One thing that is so alien to me having been in bands and invloved in songwriting

[2006_Eagles]

*As the drummer

How the * do people write hundreds upon hundreds of songs all with different lyrics and different stories?

I could barely write the full lyrics to one single song

So yeah, that's always completely blown my mind is the lyric writing part of musics

 

[mr bagcroft]

lyrics arent difficult in my mind. Not that I have written alot.
The challenge in my opinion is the music and arrangement and vocal melody.
Get that right, and the lyrics for the most part almost dont matter.

 

[Mootsy]

Very prolific or big personalities!

most of those groups just have very talented people, and if they weren’t in music, they’d be doing very well in some other career or lifestyle.

 

[dumb]

*As the drummer

How the fu** do people write hundreds upon hundreds of songs all with different lyrics and different stories?

I could barely write the full lyrics to one single song

So yeah, that's always completely blown my mind is the lyric writing part of musics

what has 3 legs and an arsehole on top?

a drum stool


there's a few reasons
1. those hundreds of songs are spread over many years even decades
2. not all the lyrics are about different stories
3. drugs

 

[2006_Eagles]

what has 3 legs and an arsehole on top?

a drum stool


there's a few reasons
1. those hundreds of songs are spread over many years even decades
2. not all the lyrics are about different stories
3. drugs

You forgot drugs. Daniel Johns' lyrics can only be explained by copious amounts of PCP

 

[La Dispute]

Probably the same reason bands only have a few really top draw albums in them and are lucky to have a passable next tier. They've got a built up store of thoughts and ideas, and after that unless you're really delving you'll eventually max out. Plus most lyrics aren't especially concrete, and meaningless lyrics can be interpreted as meaningful if they read well or sound cool while being sung.

I'd say there are also plenty of artists who revert to the same themes and motifs and can re-package them album after album. Arcade Fire use the concept of escaping, 'the kids', isolation; The Gaslight Anthem sing about cars and childhood nostalgia (tbh Bruce Springsteen made a career out of similar symbolism - driving, escapism), Manchester Orchestra use fairly visceral descriptions of the body in their lyrics and that's also a recurring theme in Andy Hull's solo stuff. Christian rock bands have the entire bible to work with.

Decent artists are often well read, and are especially good at thoughtfully combining words in especially creative ways and Using phrases in contexts they wouldn't traditionally fit into.

I came across this vid the other day, which kind of fits:



Some people just have overactive, abstract imaginations and can create interesting sentences pretty easily.

 

[Fossie 32]

It's a great talent. Songwriters don't get enough credit imho