How To Write A Song

How to Write a Song from Start to Finish

Writing an original song is easier than you might think. Here’s a few steps you can take to get you started.

Step 1: Learn 4 Chords

Pick up a guitar or sit down by a piano and learn four basic chords: C, G, D, and Em. These are the backbone of countless hits. With a bit of practice, you’ll be strumming or pounding the piano keys in no time. As Joni Mitchell once said, “All I need is three chords and the truth.”

Step 2: Structure Your Song

Arrange those chords into a classic song structure: verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus. Verses tell your story, the chorus is the catchy hook, and the bridge shakes things up. Think this in the back of your mind while your building your song.

Step 3: Write Lyrics That Matter

Your lyrics are the soul of your song. Write from the heart, a real experience you’ve had—maybe about a late-night drive or a moment that changed you. Authentic lyrics connect. When I wrote "On The Road", it was about the change in life moving from USA to Norway, starting out in a new culture. I wrote my experience of what that was like. That song still gets brought up on TV and streamed. So, make it real, and your listeners will feel it.

Bonus Tip
In 2023 study from Berklee College found 78% of hit songs use simple chord progressions like C-G-D-Em, so you’re on the right track!

Now grab your instrument of choice, let those chords ring, and tell your story. Only you can tell it truthfully and authentically.