There’s a long-standing belief in the creative world that great art takes great time. The idea that the longer we labour over a song, the more valuable or meaningful it becomes. But as any songwriter who’s been at it long enough knows, the relationship between time spent and song quality is far from straightforward.
So, let’s dive into the real truth behind the question:
Does taking longer to write a song make that song a better one?
The short answer? No.
But like most things in the creative process, the deeper answer deserves a little more unpacking.
Great Songs Don’t Follow a Stopwatch
Songwriting history is littered with examples that break the time-equals-quality myth wide open.
Paul McCartney dreamed the melody of “Yesterday” and had the bones of the song down within minutes. Lennon and McCartney knocked out “She Loves You” in a single afternoon. Ed Sheeran’s global hit “Thinking Out Loud” was written in under 20 minutes.
On the other hand, Axl Rose spent nearly a decade refining “November Rain” into the epic ballad we know today. Leonard Cohen wrote dozens of verses for “Hallelujah” before choosing the final ones — and even then, other artists like Jeff Buckley found their own magic in reinterpreting it.
These songs live side by side in the pantheon of iconic music. Some came quickly. Some took years.
The clock, it turns out, isn’t the judge of greatness.
What Actually Makes a Song “Better”?
When we ask whether a song is better, what we’re really asking is:
- Does it move people?
- Does it communicate clearly and honestly?
- Is the melody memorable?
- Are the lyrics meaningful, authentic, or emotionally resonant?
- Does the arrangement support and elevate the core message of the song?
None of these qualities are directly tied to how long the writing process takes.
A song that connects with a listener does so because it tells the truth — whether that truth was captured in a flash of inspiration or uncovered slowly through the grind of craftsmanship.
When Time Does (and Doesn’t) Matter
Time as a Gift: Reflection and Perspective
There are times when stepping away from a song gives you the clarity you need to hear it properly. A break allows your subconscious to keep working while you’re doing other things. Sometimes, the best thing you can do for a song is to give it space and revisit it with fresh ears.
In these moments, time becomes a tool — not because you’re trying to take longer, but because you’re allowing space for perspective.
The Danger of Overthinking
But here’s the flip side: the more time you spend on a song, the greater the temptation to over-polish, second-guess, and drain the life right out of it.
It’s easy to confuse effort with progress. Tinkering for the sake of tinkering often leads to diminishing returns — where the song becomes more complicated but not necessarily more effective.
There’s a fine line between crafting and fussing. The magic is knowing where that line is.
Inspiration vs. Craftsmanship: A Balancing Act
- Inspiration is often fast. That hook, that first line, that emotional spark — it can arrive out of nowhere, fully formed.
- Craftsmanship can be slow. Refining the structure, finding the right words, fitting the puzzle pieces together — this often takes time and patience.
The best songs usually live at the intersection of both. They catch the lightning and then take the time to build the bottle strong enough to hold it.
Intentional Time vs. Wasted Time
It’s not about how much time you spend. It’s about how you spend it.
Two hours of focused, purposeful work beats two months of distracted tinkering. Songwriting is not about punching a time clock — it’s about intention.
Ask yourself:
- Am I stuck because something genuinely needs solving?
- Or am I stuck because I’m afraid to let the song go?
The difference between these two will tell you whether your time is being well spent or simply wasted.
Every Song Has Its Own Timeline
One of the hardest but most important lessons I’ve learned as a songwriter is this:
The song decides how long it wants to take.
Some songs fall into your lap. Others make you chase them. Some need to sit quietly in the corner for months until they’re ready to talk again.
Our job is not to force the process into a timeline. Our job is to show up, listen, and respect the journey — however long (or short) it takes.
So… Does Time Make a Song Better?
No. The time it takes does not define the quality of your song.
What matters is:
- Are you being honest?
- Are you listening to the song and letting it tell you what it needs?
- Are you crafting with care — not out of fear or perfectionism, but out of love for the work?
To borrow a thought from Leonard Cohen:
“Good songs are like good prayers — they arrive when they’re ready, not when you demand them.”
Whether they show up in twenty minutes or twenty years… your job is simply to be there, pen in hand, ready.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, a song’s power lies in its ability to connect, not in how long it took to write. Some of the greatest songs ever written were born in the blink of an eye. Others took years of chiseling.
Neither approach is right or wrong.
The only thing that matters is whether the listener feels something real.
And that… has nothing to do with the clock.
