Lazy songwriting techniques

[Petey Pate]

1. The word at the end of the line has to rhyme.
2. It can't be the same as the last one.

You'll love the final verse by Beanie Sigel in this Roots song.  If you were studying it for your English GCSE, you'd notice the rhyming structure is entirely AAAA, most of the lines ending in either "them" or "'em".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mN_3ylqka3Q

[easytarget]

Rhyming 'money' with 'honey'.  Except when AC/DC do it.  They're exempt.

They're also freely allowed to rhyme 'mistress' and 'Christmas'.
They're kings among men.
Kings among men.

[phantom_power]

Isn't that bit in Intergalactic a reference to the "MmmmmmmDROP!" bit from their own 'The New Style' off 'Licensed To Ill', as famously sampled on The Pharcyde's 'Drop'? I guess you could consider that sort of self-referencing lazy but hip-hop is deliberately rife with it. I just listened to 'The New Style' and just listening to the first 20 seconds the intro was sampled by J Dilla on 'Donuts' and the '4 and 3 and 2 and 1' bit was heavily referenced in a song I forget the name of on Felt's (the other Felt's) "A Tribute To Lisa Bonet".

The self-sampling was what I was referring to when I said myth making. Their first album must be one of the most sampled in history.

[Tiny Poster]

They're also freely allowed to rhyme 'mistress' and 'Christmas'.
They're kings among men.
Kings among men.

They certainly are. And this is why ThisIsHardcore can bugger off, with his power chords wrongness.

[Johnny Yesno]

Things being "On fire" in songs.

Except for:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nItuhuY1U04

That's a good thing to be on fire.

Things "Lasting Forever" in songs.

Especially 'nothing'. That, as the text on the CD boasts, 'lasts for 55 minutes 41 seconds'.

System Error - Something Strange Has Happened: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GX9iHXUtouw

NoSleep went on to suggest that all drums and emulations thereof should be abolished for a full century.

That's guitarists for you. They don't like being around people who can spot their terrible timekeeping :-p

[Nobody Soup]

You'll love the final verse by Beanie Sigel in this Roots song.  If you were studying it for your English GCSE, you'd notice the rhyming structure is entirely AAAA, most of the lines ending in either "them" or "'em".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mN_3ylqka3Q

I'm a fan of rhyme in song, especially when it involves ludicrously long sections that rhyme every line, but what I find really annoying is when there is a wishy washy, forced, grammtically muddled line crow barred in just to feed into a much cleverer turn of phrase.

[NoSleep]

That's guitarists for you. They don't like being around people who can spot their terrible timekeeping :-p

Far from it. As Ornette Coleman said, in jazz the drummer follows the other musicians (actually they all keep time together), whilst in rock the other musicians follow the drummer. The latter is very lame when true (good bands don't do it). Listen to the immaculate timing on Joni Mitchell albums with no drummer in audible range.

Also, this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIjfp4POrmo

I'm primarily a bass player, btw.

[Noodle Lizard]

Bands/songs which have a bass but don't have a bass part.  Seems like such a waste for the bass to just follow the guitar line completely, especially when it's just four chords in rotation (as it usually is with those songs).

[NoSleep]

What have you got against Dee Dee Ramone? Or Ohio Express and the 1910 Fruitgum Company?

[Nobody Soup]

some of the stuff people are saying is mental. if nirvana had written the riff to smells like teen spirit using open chords, thrown in a little minor 7th and few bass slides it would be fucking rubbish.

[NoSleep]

Here's the bass player stuck on one note for almost the entire 9m27s of the tune:

http://youtu.be/AVytzYONBic

[Puffin Chunks]

some of the stuff people are saying is mental. if nirvana had written the riff to smells like teen spirit using open chords, thrown in a little minor 7th and few bass slides it would be fucking rubbish.

Indeed. Far better to write More Than a Feeling instead.

[Noodle Lizard]

some of the stuff people are saying is mental. if nirvana had written the riff to smells like teen spirit using open chords, thrown in a little minor 7th and few bass slides it would be fucking rubbish.

'Smells Like Teen Spirit' has a bass part, though (as in it's distinguishable at more than one point from the rest of the music).  The verses are bass-dominated.  In fact, the only parts of the song where the bass follows the guitar lines is the main riff.

[Noodle Lizard]

What have you got against Dee Dee Ramone? Or Ohio Express and the 1910 Fruitgum Company?

I'm not familiar with the last two (as you probably knew), but I find The Ramones very dull.  Not for a lack of bass parts though.

[NoSleep]

Kind of missing the minimalist point.

[Noodle Lizard]

Kind of missing the minimalist point.

I also find Dream Theater dull, yet I'm a big fan of Michael Gira who might sometimes have a 20 minute song with just one or two chords looping.  I'm not missing any point, I just don't like it.

[NoSleep]

Then Level 42 must be more your kind of music.

Swans may well have not arrived at their original (best) sound without The Ramones before them.

[thecuriousorange]

How about that over-embellished soulful singing style - whoa yes it is....whoa yes I do" etc that people like Marti Pellow like to stick on the end of every line of every song.  Not sure if that counts as a songwriting technique or not but it can fuck right off.

Mick Hucknall does that too. Ohh, yes he does.

[Noodle Lizard]

Then Level 42 must be more your kind of music.

Swans may well have not arrived at their original (best) sound without The Ramones before them.

Okay.

[Johnny Yesno]

I'm primarily a bass player, btw.

Arse! I obviously wasn't paying attention. Now I get the full significance of your Bootsy story.

I have to say, though, now I'm even more shocked[nb]and appalled[/nb] by your drum idea. You're pissing on the rhythm section brotherhood, man. When some guitarist or other starts going on about how bass is easy cos it's got fewer strings don't expect me to sign up to your posse.

[easytarget]

I find The Ramones very dull.

I suppose you only like music in 5/4. Yeah, that must be it, you'd be all "Hey Dee Dee, why don't you say 'one two three four five' instead? You fucking junkie fuck stick!"

I jest.

Dull though, really? But they're so... fast!

[Noodle Lizard]

I suppose you only like music in 5/4. Yeah, that must be it, you'd be all "Hey Dee Dee, why don't you say 'one two three four five' instead? You fucking junkie fuck stick!"

I jest.

Dull though, really? But they're so... fast!

It's not that I actively find them dull as such, I just don't care that much about them.  I prefer Sex Pistols and New York Dolls.  And The Stooges, of course.

Didn't expect quite so much antipathy over it, to be honest, sorry guys.

[Tiny Poster]

no drums in bluegrass

no drums in bluegrass

no drums in bluegrass

_{(there are no drums in bluegrass)}

[tothenakedrawedge]

Things being crazy, which probably aren't crazy.

Crazy crazy crazy crazy nights
Crazy in love
etc.

[Kane Jones]

Things being crazy, which probably aren't crazy.

Crazy crazy crazy crazy nights

Catchy as hell though.  I love Kiss and although this is probably one of their worst/naffest songs, the hooks and pop songwriting sensibilities are there in spades. Paul Stanley is very competent at writing sing-along anthems, whether they're your thing or not.

[Tiny Poster]

Yeah, it's great!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8dXFN9jqdY

"CRURZEE CRURZEE CRURZEE!"

[thecuriousorange]

These are crazy, crazy, crazy nights by Kiss is also guilty of one the biggest 80s rock video cliches: The fake concert.

I'm looking at you Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen.

[checkoutgirl]

I love Kiss

Hate'em and would be annoyed if I liked'em. How can anyone support anything in any way connected to this man ?



I mean, look at him. Bleurgh!!

[Kane Jones]

Hate'em and would be annoyed if I liked'em. How can anyone support anything in any way connected to this man ?

He's a foul, greedy, capitalist arsehole - no doubt.  That would never stop me liking someone's music though.  I grew up listening to them so they're part of my entire life. 

He's apparently had sex with over 4,000 women, so I guess money and power are a big aphrodisiac to some people.

[Jerzy Bondov]

The Kiss video game was amazing as well