General Music Chat

When do you guys write your best lyrical content? When you're happy, sad, indifferent, in pain...?

When I'm sober.

I would guess that it has to do with extreme emotions, whether good or bad.

Right now I feel like I'm writing the best stuff I've ever written.

I am also the happiest I've ever been in my entire life.



If you're even-keeled then you're probably not writing your best stuff. But if you're dealing with the extremes of any emotion, that's when you can poor that emotion right into an outlet and let it loose.

For me, it happens most often when I'm very busy, & don't really have the time for such pursuits.

I think a strong emotion either happy or sad inspires us, but I will say that it seems easier when it hurts or it taught you some sort of lesson than when its just a happy thought. I dont know why it is so hard to write happy songs. I hear a song like Im Walking On Sunshine and the song just makes me feel happy, not that I really care for the song but I can feel the happiness. It has that vibe.

For me any music that projects a strong emotion whether I like it or not draws me in.

Not sure if I trueely answered your question Chris.

I think a strong emotion either happy or sad inspires us, but I will say that it seems easier when it hurts or it taught you some sort of lesson than when its just a happy thought. I dont know why it is so hard to write happy songs. I hear a song like Im Walking On Sunshine and the song just makes me feel happy, not that I really care for the song but I can feel the happiness. It has that vibe.

For me any music that projects a strong emotion whether I like it or not draws me in.

Not sure if I trueely answered your question Chris.

I definately know what you're talking about. Since you went that direction with your answer it definately makes sense to me especially now. I don't think I've ever written a truly happy song. Even if it had a overall positive theme it still referenced some sort of bullshit I had to go through to get to that positive state of mind.

With the sh*t I've got on me now I have the urge to walk around with my head down and Aaron Lewis is a genius...

Sucks to go through a bad spot but for some reason I enjoy writing more when I'm foul. Does that mean I'm f**k up? Maybe... I'd rather give people my time and let them listen than pay a damn head shrinker.

It's hard to say on my part. My best compositions are in dark minor progressions but I'm generally a positive, up-beat person. I find inspiration in many things— looking at art, reading stories, movies, and even small things in everyday life can compel me to write.

Sucks to go through a bad spot but for some reason I enjoy writing more when I'm foul. Does that mean I'm f**k up?

Nah, means you're normal. That's all.

I think a lot of artists write better stuff when they're going through a bad spot. Blues anyone?

Extreme Happiness is a different animal than extreme Crappiness. When you're extremely crappy, you want to vent it out. Music is the vent.

When you're extremely happy, you just want to share it with other people, and not necessarily vent it into a musical form.

Sucks to go through a bad spot but for some reason I enjoy writing more when I'm foul. Does that mean I'm f**k up? Maybe... I'd rather give people my time and let them listen than pay a damn head shrinker.

Oh, hell yeah! Music can be very THERAPEUTIC!! No doubt about that. I may have been dead by now, quite literally, if it weren't for music.

When I'm drunk or stoned LMAO

best music I ever wrote was when I was at one of the most miserable points in my youth -

Lyrics? Meh - I'm a lyrical imbecile. Can't write crap.

I'm gonna side with J-Haley on this one. Something about mind-altering drugs bring out the most creativiity - when a lad, I stayed up 2 days straight on speed, and wow - I had an art pad filled with artwork that even after I recouped from being so wired, was the most creative I'd ever done on paper. Can't really live your life that way tho - at least not a long life

I remember when I was in my early 20's - I'd smoke up some mary jane, and then I became functionally retarded on guitar. Never worked out for me lol. Maybe heroin does the trick.

I don't think 'brilliance' is a valid header for this though I do understand the need for it in this question.

How many local people/bands does anyone listen to? I listen to at least 30 a day. What I hear are some special songs here and there, when something has come together just right. How that came together could be in many ways to my thinking.

Like cooking it requires just the right amount of this, the right amount of that and a careful hand when cooking. I think if you are good at it, you are just good at it. You are able to match thoughts with a note and so on, and are equally able to purvey that to your listening field, your audience.

So far as emotions go I can only see someone being dumped as a major song theme. It happens to almost everyone sadly but it does happen and can trigger a love song. Equally activists at the other end of the table pour out their hearts and tell it like it is through Punk or Rap, Country, the list just goes on and on.

So is there a time that is good for writing?
For me there isn't one. I grind at it until I get something I LIKE.

But having said that. There are moments of pure brilliance to the writer, they come at the strangest times too. I think we all know that so I think its random.
Just my take of course.

You should ask Vincent Van Gogh, OH Sorry.