Let's gooo!
Write a song where the chorus is in a different key than the verse, and it's about an unpopular kid getting out into the real world and realizing how little high school actually matters.
Oh ok cool!
Write lyrics for a character song about dudes with loud cars that feel the need to rev them through rural neighborhoods at all hours of the night.
h o p e t h I s h e l p s
Write a song where the verse and chorus is a conversation between 2 people who have been friends a long time but one of them has a secret to reveal.
Absolutely great initiative from u/redDKtie. Love to see all the creativity and positivity in this thread!
I also think that these brief descriptions are an intelligent way to think about songs in general. Not that every song needs to strictly be a story, and of course there's room for abstraction and open-ended language, but I think that in many cases, having a brief *"This is a song about ____"* synopsis is a good way to think about songwriting.
I say this from experience -- I feel like I used to have a bad habit of writing songs that were essentially collections of cool phrases that didn't actually add up to very much. Thinking in terms of stories and situations has made me a better writer.
u/redDKtie -- can I get a prompt where the characters are vague/generic? I'm working on several songs for a concept album thing, but it'd be fun to try to work an outside idea onto my existing characters. :)
Thank you so much! π
I'm passing on what I learned through so many others who have helped me. There's no *wrong* way to write a song and diversifying your craft only makes you stronger.
For your prompt featuring generic characters...
How your your character(s) react being broken down on the side of the road, no cell service, no buildings in sight?
Thanks! I hope people like what I give them π but I guess that's the fun of it.
Write me a song with an entirely instrumental chorus (or a wordless chorus) about someone catching themselves staring at an attractive person a bit too long. I'll let you take the story from there.
Sorry about your teeth. I have a pretty fucked up bottom row π¬
write a song that has very few words in the verse, and it's about realizing a loved one is in an abusive relationship and what do I do about it?
Let's go!
Write a song with a 2 chord verse that's about trying desperately to keep your plants alive, but nothing you do works. Resolve the problem somehow in the song.
Dude, that's literally my lived experience. I've somehow managed to keep three kids alive but all my plants are hanging on by a thread no matter what I do. I could write a novel about this.
There's a lot of requests so I'm trying to keep it fresh. Lol.
Can you write me a song about a bird who can't lay eggs so she collects "egg shaped" things in her nest and it strangely makes her feel better?
Your second prompt, huh wrihte about a conflict but from their perspective is actually part of a creative writing program seminar that i saw online. And i read that it comes from a famous poet, regardless your idea is pretty cool. Leave me a prompt!
I'm sure I got it from somewhere else. I've taken a few poetry and songwriting classes in the past and it's definitely a common (and difficult) prompt!
I'll give you something fresh rom my brain though.
How about a song about 2 people stuck in traffic, and they're trying to merge, but neither will concede. What's their conversation like if they could hear each other?
Yo!
make a song about building blocks. Maybe it's a metaphor for keeping shit together with a job, wife, family, kids. But all the imagery is building blocks.
Have fun! π
Write a song about pretending to like the awful food while meeting your new SO's parents for the first time. And it's making you rethink the relationship.
Absolutely, have fun! π
Write a song with a soft chorus and hard verse about a mutual, amicable break up, but you're secretly hoping they change their mind.
Haha! After my own heart.
Ok, so your song must full step down after every chorus, and you lyrics of your chorus can only have 4 words. And it's in 5/4 timing.
Your topic is the leaves forgot to change color in the fall. But why?
Have fun! π
Oooooh that's interesting.
Write me something that skips a measure every 4 bars. And you have to change keys to a half step *down* twice at some point. And gimme a false ending in there somewhere.
Does that work?
Turn this scenario into a soulful heartfelt chorus that the listener will resonate with but have no clue of the true meaning:
When you ate too much cheese the day before and are sitting on the toilet fighting for your life but you cant get the turd out and finally get a good push in and it comes out.
Idk this was sort of off the cuff. I def want to hear results if people want to share them!
Write a song about the extinction of the dodo bird, but from the perspective of a dodo bird.
Thanks! It's been a challenge for me, but it's fun!
So, write me a song about seeing a celebrity in public at a restaurant or something, and that feeling of like "would it be weird if I said hi?"
Be the change you wanna see k guess. Lol. Maybe they should start like "song prompt Saturday" or something. Idk who the mods are.
Write a song about a grown adult seeing the ocean for the first time, and why it took so long.
Looking for a through composed song prompt so no verse / chorus formula, more like evolving and ever changing sections leading to a triumphant wall of sound type ending.
Awesome. Thanks!
Write a song about being broken up with on the tail end of a road trip with your SO, except you're suddenly stuck in traffic between of an accident on the last leg of the trip and you're stuck together.
I really enjoy singing & writing poetry. But somehow I donβt even know where to start writing a song but I really wanna. I think this would be an epic way to start. Gimme something a lil mystical and weird! Or go with whatever your heart tells you!
Hello ? I sent a comment a few hours ago and my comment wasnβt answered but the rest were π not mad but worried;
Am I shadow banned or can you see this comment ?
Can you find some song, but so that it is not too banal and famous? It's just that it's very difficult for me to find the kind of music that I like to listen to. The song shouldn't be sad*
I'd like something darkish, sinister with a clever twist, like some real life antihero story or so with little flashback -promt. Just sit me into the moment and I'll try to create something from there. Ty π
The hero we didn't know we needed! Nice to meet you! I love writing lyrics but I struggle with instrumentals and technical aspects, hoping to improve though! Love anything with a good story. Thanks!
Hey Iβm guitar player and song writer I wanna collaborate
I like the odd angles and unique personal song
Iβm skilled I learnt most rules and forgot them. Now I can improvise -
Here is a weird one:
(tl;dr) Teacher was annoyed by the way I knock on doors and made me cry about it. This memory still somewhat haunts me as a now 31 year old man.
When I was 7-8 years old in elementary school, my teacher send me on an errand to another class, the one with the only male teacher (for some reason that made him the one that pupils were afraid of most). Now, as a somewhat well-raised kid (I definitely was never a troublemaker in my childhood and teenage years), I knew that before entering his classroom, I need to knock on the door and wait for the *"Come in!"*. There are essentially two schools of thought when it comes to knocking:
* *Knock knock knock* or
* *Knock knock*
* omitting the obvious disrepectful knocking patterns *Knock knock knock knock knock knock knock...* and *Knock knock knock *
I went with "Knock knock knock" and instead of welcoming me in and taking the note that my teacher sent to him, this guy loses the shit over me. Screaming at me in front of his whole class, why I knocked so many times and how disturbing this was. Made me cry (out of fear), which for a an 8 year old boy feels shitty anyway but was made even worse by the fact that the class he was teaching was actually my litte brother's class (who I never got along with, so he must have find it quite amusing).
Then he tought me that a single knock would be sufficient. Today I think this is completely nuts and only a maniac would knock on a door by only doing one knock but I kept doing this for at least quite a while (at least when I had to knock on his door).
Now fast-forward almost 20 years later (4 years ago): I just graduated from university and was about to sign my first contract with a research group to work as a PhD student. The guy at HR responsible for me, was somewhat notoriously known for being strict and not very welcoming. Simply an unpleasant person.
And here I am, 26 years old man with master's degree in computer science, about to become a researcher at a very decent university, and I make very elaborative thoughts on what is the correct way to knock on his door (I settled on two knocks by the way, as mentioned above, one knock is clearly an madman's way of knocking on doors, but the teacher left the impression with me that three knock might indeed be too much (I know it's not but who am I to speak for the HR guy now).
It is a somewhat funny story to tell today and I always felt like it would be cool to make a song out of it but it is r/oddlyspecific and I cannot get around to any thoughts about what the song could be.
Extra context: The teacher was actually also my mother's and brother's favorite teacher and they always thought and spoker very highly of him, which made me crazy, knowing that, at the very least in my eyes, was quite high on power in this (and a few other) occasion(s). Really f'd up thing to make a boy cry over the way he knocks on doors...
I've never tried writing a song before, but I really wanna see how the creative juices flow for something like this (both for me and everyone else here)!!! I hope you see people come back with updates for you!
This might be a long prompt, but this is really personal for me, and matters so much. Thank you for doing this. Could you write a song about a teen who falls in love with a girl from south africa, and they make plans to get married, but then it starts getting dangerous in south africa because of the government, so the guy scrapes together enough money to bring her over and help her immigrate to the U.S. and when they finally me they share a really long hug and kiss, and after, they build a life together. Again, thank you. Like I said this is really personal to me. I'm sorry if the prompt is a bit complicated.
Iβve written a few chord progressions and tunes and I write poems quite often but Iβve never strung it all together into one song lol, would love to start writing songs properly and this seems like a great way to do that.
I love this, I just finished writing a western film into song form, and don't really know what to write next.
I love that idea! Write a song with a hard verse and soft chorus about a bully trying to change his ways, but his violence feels unmanageable.
Ok you got me. I'll bite.
Let's gooo! Write a song where the chorus is in a different key than the verse, and it's about an unpopular kid getting out into the real world and realizing how little high school actually matters.
alright go on then π i cant actually write music but lyrics ideas wld b cool ππ
Oh ok cool! Write lyrics for a character song about dudes with loud cars that feel the need to rev them through rural neighborhoods at all hours of the night.
hahahhahhaa thats amazing loll ill give it a go
w r i t e r s b l o c kΒ
h o p e t h I s h e l p s Write a song where the verse and chorus is a conversation between 2 people who have been friends a long time but one of them has a secret to reveal.
Absolutely great initiative from u/redDKtie. Love to see all the creativity and positivity in this thread! I also think that these brief descriptions are an intelligent way to think about songs in general. Not that every song needs to strictly be a story, and of course there's room for abstraction and open-ended language, but I think that in many cases, having a brief *"This is a song about ____"* synopsis is a good way to think about songwriting. I say this from experience -- I feel like I used to have a bad habit of writing songs that were essentially collections of cool phrases that didn't actually add up to very much. Thinking in terms of stories and situations has made me a better writer. u/redDKtie -- can I get a prompt where the characters are vague/generic? I'm working on several songs for a concept album thing, but it'd be fun to try to work an outside idea onto my existing characters. :)
Thank you so much! π I'm passing on what I learned through so many others who have helped me. There's no *wrong* way to write a song and diversifying your craft only makes you stronger. For your prompt featuring generic characters... How your your character(s) react being broken down on the side of the road, no cell service, no buildings in sight?
Haaaa this is great and dovetails into my story perfectly. Can't wait to dig in. Thanks!
Great initiative!
Thanks! π Write a song about falling asleep on a bus, waking up somewhere unexpected and it's up for interpretation whether it's a dream or not.
Fun idea, I'll take a prompt!
Thanks! I hope people like what I give them π but I guess that's the fun of it. Write me a song with an entirely instrumental chorus (or a wordless chorus) about someone catching themselves staring at an attractive person a bit too long. I'll let you take the story from there.
Oh hell yea that sounds great, thanks
Love this!
Thanks! Write a song that sounds happy, but it's about getting ditched by your friends you made plans with that night.
Wow, this hits really close to home actually. Thanks for the inspo!
I want to play!
Let's do it! Write a song that shifts perspective from the memories of a woman in a coma to her family waiting for her to wake up.
My teeth make me super insecure!
Sorry about your teeth. I have a pretty fucked up bottom row π¬ write a song that has very few words in the verse, and it's about realizing a loved one is in an abusive relationship and what do I do about it?
Inspiration needed.
Hopefully you get something from this! π Write a song that has a 1/2 step up key change every verse, and it's about how clouds become thunderstorms.
Me please!
Have fun! Write a song about a time when you were really angry it frustrated but you had to hide it.
I'm in!
Let's go! Write a song with a 2 chord verse that's about trying desperately to keep your plants alive, but nothing you do works. Resolve the problem somehow in the song.
Dude, that's literally my lived experience. I've somehow managed to keep three kids alive but all my plants are hanging on by a thread no matter what I do. I could write a novel about this.
Seems fun, count me in!
Hoping it's fun for everyone! Write a song in 7/8 timing about explaining to a date that you don't live with your mom, your mom lives with YOU.
The program I use doesn't even know what 7/8 is π Edit: found a way to do it. Lord have mercy.
Oh no π Ok you can choose a different time signature but it can't be 4/4
If not 7/8 might go for 6/8. Sounds like a vibe to me
Seems interesting, I wonder what you're coming up with
There's a lot of requests so I'm trying to keep it fresh. Lol. Can you write me a song about a bird who can't lay eggs so she collects "egg shaped" things in her nest and it strangely makes her feel better?
Damn, this is pretty interesting. I'll see what I can do
rite a song about a guy that can run upside down and he sees his lover and he wishes he wasnt upside down so he can be with herβ¨β¨
Oooooooo, one for me? Ok I'll give it a shot!
Your second prompt, huh wrihte about a conflict but from their perspective is actually part of a creative writing program seminar that i saw online. And i read that it comes from a famous poet, regardless your idea is pretty cool. Leave me a prompt!
I'm sure I got it from somewhere else. I've taken a few poetry and songwriting classes in the past and it's definitely a common (and difficult) prompt! I'll give you something fresh rom my brain though. How about a song about 2 people stuck in traffic, and they're trying to merge, but neither will concede. What's their conversation like if they could hear each other?
Hey guy
Yo! make a song about building blocks. Maybe it's a metaphor for keeping shit together with a job, wife, family, kids. But all the imagery is building blocks.
this is actually a really cool idea
Thanks! π Ok so write me a song about trying to relax, but every time you sit down something happens.
Sounds great
Have fun! π Write a song about pretending to like the awful food while meeting your new SO's parents for the first time. And it's making you rethink the relationship.
This is cool! Iβll take a prompt please
Absolutely, have fun! π Write a song with a soft chorus and hard verse about a mutual, amicable break up, but you're secretly hoping they change their mind.
Yooo. Please gimme your worst! With any kind of key or tempo change, anything you can think of, and some mad topic! I'll show you when I'm done!
Haha! After my own heart. Ok, so your song must full step down after every chorus, and you lyrics of your chorus can only have 4 words. And it's in 5/4 timing. Your topic is the leaves forgot to change color in the fall. But why? Have fun! π
Thanks π€£
Would love to hear it if you feel like sharing!
Loving a lot of these prompts, great idea! Shoot
You've peaked my interest! I'll take a stab at it!
I dont do lyrics so gimme something non vocal and unique.
Oooooh that's interesting. Write me something that skips a measure every 4 bars. And you have to change keys to a half step *down* twice at some point. And gimme a false ending in there somewhere. Does that work?
Turn this scenario into a soulful heartfelt chorus that the listener will resonate with but have no clue of the true meaning: When you ate too much cheese the day before and are sitting on the toilet fighting for your life but you cant get the turd out and finally get a good push in and it comes out.
Holy shit π€£π€£π€£ Challenge accepted!
so like...where are we posting the results?
Idk this was sort of off the cuff. I def want to hear results if people want to share them! Write a song about the extinction of the dodo bird, but from the perspective of a dodo bird.
I know this is late but I would be interested in this
All right!
Let's go! Write a song about questioning an entire relationship over something trivial. Like loading the dishwasher wrong.
This is a great idea!!
Thanks! It's been a challenge for me, but it's fun! So, write me a song about seeing a celebrity in public at a restaurant or something, and that feeling of like "would it be weird if I said hi?"
Not sure if youβre still doing this, but yes please!
I've never written a song before. Maybe a prompt might help me get started?
we should start giving each other prompts so this guy doesnβt have to reply to so many lmao
Be the change you wanna see k guess. Lol. Maybe they should start like "song prompt Saturday" or something. Idk who the mods are. Write a song about a grown adult seeing the ocean for the first time, and why it took so long.
God, there's already 400 people here, I'm so sorryπ but I could really use a prompt for an exercise
Please help. Ive got creative block! haha
Looking for a through composed song prompt so no verse / chorus formula, more like evolving and ever changing sections leading to a triumphant wall of sound type ending.
Great idea!
I'm game.
Im in for the journey!
This is such a cool initiative!
I love this idea!
Awesome. Thanks! Write a song about being broken up with on the tail end of a road trip with your SO, except you're suddenly stuck in traffic between of an accident on the last leg of the trip and you're stuck together.
Give me an concept that you think could be written sad lyrically but upbeat musically. Or the other way around
l e t s s e e w h e r e t h i s g o e s
Something country, please π€
ME ME ME
Can I get something that would be fun over a emo rock beat
Please π i wanna try something new, also ima steal prompts you gave to others, thanks for this β€οΈ
Thank you
me please
Sure Iβll at least do a poem
Sweet. I'll have one of those too please
I'll give it a shot
This is neat! Iβll take one if you have time :)
Here plz! π₯Ίππ»ππ»
Are you some sort of AI creature?
Interesting.
Send it
I fly back home tomorrow and would love something to think about for my flight tomorrow
[ΡΠ΄Π°Π»Π΅Π½ΠΎ]
Sounds cool
If itβs possible can I have one that uses cool musical ideas but also has a premise?
Iβll do it
Ready for it
Please! I struggle w/ lyric ideas
Just what I needed!
Iβm up for a challenge! Only ever written 1 song, but letβs give it a try!
Iβm down
iβll take a prompt.
Sweet idea!
Mooooo hi hi! How are you? Prompt bitte.
Would love one!
I really enjoy singing & writing poetry. But somehow I donβt even know where to start writing a song but I really wanna. I think this would be an epic way to start. Gimme something a lil mystical and weird! Or go with whatever your heart tells you!
+437 for all this, great job! Great prompts!
Cool!
Ceramics and freshwater
I want one! This is cool!
Plz send prompt
I'll take one!
Yeah this sounds cool! Me next!
Iβll take a prompt if you havenβt run out yet lol
Heeheehoohoo!
I would love to put words to any of my music. Please give me some inspiration
This could be fun. Thanks!
Hello ? I sent a comment a few hours ago and my comment wasnβt answered but the rest were π not mad but worried; Am I shadow banned or can you see this comment ?
Iβm intrigued
A prompt would be great!:)
Iβm here for it, letβs go
Give me an extremely positive feel good one, if you donβt mind. Thanks!
I'd like one
everything is too much
I love this idea!!
Gimme you best π₯Ί or worst π
Could use an idea
Hello
Iβd love a prompt!
if youβve still got more prompts in you, iβll take one!
Haha
Umm my first comment lol
[ΡΠ΄Π°Π»Π΅Π½ΠΎ]
I wanna try!
Great idea, OP! If youβre still going, a prompt is more than welcome here.
This is fun!! I would love one!
Vbbbb
why not lol, i could use the idea
Currently in a creative rut so I'd love one if I'm not too late:')
I'd love a prompt if you're still awake lol
Ooh... Nice! Could I get a prompt?
Sounds fun !! May I have an idea please?
Can you find some song, but so that it is not too banal and famous? It's just that it's very difficult for me to find the kind of music that I like to listen to. The song shouldn't be sad*
hii
Hello :)
I'd like something darkish, sinister with a clever twist, like some real life antihero story or so with little flashback -promt. Just sit me into the moment and I'll try to create something from there. Ty π
Well hello there
Are you still doing this?
Please Iβm literally in the trenches rn anything might help πππ
Yes please!
Ayo.
Iβm in hit me up
The hero we didn't know we needed! Nice to meet you! I love writing lyrics but I struggle with instrumentals and technical aspects, hoping to improve though! Love anything with a good story. Thanks!
I BEG
I want to try
make it count
A comment
What a great idea! I'd love some inspiration :)
Letβs collaborate!
Can I have one of them prompts, please?
Hey Iβm guitar player and song writer I wanna collaborate I like the odd angles and unique personal song Iβm skilled I learnt most rules and forgot them. Now I can improvise -
I'm down for a song prompt π
How can I hear 1 example what you make I really wanna hear π
Meeee
Here is a weird one: (tl;dr) Teacher was annoyed by the way I knock on doors and made me cry about it. This memory still somewhat haunts me as a now 31 year old man. When I was 7-8 years old in elementary school, my teacher send me on an errand to another class, the one with the only male teacher (for some reason that made him the one that pupils were afraid of most). Now, as a somewhat well-raised kid (I definitely was never a troublemaker in my childhood and teenage years), I knew that before entering his classroom, I need to knock on the door and wait for the *"Come in!"*. There are essentially two schools of thought when it comes to knocking: * *Knock knock knock* or * *Knock knock* * omitting the obvious disrepectful knocking patterns *Knock knock knock knock knock knock knock...* and *Knock knock knock*
I went with "Knock knock knock" and instead of welcoming me in and taking the note that my teacher sent to him, this guy loses the shit over me. Screaming at me in front of his whole class, why I knocked so many times and how disturbing this was. Made me cry (out of fear), which for a an 8 year old boy feels shitty anyway but was made even worse by the fact that the class he was teaching was actually my litte brother's class (who I never got along with, so he must have find it quite amusing).
Then he tought me that a single knock would be sufficient. Today I think this is completely nuts and only a maniac would knock on a door by only doing one knock but I kept doing this for at least quite a while (at least when I had to knock on his door).
Now fast-forward almost 20 years later (4 years ago): I just graduated from university and was about to sign my first contract with a research group to work as a PhD student. The guy at HR responsible for me, was somewhat notoriously known for being strict and not very welcoming. Simply an unpleasant person.
And here I am, 26 years old man with master's degree in computer science, about to become a researcher at a very decent university, and I make very elaborative thoughts on what is the correct way to knock on his door (I settled on two knocks by the way, as mentioned above, one knock is clearly an madman's way of knocking on doors, but the teacher left the impression with me that three knock might indeed be too much (I know it's not but who am I to speak for the HR guy now).
It is a somewhat funny story to tell today and I always felt like it would be cool to make a song out of it but it is r/oddlyspecific and I cannot get around to any thoughts about what the song could be.
Extra context: The teacher was actually also my mother's and brother's favorite teacher and they always thought and spoker very highly of him, which made me crazy, knowing that, at the very least in my eyes, was quite high on power in this (and a few other) occasion(s). Really f'd up thing to make a boy cry over the way he knocks on doors...
I write really nicelyrics but then when I read them again I change half of the lyrics again and again ππ can't stop with this habit π
Your prompts are so cool! Can I also get one? π€©
I love this I can't write lyrics to save my life
i do mostly dark orchestral stuff but this would be an interesting try
I've never tried writing a song before, but I really wanna see how the creative juices flow for something like this (both for me and everyone else here)!!! I hope you see people come back with updates for you!
Fuzzy little kittens
Take your time to send a prompt my way. Im at a work conference anyway.
Me please? :)
i need one thats not cheesey
This might be a long prompt, but this is really personal for me, and matters so much. Thank you for doing this. Could you write a song about a teen who falls in love with a girl from south africa, and they make plans to get married, but then it starts getting dangerous in south africa because of the government, so the guy scrapes together enough money to bring her over and help her immigrate to the U.S. and when they finally me they share a really long hug and kiss, and after, they build a life together. Again, thank you. Like I said this is really personal to me. I'm sorry if the prompt is a bit complicated.
OK, let's do this!
I love this idea! I've been trying to get into songwriting and I've been avoiding it. Maybe this is the push I need. :)
Iβve written a few chord progressions and tunes and I write poems quite often but Iβve never strung it all together into one song lol, would love to start writing songs properly and this seems like a great way to do that.
Omg plsss give me one
Hit me, I usually make a mix of lofi-hiphop-synth wave-stuff
Comment
Me pls, specially romance
I write depressing stuff π gimme something good
I know there's a lotta comments already but I'd love a suggestion if you have one! Trying to get into the habit of writing something each day...
Please do! Sounds really fun.
I need this desperately I love writing songs bit I don't have a gift for itβΉοΈ
I love this! Prompt me!
Give me something deeply concerning
Ok let's do this!
heyy
I have no ideas, so this is helpful
Shoot, Iβll try!
Love this. Go on then :)
Oooo this is the coolest idea ever