The Art of Writing Great Lyrics (Paperback)

by Pamela Phillips Oland (Author) "It's a terrific melody, but the words need work . . ..." (more)
Key Phrases: writing great lyrics, lyric writing, universal songs, Digga Digga Dog, Repeat Chorus, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Cruelly dumped, the songwriter storms into his or her studio, slams the door and writes a heartbreaking platinum hit. According to Pamela Phillips Oland, one of the most prolific songwriters in the nation, this is no melodramatic fantasy. Oland's songs have been recorded by Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Selena and Frank Sinatra and featured on Xena: Warrior Princess and The Sopranos. She has worked in nearly every popular genre: rock, country, gospel, R & B, theater, alternative rock, blues and jazz, and she shares dozens of the tricks of her much-envied trade in The Art of Writing Great Lyrics, a revised version of her 1989 book You Can Write Great Lyrics. She even has the honesty to include an exegesis of a failed attempt: the first song she ever wrote.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
A prolific songwriter whose lyrics have been recorded by such notables as Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, and Frank Sinatra, Oland speaks from 20 years of experience when she stresses the importance of song titles, dissects catchy lyrics, and warns of rejection by publishers. Her latest guide for emerging songwriters examines the profession from all angles, focusing in-depth on the craft of song. Oland prefers to think of her book as a "recipe for success" and, in fact, she provides a solid foundation for anyone interested in the industry. The author shares a wealth of knowledge about many of the more ambiguous aspects of the field, particularly on how to discriminate lyrics from poetry and how to become an adept miner of everyday conversation. Oland's perspective will intrigue not only followers of the songwriting field but anyone captivated by the art of the written word. This book nicely complements Paul McCartney's recent book of lyrics and poetry, Blackbird Singing (Norton, 2001). Suitable for all public and academic libraries. Caroline Dadas, Univ. of Ilinois, Urbana-Champaign
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Allworth Press; Rev Exp edition (June 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581150938
• ISBN-13: 978-1581150933
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #95,575 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Lyric Book Thus Far, August 24, 2001

By	Michael Brandmeier (Madison, Wisconsin United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Great Book!! I've been writing songs for years and have had songs in major FILM/TV projects and more. But I like to always try and better myself and talents. This is helping me to do so. I believe it is a MUST for beginners and it can truly help rekindle and enhance the approach of a veteran songwriter as well. Its a great read too with very practical, insightful tips on how to have fun and bring your inner workings into the light and onto paper in song form... I wouldn't take the time to review it if I didn't feel so strongly about it. It is FAR better than any I've TRIED to read before on the topic. Thanks Pamela!!!! Peace, Michael Brandmeier

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tricks of the Trade, April 28, 2003

By	Lisa-catherine Cohen (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

Although I am a veteran and successful lyricist and thought I had nothing more to learn about this form of my art, I was amazed at how many "tricks of the trade" she gave me that I'd never even thought about. Pamela Phillips Oland's new, revised edition of her first book is so chock full of tasty little details that I found myself inspired with new song ideas on almost every page - which is why it took me so long to finish it. By now, it is underlined and starred and filled with margin notes and tabbed with so many colors, it looks like a pocupine!
Everything from setting up my writing environment to setting up the deal with my collaborator UP FRONT, to helpful hints about my great starts that fill my journals, was useful. We all get into a sort of groove that can so easily become a rut that simply adopting a new approach - that Oland suggests many of - like reading the dictionary or seeing with new eyes a character trait in someone you know well, can cause one of those wonderful light-bulb ideas to pop up over your head!
I always love hearing other songwriters' anecdotes about how songs we've all heard on the radio came to be.
The book is so well laid out that when I sit down to write, I sometimes just open it at random, read a box or an example of one of her lyrics - and the process by which she completed it - and that gets me going.
It will be so helpful to the fledgling songwriter, too. I've given it to my 14-year-old, guitar-playing, songwriting nephew who says he loves it. And since I gave it to him, I can see a definite growth in his ability to express his feelings more clearly now in his lyrics. There is a craft to writing lyrics that takes years of devotion and attention to develop and perfect.
Thank you, Pamela, for acknowlwdging what REALLY goes into perfecting this craft and writing it all down in so arganized a way!
- Lisa-Catherine Cohen, double-platinum lyricist (ASCAP) Lisa-Catherine.com

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great resource for an aspiring staff writer, January 19, 2007

By	anon-new-yorker (Brooklyn, NY United States) - See all my reviews

Ms. Oland provides helpful advice for the person wishing to write and market commercial songs. She gives tips on becoming familiar with language, building vocabulary, and learning popular song structures. She also dissects her own writing process, step by step, for the reader.

Later chapters deal with the challenges posed by collaboration, strategies to deal with criticism, and the music business.

This book is primarily for the commercial lyricist, not the musician or the artist who writes for self-expression. Ms. Oland is of the opinion that a lyricist shouldn't write too much from personal experience, and that a commercial song should make the audience feel good because "no one wants a loser." But some of the most sincere music, which ended up being "commercial," was written out of angst (Alanis, Nirvana). Oland's term for this kind of music is "living room hits." (In her defense, she does state that when an artist writes this type of song for himself, the song may become a hit.)

Ms. Oland also mentions that she is a much stronger lyricist than melodist, and although she does mention using "dummy melodies," musician-lyricists might find a different method than Ms. Oland's.

However, this book does include much wisdom and helpful information culled from years of experience.