Interesting thread.
I tend to differentiate between songs and compositions--because they require two completely different processes for me in terms of music and lyrics.
A song, to me, is something you can do on a piano or acoustic guitar with nothing but a vocal and it will sound great unplugged. For those works, I have found that you can't *try* to write a song. It either lights upon your head like the proverbial butterfly or it does not. The harder you chase it the more it flies away. But if you sit still...as they say. For SONGS, the words and music come to me at the same time almost all of the time and the ones I like usually take 15 minutes.
Then there are artists who do COMPOSITIONS. I would put Yes and Rush into this category. They spent months figuring out each part. When I take a whack at a composition it also takes a while to put everything together.
I love compositions and I really enjoying listening to Close to the Edge by Yes all the way through in one sitting, but I can't say as I have ever walked around humming anything from it.
I find myself walking around humming songs all day though.
When I "interpreted" Clifton's Vietnam song (which became 1969) a few nights ago I didn't write anything down at all, or even rehearse, because I didn't feel like it.
I simply propped a tablet on the music stand under the mic with the words from the forum original in front of me, plugged in, hit record, started strumming and sang what came to mind. What happened in between record and stop was what I printed. Sometimes I think it is best to just go ahead and do it--tap into that Divine Muse--and just go for it.
It is really easy to overthink a song.
To me a song is like love--just let it happen or you will spoil the mood.
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