Songwriting News: How To Write Romantic Songs (2024)

Over the course of my career, my biggest hits have been romantic ballads or mid-tempo songs. So, I’m not the stereotypical pro writer who writes up-tempo all of the time. I’m not afraid to write a ballad! And, I don’t think you should be either. Some of the biggest songs in music history have been love ballads and I’m going to teach you everything I know about how to write romantic lyrics!

The most important thing to remember when learning how to write romantic Songs is … It must be believable!

The one BEING loved has to believe what the LOVER (the singer) is saying. If the lyrics sound made up or contrived, then the song will not work.

For example, one of my friends told me that he was lying in bed with his wife one night and she asked “Do you still love me?” He responded, “Of course I still love you. I tell you all the time.” She said, “I know, but we’ve been married 30 years. Tell me how much you love me.” He isn’t a songwriter and knew he was in big trouble, so he said the only thing he could think of, “You’re the grass beneath my feet.”

She instantly hopped out of bed and yelled, “So I’m what you walk on?” She slept in the other room and he had some making up to do in the morning. Let’s look at the reasons his comment didn’t have the desired effect even though it was creative, it painted a picture, and it was poetic.

First, it wasn’t heartfelt.

It was a worn-out cliché’. People don’t swoon over clichés. It’s the same old thing they’ve heard all of their lives. You’re unlikely to touch someone emotionally or make them feel loved with a cliché’.

Secondly, it wasn’t honest.

He wasn’t REALLY sharing his feelings with her. Instead of trying to be clever, he would have been better off just saying “You make my life easy, soft and wonderful.” That might have had the opposite result. She might have wanted to be CLOSER to him if he had spoken from his heart. Instead, he made up something that felt contrived and disingenuous.

Thirdly, it wasn’t clear.

There are ALL kinds of ways that statement could be misunderstood and she instantly went to one of them. You never want to say something to someone you love that could be interpreted in the opposite way you intended it to come across.

Finally, it wasn’t what she wanted to hear.

What she really wanted was for him to say “I can’t imagine life without you” or “I love you more than I ever have”. She wasn’t looking for something creative. She wanted something real and from his heart, not a cliché’ he heard somewhere along the line.

So, how do I apply all of that to writing romantic lyrics that are fresh, honest and real, while avoiding clichés and clever lines that don’t hit the heart?

I start by keeping things conversational. My wife appreciates clear, direct communication in regard to my feelings for and about her. So, I keep my lyrics that way too. My biggest hit, “Must Be Doin’ Somethin’ Right” really only has one clever or creative line in it. Here’s the chorus:

Must be doin’ somethin’ right I just heard you sigh You leaned into my kiss and closed those deep blue need you eyes Don’t know what I did to earn a love like this but baby I Must be doin’ somethin’ right