How to Write Songs About Fantasy

You want to build a kingdom inside three minutes and make people care. You want lyrics that read like a page turner and melodies that feel like spells. You also want fans who will cry at the bridge and sing the chorus at karaoke with glitter still in their hair. This guide teaches you how to write songs about fantasy worlds with methods you can use today.

This is written for artists who love drama and weird worlds. You do not need a degree in lore or a closet full of cloaks. You need curiosity, a clear emotional engine, and a craft toolbox. We will cover idea selection, fast world building, character work, lyrical craft, melodic choices that feel otherworldly, production tricks, arrangement shapes, and finishing moves that keep your story coherent and emotional. Every term you see will get a plain English explanation and real life examples so nothing leaks into pretentious fog.

Why Fantasy Songs Work

Fantasy is not an escape from feelings. Fantasy is a magnifier for feelings. When you put heartbreak into a dragon fight or desire into a forbidden spell you let listeners experience an emotion with the distance needed to actually feel it. Distance can be healing. Distance can be louder. That is why fantasy songs land hard for millennial and Gen Z listeners who grew up on bingeable mythic shows and lyric videos with art that looks like a tarot card.

Fantasy songs also survive weird contexts. A track called I Am The Last Lighthouse Keeper will play fine in an indie playlist and also fit in a cinematic trailer. That is market gold. The trick is keeping the emotional promise clear. The world is decoration. The heart is the engine.

Core Elements of Fantasy Songwriting

• Emotional core — the single feeling your song exists to deliver. Example emotions are defiance, longing, wonder, regret.
• World building — the set of rules and imagery that make your setting feel real. World building means listing a few concrete rules and sensory details. Not a novel. Not backstory. A rule is a short fact the listener can hold.
• Character — the person or group who wants something. Even a chorus voice can be a character. Give them one desire and one obstacle.
• Hook — a lyrical or melodic phrase that repeats and carries the promise. Hooks can be a chorus, a post chorus chant, or an instrumental motif. A hook is the part fans hum in the shower.
• Motif — a short musical or lyrical fragment that returns to remind the listener of a rule or feeling. A motif is like a theme song for the emotion.
• Rules — the reality rules of your world. A rule might be you cannot lie on Wednesdays or the sky runs like a clock. A rule gives your lyrics constraints which make details interesting.
• Arc — the change the character experiences. The arc does not need to be huge. It can be a decision to stay or leave.

Start With a Single Emotional Promise

Before you write any lines or chords, write one sentence that states the emotional promise. This is not a plot summary. This is what a listener should feel after the chorus. Keep it small and human.

Examples

• I will forgive the boy who turned into a comet.
• We hide under the map to survive the winter of magic.
• I miss the town my mother erased from the river.

Turn that sentence into a short title if you can. Short titles are easier to sing and easier to tag on streaming platforms. If you can imagine a friend texting the title back to you, you are on the right track.

Fast World Building That Fits a Song

World building sounds like a monster task. It is not. For a song you want a pocket world. Think of it as a diorama not an encyclopedia. Pick three high impact details and one rule. Use those to paint every verse and chorus. The listener will fill the rest with their imagination.

How to pick the three details

1. One sensory anchor such as smell, sound, or texture. Example: the market smells of iron and honey.
2. One visual sign such as a symbol or costume piece. Example: everyone wears a single blue ribbon on their wrist.
3. One small economy that matters emotionally. Example: you trade memories for bread.

Then pick a rule. A rule informs decisions. Rules avoid contradictions later.

Example

• Sensory anchor: rain sounds like broken glass.
• Visual sign: lanterns glow with names instead of light.
• Economy: you can buy a day of forgetfulness.
• Rule: names can be stolen but not given back.

With those four items you can write a verse about a market, a chorus about losing a name, and a bridge where someone pays for forgetfulness. The world feels real because the details repeat and obey the rule.

Choose a Point of View That Serves the Emotion

Point of view or POV means whose eyes the song is told through. POV decides what the listener knows and how intimate the song feels. Popular options are first person, second person, and third person.

• First person gives intimacy. Use it to sell internal arcs. Example: I bury my lantern so they forget the name.
• Second person can feel like an incantation or a command. Use it for rituals and chants. Example: You tie the ribbon and call the tide.
• Third person is good for myth retelling and world lore. Use it for ballads about heroes. Example: She kept the map in her sleeve and walked away.

Mixing POV works if you do it on purpose. For example you can have verses in third person and a chorus in first person. That makes the chorus feel personal after a story setup.

Anchor Your Emotional Core Early

Fantasy songs do not get to keep listeners by complexity alone. They keep listeners with a clear feeling that arrives fast. Hook your listener within the first 30 seconds. That can be a short lyrical line, a melodic motif, or an intriguing image. The faster you plant your flag the easier it is to experiment later.

Real life scenario: You have a demo that is eight minutes of mood. Nobody will listen. Trim to the moment that shows the emotional truth. If that moment is an eight bar refrain, start with it. If it is a striking line like My hands smell like thunder, sing it early and let the rest explain.

Write a Chorus That Does the Heavy Lifting

The chorus should be the thesis. In a fantasy song the chorus often expresses the emotional contract between character and world. Keep it short and concrete. Use your title line here. Make the chorus function as the memory hook.

Chorus recipe for fantasy songs

1. Say the emotional promise in one plain sentence.
2. Add one concrete image that ties to your world building detail.
3. Repeat a short phrase or word as a chant for the post chorus if you want an earworm.

Example chorus sketch

I will trade my name for one more dawn. Lanterns keep our secrets and the tide keeps mine. Call me anything when the river forgets my face.

That chorus contains the promise trade for dawn, references lanterns to tie into the world, and offers a repeatable line you can turn into a post chorus chant.

Verses That Show, Not Tell

Verses should feel like camera shots from your world. Small details beat big sweeps every time. Replace abstractions with objects and actions. This is the famous show not tell rule. If you can imagine a short film for each line you are doing it right.

Before and after examples

Before: I miss the city and the way it felt.

After: The market hawker still sells yesterday in wrapped jars. I open one and cough out a memory of you on the corner of Elm and rain.

Details to use in verses

• Physical objects that carry meaning like a bandage stitched with a map fragment.
• Small rituals such as lighting a ribbon each night.
• Time stamps such as the bell at moon third or the last bright second before drought.

Reveal Rules Without Exposition

One mistake writers make is info dump. Songs do not have pages and listeners will tune out if you lecture. Reveal rules through consequences and small scenes. Instead of saying names can be stolen, show a line where a character pays flour for someone else to forget a name. The listener deduces the rule and feels clever for doing it.

Technique: show a repeat consequence. If the rule matters in verse one make it matter again in the bridge. Repetition signals the rule without explanation.

Melody And Harmony That Sound Slightly Unreal

To make a song feel like fantasy musically use choices that are familiar but slightly off center. That tension between familiar and alien is what makes the ear lean in.

Scale and mode ideas

• Lydian mode. Lydian has a raised fourth scale degree which makes the sound float. Explain: a mode is a type of scale or series of notes that gives a specific mood. Lydian sounds hopeful and strange.
• Dorian mode. Dorian sounds minor but jazzy. Use it for moody wanderers.
• Harmonic minor. This scale creates an eastern or medieval flavor with a strong leading tone. Use it sparingly to avoid sounding cliché.

Melodic motifs

Use a short melodic cell that repeats. A motif can be three notes long and appear on voice and instrument. When listeners hear it they get the sense of unity. Think of it as your story logo.

Harmony choices

Keep chords simple but consider pedal points which are held notes under changing harmony. That creates a hovering sensation. Use suspended chords or add a second guitar or synth with a different tuning to make the texture shimmer.

Instrumentation And Production Ideas

How you produce the song sells the world faster than any lyric. Production is storytelling with tone. A synth pad that sounds like wind, a harp pluck doubled with a grainy vocal through a tape emulator, or a field recording of rain can instantly create space.

Practical production ingredients

• One signature sound such as a bell with decay, a bowed saw, a wooden pipe flute, or a choir pad. Use it sparingly so it becomes a character.
• Ambience like distant thunder, market chatter, or footsteps on stone. Keep the volume low so it supports but does not clutter.
• Contrast between sections where the verse is intimate and the chorus widens with strings or choir. Contrast sells payoff.
• Panning and space. Put the motif instrument slightly off center so the voice stays front and the world breathes around it.

Real world scenario: You have an acoustic demo that feels small. Add a bell motif panned left, a distant choir pad, and a soft sub bass under the final chorus. Suddenly your living room becomes a cathedral.

Song Structure Options For Fantasy Narrative

Pick a structure that lets your story breathe. Here are three shapes that work for different narratives.

Ballad map: slow reveal

• Intro with one motif
• Verse one sets a scene and character
• Chorus states emotional promise
• Verse two raises stakes or shows consequence
• Chorus repeats
• Bridge reveals a secret or twist
• Final chorus with added harmony and motif variation

Ritual map: chant energy

• Cold open with chant or second person call
• Verse as a list of rules and actions
• Pre chorus as a building incantation
• Chorus as a communal refrain
• Post chorus chant repeats motif
• Breakdown with minimal instrumentation and spoken line
• Final chorus with full choir or doubled voices

Mini narrative map: short story

• Intro with motif
• Verse one sets conflict
• Chorus is the decision
• Verse two shows consequence
• Bridge flips perspective
• Short outro with motif closing the loop

Lyric Devices That Work For Fantasy

Ring phrase

Repeat a short line at the start and end of the chorus to make the lyric circular. It helps memory. Example: Call me moonlight at the end of each chorus.

List escalation

Three items that grow in consequence. Save the most pointed item for last. Example: I traded my coat, my name, and then my childhood clock.

Callback

Use a phrase from verse one in the bridge or chorus with one word changed. This makes the story feel cohesive. Example: Verse one has a line The lantern told me where you hid. Bridge changes it to The lantern forgot how to sing.

Unreliable narrator

Make the singing voice suspect. If the narrator is lying or forgot something, the listener is engaged trying to piece together truth. This is good for mystery and twist songs.

Writing Exercises For Fantasy Songs

Ten minute world sketch

Set a timer for ten minutes. List three sensory details, one rule, and one currency or cost that matters emotionally. Do not explain. Write only the details. Use these next to write a chorus in twenty minutes.

The object ritual

Pick one object near you. Imagine it in your fantasy world and write four lines where the object is used in a ritual. Ten minutes. Make each line a different camera shot.

Title swap drill

Write a title that states your emotional promise. Then write five alternate titles that use fewer words or stronger vowels. Pick the one that sings best and build the chorus around it.

Real world examples you can model

Example theme 1: A lighthouse keeper who stores memories

• World building: lanterns hold names, lighthouse glass remembers faces, storms eat time.
• Rule: names stored in lanterns cannot be spoken outside the tower.
• Emotional core: fear of losing self but desire to protect others.
• Chorus hook: I light your name and let the night keep you. Repeat phrase let the night keep you as a post chorus chant.

Example theme 2: A city where promises are currency

• World building: promises can be paid in coin, street markets trade vows, broken promises become street graffiti.
• Rule: once a promise is given you cannot take it back without paying a toll of a secret memory.
• Emotional core: bargaining identity for safety.
• Chorus hook: I gave my last promise for your coat and I shall not knock again. Ring phrase I shall not knock again repeats.

Study these skeletons and you will see how few details can carry a whole song.

Common Pitfalls And How To Fix Them

• Too much exposition. Fix by cutting any line that explains rules instead of showing consequences. Ask if the line would make sense in a movie without voice over. If not, cut it.
• Vague fantasy speak. Fix by replacing made up nouns with objects that carry feeling. For example change The wyrm of night to The kiln of moth scales. The more tactile the better.
• Inconsistent rules. Fix by writing your rule on the top of the page and referencing it before you write each verse. If you break it, either justify the break or change the rule in the text so it is a plot beat.
• Emotional distance. Fix by anchoring each verse to a small human action like lighting the stove or mending a ribbon. That action is the pivot between myth and feeling.

Finishing Checklist Before You Call It Done

1. Does the chorus state the emotional promise clearly in everyday language?
2. Do the verses use concrete sensory details and actions?
3. Is there a single rule that the world honors across the song?
4. Is your motif present and recognizable in at least two places?
5. Does the melody give the chorus a different shape from the verse?
6. Have you removed any line that only exists to explain something rather than show it?
7. Can you hum the motif with no words and the song still suggests the world?

Pitching And Placing Fantasy Songs

Fantasy songs fit many spaces. Think about these placement ideas and tailor small versions or stems for them.

• Video game trailers often want anthemic builds and a memorable motif. Make a 90 second edit that starts with motif and builds to the chorus.
• Streaming playlists like cinematic or indie folk. Tag your track with keywords such as fantasy, mythic, cinematic, and storytelling. Metadata helps algorithmic discovery. Metadata means descriptive information on your track like artist name, genre tags, and keywords.
• Sync for film or TV where a specific lyric can land on a visual moment. Write a short instrumental version of your motif for licensing inquiries.
• Concept EP or album where multiple songs share motifs and rules. This can build a fan base that loves the world and returns for more stories.

Write A Fantasy Song In A Day: A Practical Workflow

1. Morning ten minute world sketch. Pick three details and one rule.
2. Take the emotional promise and write a one line title. Ten minutes.
3. Make a two chord loop and sing on vowels for five minutes. Capture motifs you like. Fifteen minutes.
4. Write the chorus with title and a concrete image. Twenty minutes.
5. Draft verse one with a camera shot and a small ritual. Twenty minutes.
6. Draft verse two changing one word from verse one to show consequence. Twenty minutes.
7. Quick demo with a guide vocal, motif instrument, and one pad. Thirty minutes.
8. Short feedback loop with one trusted friend. Ask the question what line stuck. Ten minutes.
9. Polish lyrics and record a clean demo. Remaining time.

Terms You Will See And Their Simple Definitions

• Motif: a short musical or lyrical fragment that repeats to represent an idea. Think of it as the ear logo for your song.
• POV: point of view. The perspective from which the story is told. If you use this acronym say point of view and then the acronym in parentheses the first time you use it.
• Modal: related to musical modes. Modes are types of scales that affect mood. If you see Lydian or Dorian they are modes and not secret code.
• Pre chorus: a section that builds from the verse into the chorus. It increases tension and anticipation.
• Post chorus: a short repeated phrase that follows the chorus to increase earworm power. It can be wordless syllables or a chant.
• Metadata: descriptive data about your track like tags and keywords used by streaming services to categorize music.

FAQ

Can I write fantasy songs if I do not play an instrument

Yes. You can write lyrics and melody humming into your phone. Use simple apps to record a vocal idea. Collaborate with a producer or a musician who can translate your motif into a sonic palette. The idea matters more than the demo polish at the start.

Should I invent a language for authenticity

Only if the invented words serve an emotional purpose. Made up language can sound cool but can also distance listeners. Use one invented word at most and give it an easy translation in the chorus or pre chorus. The goal is connection not mystery for mystery sake.

How do I avoid sounding cliche

Avoid generic fantasy nouns without sensory detail. Replace dragon with the dragon sputa flame like cold glass and give it a strange habit. Anchor every myth element with a human action. Personal details make the fantastic feel fresh.

What modes make a song sound magical

Lydian for floating wonder, Dorian for bittersweet travel, harmonic minor for archaic or eastern color. Use them as color not rules. If you are not comfortable with modes use a raised fourth or a flattened second in a familiar key to hint at the mood.

How long should a fantasy song be

Most songs live between two minutes and four minutes. If your story requires more time consider making it a mini suite or part of a concept EP. For single tracks keep the emotional arc compact and plant the main hook early.

Get Contact Details of Music Industry Gatekeepers

Looking for an A&R, Manager or Record Label to skyrocket your music career?

Don’t wait to be discovered, take full control of your music career. Get access to the contact details of the gatekeepers of the music industry. We're talking email addresses, contact numbers, social media...

Packed with contact details for over 3,000 of the top Music Managers, A&Rs, Booking Agents & Record Label Executives.

Get exclusive access today, take control of your music journey and skyrocket your music career.

Unlock Instant Access