What’s the Best Way to Write a Song?

Trick question?

There isn’t one best way. Different writers/composers (and different writing partnerships or teams) approach the task in different ways, dependent on their particular skills, the type of song they are writing - and their particular preference.

For example, I consider myself primarily a writer of words (books, magazine articles, blogs, poems and so on) and I, therefore, always start by wrtting the lyrics first. I then tend to write a chord sequence - by playing through various possibilities on my guitar. Quite often, a melody then suggests itself. I often then play my putative song to a ‘real singer’ and ask them to refine the melody from a singer’s point of view.

Voila! We have a song

(I normally take another look at it a few days later to see whether I am impressed or disappointed by my efforts.). If disappointed, I either modify it or I may discard it if I feel it ho real, intrinsic quality.