Who writes the lyrics in your band?

gjsven · #1 02-06-2008, 04:21 AM

Hi all,

Thought this would be an interesting one. I'm a prolific lyricist and wrote all the lyrics in my last band, for which I was also the lead vocalist. My new band however has a dedicated lead singer, who has made the comment that she finds it hard to sing other peoples' lyrics. Sharing the job doesn't really bother me, but I can't stand songs that don't 'say' anything, you know? I guess its that punk rocker inside of me!

Anyway, I don't really foresee any major problems in my band because of this as we're both pretty reasonable people, but it raised an interesting question as to how different bands do it. So please contribute to the poll, and please put any comments you have below.

pklima · #2 02-06-2008, 06:22 AM

Back when I played originals I would get the lyrics from classic poetry, sometimes from other sources (such as putting together a collage of the most over-the-top Mike Tyson interview quotes).

punkbassistfc · #3 02-06-2008, 09:13 AM

The lead ovx does most of ours but i used to do most of them

mjolnir · #4 02-06-2008, 09:34 AM

Depends on the band. In one the guitard/vocalist, drummer, and I all sit down and hammer them out together, and in the other there's a guy who just sings so he write all the lyrics.

Bruce Lindfield · #5 02-06-2008, 09:42 AM

I play Jazz and we have no lyrics!

theshadow2001 · #6 02-06-2008, 10:41 AM

Our singer hands the band songs that are pretty much complete. Lately he's been putting in bass lines and using drum machines to get the song near to completion. Which is annoying because I don't want his lines to influence what I write.

In any case all I do is write bass lines. I'm not a song writer and I'm happy that way.

CapnSev · #7 02-06-2008, 10:45 AM

I used to do it in my old band (where I was lead vocals too) because the other two guys were too lazy. I despise writing lyrics.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bruce Lindfield

I play Jazz and we have no lyrics!

(Napoleon vioce): Lucky!

Moe Monsarrat · #8 02-06-2008, 10:57 AM

I am the bassist, lead vocalist & lyricist for my band.

theshadow2001 · #9 02-06-2008, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CapnSev

I used to do it in my old band (where I was lead vocals too) because the other two guys were too lazy. I despise writing lyrics.

(Napoleon vioce): Lucky!

Thats kind of like saying you play bass because everyone else in the band is too lazy to do it.

If I wrote lyrics it would end up like a poem you'd write in school when you were 9. I'd rather let the better person do it.

CapnSev · #10 02-06-2008, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theshadow2001

Thats kind of like saying you play bass because everyone else in the band is too lazy to do it.

If I wrote lyrics it would end up like a poem you'd write in school when you were 9. I'd rather let the better person do it.

I never said I was bad at it. I think it's difficult to come up with good/catchy ideas a lot of times and make them fit. Everyone else in the band is too lazy to try it.

Not all lyrics have to be a poem or deep.

I play bass because I'm good at it.

theshadow2001 · #11 02-06-2008, 12:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CapnSev

I never said I was bad at it. I think it's difficult to come up with good/catchy ideas a lot of times and make them fit. Everyone else in the band is too lazy to try it.

Not all lyrics have to be a poem or deep.

I play bass because I'm good at it.

I never said you were a bad lyricist. I am though, terrible. So I don't do it. Our singer writes lyrics because he does it and it's also something that he does anyway. Song writing is a very natural and intuitive thing for him. All I was saying that people sometimes don't write lyrics because they are just terrible at it. Like me. Also a similar reason I don't sing. My voice is too low for decent backin vocals and I have trouble holding a note. The guitarist on the other hand is better suited for the job. I could sing maybe some johnny cash style stuff but backing vocals...not for me.

chaosMK · #12 02-06-2008, 04:36 PM

On our last album the singer wrote the lyrics.

I wont say they are the worst ever, but for a while we posted up the album sleeve on the fridge and would play a game using his dumbest lines in conversation.

This album we are working on now (with the singer barely ever showing up) is taking on a more intellectual focus than the last. The guitarist and I are coming out with lyrics/lyric ideas more now. We wanted this album to look at human nature more than personal daily BS.

Ive always tried to write lyrics and vocal parts, to see if anything can be done with my super proggy (7/8, 11/8, 10/8, 15/8, etc) tapping lines. Difficult times can create difficult times for a singer.

professor_bills · #13 02-06-2008, 04:51 PM

We only have two originals so far unless you count blues jams and I wrote the lyrics for them. Both of them are also basically words put to blues jams in fact when someone new (We're justa garage hobby band) pops in we just tell them hey its an A or G blues jam. have lots of other lyrics that I want to get together with the keyboardist and have him putt something down in writing for the Guitards. I feel he's the one with the best shot of doing that job and I cant write music. I just get these songs in my head and I try to get the words down. When I go for the music it often ends up a two chord jam with no bridge. Where is that confounded bridge anyway?
As for being the singer I can sing pretty well and I can play bass pretty well I have a hard time doing both but Im working on it.

basslyon · #14 02-06-2008, 05:26 PM

In one of my bands i write every thing: lyrics, guitar solos, basic drum beats. then i send everyone a guitar pro file and tell them to learn it and record a acoustic version for the singer/2nd guitarrd to get the melody off. Drummer does his own thing using my parts as a basis.

Creavtive control is good mmmmkay

oh yeah other band the singer refuses help on lyrics but will winge about he's unhappy with the lyrics he's written - he still thinks people actually care what he's saying

iamlowsound · #15 02-06-2008, 06:00 PM

I have a book full of lyrics and poams, non have ever been used in anything. We play covers.

lowsound

cutthroatmolloy · #16 02-07-2008, 01:03 AM

in scuurvy the main lyric writers are myself, our singer and lead guitarist. though drummer and rhythm guitarist contribute ideas etc. sometimes we work as a group on a song, sometimes two of us get together, and sometimes just one of us writes something.

MakiSupaStar · #17 02-07-2008, 01:25 AM

Dee Dubya · #18 02-07-2008, 05:47 AM

I write about over half of our lyrics, the rest written as a band.

I personally think I'm a better lyricist than a bassist, I just don't have much of a voice. Luckily our vocalist isn't that keen on writing lyrics. It works great.

professor_bills · #19 02-07-2008, 05:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iamlowsound

I have a book full of lyrics and poams, non have ever been used in anything. We play covers.

lowsound

I know how you feel... Wonder if anyone would publish lyrics...they often dont flow as well as poems when reading.

theunknowndude · #20 02-07-2008, 06:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by professor_bills

I know how you feel... Wonder if anyone would publish lyrics...they often dont flow as well as poems when reading.

im exactly the same as you guys,...

some of mine are very immature (i was like 14 when I started) some I think are wild, but I cant sing,.... and I only write when im angry or something and I dont like writing angst ridden stuff anymore so I just dont write now