Can AI write lyrics?

Flow of ideas, beauty of phrases, words, and style.

Many of my chums, cowriters, artists, and others in the industry might laugh at the idea that AI could write a lyric. But I thought it would be fun to give this a go.

Tools for writing lyrics

Throughout my journey in the realm of songwriting, technology, and tools have been steadfast companions. The ultimate goal has always been to try to write the best lyrics and music within my budget, and as goes on more tools have become more available and less pricey.

When it comes to lyrics, my path has encompassed various technological stages, spanning - paperback books to things I can work on my tech:

• Rhyme dictionaries (my favorite remains Sammy Cahn’s here). 

• Excel, when I typed in the entire book to help speed up searching rhymes.

• FileMaker, which dramatically increased my database and modeled over 100,000 words and lines.

• MasterWriter has been helpful over time.

• And now apps like Rhyme Brain and Rhyme Zone are also great.

I love technology; it’s always been there for me in so many ways. But these are all tools, great tools actually, in doing what I love doing as a lyricist, to write meaningful, emotionally connecting words to listeners with music. 

Skipper at the helm

The trick here is to take charge as the captain of the song. Instead of passively waiting for a good word or phrase to appear magically, you need to assume control and guide the lyrics and music in a deliberate direction. It's about carefully charting the song's course, steering it towards the destination of becoming a great song. All the tools at your disposal are crucial in this creative process.

There are two important tasks:

1. Assessing whether a word or phrase is worthy of inclusion in the song.

2. How to make it a well-crafted lyric.

Part of the craft of writing lyrics is to get the right answers to these two questions to create an exceptional song lyric.

What happens if AI is at the helm?

The central question here revolves around AI's capability to compose lyrics of a caliber comparable to, or even surpassing, what humans can create unaided.

From my point of view the issue is not whether AI can come up with good lyric lines: we all know it can do that. The point is whether it can create lyrics with a genius flow of ideas, the elegance of phrases, the selection of words, and the distinctive style that makes a lyric truly exceptional.

Flow of ideas, beauty of phrases, words, and style.

Crafting a song is akin to using Apple or Google Maps for navigation; if you input the wrong destination, you'll inevitably be directed to a place you never intended to go. So it’s important to ask the right questions for AI.

Example

Here’s a lyric directly from ChatGPT, after asking

“Write a pop song lyric called “Latte” about finding a girlfriend at a coffee shop while working as a barista.” 

And here’s the response.

---

LATTE

(Verse 1)

In a coffee shop, beneath the neon glow,

I'm brewing dreams and pouring cups, don't you know?

I'm the barista, making lattes with care,

But little did I know, you'd be the one sitting there.

(Pre-Chorus)

Your smile's a sugar rush, and I can't look away,

In this café, our story starts today.

(Chorus)

You're my latte in the morning light,

Steaming hot, you're my caffeine high,

In your eyes, I found a love so sweet,

With each latte, our love's a special treat.

(Verse 2)

You're sipping slowly, reading your book,

I'm counting moments, stealing a look,

From the espresso machine to the whipped cream on top,

My heart's racing faster, can't make it stop.

(Pre and Chorus)

(Bridge)

We talk about life, our hopes, our dreams,

In this cozy corner, it's just as it seems,

Two souls connecting in the warm café air,

Our love's brewing, and we're a perfect pair.

(Chorus)

(Outro)

Now, we're together, it's you and me,

From that coffee shop to eternity,

You're the latte of my life, my sweet serenade,

Our love story brewed, like a perfect escapade. 

---

So, what do I think of it? 

Things I do like:

1. It’s well-structured, so well done.

2. The rhyme scheme works well, with some big words (serenade/escapade).

3. There is a time zone thing between the two verses and the outro, (though it could be stronger).

4. The bridge goes somewhere slightly different, which I love.

Things I don’t like:

1. It’s all about two third parties (which I guess is what I asked for), but it is not something about me, or the listeners particularly, so unless the music is spectacular it’s unlikely to be cut.

2. The title is buried in the middle of the last line of the chorus, which, depending on the music, could be a problem. I’d rather have set up a rhyme to let the title - Latte - totally hit the listeners, lyrically and musically.

3. There’s no tension, which I’d love to see more of, so the story here in the lyrics is a bit bland as a result.

4. The song is not dramatically different from other songs (though I love the Outro), see more about this where I talk about writing at the edge of the table click here.

In reality, it's more like a preliminary draft. However, I'm still uncertain whether using AI to create commercial-grade lyrics is as beneficial as I'd hoped. Perhaps it could serve as a way to generate titles as a pre-writing exercise (for more details, click here).

Considering the high level of crafts skills we all possess, incorporating AI into a collaborative songwriting session might prove challenging. There’s also the joy of chasing a great song idea in the writing room which is so much fun.

The human brain is an exceptional engine of creativity and in my book first book, Song Maps, it demonstrates how far AI has to go to get any close to competing with us.

So, can AI write lyrics? Not for finished lyrics, but it’s certainly getting closer. 

Questions 

Here’s a few questions you might think about –

1. Looking at AI’s lyric of ‘Latte,’ what do you make of it? What would be your critique of it?

2. What tools or techniques do you personally find most valuable in your own songwriting process in writing an exceptional lyric? Could you ever think about using AI in your own writing toolkit?

3. How long could it be that AI could actually produce a commercial lyric that is successful? I guess it might have already happened.

Hope this helps!

Simon

www.simonhawkins.com