Composers: Do you want to write a timeless song?

When you write a song, think of it as something that will last forever. Sure, musical styles will change over time and that’s okay and to be expected. However, there are a couple of things you can avoid, lyrically, that can help preserve your song as time goes on.

Avoid phrases of the minute

Many times a phrase appears that is somehow really popular at the time, and then disappears. At the very least, it qualifies as cheesy for the rest of eternity. For example, in the 90s there was a certain period of time when it was socially acceptable to say something and then follow it up with “… No!”, To deny what you just said. Like, “You’re cool … No!” As unconvincing as it may sound now, there was a time when it was said far too often. Have Wayne’s world thank you for that.

You may be thinking “I would never use such an unconvincing phrase in my music”, but you may not know it, because now it’s great. The general rule of thumb is that if something got super popular practically overnight and is (at least) a little cheesy already, it probably won’t stand the test of time.

An example of this happens in Uncle Kracker’s song, “Smile.” In the opening verse he uses the phrase “Cooler than the other side of my pillow, that’s correct.” When the song first came out, it already felt strange that he was copying a phrase from the moment, and it only gets more awkward as time goes on.

Using a phrase of the moment like this might It works to your advantage if you are writing a super catchy pop song that could be an instant hit, because you are adding it to something that is popular at the moment. But don’t expect that to last. Nor would I suggest using that as a strategy when writing.

So try to avoid phrases like that in your songs, if you want your songs to be timeless. After all, imagine what it would sound like if you were still releasing a song that read “… No!” after a line of your handwriting. Learn to be a judge of what has legs and what won’t last. If you completely avoid cliches, you won’t even have to worry about this problem at all.

Address dates

How you approach dates and ages can affect you later as well. Let’s say you have a song about going out into the world. If you used a line like “I was in class of ’12”, that will get old quickly. But if you said something like “I graduated last year”, it will last much longer. Okay, that line won’t always be factually accurate, but it won’t sound awkward to someone listening to your song five years after it was written.

Talking about your age can have the same effect. If you say “I’m 28” in a song that sticks with you, when you sing it twenty years later, it can sound funny (unless its inaccuracy becomes intentional as you get older). Instead, you can say, “I was born in (insert year here).” As long as your song is not about being young, that will accompany you as the years go by.

The easiest way to approach moments like these is to simply ask yourself, “Will this sound weird to you if I’m singing this song in five, ten, or twenty years?” If the answer is yes, you may want to rephrase things to make them easier to use. There is always a different way of saying something that can give you the results you are looking for.

Last note

It’s harder to predict what will or won’t be great musically later in the future, except to say that if you’re copying a sound that’s super catchy and became popular very quickly, it probably won’t last long. So the musical end of things is difficult to predict. But if you follow the general rules we discuss here, it’s a good start for writing lyrics that can be timeless. Just trust your gut and always ask yourself if the lyrics would still apply at a later time. Then you’ll be on your way.