Secret diary of a band: How we write songs

When it comes to songwriting, say it simply and don't worry about how it might sound on a car advert. Oh, and beware of predictive text …

In the comments section of a previous blog a reader suggested I write more about the creative elements of being in a band. Well, they didn't say it in those words exactly, but hey, I'm allowed to embellish. In particular they requested for information on how we write songs. I aim to please, so here's a guide to our songwriting methods …

When you get an idea, get it down

 Ideas for songs often come when you're walking back from the supermarket, or about to fall asleep. I'm not one of those people who carries round a moleskin notebook and pencil to jot down my thoughts and feelings, so thank God for mobile phones. Particularly voice notes. Often a little melody will come to you as you're testing the Granny Smiths for brown bits and it's such a relief to be able to whip out your smartphone and record it. Same with lyrics. Although beware of using predictive text. Mine once transformed "they're never gonna understand" into "they're never good underage".

It just won't happen. It's the old adage that if you're looking for something you'll never find it. Instead, focus on what you want to articulate through your lyrics, or work on a melody or riff you've had in your head. We once tried a co-writing session with someone who gave himself three things to think about when writing a song.

Don't try to write a hit

1) Is it for Radio 1? In which case we need it to sound big straight away, so start with the chorus.

2) Could this work for a car advert? In which case add in a long swoop of sound for when the car turns the corner.

3) Can you imagine the crowd at your sold-out show at Wembley singing the chorus back at you? If not, write more universal lyrics.

It may work for some, but it put us off co-writing forever.

Say it simply

  I'll often try to be funny or clever with lyrics, like a kid at school who's just learned the word "encapsulate" and tries to crowbar it into everything they write. (Actually, that's a great word.) Obviously there are artists such as Morrissey who paint vivid images with words, and encapsulate (sorry) universal emotions in one pithy phrase. If you can do that, fantastic, and obviously you should strive to make each line interesting, but sometimes you just need to express yourself in the simplest terms. "I miss you", "I want you", "Encapsulate".

Write constantly

 Our band email account has a folder called "Lyrics", which is full of the bare bones of songs we've not had time to work into a demo yet, or just weren't worth finishing. You never know where or when or even how a good song will come (we don't, but Burt Bacharach probably does), so you need to pull ideas out of yourself. Sometimes you go back to them and cringe because they're too awful to bear, but sometimes they're not so bad. Having an idea when you're tackling a new song makes a lot of difference.

Beware of repeating ideas

 There are certain phrases I return to in lyrics if I don't check myself. In fact, we recently realised we had three songs that all used the same phrase, just sung a different way. (It's not even a common phrase.) That's why we often try to put ourselves into the mind of someone else when we write. It can be someone real or we can create characters and write the song from their point of view. Opening yourself up to different reference points, locations, even genders makes a lot of difference. It will still come from you, because you're the one writing, but it can help give it a different slant and make it more interesting. Use it as a prism, if you will, to encapsulate everything you're feeling.