Writing Back to Front Lyrics
The best order to write lyrics
We all have different ways to go about our wonderful craft. There are many tools and very few rules. Nashville is a great place to discover alternative ways to write songs in the co-writing room. And this is one trick that my good friend and brilliant songwriter, publisher and author Dave Clark once said to me:
“The best way to write a song is back to front.”
And he’s right. While there is nothing set in stone, many commercial writers tend to craft the lyric this way.
What does writing ‘back to front’ look like?
What does that look like? Well, it’s written in the following order:
Chorus (ideally identical each time)
Pre-Chorus 1 (if appropriate)
Verse 1 (maybe a double Verse)
Pre-Chorus 2 (if not the same as Pre-Chorus 1)
Verse 2
Bridge
Outro
There we have it.
The benefits
The cool thing about writing back to front means:
The song title, THE ONE IDEA, is mostly in the Chorus, so once it is already established it’s a lot easier to approach the title from the verses later.
Pre-Choruses are not essential but it’s a great way to drive ideas from what seem like completely different ideas directly to the title. A smart technique.
Having written the Chorus and Verse 1, it’s a lot easier to write Verse 2, showing a different perspective, timezone, place, role, or another dimension. This avoids Second Verse Curse (see Chapter 2 of Song Maps)
Sometimes, after having drafted the Chorus, it helps figure out how strong the overall song could be and whether it’s worth continuing with the ideas in the song, or maybe rewriting it a little differently before writing the other sections of the song.
So when you start your next song, try to write it back to front.
Questions
Here are a few questions:
How do you normally write your lyrics? Front to back or back to front?
Could back to front be worth trying?
Do you ever find yourself hitting the wall with Second Verse Curse?
Are there other approaches you find better? Put in the comments below!
Hope this helps!
Simon
If you want to take your songwriting journey even further, check out other pro-songwriter tips below. These tips may help you hone your craft and take your songs to the next level!
Song Mapping is a Pro-Songwriter tool that allows you to see the connections between all the words in your song. It's a great way to see how your song is structured and to find new ideas for lyrics.
Click here to learn more!
Hi Simon. I do not write back to front as a specified process. However, often, when working on a verse or stanza - knowing what I want to say but unable to adequately match or complete the rhyme scheme, write the final line without regard to the prior lines.
This forces me to re-write the lines before and often opens up possibilities I had not thought of. It is a technique I've talked about during presentations to other songwriter groups.
Regarding the challenge with the second verse, I have a similar approach. I think of a song like a movie or photo shoot. Verse 1 is an establishing shot. Verse 2 can provide a specific event or memory. The bridge, or a third verse, offers a lesson or an insight to the listener or an introspective or realization by the protagonist.
It is one of my admonishments to aspiring writers - don't simply repeat yourself in verse 2. Move the song somewhere.
Anyway.. glad I subscribed. Be well.