John Lennon's 'EASY' Songwriting Formula

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In this video, we investigate the songwriting formula of John Lennon and go deep on the specifics of narrative, rhyme scheme and rhythm.
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ABOUT BENNY
Hi, I'm Benny. My passion for music and creativity stretches across multiple disciplines and art-forms. I am 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.
I am also the Founder and Head Producer of SILAMOR STUDIOS, a boutique studio specialising in Composition for Film, TV and Interactive Media. I write extensively across various instrumental and lyric-based genres and has been commissioned for major projects by Adobe, Cathay Pacific and Audible. I currently release original songs under the name SILAMOR.
I am also passionate about education and have taught song and lyric writing as well as film composition for JMC Academy, Collarts and the Australian Institute of Music. I design and regularly facilitate workshops on creative process and innovation.
Links to Bennny's music are here:
The Green Mohair Suits
open.spotify.com/artist/7M3Zf...
SILAMOR
open.spotify.com/artist/5HOpa...
www.silamor.com/music
#songwriting
#howtowritesongs
#howtowriteasong
#songwriting
#johnlennon
#songwritingtips

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15 июн 2024

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Комментарии : 397

@htws Месяц назад

Correction: 'Something' is absolutely written by George Harrison and was not meant to be on that list - in the frenzy of scripting, filming and editing I got my lists mixed up - it happens. Thanks for understanding. Benny

@juliosanchez8263 Месяц назад

Dude, you have no idea what you are talking about. There is no Lennon formula. John said this as an off the cuff remark and you took it like a real wanker.

@greenmanalishi6963 Месяц назад

Without a doubt . Across the universe is much higher quality

@ZER0-- Месяц назад

I did have a wtf moment there. Anyway, nice video.

@likez2jam Месяц назад

This is just one way Lennon wrote. He also had an absurdist phase. This just happens to be the method Bowie was told about and quoted.

@radioactivetoad3765 Месяц назад

i will never forgive you

@crashcondo Месяц назад

Great stuff! People don't hear YOUR story in YOUR music. They hear THEIR story in YOUR music! Be plainspoken, straightforward and cut to the quick of it!

@michellemonet4358 Месяц назад

Great point

@paddymeboy Месяц назад

That is the exact opposite of Lennon's philosophy, he was very clear that he was interested only in his own story.

@axistiltproductions 20 дней назад

I think from a sales angle or for a broader popularity reach, to write a song so it can be interpreted in different ways, that different listeners can find their own personal meaning and love for the song is not a bad approach.

@Fiveash-Art 6 дней назад

@@paddymeboy Did you even read what the commenter typed?

@MisterRlGHT 21 час назад

It's a difficult conundrum: The more broadly you try to write for everyone, the less relatable it tends to be for everyone, while the more specifically detailed and personal you get, the more clearly others can recognize themselves and relate.. (Note, however, that the person in "personal" doesn't necessarily have to be you ...)

@frankbonarrigo6086 19 дней назад

You are approaching this all wrong, I heard an actual Lennon interview , and he described trying and trying to write and couldn’t come up with anything. Then lay down on his bed and thoughtlessly strummed his guitar and came out nowhere man, it’s always the same, get out of your own way and let it flow.

@zedell1233 4 дня назад

Both are right, lennons subconscious works because his subconscious is his genius, this bloke is analysing his genius

@haphapp7282 День назад

Yeah dude almost all the advice I’ve seen from this channel is genuine and utter rubbish

@Harrier_DuBois День назад

There is no 'correct' approach. He is giving us ideas, we can choose to take them or leave them.

@BuckBarker Месяц назад

I have written over a thousand songs in my life. My first ones when just a child were what were known then as bubble gum songs. Due to the fact they appealed to that age group. I’m 70 now and have been retired for 12 years. The songs that I’ve written in last 12 years have had themes such as: Dealing with pain, death, tear jerkers, cheating , lust, and of course love. I have to have a “hook”. I read things, see things on RU-vid or TV, or hear something someone might say. I think ,”that’s a song “. After that I simply write a story around the hook, and set it to rhyme. Once this is finished I assign it a genre . I then use the appropriate instruments to achieve the desired sound of that genre. Also, I feel one of the most important details in the creation is attitude. Try to impose your attitude upon the singing and playing. I have always approached writing with the mindset of establishing a method and a technique. Once you have perfected your technique, never deviate. Play the instruments in the same order, use the same levels when recording, and once your tracks have been laid down, get away from it a few days before mixing and mastering. As far as the Beatles are concerned, I think they were exceptional talents. But, the great talent only gets you so far. You have to have a determined work ethic. Which I think was very obvious. Also, the amount of songs that you write hones your ability. But if you have a passion for music and for creating it , you’ll never work one day in your life. Cheers!

@superduperdom Месяц назад

Where can we hear your songs?

@SexyDalton Месяц назад

Larry! Where is this beautiful sounding biographic catalog?

@BuckBarker Месяц назад

I’m sort of old fashioned and do not participate in social media. I produced an album in the 70’s . I lacked a proper monitoring system , thus it was out of sync and not my best work. I performed in bands for around twenty years off and on. Since retiring, I produce CD’s . I play all the instruments ,do the engineering , and recording. Then, I give them away to people I know or meet. Folks are always telling me ,”You should put your music on Spotify or RU-vid “. My music is my therapy. I’m afraid if I were to publish it on social media , it would become a hinderance . If you wish ,you may send me an address , tell me what genre you prefer, and I’ll mail you a CD. Cheers!

@johnthies1150 Месяц назад

I love this comment. Screenshotted, will come back to it.

@blackman5867 Месяц назад

@@BuckBarker I say you should share with us your work and let it be heard instead of rotten. As someone once said it : "It's better to burn out rather than to fade away". Who knows, maybe you could have become one of the biggest artists nowadays

@geody3001 Месяц назад

The great thing about a back beat is that you really can't lose it, and not just in certain situations, but, and I really mean this, any old time you use it.

@mateogarcia3190 Месяц назад

But it damn well better be Rock n Roll music, at least if you wanna dance with me! 😂 Cheers buddy

@JaffaRoad Месяц назад

Chuck berry , wrote that John covered it

@boxingdonkey 15 дней назад

Well done!

@davidjohnson1654 5 дней назад

at least... "if you wanna dance with me." ;)

@DennnisDubeau Месяц назад

The same Lennon saying " Half of what I say is meaningless.." - excerpt of Julia

@theselector4733 Месяц назад

I always interpreted that as the things he said to Julia.

@artistaccount Месяц назад

He got it from Khalil gibran. Foam and sand

@marcoaurelio8058 Месяц назад

@@artistaccount I love Khalil Gibran. I grew up in Brazil reading him. I wonder how many great poets and writers are under the rubble in Palestine or rotting in israeli prisons.

@alonle02 24 дня назад

@@marcoaurelio8058i promise you that ppl in gaze are not poetry ppl. Not because they are bad ppl, just perceive the world differently than you think

@speedy2830 19 дней назад

The Weeknd does that too with often and another song I forgot

@gurleyco 29 дней назад

Vulnerability, authenticity, and consistency. Be raw, true to yourself, and stay on the bus. This is the way. 🔮🧙‍♂🕴

@robinspat 22 дня назад

This is the way 😜

@Fiveash-Art 6 дней назад

I wanna get off the bus

@judgetimbers588 Месяц назад

This is quickly becoming my favorite channel on RU-vid.

@nouveau53 Месяц назад

Songwriting is such an enigma. It’s good to acknowledge the importance of “rules” or guidelines, and this video is great,.. if it helps. Don’t get hung up on formulas and rules. That’s where songs become predictable. It’s good to hear about how others write, especially Lennon. I’d like to hear McCartney’s thoughts. My thought is: be constantly writing lyrics. Be constantly writing chord progressions. Dedicate a block of time in your week in trying to smash the two things together. Know that you are going to write some crap. But in being prolific some good stuff will emerge. Good luck!

@mr.k905 Месяц назад

Lennon also liked to drop in an instrumental pause or musical change in those places when his lyrics didn’t rhyme. You can see that perfectly in those two examples: Imagine & Lucy

@tommydaniels502 Месяц назад

Man this channel is unbelievably good. Thank you so much!

@imaonarseal Месяц назад

I was lucky enough to have a songwriting module as part of a general music course some years back. It was very inspring and led me to write some of my best songs. Your channel elaborates many aspects of the craft we didn't have time to cover in detail. It has reignited my passion for pursuing this great art, which I feared was lost. Thank you.

@illinoisan Месяц назад

It’s good to remember why we have meter and rhyme. They are remnants of our ancient oral tradition. Before writing the only way to pass down culture from one generation to the next was by memorization, so mnemonics were invented to aid the memory, meter and rhyme. When you structure your lyrics following meter and rhyme, you are creating patterns that humans have evolved to seek, recognize and delight in. A technique I use is to not write anything down while I’m composing. If I can’t remember it, it wasn’t any good.

@freemansmith1 Месяц назад

Great video; interesting analysis, organized very nicely and delivered succinctly. Thankd, Marty

@dougsmith7580 Месяц назад

I tend to hear a melody or beat and rattle it around in my head until the words fall in place. Rarely do the words and music come together but when they do it’s like magic.

@JohnnyArtPavlou 23 дня назад

I think that is fantastic. I basically have one way of doing it, which is to write a bunch of lyrics and then pick a key and then come up with some slightly boring diatonic melody. I mean, I can pick up a guitar and just make up a song and be a little adventurous… But those need a lot of extra work. I wish I could be a little more like Elvis Costello and be adventurous with melody and the limits of my voice. I mean, someone like Paul McCartney… It’s ridiculous. His ability to come up with endless beautiful melodies is astonishing and then throw in all the rest of his gifts.❤❤❤

@KellieSuePeters Месяц назад

I LOVE yours and Keppi’s videos- thank you.

@kevinlucken8558 Месяц назад

You are an exceptional coach/instructor/communicator. Thank U

@nategilbert2601 7 дней назад

This is the best video I have ever seen about songwriting, a formula in outline form. Please do more vids like this!

@oldmossystone Месяц назад

in Lucy in the Sky, "Look for the girl with the sun in here eyes, and she' gone" is rhyming gone with sun. If you try it with say 'light' instead of 'sun', the finality of 'gone' doesn't have the same impact. It's subtle. there is also phasi-rhyme of 'cellophane' and 'green'... it's going for a psychedelic feel, so the patterns are more fluid and unexpected, and the connections are more delicate, but they are there!

@frostyclimesmusic Месяц назад

And 'flowers' rhyming with 'towering'

@oldmossystone Месяц назад

@@frostyclimesmusic yes... and the most obvious one being 'sky' with the first syllable of 'dia'monds which is held for the same length of two beats... not sure if that would be called a rhyme though... but it's definitely an intentional mechanism of a similar type.

@frostyclimesmusic Месяц назад

@@oldmossystone Yes it's an internal rhyme.

@jhaduvala Месяц назад

Assonance

@lavenderbee3611 7 дней назад

Thank you, good observation. I'm thinking that John's Liverpool accent allowed him to rhyme words that Americans wouldn't necessarily link. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds is brilliant songwriting.

@marcemelgar Месяц назад

Excellent, great job Benny 👏👏👏. I learned a lot, this was one of your best videos. Thank you

@trudigoodman4825 24 дня назад

I'll be back to watch more. You've got a great approach to explaining songwriting. Thanks!

@samuelegiuseppelongo Месяц назад

A top notch presentation, very generous & inspiring. Grazie mille!

@mickygee9935 Месяц назад

As always on this site, a very insightful helpful and clear analysis. Many thanks.

@Jonathan-py9xr Месяц назад

I learned a lot from this video… I’m going to go back and look at some of my lyrics

@MarkCook-tl8po Месяц назад

That was very useful information presented in a way I could understand. Thank you!

@ten7192 Месяц назад

👋🏾 It’s Trinity from the Songwriting Intensive, I just love ❤️ how this is so timely because I JUST finished ✅ writing ✍🏾 a song 🎵 using y’all’s formula 😊

@htws Месяц назад

Go you!! 🎉

@Skinnyorangemusic Месяц назад

Songwriting is my favorite part of the musical process (when you have a good idea) and I heard that John Lennon quote before. I agree, say what you mean and be direct. I've written songs like "You Should Have Known Better" "Bad Man" and "Please Dont Miss Me When Im Gone". Imperfect rhymes have the same effect as a suspended chord, they are dissonant, then resolved, unless you are leaving something open. One thing I learned from Dylan was placing rhymes in the middle of your lines, lots of ways to change that up

@Santinamusic Месяц назад

Amazing and helpful content! Thanks a lot!

@4EverLearning757 19 дней назад

Great video. Thanks for putting this together.

@vloggingpractice8077 Месяц назад

Great value video!

@0010Kev Месяц назад

Ya know what....even though 'Something' was written by George, there is a definite John connection. In the film Get Back George is having trouble with a lyric in the song and John tells him to just stick any ol' word in there until the right one presents itself. Obviously that right word did present itself because its a masterpiece! So of course it turns out he wasn't just giving that advice to George but to all of us 'mere mortals' as well! Great video by the way!

@bullcrap9409 День назад

Plus Harrison stole the whole first line and title (shortened) from James Taylor.

@jonstein6868 16 дней назад

Love this! Really clear guidance and I’m looking forward to getting back to my writing with a clearer idea of what I want to say and how. Thanks 🙏🏽

@CavyWheek Месяц назад

Great video. I'll be trying some of this out. I love complex ideas and techniques distilled down to a simple statement Like Lennon did here. We can all take the distillation, think about it, make our own methods and routines out of them and teach them to others like you have done here. Thanks Bennie!

@TTarragon Месяц назад

"In musical theater, perfect rhyme is really the only rhyme that counts" Lin-Manuel Miranda: Hold my coffee

@The-Legend-of-P Месяц назад

Lin manual has an Eminem type of style to his songs, just throw in rhyme after rhyme

@michellemonet4358 Месяц назад

Ohhh no. Is that true? 😮

@iamrjdennis Месяц назад

The best! 💛

@RagGerRock888 19 дней назад

Songwriting is just a stream of consciousness. The ideas you get before you go to sleep, during the day when you get an idea, and some can just tap into it through working.

@quirkygreece Месяц назад

Great explanation - cheers.

@RezaAlishiri-mu7rr 19 дней назад

Thanks a lot for your amazing analysis ♥️

@mspboy Месяц назад

Is there a special term for "rhyming" a word with itself? I'm referring to the rhyme scheme in IMAGINE when you list "hurt you" and "hurt you" as a CC rhyme in the context of the song. Thanks for the info, Mark

@filipecastilhos2548 Месяц назад

13:30 "Something" is a Harrisong

@mickygee9935 Месяц назад

One of the big barriers to writing lyrics- NOT saying what you mean or what you want to say. Great advice on this video. Other examples of saying what you mean - Morrisey, Fagans/ Becker.

@druwk Месяц назад

It’s all good. I believe “Something” was a Harrison song? One of my favorite Beatles tunes 😊 Great advice, especially the first part. I enjoyed the dissection of rhyming couplets and patterns. Breaking up normal rhyming schemes, but still having a flow and natural feel…not easy.

@user-tw3re9hg3j Месяц назад

Was just about to say the same 😂

@Funkybassuk Месяц назад

In the words of John Lennon, “a Harrisong”

@bugsunplugged Месяц назад

This is the same mistake Frank Sinatra would make in concert. He would start by saying he initially disliked the Beatles, but had to admit that Something was a GREAT Lennon / McCartney song before singing HIS rendition. This was Frank Sinatra, though, no-one was going to correct him. YES, George wrote Something, not John. P.S. Very good content overall on this channel. Shocked & saddened to witness this slip up.

@philb1649 Месяц назад

My very sentiment

@Xscapeplan01 Месяц назад

Hopefully you read the top comment!

@Nathan-rz9dw 23 дня назад

this is golden, ty :)

@olena_chuba 26 дней назад

Oh my... You hit me straight in my soul about the authors being vague on purpose so as not to become vulnerable...This is the biggest obstacle to my creativity now. This is very hard to overcome.

@georgbauernfeind5688 Месяц назад

Really Great! Would be interesting to see something about melody writing

@J-613 8 дней назад

The Beatles were my first big inspiration as a kid and got me into songwriting. After watching this I feel like I understand a new level of how they impacted my foundation as an artist… I always liked how Lennon’s songwriting had an edge no matter how mellow, but as a kid I was never focused on analyzing lyrics in ab ab etc type of way. Somehow tho I still use some of these patterns almost instinctively at times.

@joshuaallenzurbano3476 25 дней назад

Very informative! Thanks! ❤️

@aziziabdrahman7756 Месяц назад

I've been watching your videos for a while, and they've been very helpful and I enjoy them. Please do one for Alex Turner, his songwriting is incredible!

@thomasforeman2162 28 дней назад

Brilliant lesson

@davidjunto1008 22 дня назад

Great video! Confessional, Storytelling, Abstract (about a virtue or other specific quality) , Impressionistic, Protest, Satirical, Character-driven (from the pov of someone other than the writer or performer) - these are some of the most common song-writing subjects which only the best songwriters have a good handle on (though they will usually favor one or two) and good challenges for the rest of us to write outside our usual bags. Rhyming is usually important, but its a wonderful accomplishment to pen a "American Girl" or "Rocket Man". "All meaningful change begins in the imagination" - Cole Kitz

@cdaddy8968 18 дней назад

So much of the inspirational music of the day was derived from the interaction of key individuals period

@emilytvmusic Месяц назад

great video!

@niloo_atribecalledlove 16 дней назад

I’m so grateful that these songwriting techniques have always come naturally to me 🦋☀️🎶✌🏽 thank you spirit for moving through me and making me a vessel.

@Xxxxxrrr6464 26 дней назад

Thanks very discriptive

@BlueJayWaters Месяц назад

After writing songs for 17 years, I feel only within the last 4 have I truly grasped what John meant. Before I would write songs as more of stories that had music as the conduit for the story. Lyrics would be straight forward, and rhymes were more forced. My middle years were more planned, stories had a direction and lyrics were shaped to say what I needed poignantly, but also with open rhymes. Now, I write lyrics with every intent to be followed by a narrative, and rhymes are completely tertiary to expression of lyrics, and flow of the music. And ironically, my rhymes are better, but not as frequent as my early work.

@thesingingaccountant1 25 дней назад

Interesting. Noel g always writes music and lyrics last, that's totally opposite to me, everything comes from lyrics and subject matter

@BlueJayWaters 25 дней назад

@@thesingingaccountant1 my writing has fluctuated over the years. When I first started I wrote music first then lyrics, and over time shifted to lyrics first then music. Occasionally I will discover a progression I like and then add lyrics later

@thesingingaccountant1 25 дней назад

@@BlueJayWaters cool

@bullcrap9409 День назад

Cause he ca. get through the music part quickly, ripping it off

@thesingingaccountant1 День назад

@@bullcrap9409 I guess that helps :)

@tiagudo 29 дней назад

Hi Benny! Interesting material here, will be on the lookout for more. What kind of guitar is that? It looks fantastic and sounds great… Cheers!

@dreamyrhodes Месяц назад

"Rhyme" also comes from the Latin roots of "fitting together, sound rhythmically, repeating motion, vibration" and further more Greek roots of "to arrange, to count, to put". So "... and make it rhyme" could also be translated into "make it count" or "make it resonate (vibrate) with others". The double meaning of words and using that as a tool in lyrics is a bit missing in the video tho.

@andrewstillwell1191 Месяц назад

❤very helpful 🎉

@GordonPavilion Месяц назад

Great to see you both today, across the check-outs, at Woolworths. Love your channel. Gordon Pavilion xxx

@htws Месяц назад

Lovely to see you out in the wilds (of Woolworths!)

@GordonPavilion Месяц назад

@@htws ❤️

@mmiedema Месяц назад

On a sidenote: cool instruments in the background, with the weissenborn and resonator. Love the sound of those

@lincolnhoppe Месяц назад

Fantastic!!!

@erniethefork Месяц назад

Excellent!

@PeterTheis Месяц назад

It would be fantastic if you could do a video on what makes a gorgeous timeless catchy melody as found in so many Beatles songs, versus so-so or even really good melodies.

@jarhead3038 Месяц назад

I lived thru all that and seen them twice. Once in 65 and again in 66. Lennon was a better lyrist, but McCartney was more moladic.

@Fuzcapp Месяц назад

Instant Karma is written in 6/8 - two beats split into triplets. I think Norwegian Wood is classic Waltz time - 3/4. As is Hide Your Love Away. The second portion of I Want You is also classic Waltz 3/4. Dig a Pony is definite 3/4 - they even count the one, two, three at the start. So John mixed it up a fair bit.

@leofonseca_ Месяц назад

nice video! thanks

@susanrudge5817 Месяц назад

I found that very interesting and informative. The Beatles in general were able to create leaps of imagination. For example they wrote “When I’m Sixty Four” when very young but we’re able to accurately describe and project the process of aging.

@dawsonhinders9058 Месяц назад

It’s easy!!! All you need is love!

@ruiyui6919 16 дней назад

Happines is a warm gun has time changes, but great video👌

@richardhardy7660 Месяц назад

George would be most upset to see Something on your list of Lennon songs! Love your channel though - so much good stuff

@jonathanbolger6173 Месяц назад

I prefer to discover the song as im writing it. I try to start with the music, whatever i play, i play for some subconcious reason. And that sound usually informs me on the lyrical content. Its hard because unless i grab on to something that im playing, it can be difficult to complete. But its what works for me usually

@davidg8888 Месяц назад

This was very interesting and I agree with most or all of what you say about his writing so the following comments don’t detract from a general thumbs up rating (which I have given). However, regarding rhyming, I think the example you give is not a good one. You say “insecure” and “more” don’t sound like they should rhyme, but that’s because you pronounce “insecure” as “insekewer. Having grown up in the same part of Liverpool as John, I can tell you that we pronounce it “insecyore”. So the pronunciation doesn’t need changing to make it rhyme and it wouldn’t have occurred to him that it did. In the song, he doesn’t actually change “more” to sound “muer” but the opposite, he pronounces the end of insecure like more, just like he would in normal speech. Similarly, I agree that most of his songs were 4/4 - he was, after all, basically a rock’n’roller , as you suggested - but showing a limited list of songs could be misleading; he wrote other songs in 3-time that were not listed. Also he often used triplets even within a 4/4 songs - the words “Strawberry Fields Forever” or the refrain of “Give peace a chance” have a triplet feel, though you correctly describe the songs as mainly 4/4 and your general point that 4/4 is versatile is a good one, well made. A third point is that John, partly for humour and partly modesty, sometimes down-played his own and The Beatles’ achievements. John’s sophisticated use of harmony, which was crucial to his individuality - and genius - is not covered by his own, rather flippant formula and I don’t think, therefore, that we should take it too seriously or too literally. Yes, it’s a good starting point, but it takes more than that to be a Lennon or a McCartney.

@christopherengler7183 Месяц назад

Yes, I think he meant give the words a purpose alongside the meaning, like using alliteration, plosives, fricatives, multi-purpose words, etc., so when you sing it, one sound leads into another, flips off your tongue and blows out your lips with the right syncopation and is simpatico with the music in a way that seem both clever and natural. I think he meant play with words like an instrument and have them fit together like they belong there.

@AshtonRogers-se1zj Месяц назад

For all of the great stuff John wrote with The Beatles,I think that maybe my single favorite song he wrote is (Just Like) Starting Over. It's just so...pretty.

@Dalesi Месяц назад

More Lennon stuff please!

@charleymarkson Месяц назад

John wasn't even a cowriter on "Something." Great video though!

@Xxxxxrrr6464 26 дней назад

John’s quotes says it pretty well

@80sJayOfficial 26 дней назад

I have been told many times in my life that my songs remind them of the Beatles and specifically John Lennon. Those 3 things might have helped John but for me it was 10 hours a day of work, life experience including many tragedies and writing years of stinkers that brought me to the level I'm at today. What's funny is that my musical heroes are Depeche Mode, Erasure, OMD and the new wave sound. But it was Beatles & John Lennon sounding stuff that would channel through me.

@steveward910 Месяц назад

Benny, it's interesting you chose Jealous Guy as an example of Lennon's work because I think there may be a further lesson to be learned from that song. If you've watched the Beatles film "Get Back" you'll hear Lennon introduce a song he called 'Road to Marrakesh' to the rest of the band. It's a song that was to become Jealous Guy. The majority of the chord changes and melody were there but the lyrics were not his best at that point. Maybe a future tutorial could discuss when and how to edit or when to let a song go and when to persist until the best version of the song is uncovered. Thanks for all of your tutorials.

@MarkCook-tl8po Месяц назад

I missed the part you are talking about. Guess I'll have to watch "Get Back" again, oh darn :)

@marcsullivan7987 Месяц назад

It was also called Child of Nature on the Esher Demos (demos of songs mostly from the white album, recorded at George’s house)

@thesingingaccountant1 25 дней назад

Lennon had some great songwriting tricks, like playing with chord voicing, using iv chords etc. he then was able to put his life into lyrics, like he had to songwrite as therapy, and sing like he really meant it

@davidannderson9796 День назад

On rhyme: it helps to mix it up a little, to make it more beautiful and poetic. For example, 'twinkle twinkle little star' could be slightly tweaked into something like this: Twinkle twinkle little star How I wonder what you wish for Up above the world so high Like a diamond in the night Shining diamond shining bright

@rlouisj54 15 дней назад

We Can Work It Out is a McCartney song mostly. Lennon came up with the middle bit "life is very short and there's no time..."

@henrikibsen6258 15 дней назад

Watching The Wheels is my favourite Lennon Song.

@ashiqsr5751 10 дней назад

Hi Keppie and Benny!Love your classes here. I had a small request. Could you make a video on writing lyrics first and then going to music?Cause' now I'm used to writing lyrics first and then going with the music. But, I found out that it isn't really helping out with my music part. I struggle to change this habit now. And also vice-versa. I can easily make melodies but then struggle to write lyrics for that. It would be very helpful if you guys could make videos on the above - starting with the music and then to lyrics and vice-versa. Thank you!

@photoniccannon2117 Месяц назад

I very frequently end up using time signatures OTHER than 4/4. Usually it's on accident, but I'd say the majority of my songs aren't in 4/4. However, I have noticed that a fair number of my choruses are, even if the rest of the song isn't. Usually I end up writing the chorus in either 4/4, or in some cases, 3/4, but I have never written one in a weird time signature like 7/4 (at least, not yet). There is something to be said for building some tension and then resolving it in the chorus. I'm always trying to do that as a writer, but I always make sure not to introduce too much tension at the beginning (the first few lines of the song need to hook the listener in for the rest).

@michellatendresse1700 Месяц назад

Very interesting video thank you for that. I am wondering about the "put a back beat to it" idea, Did John actually mean it literally as in 2 and 4, or perhaps he meant it lyrically. The first two statements are about the lyrics, maybe so is the third: give the words a lyrical rhythm. I can definitely hear a rhythm in the lyrics of many of John's (and other songwriters) lyrics independently from the musical rhythm. Emphasis on certain words, phrasing, accents, space between words, also serve to give the lyrics a certain sense, or emotions, just like a back beat. It's just a thought. Thank you again

@MrBadboomer73 Месяц назад

I think it’s come out that Yoko wrote most of imagine. I believe there is a recording of John saying as much.

@terrorbirds9835 Месяц назад

Not to be a vampire but Something is a Harrison composition. Still, point taken 👍

@pinkieswear6611 Месяц назад

Revolution

@mikec6733 9 дней назад

One of the coolest rhyme tricks ever is in Grateful Dead Truckin. (words by Robert Hunter) Trucking- like the doodah man Once told me you got to play your hand Sometimes, the cards ain't worth a D**M If you don't lay em down. You naturally think of "Damn", because it rhymes (imperfectly) with "man" and "hand" But they sing it as "dime", or "dyyam" leaving the listener to substitute the dirty word in his own imagination

@jimdiaz9968 Месяц назад

I Am The Walrus is not exactly 4/4. It feels like 4/4 but it’s all over the place when it comes to time signature. Same thing for Good Morning, Good Morning. Feels like 4/4 but has multiple time signatures. Just Like Starting Over may have a 12/8 feel but could also be counted as 4/4. Sgt. Pepper and after his writing is focused on lyrical phrasing that forces measures to be extended or shortened depending on the lyric lines. This was his true genius… making unusual times feel like 4/4. Revolution does this at times too. Don’t Let Me Down is another great example is unusual times being made to feel like 4/4.

@Xxxxxrrr6464 26 дней назад

Cool

@DavidFedele Месяц назад

Brilliant video! As to .... how did John Lennon so consistently write so many brilliant songs .....? I'm sure "clarity of mind" had something to do with it, but also - he could focus 100% on his music, without wasting time on social media, creating online promotional "content", self-promotion, etc, etc, etc .... Everything that today's artists are almost forced to do (at least that's what we're told!)

@Delilah70 20 дней назад

Nice songwriting video. One of John's astounding songwriting talents were his melodies. Who'd like to make a video about that? how to write the most melodious of melodies? He could rhyme just 2 words in a song and it would still be brilliant

@user-tm8he6yg2q Месяц назад

What did McCartney mean with the reference to "Mother Mary" in "Let It Be"? What of Paul Simon's beautiful but ambiguous lyrics in "The Sound of Silence"?

@michellemonet4358 Месяц назад

Which ambiguous lyrics?

@user-tm8he6yg2q Месяц назад

@@michellemonet4358 "The song's ... basis [is] unclear, with some thinking that the song commented on the assassination of John F. Kennedy ... although Simon & Garfunkel had performed the song live as Kane & Garr two months before the assassination. ... The first stanza presents the singer as taking some relative solace in the peacefulness he associates with 'darkness' which is submerged 'within' the ambiguous sound of silence," according to Wikipedia. Due to the ambiguity of the song's lyrics, "the imagery and themes in the song have been interpreted in various ways," according to Quora. _"Hello, darkness, my old friend_ / _I've come to talk with you again,_ the song immediately grabs the attention, its words casting vague, but stirring imagery across the delicate acoustics," writes Alli Patton in the _American Songwriter._

@user-tm8he6yg2q Месяц назад

@@michellemonet4358 Hello, darkness, my old friend I've come to talk with you again Because a vision softly creeping Left its seeds while I was sleeping And the vision that was planted in my brain Still remains Within the sound of silence In restless dreams I walked alone Narrow streets of cobblestone 'Neath the halo of a street lamp I turned my collar to the cold and damp When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light That split the night And touched the sound of silence And in the naked light I saw Ten thousand people, maybe more People talking without speaking People hearing without listening People writing songs that voices never share No one dared Disturb the sound of silence "Fools," said I, "You do not know" Silence like a cancer grows Hear my words that I might teach you Take my arms that I might reach you" But my words like silent raindrops fell And echoed in the wells of silence And the people bowed and prayed To the neon god they made And the sign flashed out its warning In the words that it was forming And the sign said, "The words of the prophets Are written on the subway walls And tenement halls And whispered in the sounds of silence"

@axelthorfilms Месяц назад

The method is make it work. Say what you want to get across. Try to keep the syllables even, have pattern of rhyme. If you can't make a line rhyme in a verse that line or lines in all the verses won't rhyme but it must flow. Don't write to long of a song helps too.

@davidcasagrande267 19 дней назад

From an old music industry saying , IT'S NOT THE SONG , IT'S THE SINGER . Only one in so many million people are lucky enough to be born with Magic Tone Qualitys in their voice . This is what makes John Lennon and all the other successful songwriters great , not the fancy lyrics .

@shawnclare-nb1up Месяц назад

A very good songwriter once likened the pop song form like a haiku...certain form restrictions but freedom within it

@lnb29 Месяц назад

that's a great example of how people who do great things often cannot really explain what their doing. clarity is the last thing you want in music

@natet5959 25 дней назад

Every artist has a choice and I think that is, in part, what makes an artist an artist. Once an artist is familiar with all the tools of songwriting, they can choose to use them in a unique way that suits them. A songwriter should create their own formula unless they are under the heavy influence of a producer or manager to make use of a cookie cutter formula that will lead to profit.