Song Club #22: Silence
Silence in songs, whether lyrical or literal, is tricky to work with IMHO.
Singing about silence is such a delightful paradox to me. I was reminded of it earlier this week, when friend of Midnight Voice Memos, Nate Terepka, dropped a new single called ‘Silence’. (It’s a tight and somber bop. Check it out.)
Nate’s song explores silence as it pertains to an intimate relationship: the truths that emerge when we stop talking. I enjoy the smallness of this. Often songs that reference silence or use it as a lyrical anchor have grander aims, whether they’re about power and helplessness (‘Zombie’ by The Cranberries) or alienation and ignorance (‘The Sound of Silence’ by Simon & Garfunkel).
Literal silence can be particularly impactful deployed in arrangements, to create space, or a sense of relief: the moment before the drop, the pause before the refrain. And of course, I would be remiss not to mention John Cage’s ‘4’33”’, wherein everything else you hear becomes the music.
Silence in songs, whether lyrical or literal, is tricky to work with IMHO. For one, silence seems to have an automatic connection to the political, and I think political songs are treacherous to write. It’s also a word that is kind of hard to rhyme. I mean, truly no shade, but the number of songs that rhyme silence with violence is staggering.
But, to speak of silence while manipulating sound is an enticing challenge. So this week, I want us to explore silence in our songwriting.
Keep going,
Lucy
SONG PROVOCATIONS
Write about small silences
What small moments of silence in your life have been most impactful? When has saying nothing said more? Or, are there moments you were left hanging, needing something other than dead air even thought that’s all you got? Explore this with some object writing, and start your song from this place.
Write about silence without rhyming it with violence
Like I said, no shade to those who’ve gone and done it before, AND let’s challenge ourselves to push beyond that classic coupling. There are a lot of slant rhymes for silence that are quite delectable. What happens when you utilize them?
Write a song that uses silence to create contrast in its arrangement
How can you use silence in your arrangement to keep your listener interested? You might explore stripped back arrangements in your chorus, while employing something fuller in your verse (or the other way around). You might explore removing an instrument entirely, or including whole beats and bars of total silence.
CREATIVE MISSION
“Shut Up & Listen”
Go to the quietest place you know. Find somewhere nice to sit for thirty minutes or so. Tune in to the relative silence. What do you hear? What space is created? What stillness can you find? Does any music bubble up? See where this takes you in your songwriting.
ARTIST REFLECTIONS
What did you discover when writing about small moments of silence in your life?
Was it a powerful emotional space, or did you find it stagnant? What resistance, if any, did you encounter? Why do you think that is?
How did it feel to use silence as an arrangement device?
Is it something you already do often? If so, how might you change it up? If not, how did it feel to try something new?
How was your week in songwriting? Did you start a work you later abandoned because it wasn’t working out? Did you finish something you love? Let’s talk about it in the comments!