Eric Church “Record Year”

by | May 6, 2017 | Songs Analyzed

We’ll deconstruct Eric Church’s “Record Year” to discover the songwriting devices that made this song a #1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay Chart and #44 on the Hot 100 Chart, and garnered three CMA nominations. Written with band mate Jeff...

Songs Using Allusion: Joel To Swift

by | Apr 27, 2017 | Lyrics, Song Craft

While it’s one thing to know what an allusion is, applying it to your songwriting is easier to grasp if you can study songs using allusion well. By understanding how songs use allusion to add to the basic song idea, you can bring the tool into your own...

Allusion: What Is It?

by | Apr 13, 2017 | Lyrics, Song Craft

You probably see or hear an allusion in use a couple of times a day, but do you use it in your songwriting? Have you had a moment when you’re hanging out with friends, and to jokingly give you a hard time, one of your friends references something indirectly you...

Chris Stapleton “Parachute”

by | Mar 19, 2017 | Songs Analyzed

“Parachute,” written by Chris Stapleton and Jim Beavers, is one of my favorite songs on Traveller.  It delivers a universal message in a very economical package. For example, you’ll find a single chord progression repeating itself, sparse imagery and...