After You; No. After You: Which Comes First, Music or Lyrics?

If you’re wondering who the chicken and egg are in songwriting, I can only say, I am too — because it’s not an easy thing to figure out.

As a songwriter in a folk-turned-rock band, I often had to fit my lyrics into music created by guitarists, the bass player and drummer. It was easier to start with lyrics — and because I had an understanding songwriting partner, I probably got to do things my way more than I would have in any old band.

When I joined a musical theater group, we started with lyrics for the first few weeks, and it seemed pretty normal to share them with a composer and then make some adjustments on both sides to get to a song. After about three weeks, though, the groupleader told us our next assignment was the composer’s choice — and it was up to the lyricists to fit words to music.

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Photo by Dan Senior on Unsplash