Page 15 - Song Maps - A New System to Write Your Best Lyrics - Simon Hawkins

Reason 1 - To writing in 3D rather than in 2D
When I realized the difference between writing in 2D and writing in 3D, it was a pivotal moment for my songwriting. By no means is it something all professional writers do, especially in genres that are not so lyric-driven–for example in Europe, where songs give less emphasis on lyrics but much more emphasis on groove, melody, and overall feel.
Many ways to write a title
Discovering how to write in 3D started when I finally got a writing appointment with one of my all-time songwriter heroes. I drove to their home in a lovely part of Nashville and settled down on their pristine sofa. As I sat there waiting for coffee to bubble through the machine, I surveyed their array of silver, gold and platinum records hanging on the wall in front of me, the performance area set up in the dining room, the flashing lights of the hardware studio enticing me to engage. Was I nervous? Yes. I was about to live out a bucket list moment.
They sat down next to me as we chatted over the industry, shared stories about our respective journeys and how the life of the songwriter differed between the US and the UK.
Finally, we got to the subject of what should we write. And this was the moment I needed to bring out my very best ideas. I had several–some musical, some lyrical–and I opened my laptop to share them.
As I opened iTunes, my co-writer peered over my shoulder and looked at all the songs I'd bought on iTunes. As I scrolled down the many songs by various artists, my co-writer said time after time–
"I've written that title" and again–
"I've written that title."
After several minutes, I realized that this person had been around the block, had written so many times that they had written a massive number of the titles I had on iTunes. They hadn't written the songs I had on my computer; they were different songs with the same title.
At this point, it dawned on me:
THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO WRITE A TITLE
Titles are not copyright protected. So if you were to run down your iTunes songs, they are all up for grabs. If you can think of a systematic way of developing new ideas around those same titles, then you have an unlimited source of inspiration just by looking down your iTunes catalogue. Wonderful.
This whole thing got me thinking. And over the next few weeks, back in my studio in England, I started working with the idea of writing in 2D versus writing in 3D.
What is writing in 2D?
Writing in 2D is what we all do when we start off writing as young songwriters. It's also what you hear too often on the radio, on iTunes and even at church on a Sunday.