The Art of Writing Great Lyrics

by Pamela Phillips Oland

Overview

Packed with literally hundreds of hints, tips, and inside information only a working writer would know, The Art of Writing Great Lyrics demonstrates proven, no-fail methods for everything from communicating through song, defining styles, and collaborating with a partner to studying the market, making a great demo, and getting started on a career. Full of creative exercises, writing do's and don'ts, and a handy A to Z checklist for reviewing new songs, The Art of Writing Great Lyrics provides a lifetime of proven success tips in one indispensable volume.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781581159318
Publisher:	Allworth
Publication date:	06/01/2001
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	272
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Pamela Oland participates in songwriting and music seminars around the country and abroad, as well as offering lyric evaluations and career consultations. She frequently co-hosts “Samm Brown’s For The Record,” a Sunday music industry interview show live at 2:00 pm PST on KPFK 90.7 FM.

Her extensive movie work includes the end-title to “Puerto Vallarta Squeeze,” the “Digga Digga Dog” opening and end-title song to 102 Dalmatians, and main themes to “Coming To America,” “Gideon,” “Burglar,” and “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka.” Her t.v. work includes “Reaper,” “Bad Girls Guide,” “Little Miss,” “J*A*G,” “The Sopranos, themes to “Thunder In Paradise,” and “Dexter’s Lab,” “Xena: Warrior Princess (3 songs for the cult favorite “Bitter Suite” episode) and all songs (music & lyrics) for the award-winning Kids Ten Commandments.

Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Selena, Frank Sinatra, the Jacksons, Gladys Knight, Nikka Costa, and Reba McIntyre, are among artists who’ve recorded over 450 Pamela Phillips Oland songs. Anne Murray’s “Duets,” nominated for 2008 Best Album and Best Pop Album Juno Awards, features Anne’s re-recording of Oland & James Dunne’s Grammy-Nominated #1 song “Nobody Loves Me Like You Do,” which has logged more than 1,000,000 airplays.

Table of Contents

	Acknowledgments	vii
	Foreword to Revised Edition	ix
	Introduction: If You Can't Write a Lyric, You Haven't Got a Song	xi
Chapter 1	Songwriting Is a Love Affair with Words	1
	The Difference Between Poetry and Lyrics
	Using the Three Basic Tools
	Painting Better Pictures
	New Thoughts
	Building a Better Vocabulary
	Song Words
	Before You Can Become a Great Lyricist, Become a Good Writer
	A Word on Grammar
Chapter 2	The Great Aha!	25
	Seeing the World Visually
	Knowing It When You Hear It
	Setting Up the Writing Environment
	Is There a Moon Out Tonight?
	Writing Lyrics on a Schedule
	Self-Confidence Can Speed Up Your Thinking Process
	Open the Doors of Perception
	Going Dry
	Real Songwriters Never Say Die (Except in a Lyric!)
	Word Association
	Visualization
	The Writing Process
Chapter 3	Communicating Through Song	47
	Popular Music is a Conversational Art
	What Are You Trying to Say?
	Developing Characters
	Universal Ideas
	Mind Versus Heart
Chapter 4	Understanding the Craft	73
	The Elements of a Song
	Song Formulas Are the Tools of the Trade
	Exceptions to the Rules
	If You Don't Have a Title, Why Are You Writing This Song?
	Dummy Melodies
	The First Line
	Laundry Lists
	Lyric-Crafting Exercises
	Let's Write a Song
Chapter 5	The Art of Successful Collaboration	115
	Help Wanted: Collaborator
	Yours, Mine, and Ours
	Styles in Which to Collaborate
	Intuitive Choices in Collaboration
	Fear of Collaboration
Chapter 6	Street Smart and Market Wise	135
	A Style Guide
	Studying Radio and Music Videos
	The Competition
	Evaluating Your Point of View
Chapter 7	Rewrite? MOI?	147
	Living Room Hits
	Is It Commercial?
	Is It Finished?
	Targeting a Lyric
	Learning to Evaluate Criticism
	Rewriting
	Making Reality Palatable
	Knowing It When You Hear It
Chapter 8	Now That Your Song Is Finished	173
	The Dream
	The Reality
	The Demo: A Lyricist's Perspective
	So What's the Deal About Publishers?
	Hit 'Em With Your Best Shot
	Your Package
	Professionalism
	Sample Cover Letters
	Sample Lyric Sheets
Chapter 9	You Can Do It!	201
	Attitude is Everything
	Relationships
	It Takes Forever for Anything to Happen Overnight
	Tenacity
	Don't Give Up Your Day Job!
	A Reading List of Books for Songwriters	227
	Magazines for Songwriters	229
	Songwriters' Resources	233
	United States Performing Rights Societies	239
	Permissions	241
	Index	247

What People are Saying About This

George Taweel

George Taweel, TLC Entertainment
To be a great lyricist, you need three basic and indispensable tools of songwriting the Dictionary, the Thesaurus, and the Rhyming Dictionary...Pamela Oland has now added a fourth....her book.

Dean Kay

Dean Kay, President, Demi Music Corp. and Lichelle Music Company
In this book, probably the best I have read on the subject, Pamela enthusiastically shares her knowledge and experience with those interested in the art of creating and selling lyrics.

Susan Slamer

Susan Slamer, Vice President, Music Publishing
From the first time I heard 'Nobody Loves Me Like You Do,' I became a fan of Pamela Phillips Oland. Great Lyrics are a rarity and this book contains a valuable insight into the art of writing great lyrics.

Terri Nunn

Terri Nunn, Lead Singer, Berlin
A must-read for anyone who wants to both write great lyrics AND have more fun doing it!

Editorial Reviews

The Art of Writing Great Lyrics is a virtual road map for any songwriter -- aspiring or professional-with a desire to master their craft. With solid advice, rare insight and undeniable empathy, the author illuminates the way to lyrical success.
—Music Connection magazine

Dan Kimpel

Cruelly dumped, the songwriter storms into his or her studio, slams the door and writes a heartbreaking platinum hit. According to Pamela Phillips Oland, one of the most prolific songwriters in the nation, this is no melodramatic fantasy. Oland's songs have been recorded by Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Selena and Frank Sinatra and featured on Xena: Warrior Princess and The Sopranos. She has worked in nearly every popular genre: rock, country, gospel, R & B, theater, alternative rock, blues and jazz, and she shares dozens of the tricks of her much-envied trade in The Art of Writing Great Lyrics, a revised version of her 1989 book You Can Write Great Lyrics. She even has the honesty to include an exegesis of a failed attempt: the first song she ever wrote. ( June) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

A prolific songwriter whose lyrics have been recorded by such notables as Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, and Frank Sinatra, Oland speaks from 20 years of experience when she stresses the importance of song titles, dissects catchy lyrics, and warns of rejection by publishers. Her latest guide for emerging songwriters examines the profession from all angles, focusing in-depth on the craft of song. Oland prefers to think of her book as a "recipe for success" and, in fact, she provides a solid foundation for anyone interested in the industry. The author shares a wealth of knowledge about many of the more ambiguous aspects of the field, particularly on how to discriminate lyrics from poetry and how to become an adept miner of everyday conversation. Oland's perspective will intrigue not only followers of the songwriting field but anyone captivated by the art of the written word. This book nicely complements Paul McCartney's recent book of lyrics and poetry, Blackbird Singing (Norton, 2001). Suitable for all public and academic libraries. Caroline Dadas, Univ. of Ilinois, Urbana-Champaign Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

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