The Relationship Between Catchy Lyrics and Breakthrough Ideas
Although my initial musical training was in classical piano and I’ve played guitar for decades now, I’d describe my songwriting skills, first and foremost, as those of a lyricist. What this means is that while I can certainly play music and write melodies, I’ve learned over the years that many of my collaborators are much more gifted in that department than I am. However, when it comes to lyrics, my passion and energy become fully engaged. To that end, I thought I’d take a moment to illustrate the parallels between a catchy lyric and a breakthrough innovative idea as they’re much more closely related than we might think.
Exploration of cognitive stickiness
In songwriting, we use the term “hook” to refer to the catchiest, most memorable part of our song. The hook is what makes people remember your song and, more specifically, the message of your song. Does the hook, “Sweet Home Alabama” sound familiar? What might not be as obvious when it comes to marketing and innovation is that in order to get a new idea to resonate with your intended audience, it, too, needs a hook. In the same way that a hook in a lyric makes your song memorable, a hook in an innovation is the thing that helps people not only remember your idea but also want to learn more about it. In order for a breakthrough idea to spread, it absolutely, positively needs a hook.
Connection between emotion and memory
It’s one thing to have a lyric that makes sense and tells a coherent story but it’s another thing altogether when that lyric infuses genuine emotion into its message. As lyricists, it’s our job to balance the story we’re telling with enough emotion to connect with our listeners. The same challenges and benefits apply to breakthrough ideas. An idea that simply makes sense is ok but an idea that connects with our emotions is much more likely to inspire us, stick with us and move us to adopt whatever that new idea or innovation may be. We’re humans and humans need more than intellect to move us. We need emotion.
Teaching simplicity and impact
When it comes to songs, one of the first things to remember is the power of simplicity. A song is a lot like a postcard. It’s got a pretty picture on one side (the melody) and a few lines on the other (the lyric). That’s it. Songwriting forces us to say more with less as evidenced by the fact that 99.9% of songs are between 3-4 minutes long. Simplicity and impact are not the sole province of the lyricist however. Any and all great innovations have at their core a simple and impactful idea. Learning to distill our messages - whether a lyric or a breakthrough idea - into their most impactful essence is a skill that can be the difference between an innovation that catches on and one that is ignored.
Conclusion
Whether we’re writing lyrics in the hope of moving our listeners to tears or coming up with a brand-new mousetrap, the principles are the same. The goal is to make our message or idea memorable by infusing it with a catchy hook that combines simplicity, impact and emotion. I’m well aware that this is more easily said than done but that doesn’t mean I’m letting us off the hook - so to speak. With the above elements as our goals, our lyrics and innovative ideas can’t help but improve with practice.
Bio
Cliff Goldmacher is a GRAMMY-recognized, #1 hit songwriter, music producer and author with recording studios in Nashville, TN and Middle River, MD. Through his studios, Cliff provides songwriters outside of Nashville with virtual, live access to Nashville’s best session musicians and studio vocalists for their songwriting demos. Find out more. You can also download Cliff’s FREE tip sheet “A Dozen Quick Fixes To Instantly Improve Your Songs.”
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