Gary Harvey Blog

This article will examine copywriting as it pertains to song lyrics.

Copywriting has the same goal no matter the field you’re in: to compel a certain audience to buy a particular product. Writing song lyrics isn’t any different. In this arena you must know your audience, what moves them and agrees with their thoughts and experiences, and then make a product that appeals to them. Many people write songs that fail to agree with their audience and never make it onto the radio. A good songwriter knows that their audience wants and can give it to them.

Your song will have an overall message, but it must also have an instant recognition mechanism. Beyonce’s new song, “Irreplaceable” illustrates this well. Here she sings “To the left, to the left” in a unique manner that immediately identifies the song to the audience. This helps build awareness of your particular singer and song.

Writing song lyrics is not just about sales and money either. Few have the ability to move people with words and melodies. It is important to note that is it difficult to remember all the words to a song, and thus you should put your main point and hook in the chorus. This helps the audience know your message quickly.

Copywriting is the art of persuasion. Lyrical copywriting attempts to persuade the audience of a message through a song. This isn’t much different than writing articles in a paper or magazine. With some luck, the audience will be moved by the song and purchase the album.

Hopefully this article helped illuminate the field of song verse copywriting. A goal of lyrical copywriting is to build an awareness of a particular song and singer. But remember that it is hard for someone to remember the entire song, so put your main point in the chorus and build an instant recognition mechanism into your lyrics. This will dramatically help your song become popular.