As a storyteller you more than likely have a piece of music that you turn to when looking for content inspiration or a little pick-me-up.
Lyrics are in essence short stories that are great examples of content that evokes an emotional reaction from an audience.
I wanted to draw attention to 3 classic songs, and an excerpt from each, to illustrate how these pieces of music are a form of content that informs and resonates with the listener.
Have a look at the excerpts and think about what each brings to the surface. It’s an interesting exercise that can help you to understand music just a little bit better.
Rhythm and rhyme
Once upon a time not long ago
When people wore pajamas and lived life slow
When laws were stern and justice stood
And people were behaving like they ought ta good
Children’s Story by Slick Rick
Adding rhythm to your content helps the reader engage with and absorb the message you’re trying to convey. You want to make them feel like they have to finish reading what you’ve written because it sucks them in.
To test if what you’ve written flows off the tongue, read it aloud! Who knows, you could be the next Slick Rick.
Descriptive language
Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality
Open your eyes, look up to the skies and see
I’m just a poor boy, I need no sympathy
Because I’m easy come, easy go, little high, little low
Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen
Descriptive language isn’t used all that often these days outside of novels. Advertising and copywriting has made words short and snappy. But don’t underestimate the power of using words that people don’t hear everyday.
When last did you use the word “landslide”? Probably not today. Yet it evokes a whole range of mental images and connotations.
If you’re stuck on how to choose a better, more descriptive word, don’t underestimate the power of the thesaurus. You can turn and ordinary word into something extraordinary to make your audience stop and think.
Breaking grammar rules
Just a small town girl
Livin’ in a lonely world
She took the midnight train goin’ anywhere
Don’t Stop Believing by Journey
Don’t be afraid to start sentences with words like “just” or “because”. They can be powerful words to drop the reader right into the action.
We’ve been taught to write properly for the world of work, but your audience isn’t looking for a lecture when they go online. They want something fun and different. Breaking the rules does just that.
If you want to learn more about how music can inform your own branding – and in turn help communicate your brand story – take a look at this blog post. In it, I explore the concept of musical branding and how 4 different content types feed into an artist’s brand.
Examining each aspect of their brand – from music videos to merchandise – helps to show the impact music can have on a person outside of the music itself.
Music is a huge part of everyday life, whether you listen to it on your phone or hear it in a movie, it evokes a response from the listener.
Musicians themselves are a brand – whether solo or a band – and in turn portray the image that their audience know, love and engage with.
