How to Not write depressing song lyrics


sad songs

How do you avoid writing a song that sounds too depressing? Is it possible to write a sad song without sounding like the world is ending?

You want to write lyrics about how hard it is to be alive, or how much your ex sucks and not sound too whiny.

But all your song lyrics come out sad!

In this post, we’ll explore some of the techniques and strategies for how to not write lyrics that are all doom and gloom.

Is it ok to write sad songs?

We all have dark emotions and it’s not healthy to hide from them.

A lot of people will appreciate hearing a song that speaks to their own darkness and gives them a way to express it.

The trick is to find a way that is comfortable to express them.

Plenty of artists like Elliot Smith or Jim Morrison have lyrics that are quite dark but set against upbeat or quirky music. 

How do you not write a sad song?

The key is not ‘what’ you write about, but ‘how’ you write about it.

You’ve probably heard it said, and know from your own experience, that songwriting is like therapy.

It’s good to get those negative feelings out.

But for me, I don’t want the song itself to be a depressing whiny mess.

So here are some tried and tested ways you can write sad songs without them getting depressing or sounding whiny.

1. Use an Objective Correlative.

“The only way of expressing emotion in the form of art is by finding an ‘objective correlative’, in other words, a set of objects, a situation, a chain of events which shall be the formula for that particular emotion. Such that when the external facts, which must terminate in sensory experience, are given, the emotion is immediately evoked.  T.S. elliot.

Don’t let its name scare you. An objective correlative is just an object, person, place, or anything really that symbolizes an emotion.

This is a great tool to talk about an emotion without ever mentioning the emotion.

Plus it often opens you up to a whole world of imagery you might not have thought of otherwise.

For example…

‘Message in a bottle’ by The Police is about not being able to make a meaningful connection in modern society. 

That’s a pretty dark topic. It’s something that can lead to mental health issues and even suicide.

But you don’t feel that when listening to the song.

Sting used the objective correlative of a ‘message in a bottle’ to symbolize the isolation he feels.

This gave him all the imagery of a castaway on a deserted island to play with.

2. Use a Metaphor.

“A metaphor is not an ornament. It is an organ of perception. Through metaphors, we see the world as one thing or another”.   Neil Postman.

A metaphor is a way of describing one thing in terms of another thing.

For example…

‘Blackbird’ by Paul MacCartney. 

MacCartney wrote that song as a reaction to the U.S. race riots in mid-1968. It’s a metaphor of the struggle for the black civil rights.

Racism is a pretty depressing issue. But blackbird, overall, is a pretty sweet song.

Using a metaphor can also gives the song a more universal appeal. We can all relate to ‘broken wings’ ‘waiting for this moment to arise’.

Strong negative feelings can seem very personal and that might put you off writing about them.

So being able to veil it in something like metaphor is a great way to pour out your feelings without feeling too exposed and can lead to a more universal lyric.

3. Use Personification.

“The earth hath swallowed all my hopes”.  Romeo & Juliet

Personification is when we give human characteristics to something non-human.

For example…

‘Good riddance by Greenday.

“Time grabs you by the wrist”.

Billie Joe Armstrong wrote this song about a  girlfriend who moved to Ecuador to live with her family. He wanted to be cool about it but couldn’t help feel some anger.

 I wrote a song about how one’s past baggage can mess up your present.

Some of the lines included are

‘yesterdays here,

she whispers in my ear’,

she lingers on my lips till it all feels wrong,

yesterday’s here

and she’s singing that same old song’.

It was good to write about something that was getting me so down and when I personified time it got me excited to write the lyric. 

4. Write a chorus that focuses on hope.

So your lyrics are depressing, no problem. Use them to contrast a more hopeful chorus.

For example…

‘living on a prayer’ by Bon Jovi

The verse deals with struggling to make ends meet during an economic depression while the chorus lifts the mood by telling us to “hold on to what we’ve got”.

or

‘Chandelier’ by Sia

This song is about battling alcoholism. But in the chorus, we get lines like…

“I’m gonna fly like a bird through the night
Feel my tears as they dry”.

5. Use Tempo

Tempo is one of the biggest influences on setting the mood of a song.

If you want your song to feel less sad, try playing a bit faster. It’s crazy what a difference it can make.

 

 

 

It’s important to be able to get our honest feelings out. Songwriting is an amazing way to deal with our emotions, good or bad.

A lot of times I’ve stopped myself from writing because I didn’t want to write a whiny song and that’s not good.

We should write and if we have a way to write those depressing songs without annoying ourselves it can make a big difference.

If you’re looking for more lyric writing tips, check out this post next.

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