The First W Question Every Songwriter Must Ask
54sThis concise songwriting tip reveals a practical pronoun trick that instantly makes lyrics feel personal and emotionally connecting, perfect for creators seeking quick insight.
▶ Play ClipAI Summary
This video introduces the first component of the 'W3 Formula' for songwriting: establishing perspective. It explains that asking 'who is talking?' and using first-person pronouns like I, me, my, and mine early in lyrics helps listeners emotionally connect to the story.
Chapters
[00:03]
The First W Question
Ask 'who is talking?' of any song idea to help songwriters maintain focus on the story they are trying to tell.
[00:17]
Mining Personal Experience
Songwriters commonly start by mining their own emotions, experiences, ideas, and observations about the world for their lyrics.
[00:29]
Establishing Perspective Quickly
Establish the perspective as early in the lyrics as possible by using a specific pronoun, making the story feel attached to a real individual.
[00:41]
Using First-Person Pronouns
If the song is told from the writer's perspective, include pronouns I, me, my, and mine as quickly as possible to ground the idea in a human experience.
[00:57]
Emotional Connection
When listeners can picture a human being telling the story, they connect emotionally to the ideas, imagery, emotions, or concepts in the song.
By clearly identifying who is telling the story and using first-person pronouns early, songwriters help listeners connect emotionally to their lyrics. The 'W3 Formula' begins with perspective as its foundational step.
Tutorial Checklist
Study Flashcards (5)
What is the first W question to ask of any song idea?
easy
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What is the first W question to ask of any song idea?
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Who is talking?
00:03
What pronouns should you use to establish a first-person perspective in lyrics?
easy
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What pronouns should you use to establish a first-person perspective in lyrics?
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I, me, my, and mine.
00:41
Why is it important to establish perspective as quickly as possible in lyrics?
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Why is it important to establish perspective as quickly as possible in lyrics?
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It attaches an idea or emotion to a person, helping listeners connect emotionally.
00:29
What is a common practice among songwriters at the start of the songwriting process?
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What is a common practice among songwriters at the start of the songwriting process?
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Mining their own emotion and experience, or their ideas and concepts about the world.
00:17
How does a listener emotionally connect to a song's ideas or imagery?
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How does a listener emotionally connect to a song's ideas or imagery?
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When they can see a human being in their mind's eye telling the story.
00:57
💡 Key Takeaways
⚖️
Who Is Talking?
This question is the core of the first W in the W3 Formula, setting the foundation for all lyric writing.
00:03
💡
Perspective Anchors Emotion
Attaching an abstract idea to a specific human experience makes it relatable and emotionally resonant.
00:29
📊
Imagery Through Perspective
Listeners connect emotionally when they can visualize a human storyteller, turning concepts into lived experience.
00:57Full Transcript
[00:03] for a single question to ask of any song idea you're working on. The first W question, who is talking? Being clear on who is telling the story helps us as songwriters maintain focus on what story we're
[00:17] actually trying to tell. Often in practice as songwriters, when we start the songwriting process, it's very common that we're mining our own emotion and experience or ideas, concepts, thoughts about the world for the
[00:29] purposes of songwriting. But the idea here is as quickly in our lyrics as we here is as quickly in our lyrics as we can to establish the perspective in a really practical sense by using a specific pronoun. If it is us telling
[00:41] the story and we're telling it from our perspective, getting the pronouns I, me, my, and mine in as quickly as possible, attaches an idea or an emotion to a person, to a human, to an actual individual's experience. And as soon as
[00:57] a listener can see a human being in their mind's eye telling this story, they connect emotionally to the ideas, the imagery, the emotions, or the concepts that we're writing about in our song X.
