A number of years ago, I was in a band called Dryve and I was hanging with a fellow band member named Cory who was the main lyric writer in the band. He was the main lyricist for one reason- he was really, really good at it -he wrote some lyrics that are still my favorite to this day. Anyway, we were discussing songwriting and he said something that stuck with me –
“To write good lyrics, you have to be willing to write a whole sheet of words, get to the bottom of the page, and then throw away the entire page except for one line where you really have something.”
What? No. I wanted to write perfect, awesome, life changing lyrics from start to finish. I didn’t want to write garbage. I came across this article (via NRSP) the other day where songwriter Brett Dennen basically said the same thing-
- Never, ever be an editor while you’re writing lyrics. Just pour out whatever comes naturally, and don’t let a single negative or critical thought enter your mind. And write a lot—write eight verses or more, without worrying about whether you’re being clever or poetic, or if the words even rhyme.
- Now, bomb the hell out of what you wrote. Slash and burn. Delete, erase, cross out lines and words that don’t absolutely need to be in there, because those things only distract from your point.
The lesson to be learned here is perfectionism will stifle creativity and consequently, good music. If you really feel like you have something to say musically, lyrically or otherwise, don’t let perfectionism destroy your output. Produce and refine and if you have talent it will rise to the top.
Here is the ultimate example. Would Bono have turned into the incredible singer/performer he is today if he let this stop him?
Did you hear that? That is TERRIBLE!!! And they actually released that to the public!!! He didn’t let his imperfections stop him (and you have to admit, that is pretty rough) but he worked and worked and became the amazing vocalist he is today.
Do not strive initially to be perfect, strive to GET GOING and the perfection of your output will come in due time.
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Perfectionism stifles anything and perfectionists are one of the most annoying people in the world
I love to be imperfect and fail! You know why? Because I learn from my mistakes!