Sophistication Beneath the Pretty Surface: The Beatles “Penny Lane”

So between John Lennon and Paul McCartney, it is commonly thought that John is the more experimental, “out there” one while Paul wrote more traditional pop tunes.  While there’s some truth to that, Paul was no stranger to adventurous songwriting, and beneath the sweet façade there are some sophisticated moves going …

Songwriting: The Drama of Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Dani California”

Red Hot Chili Peppers’ songs are usually harmonically fairly straight forward, but they inject ample character into their performance to make the songs distinct.  That being said, after such a long and fruitful career, they know how to write RHCP songs.  Here are the three techniques discussed in this lesson, …

Songwriting: Learn How to Change Things Up from Counting Crows “Daylight Fading”

Counting Crows “Daylight Fading” may come across like a straight forward American rock song — but beneath the surface, there are many twists going on, some subtle and others not.  Twists are not necessary to craft an impactful song, but at the same time, knowing them will make it easier …