Finishing Songs

It’s easy to have lots of ideas to start songs, it’s a whole other thing to see those ideas make it all the way through to finished songs. I speak from experience!

Let’s say you’ve arrived at the place where your song is shaping up well. Now is the time to look at your song with an objective eye, check a few things, and yourself ask some questions that you give really honest answers to.

For example, Is there anything that could be expressed more clearly? Do some of these lyrics sound a bit familiar? Could you dig a bit deeper? Be honest, are there songs already out there that are saying the same thing, but better?

Do all the verses scan the same way, or is there some phrasing in verse 2 that’s completely different to verse 1, that you’ve got really used to, but someone hearing it for the first time will really not be expecting?

Is the melody easy to learn? Or is it so easy to learn that it’s actually quite samey? Is it interesting? Are there points where the melody soars? Does it remind of anything that’s already out there.

Does each part of the song do its job well? Verse, pre-chorus, chorus, bridge, You may not have all those things in every song, of course. Do you need a bridge? Is the bridge you’ve got really adding anything?

Just take the time to fine-tooth-comb the thing. Brandon Lake says the difference between good and great is 5%. It’s worth taking the time.

You may be interested to know that before any of their songs reach the congregation, CityAlight have a peer review panel and self-review process, which basically asks, “What’s the one thing I’m trying to say and am I actually saying it?”

When you’ve answered that question, honestly, and done all your editing, I would encourage you to test that song on a few friends before going ‘public’. They don’t need to be musicians, in fact, it’s probably better if they’re not because they will be more representative of your congregation. If you attend a mid-week group in your church, that would be ideal.

Testing with friends will immediately show you if there’s any notes that are too high, any parts of the phrasing that are a bit chewy, or any bits of the melody that people are struggling to pick up.

A friend of ours always says ‘feedback is a gift’ so recognise this as an important part of the process. The things you note in testing – that’s not working, this could be better – if you fix them, you will have a much stronger song. And you will learn so much from this process. 

So NOW you’ve finished your song and you’re excited about it. There’s one more thing I’d ask you to do: play it to your pastor before introducing your song in your church. You not only want to introduce it with your pastor’s blessing, but they may have important feedback  – you may have missed an ambiguity in the lyrics, for example. You should certainly have them check the lyrics, and get their seal of approval. And if you’re not the worship team leader, I’d run it passed them, too.

Give careful thought to how you introduce your song. You really want it to be well rehearsed and especially, if there will be other singers with you, that they are very clear on the melody. Give careful thought to which songs are going to come before and after so your song can get the best start in life, if you like.

We’ve said it before, learning the craft of songwriting is a marathon, not a sprint, which just means that you have a mindset of long-term commitment. Acknowledge it’s a process of learning, of growing in experience and, if you want to do it well, and with care, it can be really hard work, be real about that. It might start with a flash of inspiration, which is then followed by a lot of perspiration.

But to hear people helped in their worship by something you’ve written, is an extraordinary privilege that is very humbling, and certainly makes all that hard work very much worth it. Keep writing, keep worshipping and may God bless you as you seek to serve your church in this way.