A song is a musical composition with vocals. Depending on the genre of music, it may be performed by a single singer accompanied by one or more instruments (a cappella), a vocal group, a choir, or a large ensemble involving multiple voices singing in harmony. A song may tell a story, be humorous or dramatic, or simply evoke emotion.
A good song requires a great deal of creativity and hard work. It can be inspired by real life events and experiences or can be completely imaginary. The steps in writing a song are many and varied, but the basic ones are finding inspiration, coming up with a melody, lyrics, chord progressions, figuring out how to structure the different sections of a song (e.g. verse, chorus, bridge), and making a high quality recording of the final product.
Songwriters often start with a title, which is the “raw material” from which they will create their song. Some find their title in everyday life, while others will look to literature, movies, other songs, friends or family, or public spaces for ideas.
Once a songwriter has a title, they can begin to write the lyric. Whether they write them before or after the music, or whether they collaborate with another Songwriter on lyrics, it is important that the words match the mood of the musical arrangement and convey what the song is about. Similarly, it is important that the tempo will allow the lyrical phrases to fit comfortably in a vocal range that can be easily sung.