How to Write Songs About Song

You want to write a song about song that actually feels like a song and not a journal entry read aloud at three a.m. A song about song is a musical selfie. It can be tender, vicious, funny, or weirdly cosmic. It can celebrate the way a bassline can slap the mustard off your childhood memory. It can confess that your chorus was written in a grocery line. Most importantly it can make listeners feel seen when they have that private moment where a track on a playlist opens a wound and hands them a bandage at the same time.

This guide gives you a complete roadmap to write songs about song. You will get dependable angles, craft tactics for lyrics and melody, structure plans, production ideas, and plug and play exercises you can use in a thirty minute session. Terms and acronyms are explained in plain speech with real life examples. The tone is messy real but useful. Let us go make something that sings about singing.

What exactly is a song about song

A song about song is a song that takes another song or the act of songwriting as its subject. It can be literal, like a narrator describing how a particular record moved them. It can be meta, where the lyrics comment on the songwriting process while the music does the thing it is talking about. It can also be cultural, reflecting on the role of songs in memory, politics, or identity.

Examples of subject wells

• A song that remembers how a record saved a breakup night.
• A track that jokes about writer block while the chorus refuses to rhyme.
• A piece that traces how a song becomes a ritual at weddings or funerals.
• A tune that anthropomorphizes a melody as a person who will not leave.

This is fertile ground because songs already do what they talk about. The form can show the meaning without explaining it away. When writing a song about song you can be self referential and still give the listener emotional pay off.

Why write about songs

There are three reasons you will want to do this and none of them involve being narcissistic about your own genius.

• Everybody has a soundtrack. People connect to music through memory. Songs about songs hit a nerve because they name that invisible soundtrack and make it sharable.
• It is permission to be meta. Artists who want to critique or celebrate the industry or their craft have a natural platform in a subject so close to the work.
• It can be playful and clever. The topic lets you fold musical jokes into the music. You can let the chorus collapse into a famous cliché on purpose and then rescue it with a left turn.

Pick an angle before you pick a chord progression

Always start with angle. An angle is a single emotional promise the song makes to the listener. Narrowing the promise saves you from an essay and gives you a chorus that people can grab onto.

Clear angles to try

• Memory angle. Tell a story where a specific song becomes the hook for a life event. Example scenario. You hear the song on a taxi radio at 2 a.m and decide to move across the country the next day.
• Making angle. Write from the seat of a writer who is nervous, drunk, inspired, blocked, or all of the above. Example scenario. You try to write a chorus in a bathroom stall and the melody is just a hummed fault line.
• Personification angle. Treat a song like a person who shows up uninvited. Example scenario. The melody lounges on the couch and eats your cereal long after you ask it to leave.
• Industry angle. Tell the micro story of a single listener who finds an underground song and it changes a political or cultural moment. Example scenario. A protest chant was once a bedroom demo.
• Meta angle. The lyric comments on itself and the act of writing. This invites playful devices like echo lines and self quoting. Example scenario. The songwriter writes the chorus and then sings the diary entry about writing the chorus inside the chorus.

Find your core promise with a one sentence test

Before you write a verse pick one sentence that states the emotional heart. Make it short enough to text to your friend at 3 a.m. If your sentence is messy trim it. Turn that sentence into a title if possible. The title is your chorus magnet.

One sentence examples

• That song saves me every time I stay awake too late.
• I wrote a chorus in the bathroom and now everyone calls it home.
• The record left, but the melody kept my keys.

Make the title singable. Short words and open vowels like ah oh and ay are friends on high notes. If your title cannot be said as a chorus line remove the fancy words and come back later.

Choose a structure that lets the idea breathe

Because your song will be partly about music itself you want a structure that allows for a theatrical reveal and a musical joke. Choose a form that gives you a moment to show then a moment to explain then a moment to repeat the show with new meaning.

Reliable structure templates

• Verse pre chorus chorus verse pre chorus chorus bridge chorus. Use the pre chorus to build anticipation and the bridge to flip perspective.
• Intro hook verse chorus verse chorus bridge outro hook. Use the intro hook to plant the musical motif you are talking about so the lyric and sound match.
• Cold open with a sample or recorded field loop verse chorus verse chorus middle eight double chorus. The field loop can be a recorded radio scan or a phone voice memo for authenticity.

Lyrics that show the craft and the feeling

Lyrics about songs must do two things simultaneously. First they must show the listener the sensory truth of music as experience. Second they must not get stuck explaining how music works. Show the mileage, not the engine diagram.

Use concrete anchors

Replace abstract words about feeling with small details. Objects anchors work best. Instead of I felt understood write The chorus sat in my lap like a cat and would not leave. The cat image creates a sensory scene and implies comfort without naming it.

Be meta with taste

Meta lines are delightful when they sound honest. Cheap cleverness is when the line signals meta but does not add new feeling. Instead of This song is my diary try The chorus steals my handwriting and mails it home. You keep the meta claim and add a weird image that creates a small moment.

Callbacks as emotional glue

Use a small motif or a phrase that appears in verse one and returns altered in the chorus. The callback feels like the song is listening to itself. For example, introduce a line like I learned to hum in the dentist chair early and return in the bridge as I hum the bridge where you left your name. The altered context adds meaning.

Melody and harmony that reflect the subject

You can make the arrangement mirror the lyric. If the song talks about memory use a repeating motif that returns slightly changed. If the song talks about a chorus that will not stick, write a chorus that is catchy and then deliberately sabotage it in the next section with an odd time signature or a rhythmic hitch. The sabotage becomes a character in the story.

Practical melody moves

• Use a simple phrase in the intro that becomes the chorus hook. This gives the listener the satisfying recognition of hearing the idea realized.
• Raise the chorus by a third to create lift. The lift will feel like a reveal when the lyric points at the song being a rescuer or an escape.
• For a narrator with writer block use a narrow melodic range in verses and then explode into wide leaps for the chorus when the idea finally lands.

Harmony ideas

Keep the harmony simple so the lyric remains clear. Use a four chord loop when the song is confessional and intimate. Use modal borrowing when the song is nostalgic and you want the chorus to feel both familiar and slightly wrong. Example. Borrow the major IV chord in a minor key to let the chorus sound like sunlight through curtains.

Production choices that tell the story

Production is storytelling with texture. If you are writing about a song on the radio make your mix include an AM radio filter for a line or a chorus return. If you are writing about a memory of a song make the chorus sound like it was recorded in a cheap bedroom mic so the listener feels the context.

Plug and play production ideas

• Lo fi bridge. Drop all high end and add tape hiss for one section to evoke an old cassette demo.
• Live take tag. Add an ad lib recorded in one pass at the end that sounds like it was sung into a phone. The imperfection sells authenticity.
• Diegetic insert. Include a single bar of another song as a field recording if you have permission. If you do not have permission simulate the idea with a similar but original motif and identify it in the lyric as a memory of the radio.

Note about copyright. If you quote or sample a copyrighted lyric or melody you may need legal clearance. You can avoid complexity by referencing a song in words and creating an original melodic gesture that evokes rather than copies.

Prosody and placement of the title

When a song talks about song the title becomes extra important. Placing the title on a long note in the chorus helps memory. If the title names another song or says the word song use it as an ear hook and repeat it sparingly so it does not become a joke.

Prosody means aligning natural speech stresses with musical strong beats. Always speak your lines out loud at normal speed. Circle the stressed syllables. Those stresses must land on musical strong beats or long notes. If your stressed word falls on a weak beat the listener will feel the friction even if they cannot name it.

Write a chorus that both says something and does something

Because your subject invites play you can build the chorus to be both literal and functional. The chorus might literally describe a chorus while also being the chorus. That is the sweet spot.

Chorus recipe for songs about song

1. State the core promise in plain speech as the first line.
2. Repeat or restate it with a small change on the second line so the meaning deepens.
3. Add one concrete image as the payoff line that lands the emotion in a body sense.

Example chorus seed

I keep that song like a pocketknife I never use. I hum it in boring rooms. It folds my heavy days into something I can carry.

This chorus says what the song does and then becomes the kind of phrase a listener will want to sing under their breath.

Avoid these common traps

• Too much explanation. The song should show the effect of a song on a life not lecture on how songs are made. Trust the music to do the proof.
• Obvious metaphors. Avoid lines like music heals or song saves without a specific image. Replace with something like The chorus stitches my ribs back into order with thread made of open vowels.
• Excessive name dropping. Mentioning three famous songs in a verse clunks. One precise reference is more evocative.
• Corny meta jokes without heart. Self referential jokes land only when they reveal vulnerability or a sharp truth.

Songwriting exercises you can do in thirty minutes

Exercise 1. The Memory Minute

Set a timer for ten minutes. Write one paragraph about the first time a song mattered to you with sensory detail. Include time of day, place, and one object. Then underline one sentence that expresses the emotional core. Use that sentence as a chorus seed. Spend the remaining twenty minutes turning that line into a chorus and a verse using the chorus recipe above.

Exercise 2. The Bathroom Chorus

Record three short melody passes on your phone while you are in a small room. Sing nonsense vowels and hum. Pick the most hummable line after two minutes. Now write three literal lines about being in that small room where you wrote the melody. Use one of those lines as a pre chorus. Finish with a chorus that states the idea of making something in a cramped place.

Exercise 3. Personify the Song

Write a one page scene where a song is a person who refuses to leave your apartment. Give them habits. Are they always late? Do they drink your coffee? After a page pull one sentence that could be a chorus and one small action that can appear in each verse as a motif.

Real life scenarios and lines you can steal then rewrite

These are literal, slightly ridiculous prompts that you can treat like seeds.

• You lose your keys but find a lyric your ex scribbled in a book. The lyric becomes the map to the city you used to share.
• Your roommate plays the same song at midnight because it helps them sleep. You start to hate the song and then you find it healing in a different way the next week.
• At a dive bar the band plays a song your dead friend loved and the room sings it like a contract. The narrator realizes songs can hold people together when they cannot anymore.

Write a verse from each scenario and then mix and match lines to see which chorus responds best.

Case studies you can model without copying

Look at songs that are about songs and notice what they do. You will see patterns. Here is how to borrow the pattern rather than copy the lyric.

• Song that recounts listening to a record and being changed. Note the use of concrete detail and time stamping. Use a similar pattern. Start with the exact radio station or the state of the car seat. Then narrow to a single image of change.
• Song that is playful about songwriting. Notice how it uses self critique and stage directions inside the lyric. Try inserting a line that says Sing it louder now and then make the next line quieter to subvert expectations.
• Song that uses a refrain treated like a ritual. See how repetition builds communal meaning. Create a small chantish hook that people can clap back.

Collaboration tips for songs about song

When co writing this topic can get weird fast. Use these rules to keep the session productive.

• Agree on the angle first. If one writer wants heartbreak and the other wants satire the session will stall.
• Use real objects in the room as props. Holding a coffee mug and describing it focuses the detail work. It is a cheap method for getting concrete images fast.
• Record every vocal idea, even the bad ones. The worst hum can become the weird counterpoint you need later.

Technical terms explained in plain speech

DAW means Digital Audio Workstation. It is the program you use to record and arrange music like Logic Pro, Ableton Live, or Pro Tools. Example. If you write a field recording of a radio scan record it into your DAW and place it in the intro.

BPM means Beats Per Minute. It tells you the speed of your song. Example. A lullaby about a song that comforts you will often sit between 60 and 80 BPM because it feels like a heartbeat. A mocking song about a catchphrase might live at 120 BPM to feel ironic and danceable.

Prosody means matching how words naturally stress with musical strong beats. Example. If the phrase my song saves me has main stress on saves then saves should sit on a downbeat or a long note.

Modal borrowing means taking a chord from a related key to change color. Example. If your verse is in minor you can borrow the major IV chord to make the chorus feel like a sudden sunbeam through clouds.

How to finish without editing forever

Meta songs invite tinkering because the creator can always add another wink. Use a finish checklist to ship something honest.

1. Title locked. Make sure the title is the chorus magnet and can be repeated easily by a listener.
2. Lyric pass. Run a crime scene edit. Replace abstractions with concrete images. Add a time or place line.
3. Melody pass. Sing the chorus three times in a row. If it still feels true after three passes it is likely solid.
4. Demo. Record a simple demo with a vocal and two instruments. Listen on cheap earbuds. If the core idea survives the earbuds you are close.
5. Feedback. Play for two listeners and ask only one question. Which line they would sing out loud at a party. Make one change only.

Advanced moves for writers who like to flex

If you want the song to feel smart instead of clever try one of these moves carefully.

• Structural mirror. Make the song structure mirror the narrative. For example if the lyric is about a song that grows older, let the arrangement age by thinning instruments each chorus.
• Lyric inversion. Lead with a line that states the opposite of the chorus and then invert it later. This creates surprise and makes the chorus feel earned.
• Embedded demo. Record a tiny demo snippet as part of the track and include it as a diegetic sound. This blurs the line between art and document and sells authenticity.

Songwriting routine that supports meta work

To keep producing you need a routine that balances freshness with discipline.

• Warm up with a five minute vowel melody pass before you write. It frees the mouth from overthinking.
• Do a ten minute detail hunt. Pick any object and list five verbs it could do in a line. Use one verb in the verse.
• Outline the chorus first. If you can write the chorus in ten minutes you will write the surrounding verses faster.

Examples of first lines that could spare you months of staring at the wall

Take these lines and spin them into a verse. They are intentionally vivid and odd.

• The radio spat my name out like a receipt and I kept it in my wallet.
• We broke up in the middle of a chorus and the band played on like professionals at a funeral.
• I taught the chorus to my cat and she snores along on the fifth beat.
• The demo smells like smoke and cheap perfume and I can still hear the amp hum in the margins.

Metrics that matter for song about song

When you release a meta song you will look at numbers and comments. Here is what matters and how to read them.

• Repeat listens. Meta songs often earn repeat listens from people who discover new lines on the second pass. If repeat listens are high you are doing nuance right.
• Comments that name memory. If listeners comment with a memory of a song the track hit them in a personal way. Those comments show emotional resonance.
• Shares over playlists. If people add the track to playlists called Sad Songs or Roadtrip it means it functions as a soundtrack piece. That is a win for a song about song.

Frequently asked questions

Can I reference a famous song by name

Yes you can mention a song by name in your lyric. Mentioning a song is usually fair use. Quoting a lyric or melody may require clearance. If you want to quote a lyric check permission or use a short paraphrase that evokes rather than copies. An alternative is to create a fictional title that feels real enough to conjure the original without legal risk.

How do I write a meta chorus without sounding pretentious

Keep the chorus concrete and short. Avoid long intellectual explanations about art. Use a small image that anyone can see. If you must be funny do it with vulnerability. Vulnerable humor lands where cleverness slides off.

Should the music imitate the song I am writing about

Sometimes yes. Borrow textures if they help the story. If the song you mention is lo fi you can record the chorus with lo fi textures to mirror the memory. Do not copy melody or lyrical hooks. Evoke mood and instrumentation rather than content.

Can a satirical song about song be popular

Absolutely. Satire works when it has an emotional backbone. If the satire has an honest image or a character the listener can relate to it will feel less like a takedown and more like an invitation to laugh at shared experience.

How do I write about songwriting without sounding like a how to guide

Turn process into scene. Show a detail from the moment of writing rather than describing the steps. For example instead of I spend hours staring at a blank page write The pen naps in the same spot while I order takeout like a person waiting for a call. Scene beats keep the lyric alive.