We’ve all heard what assumptions do to you and me, but as songwriters, we sometimes seem to forget that old, familiar adage. In this post, we’re going to discuss how assumptions find their way into our songs and how to get rid of them.

Many beginning songwriters write solely based on emotion. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing entirely, but it does pose a few hurdles that must be overcome before a song will see any kind of broader success beyond friends and family.

Emotion is a great tool. It allows us to connect with the lyrics we write in an intimate way. However, as we’re writing, we’re privy to inside knowledge that the general listener is not. We have feelings about situations, people, and circumstances that influence our emotions as we write, but chances are that your audience will not. We are able to fill in gaps in our song’s story, whereas a stranger cannot. The key, then, is to break the assumptions in our lyrics to be able to connect with our general audience. Don’t assume that your audience knows the details and back story. This information needs to be provided to them in a creative way in order for the song to make sense. Then it has a chance to connect with the audience on a deeper level.

Writing based on emotion, then, without providing back story, has a way of sounding ambiguous or vague. While those lyrics can sound poetic, don’t fall into the trap of saying, “the listener can draw their own conclusions as to the song’s meaning.” This assumption is unfair to the listener, who inherently wants to understand what you meant to say in your song. If a listener walks away scratching his head, searching for meaning after hearing your song, you just wasted 3.5 minutes of his or her life. And that’s not very nice. So, how then do we start to break the assumption making habit?

The Self Test

As you write, put yourself in the position of a general listener. As you review your lyrics, ask yourself if a total stranger, one that didn’t know the details of the events behind the song, could connect with the song. Would they “get it”? If you can answer yes to this question, then you have more of a chance of the song gaining broader appeal.

The Public Test

When you get feedback on your song, it’s always a good idea to look outside your close circle of friends and family. I know that is difficult to do and that we want to share our creations with those who will love what we do unconditionally, but therein lies the problem. Even if our song is less than good our family and friends will still like it. They will like what you do because they like you. They may even know the circumstances behind the song, so they can fill in the gaps that your lyrics may leave. A total stranger, however, won’t know those intimate details. The true test is making those listeners, the ones who aren’t privy to the back story, connect with your lyrics.

Songwriting takes a lot of practice. Writers go through countless songs before they may get an artist to cut just one. Breaking assumptions is one step toward finding success or recognition as a songwriter.  Here are a couple of great books on songwriting that I’ve found invaluable to developing my songwriting craft:

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