How do you write a GOOD love song????

Fender_Punk

Fender_Punk

BerriesAndCreamologist
I've tried. There are so many great love songs that are good without being cheesy, or at least overly cheesy. However everytime I've tried writing a song for either a past girlfriend while we dated or for the girl I'm with now, I can;t without being extremely cheesy and direct. I don't know how to write in metaphors except when being analytical or political. HELP!!! I need to crack the secret of writing good love lyrics. I even have trouble writing songs about break ups or lost love.

Some examples of love songs I think are great that most of you might know of:
- About A Girl (Nirvana)
- Lounge Act (Nirvana)
- Drain You (Nirvana)
- Wonderwall (Oasis)
- Teenage Kicks (The Undertones)
- KKK Took My Baby Away
- Desire (U2)
- Miracle Drug (U2)
- Everybody Hurts (R.E.M.)
- Help (Beatles)
- A Hard Day's Night (Beatles)
- First Date (Blink 182)
- Josie (Blink 182)
- Pride & Joy (SRV)
- I don't Trust Myself Loving You (John Mayer)

There's TONS of others I could list, but I figure that's long enough and I think you get the just. HOW DO I WRITE A GOOD LOVE SONG?????? Thanks in advance!
 
Re: How do you write a GOOD love song????

Rainmaker said:
Well, ya gotta be in love first, don'cha? :p
Click to expand...

Currently I am, but it's when I write a love song, though it feels like it's coming from me and it's real and true, it's cheesy and direct. I can't seem to think of good metaphors or rhyming lines that aren't outright cheesy. There's an EXCELLENT love song called Last Cigarettes by one of former English teachers and there's a line:

"We'll mail away our dark labelled handle without care
I'll salt your skin, I'll cut your hair
Sew me up a dress and I'll dance you all around
My mouth in your ear, I'll sing you up a sound"

Beautiful. Really can tell it's a love song but it isn't cheesy. Another great example:

"The songs are in your eyes, I see them when you smile.
I've seen enough I'm not giving up on a miracle drug"

Elegant, pretty, beautiful, not cheesy. (that's from Miracle Drug by U2)

When I do it I only seem to write directly and it sounds really cheesy and dumb and like I'm 9 years old. I'm cursed and I need to know how to break the curse. HELP!!

P.S. Add to the list Can't Take My Eyes Off of You by Al Green. Sort of cheesy, but still a great song anyway.
 
Re: How do you write a GOOD love song????

chopstherocker said:
KKK Took MY Baby Away was a shot at Johnny Ramone by Joey, when Johnny stole (and later married) Joey's girlfriend.

Don't write a love song like that. ;)
Click to expand...

I knew that, but it's still a song about love. Because that girl was problem the only girl Joey really loved. Sad, but he expressed his lost love well in that song and did so using a clever analogy that not even johnny picked up on (or at least protestd against).

STILL NEED MAJOR HELP WRITING A LOVE SONG!!! Someone on here must be able to help...
 
Re: How do you write a GOOD love song????

Try not to use the word Pork in it....girls get mad at you.........
 
Re: How do you write a GOOD love song????

I don't wanna sound condescending but I had the same problem when i was your age dude. You want it to be raw and sound punk or at least rockin but you want to get your emotions across...it's hard.

Just let it flow. Let your emotions thru in your writing, and if your writing sounds kind of childish...well chalk it up to your youth, and appreciate THAT while you got it.

Punk chicks hate love songs anyway. Just figure out a riff that you can play while you sing that Akon / Snoop Dogg song..."Just Wanna Fu(n)k You"
 
Re: How do you write a GOOD love song????

Empty Pockets said:
I don't wanna sound condescending but I had the same problem when i was your age dude. You want it to be raw and sound punk or at least rockin but you want to get your emotions across...it's hard.

Just let it flow. Let your emotions thru in your writing, and if your writing sounds kind of childish...well chalk it up to your youth, and appreciate THAT while you got it.

Punk chicks hate love songs anyway. Just figure out a riff that you can play while you sing that Akon / Snoop Dogg song..."Just Wanna Fu(n)k You"
Click to expand...

Actually I'm not neccesarily aiming to write a love song to four distrted power chords, and my girlfriend always smiles and blushes when I play Wonderwall or the Misfits cover of This Magic Moment (they're both kind of our songs, and yeah the Misfits one is distorted).

I'm more concerned on the lyrical aspect and however the guitar comes through so be it. I just want to be able to write songs to her/about her expressing how I feel about her but a) it's hard to put to words and b) it's hard to put those words poetically without sounding like a complete cheese ball.

As for punk chicks not liking love songs, play a good acoustic one, or a Blink 182 love song or hell even if you disguise Disire by U2 with distortion, they'll be smiling and blushing. However I've been with Tammy for over a year now, no need to impress her with other people's songs, but rather try to expres how I feel about her with my own songs and that's where my problem is.
 
Re: How do you write a GOOD love song????

You might want to take a creative writing class in school....When I was your age it helped me a lot. Especially the college classes....If you don't want to go to school I sure there is a book you can get to help...
 
Re: How do you write a GOOD love song????

go with jazz/jazzier chords or blues. Take a listen to some Robert Cray - hes the master of knowing how to play the blues without doing a 12-bar blues progression. Also, listen to the song Lenny by SRV - that's a love song and it doesn't even have words in it! Its those meloncholy chords that give it that feel. And of course, once you have absorbed that, obviously, add your own feel or touch to it. Im guessing you dont listen to jazz or blues much, but give it a listen for this time. Good luck dude
 
Re: How do you write a GOOD love song????

Gunny47 said:
go with jazz/jazzier chords or blues. Take a listen to some Robert Cray - hes the master of knowing how to play the blues without doing a 12-bar blues progression. Also, listen to the song Lenny by SRV - that's a love song and it doesn't even have words in it! Its those meloncholy chords that give it that feel. And of course, once you have absorbed that, obviously, add your own feel or touch to it. Im guessing you dont listen to jazz or blues much, but give it a listen for this time. Good luck dude
Click to expand...

I'm not really one for Jazz, bit I LOVE blues. Robert Cray and SRV are two of my favourite blues artists. Actually if you look at the list of songs I think are good love songs there's Pride And Joy (SRV) and Playin' In The Dirt (Cray) both listed. I'm looking more at the lyrical aspect as I seem to be able to come up with good chord progressions for love songs.

As for the creative writing class suggestion, I've signed up fro Writer's Craft next year (Gr. 12 University level course).

Keep the suggestions coming.
 
Re: How do you write a GOOD love song????

I don't know anyone your age who could hope to write a non-cheesy love song. I think it's one of those things that comes down to life experience. Sorry.

You may get lucky and come up with something decent.
 
Re: How do you write a GOOD love song????

Like this...

nookin pa nub in the mornin.... nookin pa nub at noon.... nooking pa nub in the evening.... den I found ju

Simple right off the top of my head. Feel free to use it, instant gold record right there.
 
Re: How do you write a GOOD love song????

A friend of mine here in Germany wrote a ballad about his girlfriend being dead, and she said that if he was still fat after the summer she'd leave him. He thought about lyposuction because he's physically too lazy to work out, but after seeing how much it costs he's gonna spend some time sweating his ass off.
So DON'T write about any dead people.:)
 
Re: How do you write a GOOD love song????

Just write whats in your heart about whoever your with .....just be yourself
 
Re: How do you write a GOOD love song????

Firstly, don't take any advice from anyone who hasn't written a great love song, which ironically also means that you probably shouldn't take that advice from me!. You're talking about one of the most difficult and underrated skills. If anyone had a formula there would be more people with huge publishing cheques in the mail. It's like when people say that good pop songs are easy to write. Absolute nonsense. Good love songs are a rarity, as are truly beautiful and poetic lyrics about love that aren't cliches. Perhaps you could start out direct and then find metaphors to replace your direct intent. Again, what would I know, I've never written a really good love song!


Cheers....................wahwah
 
Re: How do you write a GOOD love song????

It would be rare indeed for anyone to be able to write a good song first time out - let alone a love song which is probably one of the hardest subjects to write about and do it well.

You've taken the best first step and that is to study other lyrics that you like.

The next step is to write a lot of lyrics and have them criticized by your peers - and then listen to the criticism (that is harder than it sounds).

You can do that here - but this is a guitar forum.

There are a number of songwriting forums out there with good people that can help. My favorite is Muse's Muse
 
Re: How do you write a GOOD love song????

Good love songs like Boxcar Racer's "There Is" and Jack's Mannequin "The Mixed Tape"?

Start with thinking about the girl you like, and just write down what ideas come to mind. Imagine that you're staring into her eyes, and write down what comes to mind. Think about what makes her so special, what makes her stick out and why you're fortunate to have her. Once you can get those basic things down, write down what you have in mind, and arrange the piece in some kind of order.

These are just quick tips, reply if you need further help.:bigok:
 
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