30 Brilliant Song Writing Ideas

You can write a brilliant song about absolutely any subject. You just need to find a bit of conflict, joy or irony. add some attitude and you'll have a great human interest song to be proud of. Here are 30 subjects to get your teeth into, see what intriguing worlds you can imagine.

1. Songs about you, yourself, who you are, what you are, what you stand for.

This is called an 'I am' song and transcends all sort of genres from rap, hip-hop, blues, religious, rock etc.

You need quite a bit of attitude for an up tempo 'I am' song and they almost always focus on positive attributes. 'I am a fire starter,' 'I am an anti Christ,' 'I am the king of the Faeries.' OR 'I like dancing in the rain,' 'I get my kicks on route 66,' 'I eat cannibals etc.' It doesn't have to be totally truthful, it could be a person you aspire to be, or a persona you'd like to fool around with.

It's probably best not to write a song called, 'I'm loser with no prospects,' because you won't feel good about yourself. Also, that sort of song isn't received well by audiences unless it has very high tempo music, like a parody.

2. The Blues

If you do feel pretty down or annoyed about something then a blues song is the place go.

Blues is all about attitude and it really is OK to be very pissed off about absolutely anything in a blues song. Government, society, neighbours, neighbour's dog or your prospects or anything at all. The whole idea is to tell your audience 1. Why you're pissed off, 2. When it started, 3. What really, really gets under your skin about the whole thing, 4. How you're gonna put an end to it. There's four verses you can have a go at, just there.

Make no mistake, a blues song is THE ACCEPTED GENRE/FORMAT for getting it off your chest.

3. Protest Songs.

Not all protest songs fit the blues genre and you might not like that style. But you can still write a protest song in any genre about absolutely any subject. Lets face it, there's a lot to protest about.

It doesn't have to be a big international issue, in fact you're better focusing on something small local and personal. The same issues will affect thousands of other people so don't be afraid to write a song about dogs fouling the pavement/side-walk.

4. Songs about getting old or growing up.

This could be a sort of protest song but it's a futile protest because there's nothing you can do about it and no-one to complain to.

But ageing is difficult for every person on the planet at every stage of their lives, if you can't find irony, conflict or joy in this subject, then you should probably give up song writing. Virtually every one wants to be a different age than they are or look different than they do, it's a multi billion industry. A very human issue with lots of emotion attached to it.

5. A song about any emotion.

Songs are always an exploration of human emotion but they don't have to be just about love.

Jealousy, joy, regret, shame and fear all make good songs but don't limit yourself to these few. There's a whole circle of them crying out for a story to explain their high and lows.

The trick is, to make a firm mental note of the emotion. Then think of a similar experiences of your own and build your song around it.

6. Songs about any person who is interesting, unusual or mysterious.

'Kashka From Baghdad,' 'Dave the Demented Digger Driver,' 'Anne with her Whistling Cat.' You can go forever with these sorts of characters. They go to prison, have numerous lovers and only go out on Sundays, Only you know this because you live opposite and see what goes on.

You've got privileged information about the person and it can become stranger as the song progresses.

7. Songs about travelling on a plane or train....... bicycle.

Nothing much even has to happen in this type of song. Just mention the sights you see and speculate openly how unusual they are. 'We wanted to stop for pizza cos the sign said so but the bus kept trundling on down the road.'

The great thing about travel songs is that you can get rhythm from the movement of the vehicle.

8. A song about the vehicle itself, especially if it's a motorbike.

Motorbikes are best cos they're risky, sexy and deviant. You're probably up to no good if you're on a motorbike in song. And bikes have a heart and soul unlike any other form of transport. Steam trains also fall into this category because they appear to breath.

But any vehicle which you can personalise will do. If you care about you old David Brown tractor then your audience will too.

9. Songs about a pet.

Dogs, cats, rats and canaries have all been featured in songs. Again it's about personalising them which going to be easy because you already know what strange creatures they can be. You just exaggerate that.

My friend had a dog which collected underwear from neighbours' washing lines and hid them in a secret cache under the hedge. The police were called because it was thought there was a weirdo living in the area but no. Years later, the underwear was uncovered. Danny the Dog was a corset collector.

10. Songs about a restaurant or weird shop.

If you've ever been into one of those creepy old shops with a secret around every corner, that's also a great place for things to go wrong. Again, build unusual worlds populated by strange people who don't behave as you'd expect. Have the shop be a front for some other weird practice like they do in James Bond films.

Make your shop keeper strange too. For example, my father-in-law used to insult all his customers on daily basis and give away freebies if they told him a good joke. People expected banter and laughed at his insults. It was very strange but he made a good living.

11. A song about part of the body.

You can have 'Bad Hair Day,' you can 'Shake Your Thing,' you can have 'Itchy Fingers,' and 'Soulless Eyes.' There's bones and brains and balls to play with and all of them can give you problems and something to write a song about.

Even a simple phrase such as 'My Feet Don't Work Like They Used To,' has lots of legs in it. Ask the right questions for example why, when and how did those feet stop working ? How do you feel about it, how does your lover feel about it and what are you gonna do about it ?

12. Nature Songs.

Nature features in more songs than you can throw a stick at. Especially as it's changing moods are often likened to changing emotions. Spring is full of hope, summer's a celebration of life, autumn/fall is a time of reflection, winter is something to endure.

Birds, bees, butterflies and bears can all be personified into larger than life characters with human problems. The cool thing is that you can add spice to their humanity because they don't have to behave like humans. They can raid bins, and terrorise shoppers just for the hell of it.

Don't forget flowers and wet mushy leaves, they all have their place.

13. Songs about music, musicians or a musical instrument.

Like a motorbike or a pet, musical instruments have personalities. They can be angry, sad, happy or unhelpful and disruptive. They mess with your mojo in just the same way as people so they have stories to tell.

Music itself is also an entity with its own moods and tantrums. You can write about a 'groove' or a 'beat' or a 'rhythm' or 'melody.' Any of the terms used to describe music have personas just waiting to dance their tune.

There's also the musicians that wrote the stuff. You're not gonna go far wrong writing a song about a dead musician, give it go.

14. Dance songs.

Dance is one of oldest and most important functions of music. It goes back as far as humanity so it should be easy to find words to describe how music makes you want to move.

Even if you can't find the words, the advantage of dance music is that you don't need that many words and you repeat yourself more often because it's acceptable in this genre.

15. Songs about society.

Society has fads and fashions which you can easily compare to moods both high and low. Society can be seen as highly sophisticated and demand sophisticated words and music or it be demonised and rubbished like you might do in a punk rock song.

You could pen any blues or protest song about society with all its corruptions and unbelievably complex factions with their unbelievably complex agendas.

Again it's probably going to about conflict, irony or joy. Bikers beating up Punk Rockers, Gay men stealing the bikers bikes or the variety of different acts in the town carnival parade.

16. Songs about drinking or drugs.

Again, this can have an immoral, deviant angle or a defiant or victim's perspective.

Like em or loathe em, drink and drugs are a function of society, they are deeply embedded in almost every culture and more people seem to get hooked every hour. There's tons to go at here because there are so many conflicts. The tripping, the law, the self harm, ruined lives, the pushers; you can take any angle you like.

Remember, your song should be about an emotion and the story around it, so you don't have to write about being drunk or high. You could make a very good song about smuggling or working in a bar being an observer, this gives you the moral high ground, if that's what you want. But it's important not to be judgemental, just tell the story.

17. A song about a village, town, city or place.

Places have important memories attached to them. This is where I met my wife, this is where I had my accident, this is where 10,000 soldiers died in one day, the list is endless.

Also, many ordinary people go about their ordinary lives in ordinary places. For example; John delivers his bread every morning at six, then at seven, the papers arrive just in time for Mrs Alderidge to collect them for her uncle and suddenly you have diary of events.

Another angle is to give the place personality, ask it what it's seen over the years, after all, most places have been around a long time, even if they've seen better days or been abandoned.

18. A song about a house or building.

As above but you could make it even more personal, especially if you lived in it and it was haunted.

Again many everyday things go on in houses which make good song material because they are what everybody on the planet does, they can relate to piles of dishes and the horror under the stairs and that cold spot which never gets warm.

Don't forget it's about attaching emotions and relationships to the place write about, perhaps you're glad it burned down, if so tell your story. Was it the people in the place which cause such strong emotions or do you think the building is cursed ?

19. Songs about dreams, sleep, bed.

If you're lucky enough to have lucid, ridiculous dreams which jump from one situation to another, then write them as songs. They are a direct connection to your emotional memory and how it's trying to make sense of the world so you'd be a fool to ignore them.

Of course there are other things you can do in bed but I've been trying to avoid that because it's too obvious.

Aside from that, your bed should be a source of inspiration because it's the safest place in the world. When you're in bed you can think and create imaginary worlds.

And don't forget the bed itself, writing a song about the construction of it, the size, shape, smell and feel of it will generate feelings in both you and your listeners.

20. Songs about something coming.

Anticipation is what I'm talking about. An event, a wedding, a visit, a change of job, new government, war, peace, a concert or a doctor's appointment. Again the list is endless and again when it comes to emotion, any of these can go both ways.

For example, you may be dreading the wedding and looking forward to the doctor's appointment.

Time is another event which attracts emotional traction. 'When Tomorrow Comes', 'Saturday's Alright for Fighting.' Remember, tell the story and describe what you're gonna be feeling when the time arrives, for example, are you gonna be 'Alright Then?'

21. Songs about time.

I've already mentioned how the time of the year has strong emotional connotations and how events can be locked into a particular time frame. Seconds, moments, minutes, mornings, afternoons, nights, hours, Days, weeks, months, seasons, years, decades. All can be used to structure your song because they provide a context which everybody understands.

Time is also a bit of an enigma because it only exist in abstract terms, you can use it measure change but you can't see it, or hear it, or taste it. In fact the only way you can experience it is when it appears to stand still.

It also appears to be unstoppable, which for us humans is a little daunting and so there are many songs written using time as an inevitable progression. Don't forget though, your song should probably about what happens to your characters with in the time frame. If you try to write a song about time itself, you may find it a challenge because time is such unusual stuff.

22. A song about the fight, the struggle, the cause.

If you're planning a revolution, you'll need a song to rally the troops. This is another historical function of song. Music has been used on the battlefield for centuries, never under-estimate it's power to motivate people.

Your cause may be to pass an exam, find your missing dog or keep your marriage together. Songs about struggle are functional and serve the purpose of keeping us focused. Reminding us of core principals and why we're are struggling to do what we're doing, especially when it gets tough.

You might often find that a motivational song like this features a military style rhythm. Although this can appear a little overused, if you don't ram it down people's throats, it will serve the purpose of stirring your listener's mind into a mood of resolution and determination.

23. Songs about an item of clothing.

She wore a 'Raspberry Beret,' or 'Blue Velvet,' or an 'Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini.' Do these ring any bells ?

Clothing says a lot about us socially and you can read so much into a personality simply by looking at clothes. Notice how the colour is always specified and that's not just aesthetic. Colours speak volumes about how we're feeling and what our attitudes are so there's a great opportunity to illustrate you characters in just a few words.

Don't forget that clothes have social classifications too. For example, blue jeans usually mean blue collar, high heels usually mean high maintenance. And clothes aren't just a girl thing - Blue Suede Shoes, Sharpe Dressed Man !

24. Attitude songs.

Big attitudes make great songs, feeling 'Good as Hell,' We are the champions,' you ain't nothing but a 'Hound Dog.' If you can get your any attitude condensed into a phrase you're going to write very popular, energetic songs which move people.

It's a case of going beyond the emotion and compressing a tiny version of your story into just a few words. If you feel 'love' then you're 'on top of the world.' If you're frustrated, then you can't 'get satisfaction.' If you're angry then you're going to seek 'revenge like a tiger.' Don't be scared of using a cliched phrase, you can often get away with it if it's a hook or refrain or title.

Your listeners will enjoy feeding off your attitude and will buy into your uncompromising stance, they will follow you. But it does take balls because you are bound to offend people too, it goes with the territory of telling it like it is.

25. Songs about a good time, great time, party time, the best time ever.

This is another type of 'event song' but not necessarily in the future. It could be a memory of a party or it could be happening right here and now.

Which ever way you want to serve it, it should be high tempo, cheerful and sunny. It should almost certainly be danceable and you should imagine folks partying to it.

Think about where you'd like it to be played, a nightclub, a festival ? That will help decide if the 'lights are pumping' or the 'sky is listening to our song.' The emotion in this type of song is obviously is that of shear joy and your attitude is that of, 'as good as it gets' or a 'celebration of life.'

26. Songs about Money.

There have been many hit songs, and many thought provoking songs written about money. That's because it's a very emotive subject.

Again you're probably gonna find it easier to write about the emotions and attitudes which start flying around at a casino or after a robbery, or what you're going to do when you get that big win. There are always losers in these situations too don't forget and most people are disappointed with the whole system at some point in their lives.

As with the subject of time, currency itself is going to be challenging to write about but you could give it a personality and have it behave live an animal. You could liken it to a disease or a pack wolves or a lion and have it hunt down victims.

27. Work songs.

Black African slave workers are well known for their influence upon American music. And anyone who's been forced to do hard manual labour for long hours will confirm that a song or chant can often keep your spirits from spiralling into the abyss. Armed forces also use chants for the exact same purpose on forced marches. Your song may not serve the exact same function, but the basics of it will be similar. You can get a rhythm from a repetitive action, movement or sound, then you can do one of three things. 1. Curse your hard luck being stuck with this labour. 2. Dream of better days when you won't have to work so hard. 3. Refuse to give in to negativity liked armed forces, and parody your discomfort with the pretence that that you love breaking rocks all day long.

There's three verses for you to have ago at.

28. Songs about water, fog, mist, clouds, air, weather.

These sort of fit with the nature songs but have a couple of qualities which make them distinct.

Firstly, they're all elusive and difficult to grasp in the same way that emotions are. This make them ideal for metaphors and comparison to feelings. Secondly, they're not alive like animals and plants which means you can write personalities for them which a not subject to any kind of stereo type.

Clouds and weather are especially changeable so are easily likened to thoughts or feelings. Air is so fundamental to our survival that lovers can be compared to it in metaphor.

29. Songs about any kind of tool or electrical device.

Hammers are quite useful in songs, as are spades, spanners (wrenches) and motors of any kind. Brooms and brushes are particularly useful for metaphorically cleaning up problems. They're also synonymous with boring work.

Radios TVs are obvious candidates but you could also have quite a bit of fun with devices which don't work like they should. Computers and printers immediately spring to mind as having a mind of their own. It doesn't take long to realise you could write quite a good comedy song about printer rage in the paperless age.

Tom Paxton wrote a brilliant song about a toy which he never knew the name of.

30. Songs about a figure of speech.

Lastly, don't be scared of using cliche or overused phrases. In literature it's frowned upon but you can get away with in a song, especially if it's your main hook or refrain.

'As one door closes another opens.' 'You don't know what you've got till it's gone.' 'It might as well rain until September.' There are literally thousands of poignant, punchy sayings you could build a story upon.

There also many documented quotations which often have a thumping attitude built in and ready to be exploited. Just be careful you don't breach anybody's copyright.