1. How to Write a Sad Song
Everyone loves a good sad song. It is a genre that crosses genres.
You hear it in country, rock, blues, alternative, folk, and even pop. The reason being, it’s a feeling that
everyone can relate to.
Just like happiness, love, and anger in music connect with people, so too does sadness. No one escapes
that feeling, otherwise you would never know joy.
The Importance of Sadness as an Emotion
Writing, listening to, or singing a sad song has an astounding effect on people, it actually makes them
feel better. Being able to let out their emotions into lyrics, or hear someone relating their exact feelings
in a song can have a powerfully healing effect on
a sad person.
Sometimes, it’s the only thing that can comfort
them. Maybe it’s something that you’re
interested in doing during a particular moment
of sadness in your life.
Here are a few tips and tricks to aide you while
you develop your lyrics. First, have a good story
to tell.
The reason people connect to sad songs is
because they tell a good story, a relatable story that is truly sad. Tell it from the first person view.
The Power of a Sad Song
Take Annie Lennox’s song “Why” for example. She sets the scene when she says sorry to a faceless love.
He responds by telling her this trouble isn’t going to fix itself, meaning that he’s going to want out.
Immediately you are brought into the situation with the story.
You can relate to her and want things to get better. The message is conveyed through the story.
Gear your song around the story. Second, write.
Don’t worry about the grammatical correctness of what you say, or the poetic virtue of it. Write the
feelings of your heart.
Write why it hurts. Write how it happened.
Make the chorus the most hurtful thing about the situation and always return to that feeling at the end
of every verse. Jeff Buckley did a phenomenal job with this in his famous song, “Hallelujah.

2. ” His verses tell a story of sorrow. The speed and style of his singing cries out in anguish and finishes
with the ironic statement “Hallelujah.”
It’s repeated four times as the chorus. He redefines a normally joyful word to be cold and broken.
The joy of the past is broken in the present, and he plays with the lyrics to make the audience feel the
same way he does. No one should sorrow when they hear the words, but they do when they hear his
song.
Third, come up with a title. Write a title that captures the feeling of the piece.
It doesn’t have to be from the chorus. It doesn’t even have to come from the lyrics at all, although it is
more memorable when it does.
Find something that truly expresses the feeling of the song and title it appropriately. Your listeners will
relate to the title, just as much as the lyrics and feel of the piece.
Nine Inch Nails summed up their sorrow perfectly with the title “Hurt.” With a story to direct your
audience, soulful lyrics, and a good title, your story is told and just needs a tune and musical back
support.
If you’re looking to start a band to write sad songs with, look to Denver colleges. There are plenty of
musicians of every style in Denver colleges just itching for an opportunity to make their way in the
world.
Hit up a campus and get into the music scene. Denver colleges could help you begin the band of your
dreams