The best songs are the ones that hurt the most

Dear fellow songwriters and readers,

today I wanna talk to you about how the songs that hurt the most are often the ones, we need the most. They are also often the best ones (at least in my opinion).

As a songwriter you can always decide whether you wanna bare your soul and talk about all the things that you are going through or whether you wanna keep it less dramatical and more general. I personally write more honestly when I feel sad and am struggling with something in my life as opposed to being full of bliss. Maybe that´s because in those moments, writing off my sorrow is like a therapy.

In happy moments, I tend to focus too much on describing things in a way that makes them seem extensively beautiful. Because mere beauy or happiness will never be enough, right? 😉

So how come a lot of artists love specific songs of theirs the most, while the majority of listeners might even prefer another song? I´m pretty sure this is due to the particular meaning a song holds for us. It might be a song that´s not designed perfectly melodically, but its lyrics might win the race. Or vice versa.

The songs that make us cry when we sing them or at least make us hurt, are the ones we might love the most! Because they are more intense. And that´s the beauty of songwriting. That sigh of relief as you sing the last line. I´d say: always write for yourself first and then think about whether the song should be shared and heard. Some songs need to be heard by more people than just yourself and your guitar!  Others might be destined to stay intimate and private forever! But then again: never say never!

Yet, for the sake of wellbeing: Write what you mean and mean what you write!

Yours,

Katie