Why the pre-chorus matters in modern songwritingMost listeners cannot name the pre-chorus even though they feel its pull every time it lands. The section that sits between verse and chorus does the heavy…Reading between the lines to find a song's true subjectA title often acts as a hook rather than a summary, offering a single evocative phrase that pulls listeners in without necessarily explaining what the song is…The Use of Place Names in Lyrics: Setting as CharacterA song can mention a city, suburb, coastline or country in a single line and still make that location feel alive. Place names carry memory, class, weather,…Why Artists Change Lyrics Live: The Spontaneous RewriteA familiar song can sound completely new when an artist changes a line on stage. The melody may stay fixed, the band may follow the same arrangement, and the…Songs about music itself for the obsessed listenerAustralia has always had a special relationship with music made about music itself. Whether you wander Melbourne's laneways on a Sunday, head to a Newtown gig…How a callback anchors a song by echoing its earlier linesSongwriting rewards patterns that reward the listener. A callback, where a phrase or image from a verse resurfaces in a chorus, bridge or final movement, gives…How album track order creates a lyrical arcWalk into a record shop in Melbourne's inner north and you'll often see customers standing by the listening post, headphones clamped on, scanning through a…The art of the non-rhyming lyric in modern songwritingA song does not need matching end sounds to feel complete. Some of the most affecting lyrics move through images, spoken phrases, interrupted thoughts and…Five Songs That Use Numbers From One To 99Numbers can make a song feel precise, memorable and surprisingly emotional. A single figure may mark an age, define a relationship, suggest a warning or turn a…The Quiet Power Of A Song’s Second VerseA song’s opening verse has an obvious job: it introduces the setting, voice, conflict or emotional temperature. The chorus then gives listeners the line they…