Inspiration for the Wonting

I recently acquired a splendid music machine - having been without something portable for a longer time than I'd like to admit - and am using it to my ears' delight.

It's amazing to me how much clearer lyrics can actually get just by letting the words stream directly into your head. I mean those lyrics that have one word that makes no sense to you at all, and you're thinking "Why did they choose to put it like that, when this would have sounded so much better?" And now, with the direct-feed, it suddenly makes sense, and it wasn't "they" who put it like that, it was actually me all along, getting it wrong. Tsk, tsk.

I have to say, one thing that irks me a little in lyrics is this:

It don't mean nothing

It makes me want to say that no, it DOESN'T mean ANYthing.

Yes, it sounds anal to correct an innocent pop-lyric or the like (which usually use this type of annoyance), but to me, if it doesn't fit and you have to use sloppy grammar to get it in there, then don't use it at all - find something else that works better.

There is nothing that I love more than a good lyric, an inventive way of using words and rhymes (or foregoing the rhymes for telling a story, or using them sporadically), and there is nothing more inspiring than a lyric and melody that fuse together to paint you a clear picture that fit perfectly with the story or the characters you're trying to tell and portray.

Here's a tip for anyone seeking inspiration:

Choose a beloved song or an album that you haven't listened to in a while (just so that the music isn't fresh in your mind), close your eyes and let the lyrics surprise you. Let them tell you a story, and when they're done - write it down.

You can write it as a music video, with glimpses of the story and characters that come together in the end to make up a whole, though I wouldn't go down the "songfic" road, as this might stiffen the flow of the piece. When I say "write it as a music video", I mean just that: write it in script form, with parts of the lyrics present to show the way of how the visual adheres to the words being sung.

If a music video isn't interesting, then you can write an actual short story and see where it takes you. It's freeing, because the inspiration comes from something that will not go away, and if it helps you begin a story, if or when you feel stuck you can go back to the source of origin and listen to it again.

x's
Annie.