Fighting the perfectionist.

[linziellen]

Hi all,I'm really struggling with a song that came to me a few nights ago while I should have been sleeping. I wrote the first two verses no problem, it just flowed from me. I fell in love with it straight away but since then I've reworked it so that it "fits".I've spent hours sketching and drafting and fighting with the original idea because it wasn't "perfect" and now I have a song I don't love anymore. The original didn't necessarily make sense but it was coming from the old heart and there was a strong idea backing it up somehow.I have two very different writing styles, one is called "Daytime" the other is "Nighttime" the stuff I poor onto paper in the small hours seems to have a little magic dust in it's workings and then I try to edit this magic out during the day. Where do I go from here? Is this a heart over head matter and which should I trust!?Thanks for any thoughts, Lindsey.

[hummingbird]

Quote:Hi all,I'm really struggling with a song that came to me a few nights ago while I should have been sleeping. I wrote the first two verses no problem, it just flowed from me. I fell in love with it straight away but since then I've reworked it so that it "fits".I've spent hours sketching and drafting and fighting with the original idea because it wasn't "perfect" and now I have a song I don't love anymore. The original didn't necessarily make sense but it was coming from the old heart and there was a strong idea backing it up somehow.I have two very different writing styles, one is called "Daytime" the other is "Nighttime" the stuff I poor onto paper in the small hours seems to have a little magic dust in it's workings and then I try to edit this magic out during the day. Where do I go from here? Is this a heart over head matter and which should I trust!?Thanks for any thoughts, Lindsey. oh, good, I get to post a reply. I hope.Anyway, my honest advice to you is to put the song away in a drawer for a week. Get some perspective, and come back with fresh ears and eyes. In the meantime... start something else.HTH H'bird

[Casey H]

Quote:Hi all,I'm really struggling with a song that came to me a few nights ago while I should have been sleeping. I wrote the first two verses no problem, it just flowed from me. I fell in love with it straight away but since then I've reworked it so that it "fits".I've spent hours sketching and drafting and fighting with the original idea because it wasn't "perfect" and now I have a song I don't love anymore. The original didn't necessarily make sense but it was coming from the old heart and there was a strong idea backing it up somehow.I have two very different writing styles, one is called "Daytime" the other is "Nighttime" the stuff I poor onto paper in the small hours seems to have a little magic dust in it's workings and then I try to edit this magic out during the day. Where do I go from here? Is this a heart over head matter and which should I trust!?Thanks for any thoughts, Lindsey. Hi LindseyYou are not alone in this pain. Both beginners and experienced folks share it with you. I write from the heart, often with lyrics that are too personal or specific for the commercial world. The problem always is that what's great therapy for you might not be want the rest of the world would like to hear. They say don't write what you want to say; Write what people want to hear.So, you do have to tweak those lyrics and yes, they could loose a little of that special something that just flew out of your subconscious. I can tell you that I am struggling right now with these things on 2-3 songs I am working on. BUT, I am determined to make the lyrics more commercial. Some suggestions... When you are having a hard time with a song, put it away for a few days or more. Give it a rest and you would be surprised how different it all is after you've distanced yourself for a bit... Also, post some lyrics here... maybe some before and after (from the heart vs. "fixed")... There are a lot of people here who can read your lyrics from the outside looking in with no prior concept of what you were writing.Good luck! Casey

[jchitty]

Quote:Hi all,I'm really struggling with a song that came to me a few nights ago while I should have been sleeping. I wrote the first two verses no problem, it just flowed from me. I fell in love with it straight away but since then I've reworked it so that it "fits".I've spent hours sketching and drafting and fighting with the original idea because it wasn't "perfect" and now I have a song I don't love anymore. The original didn't necessarily make sense but it was coming from the old heart and there was a strong idea backing it up somehow.I have two very different writing styles, one is called "Daytime" the other is "Nighttime" the stuff I poor onto paper in the small hours seems to have a little magic dust in it's workings and then I try to edit this magic out during the day. Where do I go from here? Is this a heart over head matter and which should I trust!?Thanks for any thoughts, Lindsey. I'd put your song on the back burner for a while. You'd be amazed at how fresh it will sound when you 'revisit' it in the future. Also, there are some songs I've written which started out one way and then went in a whole new direction. I've ended up scrapping tons of lines, but since I had the skeleton of the song worked out, I created some new lines, and it turned out to be a much better song.I really believe that songs write themselves sometimes.....the process of songwriting is a mystical sort of process.....maybe your song is just wanting to be left alone for a while. You can let it simmer.

[squids]

It's jes like shopping from a catalog or online. If you love it, bookmark it, turn down the pages, whateva, and then come back to it about a week or two lata, see if you love it then and what precisely you love about it.I see they have ads up top now. Oh joy.

[hookstownbrown]

I tend to agree with the general consensus. If you really have faith in the song, but you reach that point of technical/emotional conflict, if you will, -- this is really very common for songwriters of every level -- it's time to get away from it for awhile.In the mean time, you have to decide whether it's going to become a so called 'vanity' song, or a song that appeals to the masses.We all have those personal songs.My thoughts are that, if it has serious commercial potential, run with it and make it a song that the masses can relate to. You'll have so many other songs that you will keep to yourself in the future.Your gift is in communicating emotion for others who have difficulty in doing that... Let that be your guide and try not to demand of yourself the immediate, perfect song...Let it simmer...Best wishes...

[dougstronach]

one thing I've learned is to not force the song into something it's not. We're all looking at making some money from our writing and having some commercial success from it so it's tempting to guide a song into what we want it to be rather than what it actually is.Magic is a common theme in all great songs -- great songs are larger than life. The magical element of music is what I believe keeps us at this crazy game day after day. If you have some of that magic in your songwriting then do whatever you can to keep it.doug s.

[edteja]

Well Doug, to play devil's advocate, it can be hard to tell when you are trying to force a song into something it isn't from giving up or being too lazy to do the necessary rewrites to make it really shine. Having erred in both directions frequently I find that the idea of getting away from it, but going back to it with fresh thoughts (and ears) can help uncover the magic.

[squids]

Quote:Well Doug, to play devil's advocate, it can be hard to tell when you are trying to force a song into something it isn't from giving up or being too lazy to do the necessary rewrites to make it really shine. Having erred in both directions frequently I find that the idea of getting away from it, but going back to it with fresh thoughts (and ears) can help uncover the magic.Oy, I feel your pain, Ed.

[hookstownbrown]

Right on, Ed. Forcing a song is where it's at. Actually, the word 'forcing' is a bit too strong... 'Crafting' is the word.There is a school of thought that you don't ever let a song become what it will be. You craft it into something more than what it would have been...You try to steer it out of the atmosphere and into the radio stations.