What Comes First in a Song: The Melody or
the Lyrics?
People ask me this all the time: when you write a song, what comes first,
the melody or the lyrics?
And the answer is: yes, both are correct.
That is the best way I know how to put it, because songs do not always show up the same way. Sometimes a melody walks in first like it owns the place. Other times, a line of lyrics kicks the door open and demands your attention. And every now and then, neither one shows up first. Sometimes it is just a mood, a rhythm, or a title that sounds too good to ignore
A melody-first song usually starts with a feeling. You are working around on the guitar, tapping a beat on the kitchen table, and suddenly there it is. A hook. A groove. Something that sticks in your head and will not leave you alone. On my song ”Good Morning Bluebird”, I played the melody for two years before the right lyrics came. The words may not be there yet, but the song already has a heartbeat.
Then there are lyric-first songs. Those start when a line drops into your head like it came from somewhere else. Maybe it is something you lived through. Maybe it is something you wish you had said ten years ago. Maybe it is just one sentence with enough truth in it that the rest of the song starts chasing after it. I’m currently writing a song called “Demons Run Faster than Rainbows”, those lyrics just poured out. The song is waiting for melody to complete its journey.
For me, it can go either way. I have had songs start with a tune, songs start with a line, and songs start with me mumbling absolute nonsense until something real finally showed up. That is part of the fun. Songwriting is not a clean, polished science experiment. It is more like trying to catch lightning in a jar with one hand while holding a guitar pick in the other. I think people like the idea that songwriting follows some neat little formula. Step one: write the lyrics. Step two: add the melody. Step three: become a legend. But it does not really work like that. Songs are slippery. They can become shape shifters. They show up how they want, when they want, and usually at the worst possible time. Like when you are trying to sleep, drive, or have a normal conversation.
The truth is, melody and lyrics each bring something different to a song. Melody gives it emotion. Lyrics give it meaning. Melody can make you feel something before you even know why. Lyrics can hit you right in the chest once the meaning lands. When both come together the right way, that is when the magic happens.
So what comes first?
Sometimes the melody. Sometimes the lyrics. Sometimes just a feeling you cannot shake.The real job of the songwriter is not deciding which one ought to come first. The job is paying attention when the spark shows up and being ready to follow and capture it!