When people ask me how to get better at songwriting, one of the first things I say is: “Are you listening to enough music?” Not just having it on in the background, but actually listening.
It sounds simple, almost too simple in fact, but listening to music with intention is one of the most underrated and effective ways to sharpen your songwriting craft.
Let’s unpack why.
1. You Learn Structure Without Even Trying
The more songs you take in, the more your brain starts to recognise patterns, where a chorus typically lands, how long a verse usually runs, when a bridge should arrive (and when it shouldn’t).
You start to feel the shape of songs. Not in a dry, textbook way, but in a natural, intuitive way. It’s like how reading lots of books teaches you about storytelling without needing to study plot diagrams.
When you’re writing, these internalised structures help guide you and when you want to break the rules, you’ll know why you’re doing it, not just guessing.
2. You Hear How Lyrics and Melody Work Together
Great lyric writing isn’t just about the words, it’s about how those words sit in the melody, how they breathe, move, and hit the ear.
When you listen closely to your favourite songs, you start noticing things like:
- How certain vowel sounds open up in the chorus
- Why some lyrics land harder because of a rhythmic pause
- How phrasing can make or break a line
You don’t need to analyse every detail, but being aware of why something feels good or works well goes a long way when you’re writing your own material.
3. You Figure Out What Moves You
One of the biggest parts of developing your songwriting voice is knowing what you love. And that only happens through exposure.
When you listen, you start picking up on emotional triggers:
- Chord changes that make your chest tighten
- Lyrics that feel like someone read your diary
- Grooves that make your whole body respond
That awareness “this works on me and I want to know why” is gold. It helps you write in a way that’s emotionally honest and creatively grounded in your own taste.
4. You Can Steal Without Copying
Every songwriter is standing on the shoulders of someone else. There’s no such thing as a completely original idea but there is such a thing as originality in execution.
Listening helps you absorb influences, draw from them and remix them. You start to build your own creative fingerprint.
When you know where your ideas are coming from, you can make deliberate choices instead of unconscious imitations. That’s how you develop a voice that’s truly yours, not a copy of someone else.
5. It Feeds Your Ideas
Sometimes you hear a song and think, “That’s brilliant. I want to write something like that.” Other times, one phrase, rhythm, or melody fragment gets stuck in your head and suddenly turns into something completely different, something new.
I’ve had entire songs start because of a snare sound, a vocal line that haunted me, or a lyric I didn’t even like but couldn’t stop thinking about.
Music is contagious in the best way when you let it in.
So… Are You Listening Enough?
Songwriting isn’t just about doing, it’s also about absorbing. So if you’re serious about your craft, make time to really listen to music.
Don’t just let it play in the background while you’re doing dishes. Put on headphones. Sit down with the lyrics. Notice what’s happening. Be 100% present to the music. Ask yourself why it works.
Your songs will thank you.
