---
title: 'The One Thing I''ll Never Tell Another Songwriter'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=JL1NP-ZwD_Q'
video_id: 'JL1NP-ZwD_Q'
date: 2026-07-31
duration_sec: 125
---

# The One Thing I'll Never Tell Another Songwriter

> Source: [The One Thing I'll Never Tell Another Songwriter](https://youtube.com/watch?v=JL1NP-ZwD_Q)

## Summary

This video discusses a core principle of the How to Write Songs community: never tell a songwriter whether their song is good or bad. Instead, feedback should always be specific, actionable, and kind, because every song has something to teach the writer.

### Key Points

- **The Songwriter's Request** [00:03] — A songwriter in the community expressed a wish: "I just wish that someone would tell me whether my songs are good or bad."
- **The Never-Do** [00:34] — The community's policy is to never tell a songwriter that their song is good or bad, no matter what.
- **Feedback Principles** [01:04] — Feedback given to songs and songwriters is always specific, actionable, and kind.
- **Every Song Teaches** [01:19] — Every single song you write has something to teach you, regardless of its quality.
- **Better Than It Already Is** [01:33] — The focus of feedback is on how to make a song better, no matter what state it is in.
- **Judgment Kills Learning** [01:49] — Imposing a good/bad judgment on a song misses the opportunity for growth and learning about songwriting.

### Conclusion

The video argues that labeling songs as 'good' or 'bad' is an unkind and counterproductive habit; the purpose of feedback is to help songwriters improve, and every song is a learning opportunity.

## Transcript

made a request of us a little while ago. And this request is something that we And this request is something that we will never ever heed. And I want to tell you what the request was. And I want to tell you why we will never ever do what
>> [gasps] >> the songwriters that come to our membership community are often coming to get feedback on their songs. And this particular songwriter made a post inside the community. And the post essentially
said, "I just wish that someone would tell me whether my songs are good or bad." And this is something that inside the How to Write Songs community, we will never ever do. We
will never ever tell a songwriter that comes to us with a song comes to us with a song that their song is either good or bad. And I know it sounds counterintuitive because I know where this request comes
from. I understand it. People don't want to waste their time. They don't want to waste their emotional energy on something if it maybe doesn't have legs. But when people come to us for feedback, the feedback that we give to songs and
the feedback that we give to songs and songwriters is always specific, songwriters is always specific, actionable, and kind. Which means we are never going to do the unkindness to the song or the songwriter of putting a
judgment on a song as being good or bad because truly every single song you write has something to teach you. And the feedback that we give on songs is all about, "How can you make this song, no matter what state it's in, better
than it already is?" Because if we impose the judgment of good or bad on a song, what we do is we miss the opportunity that every single song has opportunity that every single song has to teach us something about songwriting.