What do you love about them?  (if it’s a bad relationship think about what you do not like about them… but for this article let’s be positive 😊)

4.      How do you feel when you are with him/her?  Don’t just think it, type it or write it out. Click here Three Simple Techniques for Songwriters

5.      What are some of the experiences you’ve had with him/her that stand out in your mind?

6.      If you have an inside joke or personal thing that only you and he/she will know about, give it a verse or two.  Talk about it in code.  The people who listen to the song other than the person you intended if for will try to figure out what you’re talking about.  Or not.  But a lot of songs have personal meaning to the writer.  In most cases, it prompts the person who hears it to create their own reality of what it means to them.  Or possibly make it your chorus. There are a lot of ways to go with it.

7.      If it’s for a specific person, use their name.  Or what they do, or talk about their personality.  Write it so the person you intend to give it to knows unmistakably that it’s about them.  The trick to this is to not say it literally.  It’s a technique in writing-- to write about things in a round about kind of way… without literally coming out and saying it.

Remember… this is your relationship and your lyrics to express however you want.  It’s what you want to say and how you would like to convey it.  It’s not about what someone thinks.  The more honest you are about how you feel, the better the song comes out.  Every. Single. Time.  From the beginning of time until the end of time, this was and always will be the case.

Now express yourself!  Show that love in your lyrics to someone you know and love!  Let them know!  There’s a great quote by Mary Kay Ash of Mary Kay Cosmetics - She said:

 Most people live and die with their music still unplayed.  They never dare to try”.

Try it!  It’s easier and more fulfilling than you may think it is.