Every now and then, I come across an article that feels like someone’s taken the swirling thoughts in my head about songwriting and pinned them neatly to a cork-board.
Tony Conniff’s The 5 Essential Elements Of A Good Song is one of those pieces.
If you haven’t read it yet, I highly recommend you do, but before you head over, I want to share why it struck a chord with me.
What Tony’s Article Says
Tony breaks down a good song into five clear pieces: concept, structure, melody, groove, and lyric. None of these will surprise you, but that’s the point.
Like the ingredients for bread, flour, water, yeast, salt, the magic is not just in the ingredients themselves, but in how you combine them and what you bring to the process.
He talks about the concept as the beating heart, the idea that holds everything together and gives a song its identity.
Structure is the bones and muscle, making sure the song stands up and moves in a way that keeps a listener hooked from the first bar to the last chord.
Melody is the soul, that hummable, whistle-able line that burrows into a listener’s mind long after the song ends.
Groove is the body’s pulse, the thing that makes your foot tap or your head nod without you even realizing it.
And finally, lyric, the mind’s voice, the way we as writers turn thoughts and feelings into words that stick.
My Take On These Five Essentials
Reading Tony’s breakdown reminded me of how easy it is to forget the basics when we’re knee-deep in our own songs. We get so caught up chasing that clever line or unusual chord that we lose sight of the foundation.
It’s a bit like decorating a house that doesn’t have walls yet.
One thing I’d add is that these elements don’t just exist side by side; they talk to each other.
A great concept shapes your lyric choices. Your lyric will naturally lean into a melody. That melody wants to sit in a groove that feels right for what you’re saying. The structure is there to keep all these moving parts from running off in different directions.
At the end of the day, it’s all connected, and the more you write, the more you see how true that is. When one part is weak or missing, the whole thing wobbles.
Why You Should Read It
What I also love about Tony’s approach is that it’s practical without killing the magic. He gives you handrails to hold onto, not rules that box you in. It’s a good reminder that songwriting is craft and art.
The magic lives in how you use these elements to say something only you can say.
So, whether you’re stuck halfway through your next song, or you’ve got a pile of finished ones that feel like they’re missing something, Tony’s article is worth your time.
You can read Tony Conniff’s article The 5 Essential Elements Of A Good Song here: https://tonyconniff.com/the-5-essential-elements-of-a-good-song/
I’d love to hear what you think about his list and if there’s an ‘essential’ you’d add to it. Drop me a comment or send me a message.
After all, every song is different and that’s what keeps us coming back for more.
