Writing for the Singer

In the minds of the people who listen to your song, the song and the singer are intertwined.

When someone thinks of a song, they don't only imagine the words and the music, they imagine the singer - the singer's voice, the singer's appearance, the singer's personality.

Therefore, when writing a song, it is important that you keep the singer in mind.

First of all, that means writing a song in a range that the singer can sing well.

If you already know that your song will be sung by a vocalist with an exceptional range, then go ahead and write a song that emphasizes the singer's talents, with the highest high notes or the lowest low notes.

However, if you are submitting a demo of your song to an industry professional and will have no control over who will be singing it, it is best to limit your song to a range that is comfortable for most professional singers - about ten notes (one and a third octaves).

If you aren't a singer yourself, be careful not to limit yourself to writing songs in your own vocal range, particularly if your own range is very small.

Secondly, it is important that your song gives listeners a positive impression of the vocalist.

The song should make listeners associate the singer with positive traits - strength, courage, determination, honesty, compassion, sexiness and so on.

There's a reason that Respect, the signature song of Aretha Franklin, was listed as the fifth greatest song of all time by Rolling Stone Magazine. The song makes us see Aretha as a strong woman who will not tolerate being treated badly by any man.

You can write a song with a protagonist that has cheated, lied or hurt people in other ways. However, it is important to show that the singer is sorry for what he or she has done and wants to make up for it.

An example is Cat's in the Cradle by Harry Chapin, where, at the end of the song, the singer reveals his regret at not paying enough attention to his son as his son was growing up.

Thirdly, if you know the singer that you will be writing for, make sure that the song is consistent with their image.

If the vocalist has an image of being a tough person who always bounces back from adversity, they should probably not sing a song in which they become devastated after their lover leaves them and promise that they will do anything to get their lover back.