The Question Ruining Your Songwriting
You keep asking the wrong question.
You ask, “What is the right way to write a song?” You look for process before you trust preference. You study methods instead of momentum.
The paradox sits in plain sight. Great songs come from opposite workflows. The work succeeds because the process fits the artist, not because the process follows a rule.
Songwriting has no single path. Evidence lives in the careers people already admire.
Sound First Beats Meaning First
Michael Jackson built songs from sound before language.
Over the years, engineers and collaborators described a pattern. He recorded vocal textures, beatboxed rhythms, and stacked melodic fragments. Lyrics arrived later. Sometimes much later.
Structure emerged through repetition and feel. The lesson stays clear. If rhythm and melody pull you forward, start there.
Capture fragments. Stack ideas. Name parts after energy appears.
Meaning followed motion.
Volume Creates Clarity
Beyoncé worked from scale and selection.
Reports describe rooms full of writers, producers, and reference tracks. Songs moved through rapid passes. Versions multiplied.
Energy decided survival.
Authorship lived in choice, not origin. The strongest ideas stayed. The rest disappeared.
The lesson holds weight. If collaboration drives you, design sessions for output. Invite contrast. Test ideas through performance. Editing becomes the creative act.
Clarity came from pressure.
Silence Protects Truth
Adele followed patience.
Stories around her writing point toward privacy. Piano. Voice. Long pauses. Many songs never passed the bar.
Time served emotional accuracy. Speed mattered less than honesty. Release waited for readiness. The lesson speaks plainly.
If truth anchors your work, slow everything down. Protect solitude. Accept long gaps. The song arrived after alignment.
What These Processes Share
None of these artists copied a method.
Each built a system around temperament. The public saw identity later. The work formed first. Process followed personality. Not the other way around.
Where You Get Stuck
You chase interviews.
You switch workflows mid song. You judge your pace against someone else’s pace.
Confusion grows.
Songs stall.
A Simple Way Forward
Before you start, answer one question: What unlocks momentum for me today?
Sound.
Meaning.
People.
Pick one. Build the session around it. Finish without changing drivers. Evaluation waits until a draft exists.
The Real Release
Genres appear after songs exist.
Methods appear after work repeats.
Your job stays small and demanding.
Choose a process that fits you.
Finish songs.
Repeat.
The paradox resolves through action.
I’ve tried all three of these approaches at different points and always felt guilty about whichever one I wasn’t using. Seeing them laid out side by side made it obvious there’s no correct workflow, just alignment. The Beyoncé section especially reframed editing for me. Cutting isn’t erasing creativity; it is the creativity. This made me want to build sessions around momentum again instead of perfection. I always especially enjoy the music newsletters so thank you Idris Elijah for a great start to the weekend!
This articulated something I feel every time I’m in front of a canvas. If I start thinking about style or where the piece fits, my hands freeze. But when I stay with color, tension and repetition the work moves. Those are the things that actually pull me back. I loved the idea that identity shows up after repetition, not before. It makes me want to stop naming things too early and let the pile of work speak for itself. Happy Friday Idris Elijah and thank you for another interesting read!