How to Write Electro Swing Lyrics

You want lyrics that make people swing their shoulders, raise their eyebrows, and then sing the ridiculous hook in the shower the next morning. Electro swing is that cocktail of old time charm and modern club energy. The lyrics have to land between a smoky jazz club anecdote and a viral TikTok line. This guide gives you step by step workflows, language hacks, melody friendly tricks, and exercises you can do between coffee and chaos.

Everything here is written for millennial and Gen Z artists who want their words to snap, pop, and make people dance while thinking about grandma and filters at the same time. We explain terms like BPM which stands for beats per minute. We explain prosody which is how words and melody get along. We give real life scenarios so you can picture these lines on a night out, in a recording, or in that 15 second clip that finally gets your riff noticed.

What Is Electro Swing and Why Lyrics Matter

Electro swing mixes vintage swing styles from the 1920s to 1940s with modern electronic production. Think brass, clarinet, or a retro vocal sample meeting a thumping kick and a modern synth bass. The lyrics need to match that dual personality. They should feel like a flirty toast at a speakeasy while also being hashtag ready.

Why lyrics matter in electro swing

• They give the track character so listeners know whether you are cheeky, melancholy, or absolutely unhinged in the best way.
• They help bridge eras. A line that references moonlight and also Wi Fi is a tiny time machine.
• They provide hooks that DJs and content creators can chop into loops for social clips.

Start With a Single Emotional Promise

Before you write any clever slang, decide what the song actually wants to do. Ask this question out loud like you mean it. What feeling do I want someone to leave the dance floor with? Then phrase that feeling in a single plain sentence. This is your core promise.

Examples

• I want to convince a stranger to dance like the cops are not real.
• I want to celebrate leaving someone who never learned to tango with honesty.
• I want to make the listener feel like they found a secret party in an elevator.

Turn that sentence into a short title or hook line. Short is better than cute. Clear is better than clever. You can be clever later.

Electro Swing Themes That Work

Because the style sits between nostalgia and energy, some themes will always land. Pick one and commit.

• Flirtatious mischief A wink and a dare. Very speakeasy energy.
• Too cool regret Heartbreak with a top hat and a smirk.
• Night out fantasy The city becomes a carnival and you are the act.
• Time travel romance Someone from the past and someone from now collide in a bar.
• Braggadocio party I am better than your playlist and I know it.

Pick one theme per song. Electro swing loves theatrical specificity. If your chorus promises a midnight rendezvous, your verses should show tiny cinematic details that prove it.

Language Mix: Vintage Words Meet Modern Slang

This is the real balancing act. You want the charm of old school phrasing without sounding like a period piece audition. Use vintage words as flavor. Use modern words to anchor the listener. Mix them in short doses so the song never reads like a museum exhibit.

Vintage flavor words

• Gatsby style names like velvet, speakeasy, gramophone, Charleston
• Playful terms like bee s knees which means something excellent
• Period idioms like cut a rug which means dance

Modern anchor words

• Phone, DM, Wi Fi, unplugged, party app
• Hashtagable nouns like neon, filter, viral

Real life scenario

Imagine you are on a roof with a vintage radio that also has Bluetooth. You sing about the gramophone while the beat throws in a wobble that sounds like a sub woofer. A well placed modern word like Bluetooth makes that gramophone feel playful instead of dusty.

Tone and Voice: Choose a Character

Electro swing lyrics often work best when the singer becomes a character. You could be a cheeky narrator, a jaded lounge singer, or a conspiratorial party host. Pick that perspective early.

Examples of perspectives

• First person confident I statements work for bragging and flirtation
• Second person direct address makes the listener your dance partner
• Third person small cinematic moments create a mini story

Real life scenario

Second person try: You step on the brass girl s shoe and she winks. You are now in the story. First person try: I light a cigarette with a lighter that used to belong to a crooner. Which line paints the better scene for your song goal?

Structure That Serves Dance and Story

Electro swing songs need to feed DJs and live crowds. Keep the structure clear and let the hook appear early. Here are reliable forms.

Structure A

Intro with instrumental motif. Verse. Pre chorus. Chorus. Verse. Pre chorus. Chorus. Bridge. Final chorus with extended outro suitable for DJ mixing.

Structure B

Cold open with vocal hook. Verse. Chorus. Verse. Chorus. Post chorus DJ friendly chant. Break. Chorus repeat with vocal scatting or ad libs for an instrumental friendly outro.

Make one rule for your form. The chorus must be the part people can sing in a crowd. The intro or the post chorus can contain repeated chant for DJs to sample.

Rhythm and Prosody for Swung Feel

Prosody means aligning natural spoken stress with musical stress. For electro swing you also need to respect swing rhythm. Swing rhythm is when the first eighth note is longer and the second is shorter. It creates a long short feeling. If you write like you are speaking straight eighths you will clash with the music.

How to test prosody and swing

1. Speak your line out loud with the intended tempo. Clap the two beat swing pattern with your foot.
2. Mark the syllable that feels strongest when you speak it.
3. Place that strong syllable on the longer note of the swing pattern or on a beat that the producer will emphasize such as a snare hit.

Real life example

Line attempt: I took your hat and left. Spoken it lands on took and left as equal. With swing you want took to land on the long slot and left to be a short falling tail. If that does not happen when you sing it, rewrite the line so a natural strong word falls on the long slot.

Tip: Use Short Vowels in High Energy Hooks

Singers who want tension free belting in a busy mix should favor open vowels on long notes such as ah and oh. These vowels carry through a loud brass section and a heavy kick. Reserve tricky consonant heavy words for faster lines where they become percussive elements.

Rhyme, Internal Rhyme, and Wordplay

Rhyme is a memory device. Electro swing benefits from sparkling internal rhyme and quick couplets that feel like a comedian landing a series of jokes. Use family rhymes instead of slavish perfect rhymes to keep things modern.

Examples

• Perfect rhyme classic cat, hat, sat works when you want a sing along
• Family rhyme like light, lie, night gives texture and avoids cringey endings
• Internal rhyme in a line such as velvet velvet and velvet that moves the ear

Playful wordplay can be killer. A double meaning line that reads innocent on first listen and wicked on second listen is the sort of earworm people repeat.

Topline Method for Electro Swing

Topline means the vocal melody and lyrics written over a track. It is usually done by a singer songwriter or hop on with the producer. Here is a fast method that suits swing rhythm.

1. Start with the beat. Ask for a loop that has the final swing feel and the general BPM. Common BPM for electro swing ranges from 100 to 130 depending on the mood. Try multiple speeds to find the pocket.
2. Vowel pass. Sing nonsense vowels for two minutes across the loop. Focus on long short pattern that sits with swing. Record everything.
3. Phrase pick. Find the two or three melodic gestures that felt like repeats. These become your chorus anchor.
4. Title anchor. Place your title or hook phrase on the biggest gesture and make it singable with open vowels.
5. Word pass. Write words on top of the melody. Prioritize prosody. If the word stresses do not align with the melody stresses rewrite the lyric.

Real life tip

Many electro swing producers will loop a small brass riff. Record your vowel pass with that riff and then hum the title on top of the brass motif. The brass will tell you where the hook can land with personality.

Hook Craft That Works On Dance Floors

A great electro swing hook has three qualities

• Easy to sing in a crowded place
• Short enough to loop in a DJ set
• Distinctive word choice so it does not blend into every other track

Hook recipes you can steal right now

1. One short declarative line on an open vowel. Repeat it twice. Example I own the night. I own the night.
2. One playful command in second person. Example Come dance like you stole the gramophone.
3. One rhythmic chant made of consonants and short words that becomes percussion. Example Tap clap snap now.

Post Chorus and DJ Friendly Tags

A post chorus is a small repeated fragment after the chorus perfect for sampling. For electro swing you can use vocal chops, scatting, or a short phrase that DJs can loop. Keep it short and rhythmically tight.

Examples

• Scat loop such as doo bop ba doo repeated for 8 bars
• One word chant like Vibe Vibe repeated three times
• Call back of the line with an added adjective such as Midnight midnight neon bright

Bridge That Adds New Angle Not More Words

A bridge should change the sonic or lyrical perspective. It can be quieter, spoken, or a full instrumental break where you add a single new line like a kicker. Do not use the bridge to restate everything you already said. Use it to surprise.

Idea list for bridges

• Switch to spoken word for a bar with a vintage mic effect
• Drop to one instrument and sing a confession line
• Introduce a small narrative reveal such as the protagonist was the DJ all along

Working With Producers and DJs

Good collaboration speeds things up. Producers live in DAWs which means digital audio workstation. That is the software where beats, synths, and vocals get organized. Tell the producer the exact spot you want the hook to return. Use time stamps such as minute zero slash thirty five to be clear.

Real life scenario

You are in a studio and the producer asks for a catchy phrase to loop. Hand them two options. Option one is longer and narrative. Option two is short and rhythmic. Let them chop option two quickly into the beat. You will see which one works on the floor.

Mic Techniques and Vocal Choices for the Sound

Some of your lyric energy will come from performance. Electro swing can be intimate or brassy. Choose a mic approach that supports the lyric.

• Close mic intimate for whispered confessions
• Slightly distant mic with room reverb for vintage radio vibe
• Double track the chorus quickly for thickness and presence

Leave space in the arrangement when you sing key words. If the brass and the vocal collide your important phrase will mask instead of land.

Examples: Before and After Lines

Theme woman who is wild and classy

Before I am wild and I like to dance all night

After My gloves are white but my plans are criminal. I wink and claim the floor.

Theme calling someone out

Before You are messy and you are late and that is it

After Your pocket clock is sleepy but still beats an excuse. I leave your cufflink on the chair.

Theme flirtatious invite

Before Come dance please come dance

After Slide in like you know the rhythm. I will teach your feet the secret.

Lyric Devices That Shine In Electro Swing

Ring phrase

Start and end the chorus with the same micro hook. That helps memory when the band cuts for the drop.

Call and response

Use a leader line and an audience reply. This idea works live and in samples. Consider a male lead line with a female reply or vice versa for flavor.

Scat and syllable percussion

Syllables like da da do can be used as rhythmic filler. They become percussive instruments. Use them between lyrical lines to keep energy going.

Character reveal

Write two lines that tell a small reveal. The listener loves a small twist. Example I tell jokes to hide my debt then I pay the band in kisses.

Common Mistakes and Easy Fixes

• Too much vintage talk Fix by inserting one modern anchor word every eight bars so the song feels alive now.
• Lines that fight the beat Fix by speaking the line with the beat and realigning the stressed syllable to the long swing slot.
• Chorus is too long Fix by chopping the chorus down to one short repeatable line plus one twist line.
• Too many ideas in one song Fix by picking one theme and removing any line that does not support that promise.

Exercises to Write Electro Swing Lyrics Fast

The Two Word Mash

Pick one vintage word and one modern word. Write a four line chorus that includes both words each line. Ten minutes. Result will be playful and often ridiculous. Keep the best one.

The Swing Speak Drill

Set a loop at the intended BPM. Walk the room while you speak nonsense phrases into your phone in the swing pattern. Play it back and circle anything that felt effortless. Those are your anchors.

The Character Monologue

Write a one minute monologue as your song character. Use sensory details and one secret. Pull three lines from the monologue and tighten them for verse and chorus.

The Hooked Title Ladder

Write a working title. Below it write five alternate titles that grow shorter and more singable. Choose the one that sounds good shouted and hummed. Titles with strong vowels such as ah oh and ay are easier to sing over loud brass.

Finish Your Song With a Practical Checklist

1. Core promise in one sentence presence check. Can you explain the song in one line to a friend? If not rewrite until you can.
2. Hook test. Can your chorus be sung by someone who heard it once into a crowded club? If not, tighten syllables and simplify words.
3. Prosody test. Speak the lyrics at normal speed with the beat and confirm stressed syllables land on strong musical moments.
4. DJ test. Does the intro or the post chorus contain a repeatable 4 bar motif suitable for looping? If not add one small chant or instrumental tag.
5. Character test. Did you pick a perspective and keep it consistent across verses and chorus. If not pick a voice and rewrite the confusing lines.
6. Producer talk. Make time stamps for the chorus, bridge and post chorus to share with your producer for edits and DJ friendly sections.

Real Answers To The Questions You Asked In The Room

Can electro swing use explicit modern slang

Yes. Use slang if it supports the character and the mood. A single well placed modern word can make the whole vintage setup feel modern and cheeky. Avoid overloading the verse with 2025 specific references. The goal is timeless party energy not a news feed timeline.

What BPM should I pick

Electro swing usually lands between 100 and 130 beats per minute. Slower tempos can feel sultry. Faster tempos work for festival dance sets. Pick the tempo that matches your core promise and test the topline at both a slower and a faster BPM before locking it.

How do I make my lyrics remix friendly

Keep short, rhythmic phrases that can be looped. Use one to two words that repeat. Make the syllable count tight so DJs can drop and loop without awkward gaps. Instrumental tags and post chorus chants make your track immediately usable for content creators.

Is scatting allowed and where

Yes scatting is a power tool in electro swing. Use it in the post chorus, the bridge, or as an outro. Scatting works as a percussive element and as an improvisational sign of live talent. Record multiple scatting passes and hand the best bits to your producer to chop into the beat.

Action Plan You Can Use Today

1. Write one sentence that states the song s emotional promise. Make it specific and silly if needed.
2. Pick a tempo in the 100 to 130 range and loop a two bar swing groove for two minutes.
3. Do a vowel pass for two minutes over the loop. Save your best two gestures.
4. Place a short title on the biggest gesture and repeat it twice for a chorus seed.
5. Draft verse one with two concrete details and one time or place crumb. Use the character voice.
6. Make a four bar post chorus chant that DJs can loop. Keep it under five syllables if possible.
7. Run the prosody test by speaking your lyrics with the beat and reposition any stressed word that falls in the wrong spot.
8. Record a rough demo and ask three people if they can hum the hook after the first listen. If not refine and repeat.

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