HAPPY NEW YEAR

I wanted to use this first blog of 2022 to wish you all a healthy and prosperous new year and to let you know about a major change in my life. Hope you’ll indulge me and read until the end.

70 !!

January 9th, 2022, marks my 70th birthday, or as I like to call it, the 70th anniversary of my escape from the womb:-) I’ve been completely obsessed with music since the age of 14. I blame this on the Beatles, the Stones, and Motown. First in garage bands, eventually graduating to a few major record deals and touring. Before long, I realized that songwriting was my real, one true passion, and I shifted my focus to publishing deals and writing for artists. This path has taken me on one amazing journey, even getting songs recorded by some of the very artists that started me on my path. Tina Turner, Diana Ross, Chaka Khan, Joe Cocker, and many, many more. All the way through the years to writing for pop, rock, jazz, and country artists, with my songs appearing on more than 16 million records and a few #1s. Beyond my wildest dreams for sure.

Starting in 2011, I branched out to coaching writers from around the world, conducting workshops, mentoring, and, in 2019 and 2020, writing two books about the art of songwriting. Both books continue to sell well, with “Song Journey” entering the Amazon charts at #1 in six categories upon release. All things I would never have imagined starting out in Endwell, New York, all those years ago.

Songwriting has allowed me to be able to travel the world, marry and raise a beautiful family, first in California, then the UK, to Indiana, and finally, some 30 years ago, to my current home in Nashville, Tennessee. This journey has given me some of my most cherished memories and lifelong friendships. A special shout-out to my “second home”, the UK.

REWIRE

To my point. As I began eyeing the approach of the big 7-0, I made myself a promise that I would push myself into new territories. It has seemed like a natural time not to retire, but to rewire. I’ve always been a voracious reader, and the success of “Song Journey” and “The Daily Song Journal” ignited a passion for writing books. I’ve had the germ of a novel for a few years, and I’m co-writing it with one of my oldest and most talented friends. I’ve also begun working on what we hope to be a series of children’s books with my wife, Kathy. I’ve decided to follow this new passion, and to do so, I know I need to dedicate the majority of my time to it.

So, this will be my last article/blog. Honestly, I like to feel I’ve “emptied the tank” with the extent of my experience and knowledge of the songwriting world and never want to repeat myself or overstay my welcome. I’ll also be pulling back from much of my music-related social media, including interviews and podcasts. I’m proud my blog came in #3 in a recent survey of the most read blogs on songwriting in the world. You’ll still be able to access the archives, 11 years of blogs on my website www.markcawley.com, anytime. I want to thank all of the magazines and songwriting groups in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia who have been featuring my work, as well as the major songwriting contests that have invited me to judge, Universities who’ve invited me to speak to students, but most of all… you. If you’ve been listening to my songs, reading my articles and blogs, listening to podcasts and interviews, buying my first two books, or signing up for one-on-one coaching, I can’t thank you enough for how you’ve enriched my life. You’ve given me a long career, not to mention a lot of love and a wealth of encouragement.

THE FUTURE

Kathy and I are in great health, and along with focusing on the new books, we plan to get back to lots of traveling when the world re-opens, including spending longer periods of time living in some bucket list places. I love the phrase “adding life to our years,” and it’s become a mantra for us.

I hope you’ll wish me good luck with this next stage of life, and I look forward to sharing new adventures and hopefully a book or two in the coming years. To be continued…

Again, thank you, and God bless.

Mark Cawley

Nashville, Tennessee

Image: Shutterstock

Mark Cawley is a hit songwriter, best-selling author, in-demand speaker, songwriting coach, and popular blogger. As a songwriter, his songs have been on more than 16 million records to date with cuts ranging from Tina Turner, Joe Cocker, Chaka Khan, and Diana Ross to Wynonna Judd, Taylor Dayne, Paul Carrack, Billie Piper, The Spice Girls, and many more. Through his coaching service iDoCoach.com, he has coached thousands of songwriters worldwide.

His book, Song Journey, was released in April 2019 and went to #1 in 6 categories on Amazon. Mark is a past judge for the UK Songwriting Contest, Nashville Rising Star, Belmont University’s Commercial Music program, and West Coast Songwriter events. He’s also a contributing author to USA Songwriting, InTune Magazine, Songwriter Magazine, a sponsor for the Australian Songwriting Association, and a past mentor for The Songwriting Academy UK. Born in Syracuse, New York, Mark has lived in Boston, Los Angeles, Indianapolis, and London. Mark now resides in Nashville, Tennessee. The Daily Song Journal is his second book. He is currently co-writing his first novel as well as a children’s book.

 Here is a link to “ The Daily Song Journal” on Amazon

You can also find Song Journey on Amazon.

There are “moral virtues” like courage, liberality, magnificence, magnanimity , proper ambition, truthfulness, wittiness, friendliness, modesty, righteous indignation.

We even have the “human virtues” of humility, honesty, courage, perseverance, hope, charity, balance, wisdom and justice.

Honesty

I’m going with honesty today. Give this one some thought before you jump in. Know someone who’s honest as the day is long? Lots of classic songs play off this simple theme. “I Honestly Love You”, “Honesty“ by Billy Joel, maybe the Jimmy Reed classic, “Honest I Do”. Try creating a new list based solely on words in the family of honesty. 

Songs of affirmation are always in demand. Anytime you can lift the listener up it’s a good thing. How about “Hope”? “ Courage”? “Bravery”? All great, big, virtuous words to start with. The word doesn’t have to be your title, it can be your theme. The Beatles classic “Here Comes The Sun” has a strong feeling of hope. One of my all time favorites “People Get Ready” has the dominant theme of faith. You can find courage and perseverance  in the Tom Petty classic “I Won’t Back Down” and even friendliness in Bill Withers’, “Lean On Me”. 

The Good Result

You get the idea. By virtue of being a songwriter you can tap into one of the very definitions of the word, “The good result that comes from something”. Write something great today, I’d call that a good result!

And… wherever you are in the world, wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas!!

Mark Cawley

Nashville, Tennessee

Parts of this blog are quoting from my book “ The Daily Song Journal”

Image: Shutterstock

Mark Cawley is a hit songwriter, best-selling author, in-demand speaker, songwriting coach, and popular blogger. As a songwriter, his songs have been on more than 16 million records to date with cuts ranging from Tina Turner, Joe Cocker, Chaka Khan, and Diana Ross to Wynonna Judd, Taylor Dayne, Paul Carrack, The Spice Girls, and many more. Through his coaching service iDoCoach.com, he has coached thousands of songwriters worldwide.

His book, Song Journey, was released in April 2019 and went to #1 in 6 categories on Amazon. Mark is a past judge for the UK Songwriting Contest, Nashville Rising Star, Belmont University’s Commercial Music program, and West Coast Songwriter events. He’s also a contributing author to USA Songwriting, InTune Magazine, Songwriter Magazine, a sponsor for the Australian Songwriting Association, and a past mentor for The Songwriting Academy UK. Born in Syracuse, New York, Mark has lived in Boston, Los Angeles, Indianapolis, and London. Mark now resides in Nashville, Tennessee. The Daily Song Journal is his second book.

 Here is a link to “ The Daily Song Journal” on Amazon

You can also find Song Journey on Amazon.

.

Ever suffer from paralysis by analysis? Stressed out over a line or a melodic phrase? Easy to get caught up in your song with the smallest of details. If you tend to overthink your song just …don’t.

I’ve mentored a ton of songwriters through the years both online, in sessions, workshops, and writer retreats. Can’t begin to tell you how many times I’ve come into a room and found co-writers have retreated into their respective corners and the song has come to a complete halt. I’ll ask them to take me back to the beginning of their co-write and walk me through it. It’s usually a short walk. Why? Someone is overthinking and doing it too early in the process.

Maybe it’s the writer who writes a line or two and immediately begins to dissect them. Basically editing before there is much to edit. Whatever it is that’s caused the once-promising idea to go on life support is something to overcome. The time to edit is really when you have a whole bunch of ideas on the page. That’s when you need to analyze what you have and consider possible ways to make it better. If you find yourself paralyzed, indecisive, and unable to move forward consider getting away from the song for a while. If you’re co-writing on the day and don’t have the luxury of time, try being acceptive of the other writer’s ideas even when you’re feeling they may not be the best ones. You can always revisit these when you have the bones of your song. Move on.

An age-old tool is to use placeholders in your lyric. Rather than stopping time by waiting for that perfect line, just make something up - anything - and keep the flow going. Again, you can come back to it later. The Beatles were particularly good at this technique and sometimes the nonsensical lines actually ended up in the final version.

You probably know the most famous of these placeholder stories. If not, Paul McCartney was writing a beautiful song but totally stuck for the title. He had the cadence down but rather than letting this stop him he carried on with a working title of “Scrambled  Eggs”. Eventually the title “Yesterday” took over from “Scrambled Eggs” and worked out ok for the song and for Paul.

Pays to think about these moments in your song but not to the point of paralysis by analysis. It will come and sometimes when you just quit thinking!

Mark Cawley

Nashville, Tennessee

Image: Shutterstock

Mark Cawley is a hit songwriter, best-selling author, in-demand speaker, songwriting coach, and popular blogger. As a songwriter, his songs have been on more than 16 million records to date with cuts ranging from Tina Turner, Joe Cocker, Chaka Khan, and Diana Ross to Wynonna Judd, Taylor Dayne, Paul Carrack, The Spice Girls, and many more. Through his coaching service iDoCoach.com, he has coached thousands of songwriters worldwide.

His book, Song Journey, was released in April 2019 and went to #1 in 6 categories on Amazon. Mark is a past judge for the UK Songwriting Contest, Nashville Rising Star, Belmont University’s Commercial Music program, and West Coast Songwriter events. He’s also a contributing author to USA Songwriting, InTune Magazine, Songwriter Magazine, a sponsor for the Australian Songwriting Association, and a past mentor for The Songwriting Academy UK. Born in Syracuse, New York, Mark has lived in Boston, Los Angeles, Indianapolis, and London. Mark now resides in Nashville, Tennessee. The Daily Song Journal is his second book.

 Here is a link to “ The Daily Song Journal” on Amazon

You can also find Song Journey on Amazon.

Definition of one-trick pony: one that is skilled in only one area

Grohl has never been mistaken for a one-trick pony.

— Lars Brandle, Billboard, 25 May 2021

Times have changed for songwriters. I’m not talking about the pure act of writing a song. It will always take inspiration and skill that you’ll have to summon up from inside but, more about the tools needed to succeed as a songwriter in 2021. If you’re writing just for the sake of writing, then you can stop here, but…if you want this to be your livelihood, read on.

Love it or hate it, we’re in a time of co-writing. Just look at the songwriting credits of the top ten around the world. You’ll see anywhere from 2 or 3 names up to 7 or 8. Crazy, no? All to do with the skill set of the writers involved. Can they sing or play well enough to create a finished product? Production skills? These alone can make a writer invaluable to the process. You’re seeing the writer credits reflect a track person, a top liner and…yep…even a “vibe master”. 

In an era where publishers look at your social media numbers when deciding to offer a deal, it makes perfect sense that the more you bring to the table, the better your chances of getting that holy grail of a publishing deal.

This can take the form of you developing a young artist and co-writing with them, being able to record great demos from your home studio, bringing your social media followers to a project or even being an aspiring artist yourself. 

Point is, the more you bring to the table, the more attractive you are to a publisher and that ups your odds of doing this for a living. Be at least a two-trick pony, just develop one more thing that makes you more than just a good songwriter.

Mark Cawley

Nashville, Tennessee

Image: Shutterstock

Mark Cawley is a hit songwriter, best-selling author, in demand speaker, songwriting coach, and popular blogger. As a songwriter his songs have been on more than 16 million records to date with cuts ranging from Tina Turner, Joe Cocker, Chaka Khan and Diana Ross to Wynonna Judd, Taylor Dayne, Paul Carrack, The Spice Girls and many more. Through his coaching service iDoCoach.com, he has coached thousands of songwriters worldwide.

His book, Song Journey, was released in April 2019 and went to #1 in 6 categories on Amazon. Mark is a past judge for the UK Songwriting Contest, Nashville Rising Star, Belmont University’s Commercial Music program, and West Coast Songwriter events. He’s also a contributing author to USA Songwriting, InTune Magazine, Songwriter Magazine, a sponsor for the Australian Songwriting Association, and a past mentor for The Songwriting Academy UK. Born in Syracuse, New York, Mark has lived in Boston, Los Angeles, Indianapolis and London. Mark now resides in Nashville, Tennessee. The Daily Song Journal is his second book.

 Here is a link to “ The Daily Song Journal” on Amazon

You can also find Song Journey on Amazon.

If you’ve been writing songs for awhile you’ve no doubt heard the phrase “show, not tell”. It’s the art of letting the listener into your world, letting them see what you see. Color and detail are your tools. But how do you go about doing this more?

Think of your lyric writing like a stager.

A stager is the person who goes into a house for sale with the job of making it inviting for the potential buyers. If they cram too much into the house it’s harder for the buyer to picture themselves there. If they were to just take everything out of the house they present a different problem. The buyer has to imagine themselves in this empty space. But, if the skilled stager can put in just enough to give the buyer a feel for how the house could work for them, it makes a world of difference and contributes to the sale of the house in the end.

I first heard of this idea from Jimmy McDonough’s bio of Neil Young called “Shakey”. It’s a brilliant analogy for any lyricist to think about how they can invite the listener into their story. It’s also an art to balance the right amount of color and detail. If you endlessly use words to describe every part of your lyric a listener has no room to put themselves in it which is what a great song has the power to do. But if you put in just the right amount of color and detail, the listener can see what you want them to see and they can take it from there.

Sometimes this can be as simple as giving someone a name instead of “she or he”. Maybe it’s using a word like “auburn” instead of “red”, “Rebel Yell” instead of “whiskey” or “Penny Lane“ instead of “my street”. You get the idea. Think of your song like that  house for sale and stage your lyric to sell.

Mark Cawley

Nashville, Tennessee

Image: Shutterstock

Mark Cawley is a hit songwriter, best-selling author, in demand speaker, songwriting coach, and popular blogger. As a songwriter his songs have been on more than 16 million records to date with cuts ranging from Tina Turner, Joe Cocker, Chaka Khan and Diana Ross to Wynonna Judd, Taylor Dayne, Paul Carrack, The Spice Girls and many more. Through his coaching service iDoCoach.com, he has coached thousands of songwriters worldwide.

His book, Song Journey, was released in April 2019 and went to #1 in 6 categories on Amazon. Mark is a past judge for the UK Songwriting Contest, Nashville Rising Star, Belmont University’s Commercial Music program, and West Coast Songwriter events. He’s also a contributing author to USA Songwriting, InTune Magazine, Songwriter Magazine, a sponsor for the Australian Songwriting Association, and a past mentor for The Songwriting Academy UK. Born in Syracuse, New York, Mark has lived in Boston, Los Angeles, Indianapolis and London. Mark now resides in Nashville, Tennessee. The Daily Song Journal is his second book.

 Here is a link to “ The Daily Song Journal” on Amazon

You can also find Song Journey on Amazon.

Does Songwriting have an expiration date?

I might just as well ask if songwriters have an expiration date. I coach songwriters all over the world, of all levels and all ages. I’m seeing a surge of writers coming to me for coaching who are coming back to a love of writing they may have put on the shelf for years. Maybe it was the need to focus on work or family. Whatever the reason most put their dream on hold. In some cases Covid provided more time and more focus on being creative and that’s bringing them out.

I love coaching these writers because most are realistic. They know they aren’t about to get a record deal, probably not a major publishing deal either. They just want to do something they connect to and do it well. They are usually smart enough to know they want to learn from someone with experience and there are even those who feel they need to really dig in now because well…there might be less time in front of them than behind them at this juncture.

This is not to suggest that songwriting is for the young. Songwriting is not the music business. Songwriting is the business of being creative. You’re never too old to learn, practice and …dream. There are some attainable goals for this age group. Sync (for example, getting songs in TV, movies and commercials) is something they can aspire to learn more about, even single song deals for something unique enough to interest a publisher. Is a publisher going to make a long term investment in a songwriter of a certain age? Doubtful but again, writing something undeniable and doing everything you can to get it heard can lead to some interesting opportunities. 

I’ll be honest, it’s different for me in a way. I’ve made a career and life in music since I was a teenager but as the years moved along I’ve had to make some realistic changes not only to change with the business side but to acknowledge my own changing passions. In this way I’m not so different from my songwriting clients. I’m looking out for new, realistic attainable goals and new ways to be creative. Am I gonna go in search of an artist deal? Been there but it was in my youth. Seek out a major publishing deal? Nope. Been there too and not where my energy and passion lie at this stage. So I look for new challenges just like the older songwriters I’m working with. I guess the difference is they are returning to a first love while I’m looking for the next one.

In the meantime I can teach, mentor and even write books and these are more recent passions. Wisdom never goes out of style and neither does the act and pure joy of writing a song. Whatever age you are, go for it. As long as you keep it fresh, songwriting has no expiration date, trust me.

Mark Cawley

Nashville, Tennessee

Image: Shutterstock

if you'd like to stay up with iDoCoach including receiving the latest blogs and my favorite 7 Toolbox tips here ya go!

http://idocoach.com/email-newsletter

I'm currently coaching writers worldwide, online, one on one and taking new clients for the Summer. Visit my website for more info www.idocoach.com or write to me at mark@idocoach.com

Mark Cawley is a hit songwriter, best-selling author, in demand speaker, songwriting coach, and popular blogger. As a songwriter his songs have been on more than 16 million records to date with cuts ranging from Tina Turner, Joe Cocker, Chaka Khan and Diana Ross to Wynonna Judd, Taylor Dayne, Paul Carrack, The Spice Girls and many more. Through his coaching service iDoCoach.com, he has coached thousands of songwriters worldwide.

His book, Song Journey, was released in April 2019 and went to #1 in 6 categories on Amazon. Mark is a past judge for the UK Songwriting Contest, Nashville Rising Star, Belmont University’s Commercial Music program, and West Coast Songwriter events. He’s also a contributing author to USA Songwriting, InTune Magazine, Songwriter Magazine, a sponsor for the Australian Songwriting Association, and a past mentor for The Songwriting Academy UK. Born in Syracuse, New York, Mark has lived in Boston, Los Angeles, Indianapolis and London. Mark now resides in Nashville, Tennessee. The Daily Song Journal is his second book.

 Here is a link to “ The Daily Song Journal” on Amazon

You can also find Song Journey on Amazon.

Let go of the wheel

You might consider a whole lot of things when you start putting a song together. Can I suggest one that might not enter your mind while you’re making choices? Choose to let go of the wheel and let the song dictate the structure at some point.

This is a good time to mention, once again, that there are no rules in songwriting, only tools. This one is as valuable as any other in your toolbox. 

There is so much information out there for songwriters, online and in person. So many valuable tools and methods being taught that it can get easier and easier to lose yourself in the song structure. Along with having two songwriting books out, conducting and speaking at international workshops and coaching songwriters for the past 12 years, it may sound funny coming from someone like me but there comes a point when you have to put all that information in the trunk and just drive. 

Same goes for when it’s time to bring some structure to your idea. If you find yourself totally relying on what you’ve been taught, read or heard, you might find yourself painting by numbers. Sure there are common denominators when you look at the charts. Maybe it’s a trend to have only one verse before the chorus, no bridge, a post chorus and breakdown chorus. All good to be aware of if you’re aiming for the charts but it’s so important that somewhere in there you just get out of the way and see where the song wants to take you.

The “information into inspiration” line…

There’s a great John Mayer quote while speaking to students at Berklee when he cautions them that while information is great, they need to turn all the information they’re receiving into inspiration. Fantastic advice. It's great to discover how hit songs are put together, get’s in your writer DNA. We all learn from what’s come before but then trusting what you’ve learned enough to let go of the wheel gives you a shot at real originality.

I would even take this idea further as it pertains to co-writing. Knowing when to inject something and when to get out of the way can make for some magic that might not have appeared if everyone in the room is trying to drive.

Next time you come up with a song idea and are tempted to stick to a tried and true route, think about just throwing away the map, letting go of the wheel and just enjoy the ride!

P.S. Update on July 11, 2021. Just to say I’ve received a ton of emails and messages from writers saying they feel restricted by rules and formats right now. Don’t lose yourself !!

Mark Cawley

Nashville, Tennessee

Image: Shutterstock

Mark Cawley is a hit songwriter, best-selling author, in demand speaker, songwriting coach, and popular blogger. As a songwriter his songs have been on more than 16 million records to date with cuts ranging from Tina Turner, Joe Cocker, Chaka Khan and Diana Ross to Wynonna Judd, Taylor Dayne, Paul Carrack, The Spice Girls and many more. Through his coaching service iDoCoach.com, he has coached thousands of songwriters worldwide.

His book, Song Journey, was released in April 2019 and went to #1 in 6 categories on Amazon. Mark is a past judge for the UK Songwriting Contest, Nashville Rising Star, Belmont University’s Commercial Music program, and West Coast Songwriter events. He’s also a contributing author to USA Songwriting, InTune Magazine, Songwriter Magazine, a sponsor for the Australian Songwriting Association, and a past mentor for The Songwriting Academy UK. Born in Syracuse, New York, Mark has lived in Boston, Los Angeles, Indianapolis and London. Mark now resides in Nashville, Tennessee. The Daily Song Journal is his second book.

THE DAILY SONG JOURNAL

 Here is a link to “ The Daily Song Journal” on Amazon

You can also find Song Journey on Amazon.

The Intangible

There are tons of books, articles, blogs and videos to do with co-writing. Love it or hate it, it’s certainly the norm these days. You might be in Nashville, New York, London, LA or attending a workshop or retreat in some exotic locale. Wherever you find a couple songwriters you’re bound to enter into a co-writing relationship even if it’s just for a day. Aside from all the tangibles you need to bring to the session, maybe the biggest intangible is your ability to be a good hang.

Why? 

Isn’t it enough to be a strong lyricist? Great musician? Awesome singer? Do I also have to have a good personality? Yep. I’ve been in every kind of writing situation over the course of my career and I want to share the one thing that you don’t find in any “how to”. The importance of being a good hang. What does this mean?

Keeping the atmosphere light. Being able to laugh and make those around you comfortable, and trust me, if they're comfortable enough to let their guard down and be vulnerable the song goes to a deeper, more real place pretty quickly. Have you ever been in the room with someone that sucks the air out? Maybe they're more of a buzz kill? Pretty hard to be at your best in those situations. Maybe it’s the writer who takes time to complain about the current state of the music business according to them. Or the writer who just can’t let go of that idea that died an hour ago. So many things can derail a once promising session but, you can avoid most of them by having a good attitude. 

Think of it this way…

Think of it as being the kind of person other people enjoy being around. Not suggesting you try to be the comedian when in truth, that’s just not you. Or the total extrovert if it doesn’t come naturally. What I am saying is try your best to bring energy and positivity to the day. I’ve had days where the song just didn’t happen but the writers had a good time and were up for trying again . . . and that’s huge. 

This journey you’re on has the potential to be a long and rewarding one and, at the end of the day, being a good hang can bring you lifelong, talented friends. The ones you like to hang with and make music.

One last thought, be a good listener, an encourager, show up early and oh yeah, pick up a check once in awhile!

P.S. This photo is from a workshop Eliot Kennedy and I hosted at his Steelworks Studios in Sheffield, England awhile back. Great songs, great people and each one a great hang!

Mark Cawley

Nashville, Tennessee

Mark Cawley is a hit songwriter, best-selling author, in demand speaker, songwriting coach, and popular blogger. As a songwriter his songs have been on more than 16 million records to date with cuts ranging from Tina Turner, Joe Cocker, Chaka Khan and Diana Ross to Wynonna Judd, Taylor Dayne, Paul Carrack, The Spice Girls and many more. Through his coaching service iDoCoach.com, he has coached thousands of songwriters worldwide.

His book, Song Journey, was released in April 2019 and went to #1 in 6 categories on Amazon. Mark is a past judge for the UK Songwriting Contest, Nashville Rising Star, Belmont University’s Commercial Music program, and West Coast Songwriter events. He’s also a contributing author to USA Songwriting, InTune Magazine, Songwriter Magazine, a sponsor for the Australian Songwriting Association, and a past mentor for The Songwriting Academy UK. Born in Syracuse, New York, Mark has lived in Boston, Los Angeles, Indianapolis and London. Mark now resides in Nashville, Tennessee. The Daily Song Journal is his second book.

 Here is a link to “ The Daily Song Journal” on Amazon

You can also find Song Journey on Amazon.

To stay up to date on Mark’s latest work you can also visit www.markcawley.com.

My article first appeared in the Spring 2021 issue of Songwriting Magazine and reprinted here with thier permission.

Chorus First

You can’t have too many tools in your songwriting toolbox and this is one of my favorites. So you’ve hit a wall, your approach to songwriting is starting to seem like too much of the same thing, the usual method is getting stale. Try forgetting about everything else in your song but the chorus. Seriously. Just focus on those huge 4 to 8 lines that are going to be the most memorable part of what a listener hears.

I would call myself a title writer and could also add that I’m a chorus writer first a lot of the time. I’m looking for an interesting title and I know that title is going to be an integral piece of the chorus and I also know I’m probably going to use it more than once. Not a hard and fast rule by any means but a good place to start. In coaching songwriters, I’m always pointing them to the idea of settling on their title followed by writing a short bit of prose. What’s the song going to be about? The big idea? That’s you're prose. That’s also going to be what your chorus reflects.

It’s common knowledge that a listener picks up on the melody of your chorus first followed closely by the title of your song and as much of the chorus lyric as they need to sing along. Only makes sense that if something is that important it’s worth being your main focus. I was told a few years back by a pretty well-known hitmaker that he always starts with a chorus. When I asked why he replied, “If you don’t have a hit chorus you don’t have a hit song”. Again, not suggesting this is the only way to go about writing your own hit but it’s one great tool to try.

 Almost Home

I’ve always felt that if I had a chorus that felt great that I was 75% home. Almost as if I could fill in the blanks in the verses, pre-chorus, post-chorus, or bridge. I’ve even gone so far as to start right out putting my chorus idea in bold print so my eye always comes back to it as I write the rest of my song. Am I still following my prose? No rabbit trail detours from my main point? And most of all is my chorus all about the big idea?

Repetition is another valuable option as you’re putting together your chorus. For instance. You might try drawing four lines and putting your title in line one and line four. Now you only have two lines to fill in. Take the same approach with an eight-line chorus. The title is the first line, 4th line, 5th line, and 8th line.  Just one way of going about it but you can see the major role your title might play in your chorus. Can you overuse the title? Maybe, but the more you can use it in your chorus the easier it is for a listener to instantly learn your song.

Listen to your favorite songs to see how these choruses are put together to help you build your own. No rules here and there are tons of exceptions to the idea of the importance of the big, fat hit chorus but it is hard to deny the role it plays in most popular music. 

 Multiple Hooks

We’re in an age of multiple hooks. Your intro should be a hook along with every other part of your song but, there is no more important hook than your chorus, so why not start there? Hit chorus hit song.

Mark Cawley

Nashville, Tennessee

Image: Shutterstock

Mark Cawley is a hit songwriter, best-selling author, in demand speaker, songwriting coach, and popular blogger. As a songwriter his songs have been on more than 16 million records to date with cuts ranging from Tina Turner, Joe Cocker, Chaka Khan and Diana Ross to Wynonna Judd, Taylor Dayne, Paul Carrack, The Spice Girls and many more. Through his coaching service iDoCoach.com, he has coached thousands of songwriters worldwide.

His book, Song Journey, was released in April 2019 and went to #1 in 6 categories on Amazon. Mark is a past judge for the UK Songwriting Contest, Nashville Rising Star, Belmont University’s Commercial Music program, and West Coast Songwriter events. He’s also a contributing author to USA Songwriting, InTune Magazine, Songwriter Magazine, a sponsor for the Australian Songwriting Association, and a past mentor for The Songwriting Academy UK. Born in Syracuse, New York, Mark has lived in Boston, Los Angeles, Indianapolis and London. Mark now resides in Nashville, Tennessee. The Daily Song Journal is his second book.

 Here is a link to “ The Daily Song Journal” on Amazon

You can also find Song Journey on Amazon.

 iDoCoach Blog

A fish story

I’m a songwriter living in Nashville Tennessee and it’s pretty common to hear songwriters say they’re fishing for ideas. This fishing is one fun step for me and always has been. There is no better part of the songwriting process than that initial bite, no matter how you got there but if you don’t capture the idea it’s just more  “one that got away” story. 

I’ve heard some songwriters say they don’t write ideas down or worry about recording them in the early stages because “if it’s great I’ll remember it and if I don’t …well it must not have been that great”. Ok, I don’t know any professional songwriters who subscribe to this*. That first step is the inspiration but the next one is the one I want to focus on. You need to catch that spark and with the least amount of production worry as possible. It’s all about the song and the song starts with the big idea and that big idea can get away from you as fast as it poked its head out of the water if you don’t catch it and quick.

This step is not about the most sophisticated, expensive piece of gear, it’s all about the one that does the job and the job is to document the idea. If your idea is good you’ll no doubt be moving on to the big stuff because in the end, you want it to sound the best it can be but for now, it’s all about catching it.

Whatever it takes

I love technology and have had every device I could lay my hands on ( or could afford) over the years starting with the least expensive microphones, Tascam Portastudios, 8 track reel to reel, 16 track, ADATs, DAT’s, a full-blown ProTools production studio built onto my home and these days a more portable system based around UA’s Apollo Twin with a UAD-2 Satellite running LUNA on a MacBook Pro. I can go as far back as co-writing a #1 hit “Day and Night “ in 2000 for the UK artist Billie Piper and having to capture my melody on something less than great… my home phone answering machine. Thankfully there are a lot’s better options out there these days! Most songwriters I know start by recording those hooks on their iPhone, myself included.

Catch… then release

More than ever it’s about getting that idea down and perfecting it later. Usually, much later and sometimes with the best players and gear, you can buy before you release it into the world. But again… this step is further down the road. You need to catch the idea before you get near the release of your song.

Here’s hoping you hook a big one!

* On April 16 I ran across the following quote from Vince Gill. Had to include it because He IS a professional songwriter I know and he’s awesome so there you go😊

“When inspiration strikes in the middle of the night—be it a lyric, a riff, or an entire melody—Vince Gill has a foolproof method for capturing the moment. “I go back to bed!” he laughs. “I don’t get up in the middle of the night to write songs. If you think about it at 2am and you can’t remember it at 9am, it probably wasn’t that good.”

Mark Cawley

Nashville, Tennessee

Image: Shutterstock

Mark Cawley is a hit songwriter, best-selling author, in-demand speaker, songwriting coach, and popular blogger. As a songwriter, his songs have been on more than 16 million records to date with cuts ranging from Tina Turner, Joe Cocker, Chaka Khan, and Diana Ross to Wynonna Judd, Taylor Dayne, Paul Carrack, The Spice Girls, and many more. Through his coaching service iDoCoach.com, he has coached thousands of songwriters worldwide.

His book, Song Journey, was released in April 2019 and went to #1 in six categories on Amazon. Mark has been a judge for the UK songwriting contest, Nashville Rising Star, Belmont University’s Commercial Music program, and West Coast Songwriter events. He’s also a contributing author to USA Songwriting, InTune Magazine, Songwriter Magazine, a sponsor for the Australian Songwriting Association, and a past mentor for The Songwriting Academy UK. Born in Syracuse, New York, Mark has lived in Boston, Los Angeles, Indianapolis, and London. Mark now resides in Nashville, Tennessee. The Daily Song Journal is his second book.

Here is a link to “ The Daily Song Journal” on Amazon

You can also find Song Journey on Amazon.

I like digging around in that toolbox when I’m either bored with my approach to writing or  just plain stuck. Some tools are great for challenging you and here’s one that's so simple it’s easy to overthink it.

One word for your title. Think “Shallow” by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, “Cream” by Prince, “Yesterday,” “Royals,” “Beautiful,” “Thriller”…there are a million one-word hits so how can you go about writing your own? Sometimes it’s as easy as taking one of your existing titles and seeing if one word can stand alone. Do you have some song titles that seem to lose power the more your title “says it all”? Take another look and see if there’s a keyword in there. Could it stand alone? Might be stronger, more of a statement and at the same time more open to interpretation for a listener? The Beatles “Help” comes to mind. How about FGL’s song “Dirt”? Adele’s “ Hello”,  The Stones “Satisfaction”, “Chandelier” by Sia, “Grenade” by Bruno Mars , “Stan” by Eminem, “ Perfect” by Ed Sheeran or “One” by U2? All one word wonders.

Suppose you had a title like “Imagine There’s No Heaven”. Keep “Imagine” and lose the rest. You’d have one of the most powerful single word titles ever written. This is not only great to start out with and build from but a unique way to revisit some of your older ideas.

Once you get familiar with the idea of seeing if you can get to the heart of your idea with one big word look to some other mediums for examples. Movies? How about “Titanic”, “Casablanca”, “Jaws”,  and of course…”Alien”.  Books? “Beloved”,  “Atonement” or Stephen King for the win with…“It”.

Even stars look for the power in a single word for their names. Prince,  Cher, Madonna, Bono, Sting, Drake , Beck and  Beyonce.

You get the idea. Theres’ power in the word!

Mark Cawley

Nashville, Tennessee

Image: Shutterstock

if you'd like to stay up with iDoCoach including receiving the latest blogs and my favorite 7 Toolbox tips here ya go!

http://idocoach.com/email-newsletter

I'm currently coaching writers worldwide, online, one on one and taking new clients for the winter and Spring. Visit my website for more info www.idocoach.com or write to me at mark@idocoach.com

Mark Cawley is a hit songwriter, best-selling author, in demand speaker, songwriting coach, and popular blogger. As a songwriter, his songs have been on more than 16 million records to date with cuts ranging from Tina Turner, Joe Cocker, Chaka Khan, and Diana Ross to Wynonna Judd, Taylor Dayne, Paul Carrack, The Spice Girls, and many more. Through his coaching service iDoCoach.com, he has coached thousands of songwriters worldwide.

His book, Song Journey, was released in April 2019 and went to #1 in six categories on Amazon. Mark has been a judge for the UK songwriting contest, Nashville Rising Star, Belmont University’s Commercial Music program, and West Coast Songwriter events. He’s also a contributing author to USA Songwriting, InTune Magazine, Songwriter Magazine, a sponsor for the Australian Songwriting Association, and a past mentor for The Songwriting Academy UK. Born in Syracuse, New York, Mark has lived in Boston, Los Angeles, Indianapolis, and London. Mark now resides in Nashville, Tennessee. The Daily Song Journal is his second book.

Heres a link to “ The Daily Song Journal” on Amazon

You can also find Song Journey on Amazon.

 In my new book, The Daily Song Journal, this was the entry for Jan 25, Day 25.

'‘Know your flow. Ever feel like you’re in a zone on a writing day? Recognizing this for what it is can be a beautiful thing for a songwriter. I’ve brought up the Help/Hurt list earlier and it’s a great tool for you to figure out how to get there. The important thing is not to break the flow. Those days when you’re full of ideas, just stay on the path because the smallest diversion can disrupt the flow and it can be really hard to get it back.'‘

The Help Hurt list I mention is a great way to see, over time, what’s helping you to create and stay in the flow and what’s not. Just take a piece of paper and draw a line down the center and one at the top . On the top left hand side write the word Help. On the top right side the word Hurt. After every writing session take just a minute to think about the things that helped you stay in the flow and the things that disrupted or hurt your flow. Over time you’ll see patterns emerge. Focus on those things that help and lose the things that hurt to set yourself up for a good writing day.

I’ve been at this a long time and learned when the flow is more like a trickle that it may be time to stop and do something else for a bit and come back to writing when you feel energized. Hopefully you’ve felt like you were on a roll with your songwriting at times and to me, this is all about the flow. The ideas are flowing, the creatively is flowing, maybe even the business and relational part of your songwriting is flowing. When that happens recognize it and go with it as far as it takes you. You might have a great week of writing, maybe a month, whatever the case, learning more about it can help you get back into it when it’s been missing. 

Sometimes it can be a case of letting the people around you know you’re in a zone and ask them to show you some grace when you keep your door shut and stare into space when they talk to you. Its that important.

Go with the flow!

Mark Cawley

Nashville, Tennessee

Image: Shutterstock

if you'd like to stay up with iDoCoach including receiving the latest blogs and my favorite 7 Toolbox tips here ya go!

http://idocoach.com/email-newsletter

I'm currently coaching writers worldwide, online, one on one and taking new clients for the winter and Spring. Visit my website for more info www.idocoach.com or write to me at mark@idocoach.com

Heres a link to “ The Daily Song Journal” on Amazon

You can also find Song Journey on Amazon.

Mark Cawley is a hit songwriter, best-selling author, in demand speaker, songwriting coach, and popular blogger. As a songwriter, his songs have been on more than 16 million records to date with cuts ranging from Tina Turner, Joe Cocker, Chaka Khan, and Diana Ross to Wynonna Judd, Taylor Dayne, Paul Carrack, The Spice Girls, and many more. Through his coaching service iDoCoach.com, he has coached thousands of songwriters worldwide.

His book, Song Journey, was released in April 2019 and went to #1 in six categories on Amazon. Mark is a past judge for the UK songwriting contest, Nashville Rising Star, Belmont University’s Commercial Music program, and West Coast Songwriter events. He’s also a contributing author to USA Songwriting, InTune Magazine, Songwriter Magazine, a sponsor for the Australian Songwriting Association, and a past mentor for The Songwriting Academy UK. Born in Syracuse, New York, Mark has lived in Boston, Los Angeles, Indianapolis, and London. Mark now resides in Nashville, Tennessee. The Daily Song Journal is his second book.

To connect with Mark for coaching opportunities, visit www.idocoach.com.

This is re-printed from my artcle for Songwriting Magazine UK , Winter Edition 2021

To check out the complete issue and to subscribe click here.

if you'd like to stay up with iDoCoach including receiving the latest blogs and my favorite 7 Toolbox tips here ya go!

http://idocoach.com/email-newsletter

I'm currently coaching writers worldwide, online, one on one and taking new clients for the winter. Visit my website for more info www.idocoach.com or write to me at mark@idocoach.com

Check out this interview in M Music and Musicians Magazine for stories behind a few of my songs!

Heres a link to “ The Daily Song Journal” on Amazon

You can also find Song Journey on Amazon.

Mark Cawley is a hit songwriter, best-selling author, in demand speaker, songwriting coach, and popular blogger. As a songwriter, his songs have been on more than 16 million records to date with cuts ranging from Tina Turner, Joe Cocker, Chaka Khan, and Diana Ross to Wynonna Judd, Taylor Dayne, Paul Carrack, The Spice Girls, and many more. Through his coaching service iDoCoach.com, he has coached thousands of songwriters worldwide.

His book, Song Journey, was released in April 2019 and went to #1 in six categories on Amazon. Mark is a judge for the UK songwriting contest, Nashville Rising Star, Belmont University’s Commercial Music program, and West Coast Songwriter events. He’s also a contributing author to USA Songwriting, InTune Magazine, Songwriter Magazine, a sponsor for the Australian Songwriting Association, and a mentor for The Songwriting Academy UK. Born in Syracuse, New York, Mark has lived in Boston, Los Angeles, Indianapolis, and London. Mark now resides in Nashville, Tennessee. The Daily Song Journal is his second book.

To connect with Mark for coaching opportunities, visit www.idocoach.com.

Many of you may journal on a regular basis and that’s a great songwriting tool. You may read motivational books, devotionals, how-tos, and even autobiographies of famous songwriters. Also a great way to see the path they’ve taken to success. 

There is so much great information out there but, I wondered if there was anything missing? In setting out to write my new book I talked with writers I coach about what they would like to get from a songwriting book. I also gave a lot of thought to the coaching and workshops I've been doing these past 10 years, what works well and what doesn't seem to resonate with songwriters. These are the top 5 statements I heard and became the basis for "The Daily Song Journal".

1)    It's so hard to take in (and retain) a long and sometimes too technical how-to book for me.

2)    I really need accountability.

3)    So many songwriting books focus on just technique when I wish I could get help in every area of my day-to-day life as a creative.

4)    Books I've read tell me what to do but don't point me in directions that will help me further.

5)    I would do better with bite-sized bits of wisdom in a way that would keep me interested every week.

Taking these into account I decided to write a daily journal, specifically for songwriters, that would contain bits of inspiration and motivation, and action steps for follow up and provide room to write your thoughts each day and, of course, to keep it short! There is so much more to being a complete songwriter than just the nuts and bolts of writing and to that end I wanted to share some recreational tools and even health tips. Here are a few random entries from The Daily Song Journal that address the five statements above.

Point #1 - Nothing technical here. 

August 4, Day 216

Be quiet. Today. There is power in silence. There is so much noise around us every day, some of it of our own making. Think you could spend a good portion of today with the sound of silence?

The benefits are huge for you as a songwriter. You can collect your thoughts in the silence, you might even get a visit from your subconscious during this time. I highly recommend it today.

Read: Psychology Today, April 21, 2017 article by Atalanta Beaumont “10 Reasons Why Silence Really is Golden”

Note to Self (This is where there are lines to write your discoveries and thoughts for the day)

Point # 2 - How about Accountability?

May 12, Day 132

Another day to check your events calendar and commit. If you’re not in the habit by now of seeking out songwriter-related events, please do this today. Almost every city has an organization or a branch of one (NSAI for instance, Nashville Songwriter Association International) and someplace that has live music. Preferably songwriter nights. You don’t have to jump right into trying to get a spot on one but start slow and venture out and meet other writers where they hang out. The word network will come up often…because you need one!

Go: make a commitment based on your calendar and show up

Note to Self

Point #3 - Here’s another day that addresses something that’s just as important as working on your lyrics and melodies.

January 20, Day 20

Today is a mental health day. Check in with yourself. How are you feeling? Energy level? Ability to focus? Seriously, your mental and physical health is so vital to your creative longevity. If you need to make changes, small or large, reflect on them today. Maybe it’s as simple as taking a long walk every day. Maybe it’s eating healthy or my personal challenge …getting enough sleep! A healthy mind and body will make this creative year your best ever.

Listen: Podcast “The Doctors Farmacy” with Dr. Mark Hyman. He has many great episodes on sleep, eating healthy, and taking care of your body.

Note to Self

Point #4 - Let’s expand your knowledge and send you to some interesting reading.

July 2, Day 183

It bears repeating. There is only one you. Yep. Make it today’s mantra. You’re the only one of you there is, they aren’t making anymore. Now that we have that established…how much of you is going into your songs? What makes you different? What’s unique about you? Don’t you dare say “nothing.” Everyone has their own story, and yours needs to be in the DNA of your writing. It’s the very best shot at having your songs stand out in a crowd. 

Read: aconsciousrethink.com, “10 Things That Make A Person Unique” by Jack Nollan, May 27, 2020

Note to Self

Point #5 - Bite sized and interesting

June 15, Day 166

One of my favorite lyric tools is to levitate. Sound crazy? It works. Imagine you’re floating above the story you’re writing about in your lyric. Now just describe what you see. All of it. As it unfolds. As a spectator to your own lyric, you’re free to just show it in real time.

Go: take a lyrical idea you’ve had floating around and try this idea

Note to Self

All to say, it’s so important to get in touch with every part of your creative being to turn your songwriting into a life-long passion.

Mark Cawley 

Nashville, Tennessee

if you'd like to stay up with iDoCoach including receiving the latest blogs and my favorite 7 Toolbox tips here ya go!

http://idocoach.com/email-newsletter

I'm currently coaching writers worldwide, online, one on one and taking new clients for the winter. Visit my website for more info www.idocoach.com or write to me at mark@idocoach.com

Check out this interview in M Music and Musicians Magazine for stories behind a few of my songs!

Heres a link to “ The Daily Song Journal” on Amazon

You can also find Song Journey on Amazon.

Mark Cawley is a hit songwriter, best-selling author, in demand speaker, songwriting coach, and popular blogger. As a songwriter, his songs have been on more than 16 million records to date with cuts ranging from Tina Turner, Joe Cocker, Chaka Khan, and Diana Ross to Wynonna Judd, Taylor Dayne, Paul Carrack, The Spice Girls, and many more. Through his coaching service iDoCoach.com, he has coached thousands of songwriters worldwide.

His book, Song Journey, was released in April 2019 and went to #1 in six categories on Amazon. Mark is a judge for the UK songwriting contest, Nashville Rising Star, Belmont University’s Commercial Music program, and West Coast Songwriter events. He’s also a contributing author to USA Songwriting, InTune Magazine, Songwriter Magazine, a sponsor for the Australian Songwriting Association, and a mentor for The Songwriting Academy UK. Born in Syracuse, New York, Mark has lived in Boston, Los Angeles, Indianapolis, and London. Mark now resides in Nashville, Tennessee. The Daily Song Journal is his second book.

To connect with Mark for coaching opportunities, visit www.idocoach.com.

.

I’m pretty excited to share a few days from my new book “ The Daily Song Journal” with you for this blog. I decided to choose 5 random days which is keeping with the spirit of the book, to share 365 tips, tools, and techniques in no particular order. Just made to make you think about one bite-sized idea as well as give you an action to follow up. Might be to listen, read, watch or go. The book is a journal so each day has room for you to write your thoughts.

Here ya go!

January 12, Day 12

Question for this day. “Is there enough of me in my song?” Take one of your current songs and study it with an eye to finding what’s familiar vs what’s uniquely your own. Maybe the biggest key to finding your voice as a songwriter is the ability to bring the things that molded you into the art form that you’re working in. It’s not enough to write a song that you feel is just as good as a current hit because that already exists. What can you bring to your song today that will get you and your song noticed?

Watch: TED Talk by Carl Moore, “Being Unique”

March 22, Day 81

Let’s try a fun exercise today. Years ago, I had a co-writing day with the brilliant Scottish songwriter, Graham Lyle. Graham co-wrote “What’s Love Got to Do with It” for Tina Turner. Knows his way around a song. On this day I asked what he’d like to do, and he replied, “Let’s write a song using only one chord.” After realizing he wasn’t putting me on, we went to work. We came mighty close; think we threw in a couple more chords in the end but stayed pretty much to one for a song called “Broken Strings.” Sometimes limiting your choices is the best option.

Listen: To one of the best one chord songs of all time by the Queen. Aretha Franklin’s “Chain of Fools.”

April 1, Day 91

Here’s one for the ‘ol toolbox. Ever try spelling out words in your song? R.O.C.K. in the USA by John Mellencamp for instance? The country standard by Tammy Wynette, “Divorce,” “Our D.I.V.O.R.C.E. became final today.” Or Gwen Stefani spelling out B. A.N.A.N.A.S. in her song “Hollaback Girl.” Really effective when it works. 

Go: Look through your recent songs. Anywhere you can benefit from creating another hook by spelling out a word

July 27, Day 208

Working on a love letter. My old friend Bonnie Hayes wrote a great song called “Love Letter” for Bonnie Raitt’s “Nick of Time” album. How about taking a shot at writing one of your own today? Pick someone you love and think of the lyric as a kind of love letter to them. What would you say in a letter that you might not say in person? I’m going to bet it might get a bit more poetic in places. See where this idea takes you. Use the “Note to Self” area and write down some traits of the person you’re going to write to.

Read: Glamour Magazine, December 21, 2018, “The Best Romantic Love Letters Ever Written”

October 7, Day 280

Get out of the way. You might consider a whole lot of things when you start putting a song together. Can I suggest one that might not always enter your mind while you’re making choices? Choose to get out the way. Let the song dictate the structure. A good time to mention once again, there are no rules in songwriting, only tools. This one is as valuable as any other in your toolbox. 

Read: Inc. Magazine online, “10 Simple Ways You Can Stop Yourself from Overthinking” by Lolly Daskel

if you'd like to stay up with iDoCoach including receiving the latest blogs and my favorite 7 Toolbox tips here ya go!

http://idocoach.com/email-newsletter

I'm currently coaching writers worldwide, online, one on one and taking new clients for the fall. Visit my website for more info www.idocoach.com or write to me at mark@idocoach.com

Check out this interview in M Music and Musicians Magazine for stories behind a few of my songs!

Heres a link to “ The Daily Song Journal” on Amazon

You can also find Song Journey on Amazon.

Nashville, Tennessee

Mark Cawley is a hit songwriter who coaches other writers around the globe through his one-on-one, online service iDocoach.com. His songs have been on more than 16 million records with cuts ranging from Tina Turner, Joe Cocker to Wynonna Judd and Paul Carrack to The Spice Girls and many more. His book, Song Journey, was released in April 2019 and went to #1 in 6 categories on Amazon. Mark is a judge for the UK Songwriting Contest, Nashville Rising Star, Belmont University’s Commercial Music program, and West Coast Songwriter events. He’s also a contributing author to USA Songwriting, InTune Magazine, and Songwriter Magazine, a sponsor for the Australian Songwriting Association, and a past mentor for The Songwriting Academy UK. Born and raised in Syracuse, New York, Mark now resides in Nashville, Tennessee. “ The Daily Song Journal” is Marks 2nd book, released on Dec 1, 2020

Over the weekend I noticed a thread on Facebook that was all too familiar to me. A well known and respected magazine was offering a paid critique service for songwriters. The critiques are to be done by pro-songwriters.

Just the mention of critiques is enough to bring out some haters. If you’re in social media songwriting groups you’ve no doubt read some comments to the effect that “I don’t need some pro-songwriter just trying to make a buck tearing my song apart”. That’s a pretty tame post as these go, seen much worse. I feel in turn, bad for the pro-songwriters who are being dumped on as well as the ones who come across as bitter and frustrated. 

Pro?

I coach songwriters all over the world and I imagine I would be considered a “pro” by virtue of making my living from songwriting over the course of my life. In my mind the word “pro” does not make me better than the songwriter who’s writing just for the love of it, just means I had commercial success.

I don’t offer a separate critique service and never have. I’m not saying it’s not valuable, just not the way I decided to go about working with songwriters. So having cracked open Pandora’s box, to my point.

Pandoras Jukebox

Critiques can be a huge learning curve especially if making a living from writing songs is your goal. I understand that’s not the reason everyone out there writes songs and that’s fine. If getting your song critiqued is not for you there’s no reason for you to sign up for one of these offers. If you’ve been writing songs for awhile you know people are going to have different opinions, sometimes wildly different but…until the day you work with a publisher this may be the only avenue for you to get wisdom from the people who are doing exactly what you want to do. Their opinion is not the be all end all for your song but, with the right person doing the critiquing you stand a good chance of getting some hard earned experience and wisdom. What you do with it is always up to you.

Yes i would have

If it were me starting out I would have jumped at the chance to have a pro listen and give me constructive criticism but it was not available at the time. Might have saved me from writing a slew of bad songs. 

Bottom line

You need a thick skin to put your songs out there. You also need to do your research whenever your money is on the line. Make sure the people behind these offers are the real deal then decide if this investment makes sense for you. 

Lastly, most of the songwriters I know are not desperate for your money. The ones I know are wanting to give back. No matter if you agree with me keep in mind it’s up to you to decide if these services are a benefit. If not, just don’t use them but I hope you won’t begrudge the writers who choose to. Believe me, there’s room for every kind of songwriter out there. 

This has been a hot topic for a long time. Here’s a blog of mine from August 1, 2014 if you’d like to read more. 

Mark Cawley is a hit songwriter who coaches other writers around the globe through his one-on-one, online service iDocoach.com. His songs have been on more than 16 million records with cuts ranging from Tina Turner, Joe Cocker to Wynonna Judd and Paul Carrack to The Spice Girls and many more. His book, Song Journey, was released in April 2019 and went to #1 in 6 categories on Amazon. Mark is a judge for the UK Songwriting Contest, Nashville Rising Star, Belmont University’s Commercial Music program, and West Coast Songwriter events. He’s also a contributing author to USA Songwriting, In Tune Magazine, and Songwriter Magazine, a sponsor for the Australian Songwriting Association, and a past mentor for The Songwriting Academy UK. Born and raised in Syracuse, New York, Mark now resides in Nashville, Tennessee.

The following is adapted from my book “ Song Journey”.

Knowledge is power, and it’s easier than ever to get. But for whatever reason, most songwriters (myself included in the early years) put all their energy into the creative process and view the business as a necessary evil or something that will take care of itself

The following ten statements are things I’ve heard from prospective coaching clients that go a long way to illustrating my point of needing to understand the world you’re in to function well.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not knocking the statements or questions I get from writers. I just don’t want them (or you) to be uninformed when the information is out there. I learned so much of what I know about songwriting the hard way; you don’t have to.”

These 10 statements /questions are in bold with my response in italic.

1. I’m hoping to sell my songs.

You don’t “sell” songs. You hope to get them published and keep the writer’s share at the very least. Fight for your publishing rights.

2 Someone offered to demo my song for $2,500 and get it to some people in the business.

Run—fast.

3 I’m looking for a $75,000–$100,000 job as a staff writer. Will relocate to Nashville if I need to.

Me too! Doesn’t exist these days. Deals are just different.

4 My songs are better than 99 percent of the crap on the radio.

Really? You’re still writing for a listener in the end, the person in the car. Find out how to reach them.

5 I don’t believe in rewriting. Either the muse brings an idea fully developed, or it’s not worth it.

How many songs have you written? How many have been cut? Rewriting is hard, but it’s one thing that can separate the wannabes from the pros.

6 You can’t teach writing, but I’m willing to give you a shot. (I love this one.)

I disagree, but I understand the point. You can give someone tools and expertise. What they do with it is the deal. Information into inspiration.

7 I don’t know why I haven’t received any royalties on the CD that I sell at my shows.

Google ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC and find out how money is made from songwriting. If you aren’t registered with one of those, you won’t be making any money from songwriting. Understand performance and mechanical royalties, self-publishing, Harry Fox, and more.

8 I’m only interested in co-writing if I can “write up.”

Get really good at what you do. Network, play nice, and hope you get the shot to show what

you can do. Pray that “write up” writer needs a boost from what you got.

9 Networking is for nerds; the song should speak for itself.

The song can’t speak for itself if no one hears it.

10 Music, intellectual property, and expertise should be free.

Do you go to your doctor for free? Do you hire plumbers and electricians for free? Get your car repaired for free? Cable? Entertainment? Of course, you don’t. Why on earth should music and something that someone’s created through their hard work and expertise be free?

All of these responses are just my own opinion, some open to a healthy debate. No matter how you view these I hope you always seek out answers in the form of wisdom and experience.

Mark Cawley

Nashville, Tennessee

if you'd like to stay up with iDoCoach including receiving the latest blogs and my favorite 7 Toolbox tips here ya go!

http://idocoach.com/email-newsletter

I'm currently coaching writers worldwide, online, one on one and taking new clients for the fall. Visit my website for more info www.idocoach.com or write to me at mark@idocoach.com

Check out this interview in M Music and Musicians Magazine for stories behind a few of my songs!

you can find Song Journey on Amazon.

Mark Cawley is a hit songwriter who coaches other writers around the globe through his one-on-one, online service iDocoach.com. His songs have been on more than 16 million records with cuts ranging from Tina Turner, Joe Cocker to Wynonna Judd and Paul Carrack to The Spice Girls and many more. His book, Song Journey, was released in April 2019 and went to #1 in 6 categories on Amazon. Mark is a judge for the UK Songwriting Contest, Nashville Rising Star, Belmont University’s Commercial Music program, and West Coast Songwriter events. He’s also a contributing author to USA Songwriting, In Tune Magazine, and Songwriter Magazine, a sponsor for the Australian Songwriting Association, and a past mentor for The Songwriting Academy UK. Born and raised in Syracuse, New York, Mark now resides in Nashville, Tennessee.

During this pretty much “stay at home world” we’re all in, there is still lots you can do to be pro-active with your songwriting path. The subject of networking in this time comes up quite a bit with songwriters I coach. I thought it was a good time to re-visit the subject of making and using your connections. I’ve written about the subject at length in my book but here’s the short version.

We have contact

Creating contacts and being able to use them is usually a result of good networking. It might be unconscious networking, but it’s networking just the same. The co-writer you had, the songwriter you met in an online songwriting group, the guitar player you know, your best friends’ friend who works in an entertainment law firm in New York—these all become part of your songwriting path. Think of them as an organic network.

So many of the contacts in my songwriting life started with the smallest of connections. These have proven to be the gift that keeps on giving. Quite a few friends I made in the beginning of my career are friends to this day. I didn’t give much thought at the time to growing old with these folks. That’s not on your radar when you’re out to conquer the world. But looking through my contact list, I see I’m still in touch with many of them today.

Touch base…again!

It’s just as important to continue to stay in touch with your connections as it is to make them in the first place. Cultivate the friendships; touch base from time to time. Keep your info updated. You never know where one of your old friends will land in this business, and someone you shared a moment with years ago can easily reenter your universe. I’m not suggesting you “work” your contacts as much as work at keeping up with them. Along with your family and your talent, they’re the most valuable asset you have.

Mark Cawley

Nashville, Tennessee

Photo : Shutterstock

if you'd like to stay up with iDoCoach including receiving the latest blogs and my favorite 7 Toolbox tips here ya go!

http://idocoach.com/email-newsletter

I'm currently coaching writers worldwide, online, one on one and taking new clients for the fall of 2020. Visit my website for more info www.idocoach.com or write to me at mark@idocoach.com

Check out this interview in M Music and Musicians Magazine for stories behind a few of my songs!

Mark Cawley is a hit songwriter who coaches other writers around the globe through his one-on-one, online service iDocoach.com. His songs have been on more than 16 million records with cuts ranging from Tina Turner and Joe Cocker to Wynonna Judd, Chaka Khan, Diana Ross to The Spice Girls and many more. His book, Song Journey, was released in April 2019 and went to #1 in 6 catagories on Amazon.Mark is a judge for the UK Songwriting Contest, Nashville Rising Star, Belmont University’s Commercial Music program, and West Coast Songwriter events. He’s also a contributing author to USA Songwriting, In Tune Magazine and Songwriter Magazine, a sponsor for the Australian Songwriting Association, and a past mentor for The Songwriting Academy UK. Born and raised in Syracuse, New York, Mark now resides in Nashville, Tennessee.

you can find Song Journey on Amazon.

As I write this month’s blog we’re still in the midst of a worldwide pandemic. It’s easy to find the things that have altered your everyday life. How about your songwriting existence?

Playing your songs live? Not happening. Getting together to co-write? A non-starter. In-person workshops, songwriting camps, seminars? No, no, and no. 

There’s something else I’ve noticed during this time. Silence. I know my world has gotten quieter. I coach a lot of songwriters from all parts of the world and I’m hearing some of the same comments about these times we’re living in. “My songwriting has gone to a deeper level”, “Almost like I’m hearing myself for the first time”, “I just have more time …to think!” I get it.

How about you? I think it has so much to do with the newfound silence. There is power in silence. There is so much noise around us every day, some of it of our own making. All of a sudden it feels like we have more time to contemplate an idea and to take our time to develop our songs. 

Less outside interference to block your reception and, for your songwriting, this can be a huge benefit.   Almost feels like you can turn your focus inward, the world can wait while you write and the silence around you allows your subconscious to have more airtime. 

Instead of feeling like you need to fill the empty space with more notes and more words, how about embracing a slower, more thoughtful pace? 

Think you could spend a good portion of your songwriting day with the sound of silence? I highly recommend giving it a shot. Check out this link to an article about the creative power of silence when you have a few minutes.

Psychology Today April 21, 2017 article by Atalanta Beaumont. “10 Reasons Why Silence Really Is Golden”.

Mark Cawley

Nashville, Tennessee

Photo : Shutterstock

if you'd like to stay up with iDoCoach including receiving the latest blogs and my favorite 7 Toolbox tips here ya go!

http://idocoach.com/email-newsletter

I'm currently coaching writers worldwide, online, one on one and taking new clients for the summer. Visit my website for more info www.idocoach.com or write to me at mark@idocoach.com

Check out this interview in M Music and Musicians Magazine for stories behind a few of my songs!

SONG JOURNEY BY MARK CAWLEY

Mark Cawley is a hit songwriter who coaches other writers around the globe through his one-on-one, online service iDocoach.com. His songs have been on more than 16 million records with cuts ranging from Tina Turner to Wynonna Judd to The Spice Girls. His book, Song Journey, was released in April 2019 and went to #1 in 6 catagories on Amazon.Mark is a judge for the UK Songwriting Contest, Nashville Rising Star, Belmont University’s Commercial Music program, and West Coast Songwriter events. He’s also a contributing author to USA Songwriting, In Tune Magazine and Songwriter Magazine, a sponsor for the Australian Songwriting Association, and a past mentor for The Songwriting Academy UK. Born and raised in Syracuse, New York, Mark now resides in Nashville, Tennessee.

you can find Song Journey on Amazon.

Today feels like a turning point for America and the world. The protests since the  killing of George Floyd have galvanized a huge part of our country to seek change. It’s also caused us all to look in the mirror. I hate to think of myself as a privileged white person but that’s the reflection I see today. And it hurts. Hurts to know that people I know are hurting and might be living in fear every time they leave the house.

I have always thought of music, and in turn, myself as a songwriter and musician, as color blind. In truth, I probably have taken it for granted to the point of thinking “that’s not me” when events like this happen. I can’t do that anymore.

I have a lifetime debt of gratitude to black musicians, songwriters and artists who created much of the music that informed my songwriting. Artists like Tina Turner, Diana Ross, Chaka Khan and many more have recorded my songs. Along the way I’ve been blessed to work with some of my favorite black songwriters and forged lasting friendships with them all. In my heart I don’t feel I ever thought of them as black. Just fellow songwriters. In that sense I hope I have been truly color blind. 

But today that doesn’t feel like enough. I fear I wasn’t seeing them or hearing them as black people. Just creative equals. I can’t do that anymore. 

What I can do is listen during this time. Listen to the voices of the oppressed and listen to the rich soundtrack of music created by black songwriters and musicians and say thank you.  Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf. An endless list and impossible to imagine a world without the contributions of black songwriters and musicians.

To quote a songwriter who’s brought more joy into this world than I can fathom “Love’s in need of love today”. Stevie Wonder is a black man, and truly color blind when it comes to the message he’s given the world. God blessed him with a gift and in turn, gifted us all. 

I don’t know what else to do today but examine my heart and pray for change. I can do better. That’s something I CAN do.

Black lives matter to all of us.

Mark Cawley

Nashville, Tennessee

Photo : Shutterstock

if you'd like to stay up with iDoCoach including receiving the latest blogs and my favorite 7 Toolbox tips here ya go!

http://idocoach.com/email-newsletter

I'm currently coaching writers worldwide, online, one on one and taking new clients for the summer. Visit my website for more info www.idocoach.com or write to me at mark@idocoach.com

Check out this interview in M Music and Musicians Magazine for stories behind a few of my songs!

SONG JOURNEY BY MARK CAWLEY

Mark Cawley is a hit songwriter who coaches other writers around the globe through his one-on-one, online service iDocoach.com. His songs have been on more than 16 million records with cuts ranging from Tina Turner to Wynonna Judd to The Spice Girls. His book, Song Journey, was released in April 2019 and went to #1 in 6 catagories on Amazon.Mark is a judge for the UK Songwriting Contest, Nashville Rising Star, Belmont University’s Commercial Music program, and West Coast Songwriter events. He’s also a contributing author to USA Songwriting, In Tune Magazine and Songwriter Magazine, a sponsor for the Australian Songwriting Association, and a mentor for The Songwriting Academy UK. Born and raised in Syracuse, New York, Mark now resides in Nashville, Tennessee.

you can find Song Journey on Amazon.