John Lennon's 'EASY' Songwriting Formula

[@htws]

Correction: 'Something' is absolutely written by George Harrison and was not meant to be on that list - in the frenzy of scripting, filming and editing I got my lists mixed up - it happens. Thanks for understanding. Benny

[@juliosanchez8263]

Dude, you have no idea what you are talking about. There is no Lennon formula. John said this as an off the cuff remark and you took it like a real wanker.

[@greenmanalishi6963]

Without a doubt . Across the universe is much higher quality

[@ZER0--]

I did have a wtf moment there. Anyway, nice video.

[@likez2jam]

This is just one way Lennon wrote. He also had an absurdist phase. This just happens to be the method Bowie was told about and quoted.

[@radioactivetoad3765]

i will never forgive you

[@BuckBarker]

I have written over a thousand songs in my life. My first ones when just a child were what were known then as bubble gum songs. Due to the fact they appealed to that age group. I’m 70 now and have been retired for 12 years. The songs that I’ve written in last 12 years have had themes such as: Dealing with pain, death, tear jerkers, cheating , lust, and of course love. I have to have a “hook”. I read things, see things on KZbin or TV, or hear something someone might say. I think ,”that’s a song “. After that I simply write a story around the hook, and set it to rhyme. Once this is finished I assign it a genre . I then use the appropriate instruments to achieve the desired sound of that genre. Also, I feel one of the most important details in the creation is attitude. Try to impose your attitude upon the singing and playing. I have always approached writing with the mindset of establishing a method and a technique. Once you have perfected your technique, never deviate. Play the instruments in the same order, use the same levels when recording, and once your tracks have been laid down, get away from it a few days before mixing and mastering. As far as the Beatles are concerned, I think they were exceptional talents. But, the great talent only gets you so far. You have to have a determined work ethic. Which I think was very obvious. Also, the amount of songs that you write hones your ability. But if you have a passion for music and for creating it , you’ll never work one day in your life. Cheers!

[@superduperdom]

Where can we hear your songs?

[@SexyDalton]

Larry! Where is this beautiful sounding biographic catalog?

[@BuckBarker]

I’m sort of old fashioned and do not participate in social media. I produced an album in the 70’s . I lacked a proper monitoring system , thus it was out of sync and not my best work. I performed in bands for around twenty years off and on. Since retiring, I produce CD’s . I play all the instruments ,do the engineering , and recording. Then, I give them away to people I know or meet. Folks are always telling me ,”You should put your music on Spotify or KZbin “. My music is my therapy. I’m afraid if I were to publish it on social media , it would become a hinderance . If you wish ,you may send me an address , tell me what genre you prefer, and I’ll mail you a CD. Cheers!

[@johnthies1150]

I love this comment. Screenshotted, will come back to it.

[@blackman5867]

@@BuckBarker I say you should share with us your work and let it be heard instead of rotten. As someone once said it : "It's better to burn out rather than to fade away". Who knows, maybe you could have become one of the biggest artists nowadays

[@crashcondo]

Great stuff! People don't hear YOUR story in YOUR music. They hear THEIR story in YOUR music! Be plainspoken, straightforward and cut to the quick of it!

[@michellemonet4358]

Great point

[@paddymeboy]

That is the exact opposite of Lennon's philosophy, he was very clear that he was interested only in his own story.

[@axistiltproductions]

I think from a sales angle or for a broader popularity reach, to write a song so it can be interpreted in different ways, that different listeners can find their own personal meaning and love for the song is not a bad approach.

[@Fiveash-Art]

@@paddymeboy Did you even read what the commenter typed?

[@MisterRlGHT]

It's a difficult conundrum: The more broadly you try to write for everyone, the less relatable it tends to be for everyone, while the more specifically detailed and personal you get, the more clearly others can recognize themselves and relate.. (Note, however, that the person in "personal" doesn't necessarily have to be you ...)

[@gurleyco]

Vulnerability, authenticity, and consistency. Be raw, true to yourself, and stay on the bus. This is the way. 🔮🧙‍♂🕴

[@robinspat]

This is the way 😜

[@Fiveash-Art]

I wanna get off the bus

[@somsubhra2612]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/a3qpcqGjgbGpeaMfeature=shared Hey would you listen to my song please? I wrote and composed it ❤❤

[@geody3001]

The great thing about a back beat is that you really can't lose it, and not just in certain situations, but, and I really mean this, any old time you use it.

[@mateogarcia3190]

But it damn well better be Rock n Roll music, at least if you wanna dance with me! 😂 Cheers buddy

[@JaffaRoad]

Chuck berry , wrote that John covered it

[@boxingdonkey]

Well done!

[@davidjohnson1654]

at least... "if you wanna dance with me." ;)

[@nouveau53]

Songwriting is such an enigma. It’s good to acknowledge the importance of “rules” or guidelines, and this video is great,.. if it helps. Don’t get hung up on formulas and rules. That’s where songs become predictable. It’s good to hear about how others write, especially Lennon. I’d like to hear McCartney’s thoughts. My thought is: be constantly writing lyrics. Be constantly writing chord progressions. Dedicate a block of time in your week in trying to smash the two things together. Know that you are going to write some crap. But in being prolific some good stuff will emerge. Good luck!

[@ruthschiller151]

There is a podcast called "A Life in Lyrics" with Paul McCartney. His thoughts are there.

[@dougsmith7580]

I tend to hear a melody or beat and rattle it around in my head until the words fall in place. Rarely do the words and music come together but when they do it’s like magic.

[@JohnnyArtPavlou]

I think that is fantastic. I basically have one way of doing it, which is to write a bunch of lyrics and then pick a key and then come up with some slightly boring diatonic melody. I mean, I can pick up a guitar and just make up a song and be a little adventurous… But those need a lot of extra work. I wish I could be a little more like Elvis Costello and be adventurous with melody and the limits of my voice. I mean, someone like Paul McCartney… It’s ridiculous. His ability to come up with endless beautiful melodies is astonishing and then throw in all the rest of his gifts.❤❤❤

[@DennnisDubeau]

The same Lennon saying " Half of what I say is meaningless.." - excerpt of Julia

[@theselector4733]

I always interpreted that as the things he said to Julia.

[@artistaccount]

He got it from Khalil gibran. Foam and sand

[@marcoaurelio8058]

@@artistaccount I love Khalil Gibran. I grew up in Brazil reading him. I wonder how many great poets and writers are under the rubble in Palestine or rotting in israeli prisons.

[@alonle02]

@@marcoaurelio8058i promise you that ppl in gaze are not poetry ppl. Not because they are bad ppl, just perceive the world differently than you think

[@speedy2830]

The Weeknd does that too with often and another song I forgot

[@RagGerRock888]

Songwriting is just a stream of consciousness. The ideas you get before you go to sleep, during the day when you get an idea, and some can just tap into it through working.

[@illinoisan]

It’s good to remember why we have meter and rhyme. They are remnants of our ancient oral tradition. Before writing the only way to pass down culture from one generation to the next was by memorization, so mnemonics were invented to aid the memory, meter and rhyme. When you structure your lyrics following meter and rhyme, you are creating patterns that humans have evolved to seek, recognize and delight in. A technique I use is to not write anything down while I’m composing. If I can’t remember it, it wasn’t any good.

[@ChristopherCampanile]

For me, songs come out of an existential need to say something that can't be said by speaking. It must be sung with passion and magic ✨

[@mr.k905]

Lennon also liked to drop in an instrumental pause or musical change in those places when his lyrics didn’t rhyme. You can see that perfectly in those two examples: Imagine & Lucy

[@RegauFlowers]

Thanks!

[@frankbonarrigo6086]

You are approaching this all wrong, I heard an actual Lennon interview , and he described trying and trying to write and couldn’t come up with anything. Then lay down on his bed and thoughtlessly strummed his guitar and came out nowhere man, it’s always the same, get out of your own way and let it flow.

[@zedell1233]

Both are right, lennons subconscious works because his subconscious is his genius, this bloke is analysing his genius

[@haphapp7282]

Yeah dude almost all the advice I’ve seen from this channel is genuine and utter rubbish

[@Harrier_DuBois]

There is no 'correct' approach. He is giving us ideas, we can choose to take them or leave them.

[@johnplaysgames3120]

@@Harrier_DuBois Exactly. So many amateurs who think they know everything get angry any time a YT channel (or anyone else) talks about a way to write lyrics or music or whatever. But no one is saying that this is "THE ONE" way to write music. It's just an idea or one way to think about things to inspire your own creativity. And videos like this are for people who are struggling to figure out their own methods, not for people who already have their flow going. I'm always curious about people like @frankbonarrigo6086, @haphapp7282, and others in other comments here. If you're not looking for songwriting advice or looking to learn something, why are you watching these videos? If you KNOW exactly how songs should or shouldn't be written, why are you spending your time on "How to write songs" channels instead of writing your own songs? And, if you don't like what Lennon has to say about one of his own songwriting methods... well, I'll just direct your attention to the scoreboard. Last I checked, EVERYBODY knows who John Lennon is and he's considered one of the all-time greats. You are a rando with no track record of success, angrily leaving comments under a "how-to" video. Between you and John Lennon, I know who I'd rather take songwriting advice from.

[@carbongastropod3307]

But what if the seamless and thoughtlessly strummed masterpeice only flows out of you after you spend all that time straining out doodoo music beforehand? Like starting a fire with sticks - a whole bunch of effort to build up heat, then in an instant- the flame catches and burns all on its own

[@judgetimbers588]

This is quickly becoming my favorite channel on KZbin.

[@oldmossystone]

in Lucy in the Sky, "Look for the girl with the sun in here eyes, and she' gone" is rhyming gone with sun. If you try it with say 'light' instead of 'sun', the finality of 'gone' doesn't have the same impact. It's subtle. there is also phasi-rhyme of 'cellophane' and 'green'... it's going for a psychedelic feel, so the patterns are more fluid and unexpected, and the connections are more delicate, but they are there!

[@frostyclimesmusic]

And 'flowers' rhyming with 'towering'

[@oldmossystone]

@@frostyclimesmusic yes... and the most obvious one being 'sky' with the first syllable of 'dia'monds which is held for the same length of two beats... not sure if that would be called a rhyme though... but it's definitely an intentional mechanism of a similar type.

[@frostyclimesmusic]

@@oldmossystone Yes it's an internal rhyme.

[@jhaduvala]

Assonance

[@lavenderbee3611]

Thank you, good observation. I'm thinking that John's Liverpool accent allowed him to rhyme words that Americans wouldn't necessarily link. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds is brilliant songwriting.

[@imaonarseal]

I was lucky enough to have a songwriting module as part of a general music course some years back. It was very inspring and led me to write some of my best songs. Your channel elaborates many aspects of the craft we didn't have time to cover in detail. It has reignited my passion for pursuing this great art, which I feared was lost. Thank you.

[@redcurrantrecords]

"Say what you mean" is why I nearly always start with a story, often for me this is as an observer of a situation. John and Paul to me will always be some of the best song writers.

[@tommydaniels502]

Man this channel is unbelievably good. Thank you so much!

[@J-613]

The Beatles were my first big inspiration as a kid and got me into songwriting. After watching this I feel like I understand a new level of how they impacted my foundation as an artist… I always liked how Lennon’s songwriting had an edge no matter how mellow, but as a kid I was never focused on analyzing lyrics in ab ab etc type of way. Somehow tho I still use some of these patterns almost instinctively at times.

[@Jonathan-py9xr]

I learned a lot from this video… I’m going to go back and look at some of my lyrics

[@Skinnyorangemusic]

Songwriting is my favorite part of the musical process (when you have a good idea) and I heard that John Lennon quote before. I agree, say what you mean and be direct. I've written songs like "You Should Have Known Better" "Bad Man" and "Please Dont Miss Me When Im Gone". Imperfect rhymes have the same effect as a suspended chord, they are dissonant, then resolved, unless you are leaving something open. One thing I learned from Dylan was placing rhymes in the middle of your lines, lots of ways to change that up

[@steveward910]

Benny, it's interesting you chose Jealous Guy as an example of Lennon's work because I think there may be a further lesson to be learned from that song. If you've watched the Beatles film "Get Back" you'll hear Lennon introduce a song he called 'Road to Marrakesh' to the rest of the band. It's a song that was to become Jealous Guy. The majority of the chord changes and melody were there but the lyrics were not his best at that point. Maybe a future tutorial could discuss when and how to edit or when to let a song go and when to persist until the best version of the song is uncovered. Thanks for all of your tutorials.

[@marcsullivan7987]

It was also called Child of Nature on the Esher Demos (demos of songs mostly from the white album, recorded at George’s house)

[@BlueJayWaters]

After writing songs for 17 years, I feel only within the last 4 have I truly grasped what John meant. Before I would write songs as more of stories that had music as the conduit for the story. Lyrics would be straight forward, and rhymes were more forced. My middle years were more planned, stories had a direction and lyrics were shaped to say what I needed poignantly, but also with open rhymes. Now, I write lyrics with every intent to be followed by a narrative, and rhymes are completely tertiary to expression of lyrics, and flow of the music. And ironically, my rhymes are better, but not as frequent as my early work.

[@Tsa-SONGS-ABOUT-BEING-a-DAD]

Interesting. Noel g always writes music and lyrics last, that's totally opposite to me, everything comes from lyrics and subject matter

[@BlueJayWaters]

@@Tsa-SONGS-ABOUT-BEING-a-DAD my writing has fluctuated over the years. When I first started I wrote music first then lyrics, and over time shifted to lyrics first then music. Occasionally I will discover a progression I like and then add lyrics later

[@Tsa-SONGS-ABOUT-BEING-a-DAD]

@@BlueJayWaters cool

[@bullcrap9409]

Cause he ca. get through the music part quickly, ripping it off

[@Tsa-SONGS-ABOUT-BEING-a-DAD]

@@bullcrap9409 I guess that helps :)

[@kevinlucken8558]

You are an exceptional coach/instructor/communicator. Thank U

[@druwk]

It’s all good. I believe “Something” was a Harrison song? One of my favorite Beatles tunes 😊 Great advice, especially the first part. I enjoyed the dissection of rhyming couplets and patterns. Breaking up normal rhyming schemes, but still having a flow and natural feel…not easy.

[@P1984-z5i]

Was just about to say the same 😂

[@Funkybassuk]

In the words of John Lennon, “a Harrisong”

[@bugsunplugged]

This is the same mistake Frank Sinatra would make in concert. He would start by saying he initially disliked the Beatles, but had to admit that Something was a GREAT Lennon / McCartney song before singing HIS rendition. This was Frank Sinatra, though, no-one was going to correct him. YES, George wrote Something, not John. P.S. Very good content overall on this channel. Shocked & saddened to witness this slip up.

[@philb1649]

My very sentiment ​

[@Xscapeplan01]

Hopefully you read the top comment!

[@trudigoodman4825]

I'll be back to watch more. You've got a great approach to explaining songwriting. Thanks!

[@samuelegiuseppelongo]

A top notch presentation, very generous & inspiring. Grazie mille!

[@mickygee9935]

One of the big barriers to writing lyrics- NOT saying what you mean or what you want to say. Great advice on this video. Other examples of saying what you mean - Morrisey, Fagans/ Becker.

[@0010Kev]

Ya know what....even though 'Something' was written by George, there is a definite John connection. In the film Get Back George is having trouble with a lyric in the song and John tells him to just stick any ol' word in there until the right one presents itself. Obviously that right word did present itself because its a masterpiece! So of course it turns out he wasn't just giving that advice to George but to all of us 'mere mortals' as well! Great video by the way!

[@bullcrap9409]

Plus Harrison stole the whole first line and title (shortened) from James Taylor.

[@freemansmith1]

Great video; interesting analysis, organized very nicely and delivered succinctly. Thankd, Marty

[@mspboy]

Is there a special term for "rhyming" a word with itself? I'm referring to the rhyme scheme in IMAGINE when you list "hurt you" and "hurt you" as a CC rhyme in the context of the song. Thanks for the info, Mark

[@cfloydengler]

Yes, I think he meant give the words a purpose alongside the meaning, like using alliteration, plosives, fricatives, multi-purpose words, etc., so when you sing it, one sound leads into another, flips off your tongue and blows out your lips with the right syncopation and is simpatico with the music in a way that seem both clever and natural. I think he meant play with words like an instrument and have them fit together like they belong there.

[@marcemelgar]

Excellent, great job Benny 👏👏👏. I learned a lot, this was one of your best videos. Thank you

[@tenacious-e3o]

👋🏾 It’s Trinity from the Songwriting Intensive, I just love ❤️ how this is so timely because I JUST finished ✅ writing ✍🏾 a song 🎵 using y’all’s formula 😊

[@htws]

Go you!! 🎉

[@Santinamusic]

Amazing and helpful content! Thanks a lot!

[@iamrjdennis]

The best! 💛

[@davidjunto1008]

Great video! Confessional, Storytelling, Abstract (about a virtue or other specific quality) , Impressionistic, Protest, Satirical, Character-driven (from the pov of someone other than the writer or performer) - these are some of the most common song-writing subjects which only the best songwriters have a good handle on (though they will usually favor one or two) and good challenges for the rest of us to write outside our usual bags. Rhyming is usually important, but its a wonderful accomplishment to pen a "American Girl" or "Rocket Man". "All meaningful change begins in the imagination" - Cole Kitz

[@RickTimms.Songwriter]

i cant stop writing songs..words just revolve around in my head from country to rock to ballads..i dont find it hard to write lyrics..its therapeutic..i've written 32 songs in 2 months. 🎸🎸

[@nategilbert2601]

This is the best video I have ever seen about songwriting, a formula in outline form. Please do more vids like this!

[@KellieSuePeters]

I LOVE yours and Keppi’s videos- thank you.

[@olena_chuba]

Oh my... You hit me straight in my soul about the authors being vague on purpose so as not to become vulnerable...This is the biggest obstacle to my creativity now. This is very hard to overcome.

[@mr.w7803]

“Green/towering” is a very subtle inner rhyme that seems to scratch the itch just enough to

[@niloo_atribecalledlove]

I’m so grateful that these songwriting techniques have always come naturally to me 🦋☀️🎶✌🏽 thank you spirit for moving through me and making me a vessel.

[@jonathanbolger6173]

I prefer to discover the song as im writing it. I try to start with the music, whatever i play, i play for some subconcious reason. And that sound usually informs me on the lyrical content. Its hard because unless i grab on to something that im playing, it can be difficult to complete. But its what works for me usually

[@bodichair]

I really enjoy your synopsis of Lennon's song writing and all the information between the lines. I'll probably listen to this again and take notes. Thank you for sharing this information. -Great Grandfather

[@CavyWheek]

Great video. I'll be trying some of this out. I love complex ideas and techniques distilled down to a simple statement Like Lennon did here. We can all take the distillation, think about it, make our own methods and routines out of them and teach them to others like you have done here. Thanks Bennie!

[@aziziabdrahman7756]

I've been watching your videos for a while, and they've been very helpful and I enjoy them. Please do one for Alex Turner, his songwriting is incredible!

[@PapasGems]

Very informative, loved how you focused on John. Thank you for sharing 🎉

[@mmiedema]

On a sidenote: cool instruments in the background, with the weissenborn and resonator. Love the sound of those

[@tedbundy8082]

As a song writer myself, I have found that it helps to know who you are writing music for. If you know your audience well enough you can grow with them.

[@cdaddy8968]

So much of the inspirational music of the day was derived from the interaction of key individuals period

[@davidg8888]

This was very interesting and I agree with most or all of what you say about his writing so the following comments don’t detract from a general thumbs up rating (which I have given). However, regarding rhyming, I think the example you give is not a good one. You say “insecure” and “more” don’t sound like they should rhyme, but that’s because you pronounce “insecure” as “insekewer. Having grown up in the same part of Liverpool as John, I can tell you that we pronounce it “insecyore”. So the pronunciation doesn’t need changing to make it rhyme and it wouldn’t have occurred to him that it did. In the song, he doesn’t actually change “more” to sound “muer” but the opposite, he pronounces the end of insecure like more, just like he would in normal speech. Similarly, I agree that most of his songs were 4/4 - he was, after all, basically a rock’n’roller , as you suggested - but showing a limited list of songs could be misleading; he wrote other songs in 3-time that were not listed. Also he often used triplets even within a 4/4 songs - the words “Strawberry Fields Forever” or the refrain of “Give peace a chance” have a triplet feel, though you correctly describe the songs as mainly 4/4 and your general point that 4/4 is versatile is a good one, well made. A third point is that John, partly for humour and partly modesty, sometimes down-played his own and The Beatles’ achievements. John’s sophisticated use of harmony, which was crucial to his individuality - and genius - is not covered by his own, rather flippant formula and I don’t think, therefore, that we should take it too seriously or too literally. Yes, it’s a good starting point, but it takes more than that to be a Lennon or a McCartney.

[@MyDrugHell]

Pretty sure Happiness is a Warm Gun has different time signatures in it.

[@suchnessweaver9783]

I think Lennon just said those words on songwriting as a general: Don't worry about it as a songwriter, just do something that feels right and don't stand in the way of what comes out. I do enjoy this video and can agree on the value of those points, but it's almost like astrology. When you look for patterns in the twinkle twinkle of a genius like Lennon, you will be able to name them "constellations", but these are intellectual concepts after the fact. Lennon was not educated in songwriting and being identified with the spirit of the era och rock n roll I believe that he also made great efforts to maintain that raw sense of spontaneity, because he wouldn't want to sound like a broadway composer. McCartney on the other hand was much less concerned about being viewed as pretentious, having grown up with jazz music played at home. I think their worlds blended in a mesmerizing and fullfilling way.

[@jonstein6868]

Love this! Really clear guidance and I’m looking forward to getting back to my writing with a clearer idea of what I want to say and how. Thanks 🙏🏽

[@filipbalm]

13:30 "Something" is a Harrisong

[@georgbauernfeind5688]

Really Great! Would be interesting to see something about melody writing

[@OilCanHarry2U]

Great to see you both today, across the check-outs, at Woolworths. Love your channel. Gordon Pavilion xxx

[@htws]

Lovely to see you out in the wilds (of Woolworths!)

[@OilCanHarry2U]

@@htws ❤️

[@mickygee9935]

As always on this site, a very insightful helpful and clear analysis. Many thanks.

[@richardhardy7660]

George would be most upset to see Something on your list of Lennon songs! Love your channel though - so much good stuff

[@tiagudo]

Hi Benny! Interesting material here, will be on the lookout for more. What kind of guitar is that? It looks fantastic and sounds great… Cheers!

[@emilytvmusic]

great video!

[@lalinternahumana4257]

Gracias por el video. Muy bueno. Lennon era un genio absoluto. Componiendo melodías originales , ocurrentes, distintas , con una voz prodigiosa y una sensibilidad artística inigualable

[@jimdiaz9968]

I Am The Walrus is not exactly 4/4. It feels like 4/4 but it’s all over the place when it comes to time signature. Same thing for Good Morning, Good Morning. Feels like 4/4 but has multiple time signatures. Just Like Starting Over may have a 12/8 feel but could also be counted as 4/4. Sgt. Pepper and after his writing is focused on lyrical phrasing that forces measures to be extended or shortened depending on the lyric lines. This was his true genius… making unusual times feel like 4/4. Revolution does this at times too. Don’t Let Me Down is another great example is unusual times being made to feel like 4/4.

[@dreamyrhodes]

"Rhyme" also comes from the Latin roots of "fitting together, sound rhythmically, repeating motion, vibration" and further more Greek roots of "to arrange, to count, to put". So "... and make it rhyme" could also be translated into "make it count" or "make it resonate (vibrate) with others". The double meaning of words and using that as a tool in lyrics is a bit missing in the video tho.

[@Tsa-SONGS-ABOUT-BEING-a-DAD]

Lennon had some great songwriting tricks, like playing with chord voicing, using iv chords etc. he then was able to put his life into lyrics, like he had to songwrite as therapy, and sing like he really meant it

[@TTarragon]

"In musical theater, perfect rhyme is really the only rhyme that counts" Lin-Manuel Miranda: Hold my coffee

[@The-Legend-of-P]

Lin manual has an Eminem type of style to his songs, just throw in rhyme after rhyme

[@michellemonet4358]

Ohhh no. Is that true? 😮

[@dawsonhinders9058]

It’s easy!!! All you need is love!

[@Fuzcapp]

Instant Karma is written in 6/8 - two beats split into triplets. I think Norwegian Wood is classic Waltz time - 3/4. As is Hide Your Love Away. The second portion of I Want You is also classic Waltz 3/4. Dig a Pony is definite 3/4 - they even count the one, two, three at the start. So John mixed it up a fair bit.

[@80sJayOfficial]

I have been told many times in my life that my songs remind them of the Beatles and specifically John Lennon. Those 3 things might have helped John but for me it was 10 hours a day of work, life experience including many tragedies and writing years of stinkers that brought me to the level I'm at today. What's funny is that my musical heroes are Depeche Mode, Erasure, OMD and the new wave sound. But it was Beatles & John Lennon sounding stuff that would channel through me.

[@freakuensea]

As a Rock Band of today's times, we sort of disagree on the 4/4 part. With the right creativity, you can make odd time signatures & some syncopated 4/4 sound like absolute bangers. Listen from 2:30 onwards in "Lie/R", one of our new songs.

[@susanrudge5817]

I found that very interesting and informative. The Beatles in general were able to create leaps of imagination. For example they wrote “When I’m Sixty Four” when very young but we’re able to accurately describe and project the process of aging.

[@roberttalbot6397]

That song itself comes from very early McCartney days. Late fifties a song he penned with his dad in mind and there piano music family sessions. He sang there what he meant 🎸🎶

[@davidannderson9796]

On rhyme: it helps to mix it up a little, to make it more beautiful and poetic. For example, 'twinkle twinkle little star' could be slightly tweaked into something like this: Twinkle twinkle little star How I wonder what you wish for Up above the world so high Like a diamond in the night Shining diamond shining bright

[@AshtonRogers-se1zj]

For all of the great stuff John wrote with The Beatles,I think that maybe my single favorite song he wrote is (Just Like) Starting Over. It's just so...pretty.

[@acousticpsychosis]

Being able to say something of interest has always been the main thing I look for in a writer, whether its simple young love songs from someone like Ben Lee, something a bit more eclectic like from CAKE or Modest Mouse, Death Cab For Cutie, Soul Coughing, or great story tellers like Young, Costello, Lennon. Then theres groups like WEEN, who I also love very much but know no label that accurately describes them lol

[@davidcasagrande267]

From an old music industry saying , IT'S NOT THE SONG , IT'S THE SINGER . Only one in so many million people are lucky enough to be born with Magic Tone Qualitys in their voice . This is what makes John Lennon and all the other successful songwriters great , not the fancy lyrics .

[@MyDrugHell]

And yet his songs have been covered by thousands of other performers.

[@JMBvideo]

John’s genius was to underthink everything and have everyone else overthink what he had done. Just like this video. When this guy started defining “backbeat” I knew he was overthinking it

[@SusannMarieDye]

Amen

[@lnb29]

that's a great example of how people who do great things often cannot really explain what their doing. clarity is the last thing you want in music

[@blakesun]

I know I'm in the minority, but I find Imagine one of Lennon's least interesting songs. The lyric is so plain, has so little mystery, is a bit sloganeering, heavy handed and slightly condescending too. Give me Strawberry Fields, Julia, Dear Prudence, In My Life, or Glass Onion.... so much more mystery.... direct is good, but don't strip the mystery out of it.

[@frankiecampos8909]

Totallly agree

[@jackthompson5863]

I'm with you on that. Lots of great songs but I can't connect with that song.

[@mikemolaro4198]

Ha. Not to mention it's a filthy rich individual insisting on communism.

[@imaonarseal]

In the early days of the internet when chatrooms were the thing, I joined a Dostoyevski discussion forum and one of the longest threads there wnet into detail about the nihilistic/anarchic aspects of that song. It was a very interesting debate. So I wouldn't agree with you. The song proposes something quite radical for any age.

[@Funkybassuk]

I’ve always hated that song.

[@ruiyui6919]

Happines is a warm gun has time changes, but great video👌

[@MyDrugHell]

I was going to say the same thing.

[@WhatDoesEvilMean]

I think for Lucy you can view it slightly differently. It’s actually green rhyming with towering. Head is then left there to make the listener believe “she’s gone’ will be “she’s dead.” So…he does actually rhyme head with dead, but doesn’t write it. But it doesn’t change what we know is coming. Even if it didn’t happen.

[@4EverLearning757]

Great video. Thanks for putting this together.

[@connormuraski3229]

Great video! Thank you

[@MrBadboomer73]

I think it’s come out that Yoko wrote most of imagine. I believe there is a recording of John saying as much.

[@RezaAlishiri-mu7rr]

Thanks a lot for your amazing analysis ♥️

[@lospopularos]

Very intelligent lecture. Thank you!

[@Orangesjesus]

Power to the people right on....

[@MarioHGonzalez]

I loved this video... very true!

[@mikec6733]

One of the coolest rhyme tricks ever is in Grateful Dead Truckin. (words by Robert Hunter) Trucking- like the doodah man Once told me you got to play your hand Sometimes, the cards ain't worth a D**M If you don't lay em down. You naturally think of "Damn", because it rhymes (imperfectly) with "man" and "hand" But they sing it as "dime", or "dyyam" leaving the listener to substitute the dirty word in his own imagination

[@websurfer5772]

No wonder we make up our own lyrics (often unknowingly) when they're purposely mispronouncing words in the songs on the radio, I had no idea they were doing that. I've enjoyed making up my own lyrics though, and people used to say they liked mine better. I never noticed that John wasn't rhyming all his lines. Wow. Holy cow. Hey - that rhymed. I enjoyed this music class. Thank you. Rock on with your bad self! 🎸😝 John Lennon might still be alive. I saw a video that showed him and it was recent. He played a political song he'd just written for the camera and it was really good with his sense of humor, so somebody is either quite a genius at being able to portray him and sound just like him, or it was him. 🤷‍♂

[@derek_am]

Great video! New sub, I’m going to practice this on my new songs, thank you so much!

[@willherondale6367]

'She Said, She Said' has one of the coolest metre switches in any rock song

[@mojoefelix]

A way, or THE way to find out what there is to be said in the song is to sit down and write a song and see what comes out. Just directly write without a separate overthinking step of figuring out first what the message will. Best songs come out that way.

[@photoniccannon2117]

I very frequently end up using time signatures OTHER than 4/4. Usually it's on accident, but I'd say the majority of my songs aren't in 4/4. However, I have noticed that a fair number of my choruses are, even if the rest of the song isn't. Usually I end up writing the chorus in either 4/4, or in some cases, 3/4, but I have never written one in a weird time signature like 7/4 (at least, not yet). There is something to be said for building some tension and then resolving it in the chorus. I'm always trying to do that as a writer, but I always make sure not to introduce too much tension at the beginning (the first few lines of the song need to hook the listener in for the rest).

[@MarkGardner66Bonnie]

Excellent information... Thank you Sir...

[@ryanjones4150]

Great video. I have so many thoughts on this subject. I'm good at writing music for songs, but bad at lyrics. I'm partly bad at it, because I always feel I am being derivative of other people but also because I want to make a song that I could show somebody and they would think it was great. But, if you are musician, I am sure that you know that when you craft something and are proud of it then show it to a "normal" person, they always say the same thing : that sounds like so-and-so". When it comes to lyrics, I think there has been a trend over the last so many decades in songs being too-wordy. Most of the best classic pop / rock songs IMO have minimalist / limited lyrics that are more like a poem. Also, the most important thing for any genre of music is to sing it and bring it like you mean it, that's what all the greats did. Even avant garde stuff, like The Talking Heads Making Flippy Floppy - it's purposefully "random" as the kids would say these days ( I prefer Dadaistic ), but the way David delivers it has sincerity. That's why I HATE modern country, it's so formulaic and insincere, but gimme some good Dwight Yoakam or Patsy any day, they really brought it. Or Fogerty or Ozzy or the Stones etc. David Bowie used to shut himself in a room with a piano and force himself to write songs, as did Neil Diamond, Jackson Browne, etc. Don Henley got a good education in writing songs by living in the apartment above Jackson Browne in Echo Park in L.A. when they were both still unknowns. He would hear Browne work all day on the same song, changing it, re-arranging it, perfecting it. I wish I could do that.

[@Supersonic_racing]

More Lennon stuff please!

[@jarhead3038]

I lived thru all that and seen them twice. Once in 65 and again in 66. Lennon was a better lyrist, but McCartney was more moladic.

[@henrikibsen6258]

Watching The Wheels is my favourite Lennon Song.

[@ashiqsr5751]

Hi Keppie and Benny!Love your classes here. I had a small request. Could you make a video on writing lyrics first and then going to music?Cause' now I'm used to writing lyrics first and then going with the music. But, I found out that it isn't really helping out with my music part. I struggle to change this habit now. And also vice-versa. I can easily make melodies but then struggle to write lyrics for that. It would be very helpful if you guys could make videos on the above - starting with the music and then to lyrics and vice-versa. Thank you!