He couldn't finish this song for 30 years
35sThe almost unbelievable detail of carrying an unfinished song since the late 90s instantly hooks anyone with creative unfinished business.
▶ Play ClipAI Summary
A songwriter who had been struggling to finish a song since the late 1990s finally completed it after a single feedback session. The breakthrough came not from more effort, but from recognizing the song needed a different musical form. This short anecdote illustrates how a fresh perspective can unlock decades of creative blockage.
Chapters
[00:03]
The 30-year songwriting struggle
In a feedback session, a songwriter confessed he had been working on a song since the late 1990s and still couldn't finish it.
[00:15]
Honest admission of the block
The songwriter opened up about his personal attachment to the lyrics and why the song felt impossible to complete.
[00:29]
Fear of having used up the story
His main blockage was the fear that he had already placed too much of the story in the first two verses or sections, leaving nothing left to say.
[00:44]
The wrong song form
The feedback revealed the song was written in verse-chorus form when it actually wanted to be in AABA form, and the refrain line was the true point of the song.
[01:08]
A day's work to the finish
After the realization, the songwriter saw that with a single day's work he could finally reach the end of his long creative journey.
[01:33]
One conversation can unlock anything
The speaker reflects that no matter how long a song has been carried, one little conversation or feedback session can bring the clarity needed to finish it.
Study Flashcards (5)
How long had the songwriter been working on the song?
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How long had the songwriter been working on the song?
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Since the late 1990s.
00:03
What was the songwriter's main creative blockage?
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What was the songwriter's main creative blockage?
medium
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He didn't know how to end the story; he feared he had already put too much of the story in the first two sections.
00:29
What song form change helped unlock the song?
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What song form change helped unlock the song?
medium
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Changing from verse-chorus form to AABA form.
00:44
What did they identify as the point of the song?
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What did they identify as the point of the song?
easy
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The refrain line.
00:44
According to the speaker, what can help a songwriter finish a song after years of blockage?
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According to the speaker, what can help a songwriter finish a song after years of blockage?
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One little conversation or feedback session.
01:33
💡 Key Takeaways
📊
A song carried for decades
Establishes the extreme length of the creative block and the emotional weight behind the story.
00:03
💡
Fear of exhausting the story
Identifies a common psychological barrier where creators worry they've already used their best material.
00:29
🔧
Form as a creative constraint
Shows that technical changes like song structure can have a profound impact on creativity.
00:44
⚖️
The power of a single conversation
Captures the core takeaway: external feedback can break through blocks that years of solitary effort cannot.
01:33Full Transcript
[00:03] some of our community members and when we're doing a feedback session I always working on it? And in this particular case the songwriter said, I've been working on it since the late 90s. For us
[00:15] You know, the the question is why have you been working on this song for so long and unable to finish it? In this particular case the songwriter was really honest and you know, they told us about the story, the fact that
[00:29] it was very personal, the fact that the the language in the lyrics was really them personally and the blockage was that they just didn't know how to get to the end of this story. They they feared that they had put
[00:44] too much of the story in the first two verses or the first two sections and there was nothing left to say. And so we went through this beautiful moment of talking about the song, talking about the fact that it was possibly in a form
[00:56] that wasn't helping serve the song, that actually written it in a verse chorus form but it wanted to be in an AABA form. We took the refrain line and said maybe that's the point of the song and let's just, you know, work on that as
[01:08] song. And it's a beautiful thing to work with a songwriter who's literally been carrying a song for decades. To then see in their eyes this realization that with a day's work they
[01:21] to the end of this journey. So matter how long you've had a song, no matter how hard it feels to finish
[01:33] or one little conversation that can unlock that for you and and help you get to the end of the song and I I find that just one of the most satisfying parts of the work we do and the the feedback sessions particularly
[01:46] seem to be able to bring that kind of joy and that satisfaction to uh to songwriters that we work with. So yeah, food for thought.
