The most common literary device used in songs is the simile, a figure of speech which compares two unlike things by using "like" or "as". Even though similes and metaphors are both forms of comparison, similes allow the two ideas to remain distinct in spite of their similarities.
The simile appears in many a hit song, including the Amanda Bloom song, "The Rose". One listen and you'll find that the song, in fact, is full of similes. "Love is like a river", "Love is like a rose" and so on.
Here are some song titles with great similes:
"Hungry LIke The Wolf," Duran Duran
"Loves Me Like a Rock," Paul Simon
"Cold as Ice," Foreigner
"Smells Like Teen Spirit," Nirvana
"She's Like the Wind," Patrick Swayze
"Fly Like an Eagle," Steve Miller Band
The process for building similes is the same as building your lists of nouns, verbs, adverbs, and adjectives for metaphors. Try comparing words from to separate lists by placing a "like" or "as" between them. You can choose two leave your simile implicit by not further identifying any characteristic of the comparison for the listener, therefore, the listener is left to determine for themselves which feature to apply. Or, you can take it a step further and leave nothing to the listeners imagination by describing explicitly the features for your listener.
Example:
Implicit = She walks like a cat
Explicit = She walks as gracefully and elegantly as a cat.
Similes are a really great tool for songwriting, so have fun creating your own!
Songwriters have less than 4 minutes to tell their story, with the extra weight of providing enough descriptive elements in the lyric to set a tone, paint a scene and emote a heartfelt truth for the listener. There is no video to help tell the story. The songwriting must provide enough lyric information for the listener to create the movie in the mind when listening. Literary devices provide a great tool to complete this task.
Metaphors are the mainstay of good creative writing. By comparing two unlike objects that do not belong together, you've created a friction, an essential conflict, that will emote a feeling in your listener by creating a new descriptive idea that will demand your listener to pay attention.
Here are the tools to create three types of metaphors.
1. Expressed Identity occurs when you compare two unlike nouns. There are three formulas in which to do this.
First pick two nouns. A great way to find new comparisons is to create an expressed identity worksheet. Make two long lists of nouns and try out the formulas on each noun on list 1 by comparing it to each noun on list 2. For example: If "love" is the first noun on your list 1 and "rose" is the first noun on your list 2, I try out all three formulas below with these two nouns. Then compare "love" with the second noun "river" on list 2 and so on. Then do the same for each noun down list 1, with all the nouns down list 2.
List 1 is "X" List 2 is "Y".
Love = X Rose = Y
River = Y
Razor = Y
Flower + Y
Formulas
(1.) "x is y" (Love is a rose; love is a river; love is a razor; love is a flower)
(2.) "the y of x " ( The Rose of love; the river of love, the razor of love, the flower of love)
Building expressed identity worksheets is a great way to come up with your own unique metaphors.
Now listen to Neil Young's song, "Love Is A Rose" or Amanda Bloom's song, "The Rose".
2. Qualifying metaphors are another way of using comparisons. This time adjectives qualify nouns and adverbs qualify verbs. The conflict between the relationships create metaphor. Again build your lists: List 1 of adjectives and list 2 of nouns and then have fun comparing list one with list 2. Then build list 3 with verb and list 4 with adverbs and have more fun comparing.
(This is a short list for examples only, you should have a whole page.)
List 1
Adjectives
tender
lovely
beautiful
sharp
windy
careful
forgetful
feathered
gothic
blackened
List 2
Nouns
love
reed
rose
razor
flower
seed
clouds
canyon
fairy
soul
List 3
Verbs
bleed
leave
ache
blind
sail
love
sing
run
pitch
toss
List 4
Adverbs
sedately
bleeding
rigidly
blindly
tightly
lovingly
sharply
blindly
carefully
solely
Adj / Noun example = feathered canyon
= gothic fairy (Red Hot Chile Peppers)
Adverb / verb example = to sail blindly into his arms
3. Verbal metaphors are also good literary devices which are formed by conflict between a verb and it's subject or object. Take your list 2 of nouns and your verbs from list 3 from the above qualifying metaphors worksheet and compare.
Example: the flower aches for the sun
soul bleeds
We all have the ability to have the creative spark it takes to make metaphors. Creating worksheets will help you train your vision and prepare you for that spark of bright and wonderful inspiration.
Once you've found your great metaphor, don't leave it dangling from abandonment in mid song. Continue to carry the idea thru to the end.
See if you can find the references to warfare in this John Mayer song:
From the beginning of human interaction, songs have been the most powerful means of communication. We've all been moved by improvised stage performances that occur instantly and touch our souls, sending chills up our spine. It appears so spontaneously, yet, there are years of study and practice behind the scenes to be able to go on autopilot and reach that next level. The same principle applies to songwriting. It's takes hard work and preparation, to become a great songwriter. There are tricks and tools that will help you get started, but it will be up to you to exercise your songwriting muscle.
MAKING A SPACE & COLLECTING YOUR TOOLS - Find a corner or a room in your home that you can call your own for songwriting. Assemble your tools and keep them there when not in use. Gather your lucky pen, paper, three ring binder, reference books, your instrument, a a small portable recorder. You might want to designate a briefcase or something portable in which you can carry supplies to your co-writing appointments or the studio. If you use a laptop for writing and recording, that's even better.
SONGWRITING NOTEBOOK - You'll need a three ring binder in which to keep your work.
Here is a list of tabs for the notebook sections that I have suggested to my students.
Object Writing
Ideas
Titles
Works in Progress
Completed Songs
Assignments
Educational Articles
Quiz
Contacts
Pitch Opportunities
Agreements
You can arrange the above suggestions to fit your own needs. I'll talk more about each one of these points later.
REFERENCE BOOKS - You'll need to acquire and exercise your verbal skills to compete with hit songwriters. Play games that focus on vocabulary and language skills. Read to develop language skills and get ideas. Also, keep up with pop culture and developing expressions of slang. Here's a list for a start. Much of this list can be found online, as well.
New dictionary that includes slang terms
Rhyming dictionary - The Complete Rhyming Dictionary, editied by Clement Wood, Doubleday http://www.rhymezone.com
Thesaurus -Pat Pattison recommends the original Roget's Thesaurus http://www.thesaurus.reference.com
Book of popular quotations
encyclopedia
Newspapers & magazines
SET ASIDE TIME - You may have a space, but if you don't spend time in it, you'll never write that hit. You'll need to free yourself from distractions. The best way to do that is to schedule songwriting time on your calendar, and ask your family members not to distract you. Keep your date with yourself. This may be the hardest thing to do, but if you want to be in the business of songwriting, then you need to treat it like a buisiness and report to work. Turn off the phone, put a note on the door, and send the kids to a movie.
You also will want to network and find songwriters with which to co-write. When you've found someone compatible, you can set a regular work time each week. Nashville is full of active songwriters who are daily exercising their songwriting muscle as evidenced by a crowded co-write calendar.
Barbara McMillen founded the Dallas Songwriters Association and served as President from 1986-92. She was given the title of Founding President Emeritus, in 1994 and has remained active in guiding the organization, continuing to serve on the Board of Directors and as editor of Songwriters Notes.
She has also served as Associate Professor of Songwriting at Collin College since 2008 and enjoys teaching. Barbe is currently teaching Songwriting I & II on the Preston Ridge Campus of Collin College and will be adding classes on the Spring Creek Campus next semester.
She is also working on a new rock musical, Give Me A Break, with long time friend and author Laurie Windham.
Barbe is also a performing songwriter, music therapist, music publisher, record label owner, and has extensive experience in music marketing. She is a voting member of the NARAS, the Recording Academy, the folks that give the Grammy.
