How to Write a Love Song:

4 Things to Start,

4 Things to Avoid and

1 Simple Recipe

A well-known musician and songwriter Jed Milroy shares the secrets of how to write a perfect love song.

Words make you think a thought.

Music makes you feel a feeling.

A song makes you feel a thought.

(E.Y. Harburg)

There are different reasons why people want to write love songs: one may feel the agony of broken relationships, or float through romantic clouds of bliss, or just be a little bored, or try seducing a potential lover as well as writing a hit single. Whatever your individual reasons are, here are a couple of dos and don’ts to help you in how to write a love song.

4 Things to Try

Try to write about love concept rather than actual relationship. It will make you sound both intelligent and philosophical. As far as we are usually our main but worst critics, do not be too hard on yourself.
After having emphasized you know little, it will make you sound humble. And all humble people are very attractive and easy to dominate. Put a special bit in your beloved, people like that.
Make yourself sound mysterious. It will draw people in after hearing something like ‘I would do anything for love, but I will not do that’, because they hate knowing nothing that might be interesting.
Forget about people! Why not to write about how much you love your country and become a national treasure, having got a guaranteed life career.

4 Things to Avoid

Don’t write about how lonely and sad you are to imagine someone drawn to your pain; that happens as a result of your potential partner confusion with your mother. If you do write some self-pitiful song, why not try playing it to your Mum instead of crowds at open microphone nights?
Don’t mention any other romantic interests because it will make you sound untrustworthy. “I’ve got seven women on my mind…” etc.
Never overestimate the audience: their intelligence or any at all.

‘All You Need Is Love’ (by Lennon and McCartney):

‘Love love love, love love love, love love love…’

Don’t make analogies between love and baked goods, etc.

Well, all above mentioned useful tips are very good, but Jed Milroy believes your best love songs will come from the direct experience. All you need is trying to deliberately put yourself through extreme emotions in order to see if a song can come out of it. If you have ever had any relationship with a musician, then you will know this common practice.

1 Simple Recipe to Get You Started

‘Love At First Sight’

Ingredients:

Sunshine

1 singer

1 muse

2 pinches of loneliness

1½ vague excuse to talk

3 cups of abandon

Get a temporary lack of bitterness and cynicism ready.
Add loneliness, muse and musician, cover with sunshine.
Drop all this into the vague excuse to talk and then warm under the light at the end of the tunnel.
Bring to the boil full of reckless abandon.
Separate immediately, by at least 500 miles.

How to Write a Love Song