Sometimes, songwriters wrestle with the idea of creating engaging and impactful lyrics. One of the best tools they can use is something called juxtaposition. But what exactly is this?
Juxtaposition is about putting contrasting elements next to each other to amplify them.
Putting contrasting elements next to each other
Look at the famous opening line of Charles Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...” By placing these two opposites side-by-side, Dickens creates an immediate emotional impact that resonates with readers even centuries later.
A more contemporary literature example is Kevin Powers' The Yellow Birds, where he writes: "You will soon be asked to do great violence in the cause of good." By placing violence next to its antithesis—good—Powers amplifies the emotion surrounding both concepts and makes his message more powerful.
But how can we incorporate this technique into our songwriting for maximum effect?
How to use this tool?
To use juxtaposition in writing lyrics, we are looking for opportunities to compare contrasting ideas or concepts to amplify their meanings by putting them side-by-side in a phrase or a line. It's often used to create a clear contrast between them, which helps drive home their importance and create a powerful emotional reaction from listeners.
When you're writing songs, juxtaposing opposing ideas can help create an emotionally charged atmosphere and ensure your lyrics stand out from others. Consider using phrases like “love/hate," “heaven/hell," or “light/dark" to illustrate opposing concepts and drive home your message.
Examples
For example, many successful songwriters have used love/hate juxtapositions in their lyrics—such as Rihanna's "Love on the Brain" or David Bowie’s song “Let’s Dance”:
Let’s dance
Put on your red shoes and dance the blues
They use juxtaposing emotions or phrases to explore complex feelings and draw listeners into their stories.
By using this technique—placing contrasting elements side-by-side—you can amplify your emotions and connect more deeply with your audience. Whether you’re exploring happiness versus sadness, love versus hate, or any other kind of duality in life—juxtaposition can help take your songwriting up a notch!
There is more information about juxtaposition here on Devon’s excellent blog that talks about using it in many different kinds of writing.
Questions
Here are a few questions:
What song ideas do you have in your own Idea Bank that have opposing concepts that could help drive your message home in the lyric?
Are there finished lyrics that could be an opportunity to upgrade the impact using this?
After writing a draft section of a lyric (a verse or a chorus) using juxtaposition, how does it feel like when you write the song out loud?
Rewriting this lyric again but without a juxtaposition, can you see the impact it had on the song, having written it before?
Hope this helps!
Simon.
Get Simon’s second edition of his book, Song Maps, here –