Tag: Modern Country
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A Shallow Grave
A modern female country-rock song about a woman who realizes the problems in her relationship were never really gone — just buried in a shallow grave. Driving guitars, attitude, and a strong lyrical hook carry the song from frustration to a final decision to move on.
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Behind The Scenes: A Little Too Much
Sometimes Helping Someone Starts With Giving Them a Reason to Say Yes Some songs begin with something dramatic. “A Little Too Much” began with an extra plate of food. The original spark came from an online story I read about someone who became concerned about a neighbor after the neighbor lost a spouse. The signs…
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Just Shut Up and Pour It
A humorous modern country song following a no-nonsense Southern coffee drinker who needs one strong black cup before the day can begin. When a trip north lands him in a fancy coffee shop full of elaborate choices, his simple philosophy takes over: just shut up and pour it, and don’t talk to him yet.
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Building a Pitch-Ready Catalog
Why Finishing Songs Is Only the Beginning Writing a song is creative. Building a catalog is strategic. Those two things overlap, but they aren’t the same. A songwriter can have dozens, or hundreds, of finished songs and still not have a catalog that’s ready to put in front of an artist, publisher, producer, or music…
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The Paloma
A playful, high-energy country-pop song that mixes summer heat, a cold Paloma, and a little barroom flirting into three minutes of carefree fun. With a bright female vocal and an infectious “one more” hook, The Paloma feels like sunshine in a glass.
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The Relatability Gap
Why Listeners Don’t See Themselves in Your Song One of the most common pieces of songwriting advice is: Be specific. It’s good advice. Specific details create pictures. They make characters believable. They turn generic emotions into moments listeners can actually see. But there’s another side to that advice. A song can become so specific to…
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Behind The Scenes: Go On Daddy
Writing About Grief, Permission, and Finding a Way Forward Some song ideas begin with a title. Others begin with a melody or a line. “Go On Daddy” began with a thought during a long drive through rural Georgia. What happens when someone loses the person they expected to spend the rest of their life with?…
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Nashville Lyrics: The Next 5
Five More Songs From the Front of the Catalog Earlier this year, I selected five songs that represented some of the strongest work in the Nashville Lyrics catalog. Those songs were: My Greatest Win. Mother Over 40. The Bank and the Barn. Day by Day. Dreaming for Two. That was a snapshot of the catalog…
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Behind The Scenes: Just Once
Writing About the Hope That One Relationship Might Finally Be Different Some heartbreak songs are about losing someone. Others are about not knowing how to let someone in. “Just Once” was written from the perspective of someone who desperately wants a relationship to work, but slowly realizes the biggest obstacle isn’t the other person. It’s…
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Behind The Scenes: Tattoos and Booze
Writing a Country Pop Song About the Ones You Know Better Than to Chase Not every song starts with heartbreak. Some start with personality. “Tattoos and Booze” came from the idea of writing a modern country pop song built around attraction, chemistry, and the kind of person who looks like trouble before they even say…