30 Song Starters ( for Songwriters who are 'stuck' )

Marqs
Mar 5, 2021
2 min read

Most songwriters have LOTS of ideas for songs, and the reason they aren't writing songs isn't USUALLY for lack of ideas of what to write about. Most of the time the problem is more likely they are struggling with how to bring the vision in their heads to life in song. Often, it's the perfectionism within them that just won't let them finish a song because it's not "perfect" (although no song ever is). Sometimes it's because they've written themselves into a lyrical corner and can't find a word that rhymes with "purple", and feel like they can't change that without re-writing the whole song....

However, sometimes we songwriter types feel stuck. The last 10 songs were about this girl, Elsinore, and every time we start to write something, she keeps taking over our thoughts. We desperately need to think about something else to write about, because, well, we're starting to seem a little stalkerish creepy.... So, for those times you may feel like you're stuck in a rut, and need something to inspire your muse, here are a few ideas:

SONGS ABOUT...

You broke up with someone but wish you hadn't
You haven't broken up with someone but know you should
Someone broke up with you and you realize you're glad they did
Someone broke up with you and you're crushed
You saw someone from afar and fell in love with them
You tell a story about your childhood
You tell a story about a friend
You tell about meeting someone and wanting to know them
You tell the story of someone who is misunderstood (you, or someone else)
You tell the story of someone who was heroic
You tell about a real event
You tell about the feelings of a fictional character ( either one you made up or a well known fictional character)
You tell about someone who has been in the news
A major event that has occurred in the world
A major event that has occurred in your life
Something you hope for, dream for or aspire to
Your hometown, or the neighborhood where you grew up, and what it means to you
Believing in yourself and who you can be
How you were blindsided by something or someone
How important the people in your life are to you
Something that is an important value
A parent's advice to a child
A parent's confession
A child's feelings about a parent or a parental figure
The relationship between siblings
About a holiday - major or minor or even personal holidays
Use an existing song as your launch point... tell the story from a different viewpoint.
Write about a food item, an inanimate object, or a pet.
Write a song imagining life from a different perspective than your own.
Write a song that you'd be embarrassed to sing in front of your family.