Three Reasons Adding Emotion to Your Lyrics Makes Them Memorable
Given that my day job for the past thirty-some-odd years has been communicating via song lyrics, I’ve given quite a lot of thought as to what makes communication memorable. If my lyrics aren’t memorable, not only does my message not stick in people’s heads but also artists will have a hard time remembering the words which will make them much less likely to want to record the song for themselves. All that to say, making communication memorable is not simply an abstract concept to me but, rather, the way I make my living. Over time I’ve discovered that the key to memorable communication is emotion. Below are three reasons why adding emotion to our communication makes it memorable.
1. Dry Facts are Forgettable
If all you communicate are the facts, that’s not significantly different from reading the ingredients on a container of salad dressing or a tube of toothpaste. These facts may be important but without some kind of hook, that information will disappear almost as quickly as you stop reading. However, going further than I should be allowed with my salad dressing analogy, Newman’s Own salad dressing has “100% Profits to Help Kids” on the cap adding the kind of emotion that makes us feel like we’re connected to what we’re reading. And as a result, we’re much more likely to remember it.
2. Humans Are Attuned to Emotion
As humans, we’re hardwired to respond to emotional appeals whether it’s joy or sadness. It’s why the stories from mythology have endured over thousands of years. It has heroes and villains and challenges that need to be overcome. If the stories were simply about a person who woke up in the morning, went to work and then came home, had dinner and went to sleep, I doubt they’d be told and retold from one generation to the next. Adding emotion is what makes a story compelling and if it’s compelling, it’s memorable.
We have an expression in songwriting “show ‘em, don’t tell ‘em.” This means that simply describing something (telling ‘em) without any visual sensory input (showing ‘em) won’t be enough. For example, instead of writing “there’s a man and a woman at a bar and she’s not interested in him,” it’s much more memorable if you write “his beer was warmer that the look in her eyes.” That’s a sentence with real emotion in it. Thank you, John Hiatt.
3. People Can Sense Sincerity
Not only is emotion a way of connecting with others but also emotion is what makes a message sincere. There’s a very real power - and vulnerability - in infusing our communication with emotion and that’s due to our sincerity. Whether or not someone realizes why they feel a connection to what you’ve communicated, it’s often due to the fact that they can sense your sincerity. Sincerity is why we trust, connect with and remember people and communication that incorporates emotion demonstrates that sincerity.
Conclusion
When it comes to great, memorable communication, it’s not only what we communicate (the details) but also how (the style and delivery) we do it. By incorporating emotion into our messages, we stand a much better chance of having that message received and remembered in a positive way. Emotions are what make us human and appealing to our shared humanity is what connects us.
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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