How To Write Songs - The Best Songwriting Advice We've Ever Heard!

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Featuring some of the biggest names in music (and one British Comedian), this advice is thoughtful, practical and will empower you to break through the toughest of creative challenges!
Our brand new online course - THE SONGWRITING PROCESS: Start to Finish - available here: www.udemy.com/course/how-to-w...
Want a musical sketchpad with built-in music theory that helps you create beats, songs, and musical snippets? Check out HOOKTHEORY:
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FEATURED ARTISTS
Craig Morrison
John Mayer
Pharrell Williams
John Legend
John Cleese
Joni Mitchell
Pat Pattison
Cole Porter
00:00 Intro
00:55 - The Ego and The Ocean
03:54 - No Judgement
08:43 - Think Like a Poker Player
13:52 - Songwriting Royalty
15:33 - Wait 90 Minutes
20:34 - Stop Complaining
26:35 - Find the Title
ABOUT KEPPIE
I'm Keppie. I'm a professional songwriter, and songwriting teacher. I've been teaching song and lyric writing for over 10 years now for some of the best contemporary music colleges in the world-Berklee Online, the Sydney Conservatorium of Music's Open Academy, as well as for the Australian College of the Arts. At other times, I've taught for the Australian Institute of Music, as well as the LA School of Songwriting.
My goal is to help people write better songs! My experience in the classroom, with thousands of students at this point (many going on to find careers and success in music), is that your songwriting, like all things, can get better with meaningful, deliberate practice. My intention is to share the skills, knowledge, information, and ideas that I've gathered with anyone who wants to improve their songwriting.
Keppie's music is here:
www.keppiecouttsmusic.com/music
ABOUT BEN
Ben's passion for music and creativity stretches across multiple disciplines and art-forms. He is a founding member and songwriter / lap-slide guitarist for one of Australia's best and most bearded country-bluegrass-folk bands, THE GREEN MOHAIR SUITS. To date the Mohairs have released 4 full-length albums and tour both nationally and overseas.
Ben is also the Founder and Head Producer of SILAMOR STUDIOS, a boutique studio specialising in Composition for Film, TV and Interactive Media. He writes extensively across various instrumental and lyric-based genres and has been commissioned for major projects by Adobe, Cathay Pacific and Audible. He also currently releases original songs under the name SILAMOR.
Ben is passionate about education and has taught song and lyric writing as well as film composition for JMC Academy and the Australian Institute of Music. He also designs and regularly facilitates workshops on creative process and innovation.
Links to Ben's music are here:
The Green Mohair Suits
open.spotify.com/artist/7M3Zf...
SILAMOR
open.spotify.com/artist/5HOpa...
www.silamor.com/music
Work Flow Audio: / @workflowaudio-studymu...
Keppie talks about songwriting and creative practice here:
howtowritesongs.org
We can be buddies on socials here:
/ howtowrite.songs
/ keppiecoutts
Keppie's music is here:
www.keppiecouttsmusic.com/music
#howtowritesongs
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#protips
#advice
#johnlegend
#johncleese
#jonimitchell
#patpattison
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Опубликовано:

24 июн 2024

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Комментарии : 115

@nomasskkLNF 10 месяцев назад

I often fall in the trap of I have to make a hit it has to be great. It’s representing me and I want to put out the best version because I want people to view me in a elite way. I’ve been practicing to view thing’s differently now. I ask myself why am I proud of this song regardless of others opinions? Did I improve on a specific skill? Did i give a worthy effort or where any parts a bit lazy? And finally am I still excited about this song when I go back to it in a week or so? I know I can’t control the what others think so I just focus on the work. Thank you for this video.

@garymcmurdie6058 2 года назад

Thanks again, another great lesson. The 90 minute rule is something I definitely will adopt. I'm often defeated by impatience. So much good advice in one video!

@htws 2 года назад

Thanks so much! And if there's ever videos, tutorials, or topics you'd like to see (or see more of), please let me know here: facebook.com/keppiecoutts/posts/5788800087813751

@joniarmel7308 9 месяцев назад

I wrote , sang , produced and recorded 80 songs on eight albums in nine years. The world of songwriting is a magical, creative dream I did not want to wake up from . When I finished, I was elated and confident. Job well done , then 2020 arrived …the world is not the magical , happy place I thought it was . My music is everywhere, I receive nothing . What I really wanted was respect . Talent is a double edged sword . It’s shiny and you protect it , then the complexity of it turns on you and stabs your heart .

@aisepwoodruff9020 2 года назад

Less than 4 minutes in and I'm already crying... sometimes it's painful to accept the good stuff, like "I am enough"

@jimbinghamoriginals6600 2 года назад

Hello. Thanks for your channel. You have lots of good information. I started writing a couple years ago, as a "lockdown project". I have about 30 completed songs, and it's been quite a journey so far...it's a never-ending learning process.

@sophiaprell-wu1wi 7 месяцев назад

You both are just so amazing!!! This channel is just above and beyond. Please keep up the good work.

@danmanley2525 Месяц назад

I always wrote when my feelings were overloaded about something, I'm a very emotional person, and my writings are rarely cheerful. But it is therapeutic and now because of you guys- can put it in song form which I always envisioned

@jameslloyd949 2 года назад

Really enjoying this channel. I find perfectionism a double edged sword it can yield the most amazing results i.e. getting the most expressive vocal during recording or eeking out as much emotion in your writing while digging deep. That said, it can make the process so stressful and stifling and sometimes you lose the essence of what you mihht have found in the initial idea. So many of the greatest writers let it go and embrace the imperfection.

@htws 2 года назад

Right on :) And if there's ever videos, tutorials, or topics you'd like to see (or see more of), please let me know here: facebook.com/keppiecoutts/posts/5788800087813751

@jameslloyd949 2 года назад

@@htws sure thing I'll have a think :)

@CarlyonProduction 2 года назад

This channel is actually great. Found a lot of super useful stuff here. Will be glad to watch this channel grow!

@htws 2 года назад

Thanks for your support, David! We really appreciate it :) And if there's ever videos, tutorials, or topics you'd like to see (or see more of), please let me know here: facebook.com/keppiecoutts/posts/5788800087813751

@suefauziyah 2 месяца назад

Great tips. Some of these are now familiar to me, thanks to watching many other videos on this channel, but always helpful to hear again. The Joni Mitchell quote about complaining really hit home. I'll try hard to remember that one. Very helpful. Thank you!!

@vrd324 Год назад

Awesome video! So many valuable tips. Thank you!

@Sprezatura 2 года назад

Hello, thanks a lot for posting theses advices, it helps a lot as I'm a student working on songwriting

@Bow503 11 месяцев назад

27:25 that's how " Man in the mirror" was written. there's a famous songwriting story of this song . What a story.❤

@IHMadeThis Год назад

Great video. Quality and useful perspectives.

@abuwabu 2 года назад

Lots of really important ideas in this. Thanks for putting them altogether.

@htws 2 года назад

Glad it was helpful! And if there's ever videos, tutorials, or topics you'd like to see (or see more of), please let me know here: facebook.com/keppiecoutts/posts/5788800087813751

@nolanogleendresen-rc2wr 8 месяцев назад

Much love thank y'all 😊

@imnotdan37 6 месяцев назад

Great pieces of advice. Thank you! ❤ I think that catharsis is for the listener more than for the writer and our job is to serve the listener.

@ransbarger 2 года назад

So helpful! Thanks.

@deepspacemusicofficial9671 2 года назад

wow , this channel should and will have more eyeballs .

@theo_lopea 2 года назад

I really appreciate these videos 🙏 I am an ex-student of you both, and it's so nice to hear these lessons and ideas once again, to further solidify the ideas. Without you guys I wouldn't have ever been able to write a single song, or go on to write many more!

@htws 2 года назад

Thanks T, so great to hear from you! Always a thrill reconnecting with former students. Delighted to hear you've been writing lots ... please let us know if there's any topics you'd like us to make content on, either from material we've covered in class or perhaps questions you have about developing your song craft further. Cheers!

@williamwall9817 11 месяцев назад

Awesome advice. I really enjoyed it.

@newandreview 2 года назад

Once again. What a brilliant insight you both have towards music and the aesthetic values of song writing. What a basic question. What is it about what this is that people love?

@nicklavkulik5670 2 года назад

This was a great video. And in no instance did this ever feel too long or drawn out.

@htws 2 года назад

Thanks Nick! Much appreciated.

@WharfRat4 2 года назад

One of my favourite first lines is from Whiskey and You by Chris Stapleton - "There's a bottle on the dresser by your ring ..." It immediately tells you what the whole song is going to be about and it's really visual.

@scottruston9046 11 месяцев назад

Love this channel and great video: thankyou. Just discovered all your Pat Pattinson content too!

@Funkybassuk 2 года назад

Wait 90 minutes. 🤯👍🏽👏🏽 Thanks for that!

@FinishingTheScore 2 года назад

Great video, thank you for the advice!!

@htws 2 года назад

Glad it was helpful!

@NagoyaHouseHead 2 года назад

This channel is banging ... and quietly addictive

@htws 2 года назад

Thanks Andy, really appreciate the support!

@48king24 2 года назад

One of your best!

@michelle-psl4441 Год назад

Just discovered you on YT. This was a fantastic video for me. I am your new best follower. Thank you!

@htws Год назад

Welcome aboard! I send out a free newsletter with my top songwriting tips and prompts, if you're interested! You can sign up here: howtowritesongs.org/ (My emails are NEVER spammy - I only ever want to send something you would be delighted to receive).

@producermind9030 Год назад

Amazing advice! Love this channel.

@htws Год назад

Thanks so much! You might be interested it the mini course we just released here: www.udemy.com/course/how-to-write-songs-the-songwriting-process-start-to-finish/?referralCode=8B3DC2EAEAC9833FECBF

@Jeronimo365 2 года назад

Thanks again guys. 🙏❤️😎

@htws 2 года назад

Our pleasure!

@hildelov1939 Месяц назад

Thank you so much this was an amazing video. It halped me so much. Iv been NOT doing what i wanted to do becous of ME standing in my own way. Now Malbec im too old but i want let that stop me from doing what i love, witsh is writing Songs and making music. So Thank you!

@BryanRoyes 2 года назад

Every moment of this video is value, thanks guys

@htws 2 года назад

Thanks for the comment, Bryan! Glad it was useful. And if there's ever videos, tutorials, or topics you'd like to see (or see more of), please let me know here: facebook.com/keppiecoutts/posts/5788800087813751

@nomasskkLNF 10 месяцев назад

I have never heard anybody talk about how long it takes to push past mental, emotional, and or spiritual blocks. One thing that Pharrell said that helps me is when he said he is just a receiver an antennae getting downloads. Sometimes the downloads are a open flow of creativity other times it seems to drip like a broken faucet. I found it helps to know I can not force that flow only make myself available to receive it. Sometimes that takes an hour sometimes 5.

@sj4267 Год назад

Unreal advice! Thanks heaps

@htws Год назад

You're welcome! You might be interested it the mini course we just released here: www.udemy.com/course/how-to-write-songs-the-songwriting-process-start-to-finish/?referralCode=8B3DC2EAEAC9833FECBF

@NagoyaHouseHead 2 года назад

Starting a song from a title, which will very often be the chorus, is a solid way to write pop music. I have found that when you start from a good opening line you'll get a different type of song. Not necessarily better, just a different kind of song.

@missionmindmusic6251 Год назад

Wonderful advice

@nichitamatei 2 года назад

Complaining/catharsis vs communication -- I've been looking for a way to anchor to this idea, thank you!!

@htws 2 года назад

You're welcome! And if there's ever videos, tutorials, or topics you'd like to see (or see more of), please let me know here: facebook.com/keppiecoutts/posts/5788800087813751

@fabionania9261 Год назад

Amazing video. So helpful and full of interesting, inspiring topics. Thank you

@htws Год назад

You’re so welcome Fabio. Please feel free to check out the newsletter if you’re interested: howtowritesongs.org

@htws Год назад

You’re so welcome Fabio. Please feel free to check out the newsletter if you’re interested: howtowritesongs.org

@neondotsmusic Год назад

This is gold.

@htws Год назад

Glad it was helpful! We have a newsletter if you're interested, Neon! howtowritesongs.org/

@marialraeder 11 месяцев назад

beautiful

@iestynwalters7681 2 года назад

Fantastic concepts

@htws 2 года назад

Thanks so much! And if there's ever videos, tutorials, or topics you'd like to see (or see more of), please let me know here: facebook.com/keppiecoutts/posts/5788800087813751

@bogoto2112 2 года назад

Thanks you very much...✌️

@htws 2 года назад

You're welcome! And if there's ever videos, tutorials, or topics you'd like to see (or see more of), please let me know here: facebook.com/keppiecoutts/posts/5788800087813751

@denysholovatyi3149 Год назад

This is insanely useful! where you've been all my life?

@dougaldhendrick3497 Год назад

The last bit reminds me of the 'scrambled eggs' song that became one of the greatest songs of all time..

@mikeswell9021 2 года назад

You guys are awesome

@htws 2 года назад

Thanks Mike! Glad you're enjoying the content

@dwaynegayle9020 2 года назад

I used that line “you only have time get your feet wet” simple-brilliance

@keffinmckn3602 2 года назад

his advice was good.

@fienmuylle 7 месяцев назад

I also feel that, with the first quote of Craig Morrison, it also could mean that you shouldn't put pride in (your) music. I don't know if I'm using the right words for this to make it make sense, but what I'm saying is: you can be proud of something, just don't think yourself higher than anyone else just cause you think your songs are better (you're absolutely allowed to think that cause it's subjective after all, but it's not about that. It's about how you can compare yourself to others based on that.) There's a million artists out there with all different styles and genre that absolutely love what they are making. While their songs/skills/whatevers might not sound good to you, it might sound good to them and other people. I thought of this cause I'm pretty active in my music study's and therefore know a lot of musicians or music students that think they're better than others based on their music skill, preference or dedication. This is something that has bothered me for a while cause we always compare ourselves with other musicians to see who's better and who's not. Reason for this might be 'cause the music industry is extremely competitive and, to get somewhere, you might think you need that "only the best of the best" attitude. But the ocean is big, it's a lot of things, it's not something you can control and it's mass is bigger than any of us. Deeming yourself higher 'cause of the ocean is absolutely ridiculous. I guess you could say it also goes with Keppie's meaning that there's a lot and you can never achieve all of that skill, so ranking your self worth based on something like music or the ocean is just meaningless. Of course, go on and write songs you absolutely fall in love with the moment you play them or listen to your favourites or produce them to be able to release them to the public, just don't think you're better than your neighbour who makes punk-classical-shoegaze-metal-pop music, whom absolutely loves it, just cause y'all don't have the same genre/skillset/idea/whatever. That's pretty much what I thought at first when hearing the quote😎

@NagoyaHouseHead 2 года назад

God this is great stuff. I read once that Lennon and McCartney would sit down a write a song together in no more than three hours. And they never failed to produce a song. Training yourself to expect this and work like this can be very useful. I also finish a song most times I sit down. And if not, I throw it all out. I never keep notes and come back to it. My thinking is that if it's strong it will come back to me in different form. So oddly, rather than be a note taker, I actively try to forget my song ideas.

@htws 2 года назад

Love this method - letting the natural process of memory and impact take effect is something I do as well. Let us know if there are any other topics you’d like us to explore in a video. Thanks

@NagoyaHouseHead 2 года назад

@@htws I guess the hard stuff is always getting to the emotional heart of the matter, better word choices, stronger images, and avoiding easy/overused rhymes. Would love to hear anything you have on that. Also form. As a person who trained myself on The Beatles I feel I`m too locked into the bridge. What are some other ways to get to the end of a song, yet still stay poppy ?

@BrentStrathdeePehi 10 месяцев назад

Totally right. Complaining in song without a point, generalization or lesson learned, or moment of clarity that others can relate to is just painful and can come off as selfish or wallowing in self pity or anger.

@hildelov1939 Месяц назад

That thing absolut the ocean was so beautiful. My thought was that the ocean dosen care if om good or bad it just is and the best way to be is to be authentic and just jump in!

@jonathanharris6232 Год назад

Ive really been thinking about your analysis of cathartic songswriting vs communicating a moment of clarity or enlightenment that can be a shared experience. And it really got me thinking about charlie puth's music and why it's so widely popular being that I heavily relate to some of his situations that he writes of, while still never arriving at that "so what?" moment in his songs that you talk about. Thoughts?

@alphanumeric1529 11 месяцев назад

I have been realizing one of your points, profoundly, when working/writing on guitar. I, apparently, need to be absolutely mortified, my fingers need to be stinging, burning, before I can come up with anything good, or innovative, or interesting on the guitar. For me, that means that four, six, whatever, hours need to pass before I get into the zone. The problem is, that this is my physical edge of what my fingers can play, it leaves me with 30, maybe 45 minutes to write, practice, and learn the new part. So, I can only move the boulder so far each day. I wish I could get into the zone faster. I wish I could just jump into the zone and spend 4 hours moving the boulder... that boulder might actually get to places!

@lekgauktladi3319 10 месяцев назад

Do you have any tips/comments on writing good 'dialogue' songs? Like where (the back and forth of) the conversation creates or reveals the context/premise of the song(/current events of the song)

@kenbarnett889 8 месяцев назад

Re the wait 90 minutes - I read somewhere that John Lennon said about writing songs "do not leave the piano" i.e. finish what you started. Sort of equivalent to don't stop at 30 minutes.

@matt_phistopheles 2 года назад

I think this is one of the most valuable videos about song writing on RU-vid. A great collection of advices. Thank you very much.

@htws 2 года назад

Thanks so much Matt. Much appreciated. And if there's ever videos, tutorials, or topics you'd like to see (or see more of), please let me know here: facebook.com/keppiecoutts/posts/5788800087813751

@matt_phistopheles 2 года назад

@@htws It would be great if you could add some history to the mix. By that I don't mean harmonic analysis of fugues or something like that. As an example I'd really like to know how some of these classical composers were able to write thousands of songs, several long operas and a collection of large symphonies even though some of them just had a really short life span. I mean Mozart wrote around 240 hours of music when he died at age 35. How did they approach a new piece? Did they have some weird habits to get into the flow? How did they prevent creative burn out? What inspired them? Things like that. This kind of information is severely missing on RU-vid (and in classes for that matter) when talking about music from the past.

@kneecaprat 2 года назад

that Joni mitchell quote flipped my lid

@kneecaprat 2 года назад

Also that Pat Pattison book, git it. If you want to improve you writing git it.

@pidedpiper2832 Год назад

I like what Hank Williams said about song writing

@htws Год назад

Please, tell us more…

@shooten1st 11 месяцев назад

Good to journal to reach the moment of clarity and then finish the emotional aspect of the song?

@jeffrey.a.hanson 2 года назад

As a creative, I find it can be very much at odds with cultural elements of ‘ideas are only worth the potential outcome or the data behind them’ Ie. As a family therapist many of my creative teens are told it’s either ‘practice’ ‘lesson’ or ‘performance’. Just playing and exploring? Wasted time… Now we just gotta find clarity and a connection 🤔…ideas?!

@DukeIrritable 2 года назад

Such an insightful video. In relation to emotions and communication, there seems to be one fundamental emotion that can create a strong channel for communication - Empathy. Empathy is the ability to sense other people's emotions, together with the ability to imagine what someone else might be thinking or feeling. So how do you reliably evoke empathy in a person hearing your song? Perhaps the same way you evoke empathy when you're telling a close friend something important. Lyrics about anger, resentment, bland contentment, mindless excitement etc don't generally seem to evoke much empathy - and they're also not very interesting because they don't illuminate any new aspect of the listener's life or what it's like to be human.

@htws 2 года назад

Thanks for such a thoughtful comment! And if there's ever videos, tutorials, or topics you'd like to see (or see more of), please let me know here: facebook.com/keppiecoutts/posts/5788800087813751

@DukeIrritable 2 года назад

@@htws Thanks - that's nice of you to say. After posting, it occurred to me that when a writer of a song, or a story, or a poem successfully evokes empathy, she or he has probably been authentic: meaning honest, vulnerable and transparent. I guess you wouldn't normally be very empathic with the emotions of a person who you feel is not being authentic.

@stevemondragon5499 Год назад

I'm in the band Battle Flag with David Mondragon (from E-Town Concrete and 40 Below Summer) and we're independently releasing a bunch of new music. We currently have 2 singles up on all streaming platforms (attached) and we will be releasing 8 more in the 1st half of the year. The band is: David Mondragon - Vocals/Guitars Steve Mondragon - Guitars Jake Carrion - Vocals/Bass Steve O'Neil- Drums We've been writing, rehearsing, and recording out of Rockstar Studios in Middlesex, NJ over the last few years and we played our 1st group of shows at the end of 2022. If you need any additional info so that we may be considered a spot on the show, please do not hesitate to reach out. Thanks, -Steve

@dslabosky Год назад

I think that Pomodoro is better for shifts working as a freelancer for other projects. But when working on your own creation 25 minutes is not enough to get in the zone

@YassineKAK Год назад

How can you love a song if it doesn’t reach you, if you don’t even know it exists…I think people will pick a song as their favorite from whatever pack of songs presented to them, I think that’s the actual situation we live in nowadays

@paddyandhisguitar2831 2 года назад

With the 90 minute quote, I think the danger with musicians is that it is too easy to fall n to automatic mode, whether it’s noodling scales or gravitating to the same chord progressions. I broadly agree with Cleese but I think you have to find a way of stretching yourself and make yourself uncomfortable or unsettled musically. Similar to free writing with lyrics etc. Just my experience... thanks for the video, really thought provoking.

@htws 2 года назад

Thanks for such a thoughtful comment :) And if there's ever videos, tutorials, or topics you'd like to see (or see more of), please let me know here: facebook.com/keppiecoutts/posts/5788800087813751

@tinastarlingmusic Год назад

you are not wrong with the pomodoro technique, that works well for non-creative tasks but otherwise you need a lot of concentration

@polmorgan3533 2 года назад

Hi, I'm a fifty six year old song writer, I have been playing guitar and writing songs all my adult life and have now got to a point where I feel like i have lost my ability even though I have many good songs compleated over the years and bands with me and without me playing my material. Any ideas for relighting my spark? Thanks for all the good advice.

@htws 2 года назад

Hey Pol, great question about reigniting the spark. The only thing I've found that works is 'beginning' again... that is, breaking the pattern somehow, either by trying a new open tuning, learning a new fingerpicking style, etc. The other thing I do once a year is have my own listening party where I listen to music that isn't really my thing... always yields surprising results and challenges a few assumptions I've made about certain genres. Hope that helps

@salparadise8581 Год назад

or mucking about on a unfamiliar instrument

@barrycoulter6951 2 года назад

Wow… good advice all the way around AND from some of the ‘heaviest hitters’ out there… thx…. And i will never write another ‘complaining’ song again! Lol

@htws 2 года назад

Ha! By all means, write them! Just be aware of what they're purpose is...;) And if there's ever videos, tutorials, or topics you'd like to see (or see more of), please let me know here: facebook.com/keppiecoutts/posts/5788800087813751

@CarlyonProduction 2 года назад

Here’s a question for you - how far do you take a song before you write it off as a failure? Make a complete demo with a full arrangement? Finished mix?

@htws 2 года назад

Such a great question Dave. For me (Ben here) I try and finish the song and assess it as a complete form by doing a little voice memo recording - then I listen back and make the decision to either carry on (full production) or leave it alone

@CarlyonProduction 2 года назад

@@htws yeah that’s how I have been operating. Trying to keep my voice memos as organised as possible, letting each one digest for a short while then deciding which ones to flesh out. I think my problem before was that I was rushing to the demo stage and getting caught up in production too early on in the process. Then you end up with a well produced song that might not be that well written. Follow up - do you still find that there are tracks that don’t make it once you are in the production stage?

@jumpingdude766 Год назад

I don't think I understand the "Moment of Clarity" advice. It seems to me that many songs describe the emotions the writer is feeling at the time, and do not include the moment of clarity that comes later. For instance, the song "Nothing Compares to You". Or is there some subtlety to this advice that I am missing?

@htws Год назад

Hey! Great question. Having clarity around an idea doesn't have to mean that the idea is a statement, or a realisation - often clarity can be the question that most needs to be asked, which can often be a song about doubt or uncertainty. The idea of 'clarity' is so much more about crystallizing what THIS song is, and what it isn't. Think of clarity more like having a singular point that the entire song is targeting, even if that point is a question, or an image/metaphor that could mean lots of things. Songs that come to mind that have essence are "Why Georgia" by John Mayer and "The River" by Bruce Springsteen. The songs aren't about having figured anything out - but still have a singular emotion or idea or image that everything comes back to.