Alternate Versions of Your Songs

I’m often asked if it’s a good idea to record and mix multiple or alternate versions of a song. The short answer is YES! Because…

  1. There are versions of your song that you’ll need to have.
  2. There are optional versions that can be useful to have.
  3. There are versions that you make just because you’re dying to hear what they sound like.

For the long answer, let’s take a look at a variety of alternate versions and how they can help you in a whole lot of important ways.

MUST-HAVE VERSIONS

THE MAIN VERSION

If you’re an artist, the main version of your song is the one you’ll release as your single. It’s the definitive version, the one you’ll promote first, and the one you want people to hear.

Writing Songs for Film & TV

Movie Slate

Thousands of songs are used in TV shows, films, and commercials each year. For every song that’s placed, many are auditioned—often hundreds—but only one is chosen. And you want that song to be yours.

The song that will get the job is the one that enhances the emotion and memorability of the scene for the viewers. Is a character discovering real love for the first time? The song needs to evoke that feeling of innocence, yearning, and wonder for the audience. Is the film set in a small town in the 1950s? The song needs to make us feel that we’ve traveled back to another time and place.  And the right song can bring the whole thing to life!

Great Song Lyrics: Using Clichés

Have you ever noticed how some people can describe a simple, everyday event and make it sound hilarious or tragic or just plain interesting, while another person can tell the same story and have you snoring with boredom in an instant?

If the language you use to tell a story is vivid and fresh even a familiar experience or idea can come to life, but if you’re talking in overused, predictable phrases—in other words, if you’re using clichés—the most exciting story can become dull. It’s all in the words you choose.

People often speak in clichés

Time flies!


Clichés are familiar phrases that have become an acceptable shorthand way of expressing an idea: “Time flies!” “Love is blind.” “He’s full of hot air.” “You can count on me.” On the plus side, everyone understands what you mean. But these phrases are so familiar and overused they’ve lost their emotional impact. The result is bland, forgettable language. For example, here’s a description of a workday that’s filled with clichés.

  • I got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. My cup of coffee tasted like mud. On the bus, people were packed like sardines. My boss was hopping mad when I got to work late. The day seemed to drag on and on. I thought six o’clock would never come!

While this paragraph gives you an idea of what the speaker’s day was like, it doesn’t make you feel the boredom and frustration. Familiar phrases such as “packed like sardines,” “hopping mad” and “seemed to drag on and on” have been used so many times listeners no longer picture the images, experience the sensation, or notice the comparison; they don’t feel the crush of bodies on the bus or picture the boss hopping up and down in anger. In fact, listeners barely even hear clichés at all. They’re wasted space in your song unless you do something to change that.

Give your clichés new life. 

1. Use a fresh or unexpected comparison

Comparisons are a great way to add energy to a description. There was a time when “packed like sardines” was vivid, fresh, and funny. Listeners really pictured it when they heard it and it made them react. Eventually, so many people liked it and used it that the idea became stale and listeners stopped reacting.

LYRICS: Write a Strong Opening Line

“I have trouble coming up with the first line of a song. I try not to write something obvious and cliche  but I can’t seem to figure out how to start.”

Five Ways to write a strong opening line

A strong opening line for your song is essential – it may make the difference between keeping a listener tuned in  or losing them. You’re right about not wanting to be vague! Here are a few ideas…

1)  Use a line from later in the song

After you have a first draft of your song, check to see whether your second verse is stronger than your first. This can happen as you get deeper into the song and know more about what you want to say. Try opening with your second verse then replace it with a new one or use your original first verse there.

Do Your Songs All Sound the Same?

by Robin Frederick

Q & A

Q: I have one big problem and I’m wondering if you can help.  I have written over 160 songs. My words, melody, and my voice all seem to sound the same.  What am I doing wrong?

A: If you have a “signature sound”—your songs have a recognizable style and sound—there’s nothing necessarily wrong with that. To my ears, many of Jackson Browne’s songs sound very similar in terms of music and vocals, and he’s certainly successful. He relies on powerful lyrics to tell unique stories filled with emotion and character. Vocals and music are secondary, while the lyrics hold the listener’s attention.

So, the real question is, do listeners respond to your songs and your sound the way you want them to? If you feel you’re not reaching them, then it’s a matter of upping your skills in one or more areas to make your songs more original.