Emotional Songs

If you have some bottled up emotions, thoughts, and feelings you want to let out but couldn’t do so in a conventional way, maybe you can try a hand at songwriting. In a way, it also works like the process of poetry writing—you are first inspired about something and then you write about it. And when you write, it’s not just your creative brain that’s at work, but also your heart, your soul, your individuality. That’s where meaningful songs come from. There are no standard set of rules in writing emotional songs, but be guided by these tips when writing your own.

Start with an inspiration or idea. Think of something close to your heart or important to you—a happy, sad, or unforgettable memory, experience, or event in your life. You can use specific topics like an on and off relationship, a forbidden love affair, a breakup, depression, death of a loved one, etc. All these can serve as inspiration and the beginning of some meaningful, emotional songs.

Write the lyrics. Write the words to emotional songs as soon as you’re feeling relaxed and inspired. This is the time to express yourself—your ideas, thoughts, and emotions through words.

Think of a song title. Choose a title that will give people an idea of what your song is all about. It also helps if you can think of a short, catchy, unusual, title that’s easy to remember. Song titles are usually a few words from the lyrics or chorus.

Create the tune. Think of music that fits into the overall mood of your song. The chorus is usually more distinct and louder than the verse instrumentals, and the part that most people remember easily because it is repeated. If your song is edgy and angsty, you can emphasize that mood by having more aggressive-sounding instrumentals like intense drum beats and loud, wailing guitars. A song with a sad, melancholy mood is usually played in minor keys, while a more upbeat, positive song is played using major keys.

As long as you invest as much honest feelings, passion, or energy into your emotional songs, you’ll find people who will appreciate them as much as you do.

Emotional Songs

Emotional songs, or “Emo” as they’re more usually known, stem from an earlier style of music known as punk. While punk can be more decadent, intense, aggressive, and have political references, emo songs focus on what else but feelings or emotions. Emo songs have more expressive lyrics that can easily strike a chord with listeners because they touch on relatable or even universal emotions, feelings, experiences, and situations. That’s also partly because emo singers and bands that write their own songs base the songs on their personal experiences and feelings. If you think you have something that can be turned into an emo song, here’s how to do it.

Decide on a song’s overall mood. Writers of emotional songs are usually inspired by emotions they felt during a significant experience or a specific event in their lives or someone they know. Whatever your inspiration is, hone in on a specific mood or emotion that you want to evoke from your song.

Write the lyrics. After gathering ideas or expounding on an inspiration and focusing on your song’s overall mood, now is the best time to write your lyrics. There are also times that the words may come to you first, but that’s okay. You can write the lyrics first, then let the mood or emotion come naturally to you.

Create basic chord progression. A common structure for chords is I-IV-V-I or I-I-IV-V. Chord progression is usually written using four repeated bars, with each chord being one bar long.

Come up with the verse instrumentals. A standard rock drum beat format is usually 1, 3 bass drum and 2, 4 snare. The standard guitar format plays octave notes or eighth note power chords straight. Standard bass format plays root eighth notes.

Create the chorus. The chorus in emotional songs is usually a more aggressive, intense, and louder version of the verse instrumentals. It all depends on your preference of intensity and effect. You can have the drums played more aggressively by adding fills, offbeat strikes, or going to double time. You can have the guitar played to a louder dynamic with the palm mute removed, while you can have the bass played as before or with a minor change in intensity.

Emotional songs are aptly named because they can evoke intense feelings from the listener, all the more when he can identify with the song.

Emotional Songs

Emotional songs are never stuck in one genre. From rock, to alternative, to country, to even hip-hop, there is always one or two of those that truly emotional. This is because we can’t detach ourselves from the music. They’re art; they’re extensions of the person making the song, and most of the time, their brilliant.

If you’re looking to find some very emotional songs that ring true with you, then there are so many genres to look through, but if you want to start slow, here are some suggestions.

Thief, Our lady peace

As emotional songs go, thief is possible one of the most meaningful songs about loss there is. The main theme of the song itself is the loss of a loved one through cancer. But the thing here is that it never becomes overbearing with emotions. It’s about staying strong for the one that you love in their time of most need, even if it does mean losing them.

“I can’t see that thief that lives inside of your head/ but I can be some courage at the side of your bed”-Excerpt from Thief

Rylynn, Andy Mckee

Emotional songs don’t require you to have strong lyrics, or thought provoking ideas. Sometimes it’s just the instrumentally jarring goodness of a well played guitar. With rylynn, you can get swept away to the sounds of each strum and pluck. It’s a very moody song, and it doesn’t need lyrics to do that.

Mardy Bum, Arctic Monkeys

Another fun one among emotional songs is Mardy bum. The song itself starts out as quite cheery, sweet in fact. But as you listen even closer to the lyrics, you hear about the turmoil of a dying relationship, and why it’s so hard to remain in love. “The inevitable self destruction of a bad relationship” is what best sums up the meaning of this song.

“Remember cuddles in the Kitchen/ yeah to get things off the ground/ And it was all up, up and away”-Excerpt from Mardy bum

Emotional Songs

There’s always been this weird taboo with emotional songs nowadays. It’s been a standard that when you listen to something emotional, you get tagged as “Emo”. But the fact here is that there are plenty of gorgeous songs that just happen to be a little more emotional than most. There are artists that pour out their heart through their music just by writing a song. Just because these songs are a little more emotional than most, does not mean they are “Emo”. For Instance, the following tracks are thought of as emotional songs, but take a listen instead.

“Next Year”- Foo Fighters

This song starts off on a bright note, taking you to a place of a somewhat hopeful outlook. But as the song progresses, it’s becomes more apparent that it’s a song about distance. Take for instance this line. “I’m in the sky tonight/ there I can keep by your side/ watching the whole world wind, it goes on and on/ I’ll be coming home next year”. These lines exhibit a deep kind of distance between two people, and that sometimes only dreams can bring them together. As emotional songs go, this one is pretty sad, and it’s speaks about those that are separate from their loved because of many different circumstances.

“Life and Death”-The Dear Hunter

Among many emotional songs, there is always a sense of loss imposed. But in “life and Death” it shows the paradox of life. In which we always struggle to live and love with death so close. One line from the dong that portrays this well is. “When we Dance it looks just like fire/ when we sing, it sounds the same tone/ we all have hearts/ we all have homes/ but when we die, we die, alone”. That’s the sort of writing that really means something.

Emotional songs go beyond sadness. They bring out our emotions. Look some more up if you want great music.