I write music, but I'm horrible with lyrics. Who wants to help me out?
 

Hi guys, first post here. Just came across this forum and figured I'd ask y'all for some help.

I've been making music for years, but I'm really bad with vocals/lyrics. That's where MusicBanter comes in. I need suggestions for lyrics. Here's a couple songs I wrote that I need vocals on.

When suggesting your lyrics, don't just tell me the words. I also want your opinion as to how it should be sung, what tone/pitch I should focus on, and any alterations to the song that you think would be beneficial for your choice of lyrics. I'm only going to make one final version of each song, so may the best writer win.

I've had to replace (.) with (DOT) in the links because I can't post URLs due to my low post count.

NC = Nearly Complete. These songs are almost 100%, but just need vocals and proper adjustment for said vocals.
IC = Incomplete. Songs with this status are not complete, and are only a representation of what I'm going for. They can be altered substantially depending on your suggestions and vocals.

The following songs are for my upcoming album, Dreams of a Possum.

Awe - NC - UPDATED
http://www.mediafire.com/?zlu2eztguxo

Theme of the Possum - NC
http://www.mediafire.com/?mqmzozimwjr

Hymn of the Possum - NC
http://www.mediafire.com/?dtdzjdhwije

New stuff (Untitled) - IC
http://www.mediafire.com/?fiuyzioz2jn

07-21-2010 UPDATE:
Happy Synth - NC
http://www.mediafire.com/?2f0nig6jz7xx5oj

I also welcome opinions and suggestions. Be as harsh or cruel as you want, I can take it. :yeah:

from ur ♥
 

"when writing a song your lyrics have to come from the feeling your feeling at that moment you cant be in the best mood ever and write about how sad life is, and as for your pich well.. to be honest it depends what type of song and the mood of the song, but no matter what, nust make sure it comes from your heart... =)"

"when writing music be that your lyrics are based on how your feeling at that moment if your in the best mood in the world dont write a song about how depressing life is and as for your pitch it all depends on the song and what yu u want the mood to be. but most importantly make sure your music comes for ♥ and represents who u are.. =)"

Thanks for the advice, but I'm not looking for writing advice. I suck horribly at writing lyrics so I don't even want to try, but I'm pretty good at making the actual music. Just download my music and listen to it, you'll see what I mean.

I'm just giving people on this forum the opportunity to listen to/record their lyrics in actual music, rather than just to write them down. I might even partner up with someone if I like what I hear.

170 views and 0 downloads. I hate double posting, but c'mon people...

Maybe they're not interested?

Maybe.

well i listened to "awe" and "new ****"... and i have to say that i honestly like it how it is.

electronica is always better without lyrics IMO.

that said, i dig your stuff man... not bad.

Thanks. I'm actually working on some new stuff right now. Just got a really great, professional $500 synth.

Leptoon,

I listened to all four of your songs, and the one my attention narrowed down on is definitely "Theme of the Possum," which I feel would best turn into a dance song with vocals. I think I'd have fun playing with potential lyrics for it. Do you have a form of the song that would upload well into an audio recording program, so that I could play with potential vocal tracks/melodies? (I don't think mine takes mp3s.) My one recommendation for the song right now would be to add some instrumentals to the ending to give it more punch. Right now it ends anticlimactically.

After listening to the "Theme of the Possum" song two times, here's what I imagine the lyrics being about, and why. Subject: girl moving from country to city to build a better life for herself (which explains the excitement in the song). Reason: urbanization is a major trend around the world, and increasing incomes and expanding life possibilities is a dream that many women around the world seem to have.

I suspect the lyrics you want are probably what I think of as typical dance song lyrics: ditzy-sounding and simple. My plan would be to make lyrics that sound simple but deceptively so. The benefit of this project for me would be that even if *you* don't use my lyrics and melody, I could! ;) And it would be fun to try. I like challenges and trying something new.

I do have some feedback on the instrumentals of the other songs. Briefly, "Awe" sounds like a difficult one to write cohesive lyrics for, since the song has a spacey atmospheric feeling and amorphous beat pattern.

My main memory of "Hymn" is that it is a slower, more relaxed song than "Theme" so would probably have more delicate, thoughtful lyrics on some sad topic with a wistful feeling. This would be my second choice of songs to make vocals to.

"New ****" with the funky bass line would have lyrics that were either happy or happy/ironic (with a little submerged anger). "This stuff is starting now," says the man currently. Hmm...maybe the song could be about someone experiencing the thrill of hooking up with someone new. Gosh, I think it would kill me to write lyrics like that, since there are so many songs like that already, all of which I despise because they seem to lack content and just transmit one straightforward emotion. Maybe I'd make the lyrics about some new trend starting now and completely prevent the song from being about love.

Thanks for your reply. I produce with FL Studio believe it or not. I like your idea for Theme and Hymn of the Possum. My album is entitled Dreams of a Possum, so maybe we could focus the lyrics around the ambitions, excitement, pleasure, and sorrow of the theoretical possum's life, the possum in this case having human dreams and emotions. I'm working on some powerful new music for the album, and rewriting Awe with the new synth.

I can't really see myself giving anyone the project file, but I can export it into a bunch of file types. Do you have MSN or AIM?

Here is the remade version of "Awe". Let me know what you think.

mediafire DOT com/?zlu2eztguxo

I understand about not giving away the project file. There's probably a way I can just use the MP3 in my recording program...I just need to learn the method, so this will be a good chance to do so. I don't have MSN or AIM, but I'll let you know if I'd like a different file type.

Also, please don't fear to say that whatever I come up with doesn't match what you want for your project! You are, of course, under no obligation to use any of my ideas. Though this probably goes without saying, I just thought I'd say it anyway. My goal would be to write something that suits what *you* want.

I'll start by listening several more times to Theme of a Possum and see what pops into my mind. Right now I'm thinking of something to do with nightlife (which would be suitable for a possum!) and the possibilities that cities offer to someone from the country who wants more out of life than rows of cotton and corn and run-down houses. It might also be interesting to have a song that describes the reverse: the "possum" dreaming of the peace and quiet of a simpler, less complex life. Perhaps this sounds too much like "City mouse, Country mouse!" though!

Just record whatever you like, and we can go from there. If the rough draft isn't perfect, its not like we wasted a vinyl. ;)

Did you plan to sing it yourself? Cause if so, record your vocals on another track so I can vocode and autotune it (no, not like T-Pain). Also, if you do plan to sing it, record a separate track of yourself just saying the words, on-beat, with a single monotone. I can use that for harmony and sfx.

Yep, I would be the singer of the (still non-existent) lyrics! I'd record it as a separate track so I could send it to you, probably as a .wav file (that's what you'd need, right?), to do with as you wish.

Hmm...a track where I just say the words on beat with a single monotone. Would I just pick one of the main notes in the song, or does the note not really matter as long as it is monotone? Do you mean on-beat with the other lyrics? I didn't realize this was how people could create harmony. Do you just use the computer to raise or lower notes as desired? Huh. I hadn't thought of doing that. I have learned something new! Yeay!

I'll listen to the song this weekend and think about lyrics for it.

Final question, leptoon: what is an example of an existent song where you like the way the singer sings? I'd like to get an idea of what you are hoping for with the vocals.

Yes, a WAV file.

Make the monotone whatever note you think is the most common. Yeah I just use a program like Reason's arp tools or FL Studio's vocoder with Omnisphere or Alchemy for tweaking vocals. Even if its monotone, I can make it sound like you're singing.

This sounds similar to what I'm going for.

mediafire DOT com/?78dh3quk40yx987

My gosh. Why do people even sing anymore? ;)

I'll check out the link when it's posted. I've been playing with lyrics for a little while now while listening to "Theme of the Possum" and feel there may be a short part of the instrumentals I'd like to cut out near the beginning, plus I'd like to add a little pause at some point...just a brief break to build some tension. We'll see. You did say it was okay to make suggested changes to your song, right?

Updated with link.

Yeah, but I think it would be a lot easier for us to communicate if you got MSN or AIM.

Leptoon, I downloaded "Sydney Heat," a good song, a little dubstepish, I felt...but were there supposed to be vocals in it?

I prefer not to get MSN or AIM right now because won't that mean I'd have more online places for me to forget to go to check messages from people? ;) I'm already weeks behind Facebook communication! I get e-mails from friends saying other friends are trying to contact me. I end up feeling guilty constantly!

If you like, we can send private messages through MB rather than use your thread here, or we could use e-mail. For now, though, with this first song, I'd prefer just to use MB until you find out whether this is just a waste of your time! ;)

Oh sorry I posted the wrong link. Here's the correct one.

mediafire DOT com/?78dh3quk40yx987

Yeah that's fine.

That link worked. "Hanging On" by Blake Reary has exactly the sort of vocals I thought you wanted, so I'm glad to verify that. I know what you want now. Thanks for giving the example. That helps.

Cool, glad to hear it.

I'll edit Theme of the Possum based on your previous suggestions and re-upload a new copy soon.

I think I'm gonna go ahead and scrap Theme of the Possum for now. It's not my best work, and I used a couple pre-made loops. I want to make all my music 100% from scratch from now on. So, here's my newest song, "Happy Synth". Let me know what you think. This one is 100% from scratch and I'd like to put vocals to it and maybe make it a bit longer.

DJ Andee - Happy Synth.mp3

Aayyyyeee! No more Theme of the Possum? ;) Well, I'll probably keep working on the lyrics since they are partway done and it is a good exercise for me. I'll also download "Happy Synth." I understand why you would want to create 100% original music instead of using pre-made loops.

I'm listening now...definitely, "Happy Synth" has a happy vibe. It's a very short song! I didn't expect the tempo change to increase and then gradually slow down.

So do you see yourself making vocals for a song like that?

Also, here's something I'm working on. Let me know if you can think of some good vocals for it. I'll probably have a more complete version soon but this is the sound I'm going for.

untitled5.mp3

Oh sure, I can make vocals for anything! I just don't know if they would be any good! :D

Seriously, though, "Happy Synth" might be hard because there isn't a lot variation within the song, I felt...not a lot of quiet or louder sections to dictate where singing should be.

Untitled5 sounds like mood music...not a lot of variation in it as is...and so I would recommend adding more stops, starts, build-ups, etc., though that's just my preference. I think it might be hard for me to write lyrics to this one, because while listening nothing pops into my mind!

Now, Theme of the Possum, that gave me ideas right away, because it starts slow, then the beat comes in, and there is a feeling of a definite start to the song, a definite middle, a definite end, too, plus layering of different sounds to give more variation within the song. Also, it has a cute melody!

Theme of the Possum is actually my favorite of all of yours that I've heard so far, though I know you said you feel it isn't your best work. Could you switch in your own material to replace the loops you used, if you wanted to?