Set Your Words to Tune!

Author: Swati Sapna

Music & Lyrics

I consider myself a Bollywood music aficionado. If you have never heard of the phrase before, let me explain. It refers to a person who can hear just a strain of a melody and rattle the name of the song, the film, the singers, the music director, the actors, etc. And no, the song need not be a popular hit number. In fact, a Bollywood music aficionado prides himself on knowing entire lyrics of a song that an average moviegoer would never even have heard of!

In a country as crazy about films and music as ours, it is no surprise that there are many people who would love to make a career out of writing songs. Songwriting is actually a very broad term comprising music composition, writing lyrics, music arrangements and everything else that goes into the making of a song. In many countries, a songwriter composes the melody or tune and writes the lyrics of his song. There are also many performing songwriters who even sing their own songs. But in India, typically, a songwriter is the lyricist – the one who pens the words; and these words are set to tune by a music director.

Turning Words Into Songs

Some people are born with the gift of music. They find writing lyrics so easy that it is hardly any effort to give words to a song. But in a country as diverse as ours, and with a musical heritage unique to each state and region, it is very important for an aspiring songwriter continuously hone his skills. The Hindi film industry is undoubtedly the place every aspiring lyricist wants to be. But it is not easy to get a break here. Many people start with writing title tracks for television shows, private music albums, etc. So if you are an aspiring lyricist, here are a few tips to get you going:

• Make sure you have read the brief : who are you writing this song for? What is the occasion? What is the emotion you wish to evoke? Craft your lines keeping all these questions in mind. Make sure your lyrics reflect the mood of the melody and achieve the desired effect as a complete song.
• Do not be afraid to experiment. If you think the moon looks like a begging bowl ala Gulzar, go ahead and put it into a song! Or if you think a jazz composition can sound melodious with Punjabi lyrics, then don’t be afraid to try it out. Experiment with imagery, language and thought as much as you like; but at the same time, your lyrics should not detract from making the song beautiful and easy on the ear.
• You may be a good writer with an excellent command over the language, but do you have that creative streak to write a song? Unlike poetry, song writing is not just about beautiful words strung together. Some of the most popular songs in Hindi have seemingly inane lyrics or catchy phrases like ‘Dhan te nan’, ‘Tu tu tu tu tu tara’, ‘Choli ke peeche kya hai’, ‘Ek do teen…’ and ‘Dard-e-disco’! So make sure you have that wackiness in you that will help you survive in the mad world of Hindi films.
• Though poetic license is fine and your lyrics need not be grammatically correct, the rhythm and meter of a song is something you have to be really careful about. Your words should not sound uncomfortable to the singer or listener.
• In India, songs are used as an extension of one’s emotions. There is a song for every occasion and though our movies are ever evolving, the song and dance routine is an integral part of Bollywood. So train yourself to write lyrics for every conceivable situation from wooing a girl to the death of a loved one, from wedding songs to songs of inspiration.
• Make sure you have a repertoire of lyrics/songs written. Maintain a blog or website where you pen down your work. You can link this to your social networking sites so that all your friends and colleagues know of your talent and can suggest your name to people looking for lyricists.
• If you are interested in breaking into the Hindi film industry, you need to be as adept at writing in Urdu and Punjabi as Hindi! It is not really a necessity, but the more versatile you are, the better your chances. So go right ahead, learn more languages or dialects, and study folk culture. There are also many opportunities in regional language films. So, if your forte is Bengali, Bhojpuri or Tamil, then there are thriving film and music industries in each of these languages too.
• Read the works of great poets and writers to brush up your language skills. From Rahim to Harivansh Rai Bachchan, from Bulle Shah to Gulzar – every songwriter has his own style and distinct language. Find your own comfort zone.
• If your strength is writing lyrics alone,  contact  a  music composer and create a demo CD of your work. A demo CD should ideally have 5-6 short songs of different genres set to tune. Ideally, each song should have a unique style or flavor so that you are able to showcase your versatility.
• Contacts are everything in Bollywood! Meet the right people, be aggressive in marketing yourself, and persevere! You can also register yourself with the Film Writers’ Association in Mumbai or with websites like The Scripthub that provide an interface between aspiring writers and producers/directors looking for new talent.

The Melody of Money

Popular young lyricists like Prasoon Joshi, Irshad Kamil, Amitabh Bhattacharya and Anvita Dutt Guptan today get paid anywhere between Rs. 75,000 to a couple of lakhs per song. Of course, it all depends on the scale of the project, how many songs per album and which producer or music director they are writing for. Seasoned writers like Gulzar, Javed Akhtar and Sameer command their own price and are approached for big projects that require their unique style. A new writer too can easily get paid Rs.15,000 – 50,000 per song. The opportunities are endless; you just have to prove your talent and carve a niche for yourself in this competitive industry.

Ground Realities

Realistically speaking, most aspiring lyricists know that getting that elusive big break may take years. So a lot of good writers have regular jobs in advertising, TV or content writing. This helps pay your bills yet keeps you within the media circles. As you earn your bread-and-butter, you can also get to meet important directors, TV producers, ad filmmakers and others who might need your services tomorrow. So be smart and think practically. Prasoon Joshi first made a name for himself by writing ads for Coca Cola, Fevicol, Happydent, etc. and then made a smooth transition to writing lyrics for none other than Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and A.R. Rahman! Lyricist, screenplay and dialogue writer Anvita Dutt Guptan also spent 14 years in advertising before making the switch.

So continue to hum that song in your heart and write your way into the hearts of millions!

About the author:

Swati has been working the field of media for the past 7 years and has experience in advertising, film making, television & news production and script writing. Her passion lies in reading anything she can lay her hands on, watching world cinema, cooking and writing.

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