Editor’s Note: This is Part 3 of a 4-part series on reinventing the songwriting camp with NYU’s Clive Davis Institute and Songtrust. Check out Part 1 and Part 2, and stay tuned as we release the rest of the series.
I was kicked out of Cub Scouts for “apathy,” but I always respected their motto: “Be Prepared”.
I still carry that one piece of advice with me into creative situations. It’s a little like bringing bear spray into the woods at camp: it doesn’t mean you’ll see bears, but it would sure be nice to have, if you do.
When NYU’s Clive Davis Institute teamed up with Songtrust to host our collaborative songwriting camp, preparation was high on our list of principles. While some people like to start a session with a blank slate, songwriting camps operate on tight deadlines. If you want to make the most of every hour in the room, coming prepared gives your team an immediate head start.Here are some thoughts:
1. Body & Mind Prep
Your body is a nonnegotiable part of walking into a session. It’s temperamental. Some days it’s good, some days, not so much. How can we make sure it’s more likely to be having a good day?
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Feed Your Brain: Breakfast. Make some time, have something good. I’m not a nutritionist, but I know enough to know that eating is better than not eating, and that eating garbage kinda makes you feel like garbage.
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Get Moving: I’m not a personal trainer, either, but I think we both know that our minds are pretty clear after some kind of workout, plus a shower, and a good breakfast. There are studies that absolutely confirm that our cognitive functions are sharper after exercise—even if we’re just walking.
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Read the Room: You’re in close quarters for hours. Be mindful of decisions made the night before… you might not want your co-writers to smell last night's choices across the studio desk.
2. Journal / Notes
I make a big deal of journaling. The reason is because our memories are terrible, our inspiration comes in flashes, and journaling is the process of catching those flashes in a medium that we don’t have to remember. I use a pen and paper; you might use voice notes. That only makes us more alike than not. We’re both recording those flashes that we can bring into a session.
3. A List of Song Titles
Many, many writers begin with a title, and it’s easy to understand why. The title is a centering force in a song, and it usually ends up in the chorus, so it’s usually what gets repeated, both by the singer, and hopefully, by the audience. Bring some good titles, including the ones that are nagging you to get fleshed out and written.
If you don’t have any (or you aren’t sure), here are some ideas:
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Something unique: “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out,” “Eusexua,” “The Man Who Sold the World,” “The Fate of Ophelia”
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Something pulled from regular conversation: “I Just Might,” “Talk of the Town,” “WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!”
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A directive: “Tell Me Why,” “Shut Up and Kiss Me,” “Do It,” “Drop Dead”
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A city or geographical location: “Empire State of Mind,” “Alaska,” “Africa,” “California Dreamin’”
- Another language: “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS,” “Despechá,” “Viva Las Vegas”
4. Set-Up Lines
In Nashville, there is a technique called the “Set-Up Line,” which is related to the title, in that it’s the lyrical twist that gives the title its bite. A classic example is “Three Days,” by Willie Nelson. The song gives a clear picture of how a set-up line can drive a chorus home. Willie begins his four-line chorus:
Three days that I dread to see arrive
Three days that I hate to be alive
Three days filled with tears and sorrow…
He is using a rhetorical technique called anaphora, which is the repetition of words at the beginning of lines, but he’s also escalating the dread of whatever these three days are. In line four Willie drops the hammer:
Yesterday, today, and tomorrow
In four lines, "three days" becomes eternity. That’s the power of a set-up line.
During the CDI x Songtrust camp, writer Chloe Rose brought a setup line into a session with artist Sydney Sherrill and producer Jonah Bosselman, which yielded a subtle but excellent set-up line for a song entitled, “Coming Clean.” She wrote about the guilt of confessing to a mistake, and landed with the couplet:
I never felt so dirty, dirty
Coming clean
“Coming clean” is, of course, a euphemism for confessing something, but juxtaposed against the setup of the repeated word “dirty,” the line gives a memorable lyrical twist to her remorse. Chloe later admitted that she’d had that set-up line for a while, and was ecstatic to see it find a good home.
5. Nonsense Melodies
These are the weird earworms that get stuck in your head. Record them on voice notes, and don’t worry about being cringe. Cringe is the way! If you don’t believe me, here are some examples:
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La la la, la la la-la la laa: “Can’t Get You Out of My Head,” Kylie Minogue
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Nah nah nah NAH NAH NAH NAHHHH: “Hey Jude,” The Beatles
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Boom Boom Pow: “Boom Boom Pow,” Black Eyed Peas
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Whoa-oh ah oh ah ohhh: “California Gurls,” Katy Perry
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What? What? What? What?: “WHAT,” Playboi Carti
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La dah dee, la dah x100: “Gypsy Woman (She’s Homeless),” Crystal Waters
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Up up up up up up up…: “Ur Mum,” Wet Leg
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Whoo-hooooo!: “Song 2,” Blur
6. Role-Specific Prep
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Producers: Bring some session ideas worked out ahead of time. It doesn’t have to be 100% there. Don’t worry about what key it’s in. These are all things that can (and probably will) be tweaked.
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Artists: What kind of song do you need? Look at your set list and your releases. Are there any holes? Do you need a bigger opening song? Closing song? Ballad? Do you want something less (or more) wordy? Did something happen in your life that you feel the need to address in song form? Bring those thoughts into the room.
Preparation Meets Magic
Coming prepared doesn’t mean locking yourself into a rigid structure and refusing to be flexible in a session. It means arriving with fuel already in the tank. When you bring a few titles, physical energy, and raw ideas into a session, you remove the friction of staring at a blank screen. That leaves your team completely free to focus on what actually matters: capturing magic and the talent in the room.
Mike Errico is the author of “Music, Lyrics, and Life: A Field Guide for the Advancing Songwriter” and a professor at the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at New York University.
