When I realized the difference between writing in 2D and writing in 3D, it was a pivotal moment for my songwriting.
Many ways to write a title
Discovering how to write in 3D started when I finally got a writing appointment with one of my all-time songwriter heroes. I drove to their home in a lovely part of Nashville and settled down on their pristine sofa.
As I sat there waiting for coffee to bubble through the machine, I surveyed their array of silver, gold, and platinum records hanging on the wall in front of me, the performance area set up in the dining room, the flashing lights of the hardware studio enticing me to engage. Was I nervous? Yes. I was about to live out a bucket list moment.
Finally, we got to the subject of what we should write. And this was when I needed to bring out my very best ideas. I had several–some musical, some lyrical–and I opened my laptop to share them.
As I opened iTunes, my co-writer peered over my shoulder and looked at all the songs I'd bought on iTunes. As I scrolled down the many songs by various artists, my co-writer said time after time –
“I’ve written that title.”
and again–
“I’ve written that title.”
After several minutes, I realized how far this person had been around the block and the many titles they had written. They hadn't written all of the songs I had on my computer; they were different songs with the same title.
At this point, it dawned on me:
There are many ways to write a title
Titles are not copyright protected. So, if you were to run down your iTunes songs, they are all up for grabs. If you can think of a systematic way of developing new ideas around those same titles, then you have an unlimited source of inspiration just by looking down your iTunes catalog. Wonderful.
This whole thing got me thinking. And over the next few weeks, back in my studio in England, I started working with the idea of writing in 3D versus writing in 2D.
What is writing in 2D?
Writing in 2D is what we all do when we start off writing as young songwriters. It's also what you hear too often on the radio, on iTunes, and even at church on a Sunday.
A lyric written in 2D paints a picture. It still sounds like a song, often with a lovely melody, cool guitar riffs, sweet harmonies, and a deep bass line. However, its impact is restricted because it doesn't give us the whole picture. It's flat. It doesn't move us from place A to place B; we just stay in the same place but use different words to describe it in each section.
If I wanted to show you what my house looks like I have a choice. I could draw it in 2D, and it could look like the following:
I know, my drawing skills are not so awesome. But irrespective of my drawing skills, anyone drawing it in 2D would only provide you with a limited view, leaving questions unanswered: How deep is the house? How far back does the garage go? Is there a patio at the front? Is that a boat at the side of the house or a shed? How thick are the chimneys? Are those front windows really at the sides of the house?
In the same way, writing lyrics in 2D only provides a limited picture of your point because it uses just two dimensions:
Title (or theme), and
Structure
Alongside other technical elements (rhyme, rhythm, prosody– matching the tone of the lyric to the tone of the music).
If I were to summarize a 2D lyric, it would broadly look as follows:
Verse 1 - Idea 1
Chorus - Title
Verse 2 - Idea 1, different words
Chorus 2 - Title
Bridge - Idea 1, different words again
Chorus 3 - Title
In short, the ideas presented in each section (other than the Chorus) are identical. They may use different words, but they describe the same thing (the Chorus) in a similar way. There is no "recoloring of the Chorus" to cast a new view on it. There is no movement forward in the lyric. There's no lyrical development. It is a flat picture, without the depth of view, without any perspective, and therefore, the emotional impact of any payoff–if it exists at all–is muted. 1
What is writing in 3D?
Writing in 3D is the work of the lyric pros. It's often something that you only get to do if you have worked with and studied lyrics for a long time (or of course if you've read my book about ‘Song Maps’). You may think that I'm overstating the importance of this, but it's a little like looking at a black-and-white TV versus a 4K UHD TV.
Now, drawing my house in 3D would maybe look like the following picture:
Drawing it in 3D provides a much better representation of my house (believe it or not!). We can see how deep the house is. How far back the garage goes. That there is indeed a terrace at the front. There's a boat at the side of the house, not a shed. We can see how thick the chimneys are and that there are no windows at the sides of the house.
In the same way, writing lyrics in 3D provides a much more complete picture because it uses all three dimensions of the lyric:
Title (or theme)
Structure, AND
Plot development
A 3D lyric would work as follows:
Verse 1 - Idea 1
Chorus - Title
Verse 2 - Idea 2
Chorus 2 - Title
Bridge - Idea 3
Chorus 3 - Title
So, the ideas presented in each section (other than the Chorus) are DIFFERENT. They move the listener through a journey, they "recolor the Chorus" each time it is heard and cast a new view on it. There is a movement forward that has been crafted into the lyric as it unfolds and develops the plot of the song, starting with Idea 1 and ending with Idea 3. It is a 3D picture with depth, a perspective that is so vivid that the payoff is almost as in your face as it is in the singer's mouth. If that's not too gross.
How Song Maps can help
Song Maps help you design your lyric to ensure it is written in 3D by assigning ideas to each section to move and develop your plot as the song progresses. If you make Song Maps part of your writing workflow you will add 3D sparkle to all of your songs. And you will never want to go back to writing in 2D. I guarantee.
If you want more info, click here -
Questions
Here are a few questions for you –
How can you apply the concept of writing in 3D to your songwriting, and what benefits does it offer in terms of creating more engaging and emotionally resonant lyrics?
How can you use the three dimensions of a song (Title or theme, Structure, and Plot development) to craft lyrics that take your listeners on a journey and provide a more complete and vivid picture?
As mentioned in my book, how can Song Maps become an integral part of your songwriting process to ensure your lyrics are written in 3D, with depth, perspective, and a compelling emotional payoff for the audience?
Hope this helps,
Simon.
Note: A payoff is where the lyric provides a conclusion or a sense of closure, completion, satisfaction, or comfort for the listener.