Songwriting doesn’t begin when you pick up a guitar, sit at a piano, or open a DAW.
It begins much earlier than that.
It begins in how you move through the world, how you notice things, and how you respond to your own life as it’s happening. Long before a song has chords or lyrics, it usually exists as a feeling, a reaction, or a moment that refuses to fully let go of you.
That’s what people mean when they talk about a “there’s a song in that” mentality. It’s not a clever trick or a songwriting hack.
It’s a way of seeing.
What “There’s a Song in That” Really Means
This mindset doesn’t mean you’re trying to turn every experience into a finished song on the spot. That would be exhausting, and it would probably lead to a lot of bad songs.
What it actually means is learning to recognise when something carries a bit of emotional weight. Something lands slightly differently than expected. Something sticks. Something makes you pause, even briefly.
A song often starts there.
Not with a story, not with a message, not with a chorus idea, but with a moment that creates a reaction inside you. The songwriter’s job is not to force meaning onto life, but to notice when meaning quietly shows up on its own.
Songs Start With Inner Reactions, Not Events
Two people can experience the same event and walk away with completely different songs, or none at all.
That’s because songs aren’t really about what happens. They’re about how it feels to be there when it happens.
A short conversation that leaves you unsettled. A familiar drive that suddenly feels different. The relief of closing a door at the end of a long day. The strange sadness of a happy moment. These internal shifts are often more important than the external details.
When you start paying attention to your own reactions, songwriting material becomes much easier to find. You stop chasing ideas and start recognising them.
Ordinary Life Is More Than Enough
Many songwriters get stuck because they believe songs need big moments to justify their existence. Heartbreak, triumph, chaos, dramatic turning points.
Those moments can make great songs, but they’re not the only source of honest writing.
Most of life is made up of repetition, routine, quiet frustration, and small comforts. That doesn’t make it boring. It makes it human.
Some of the most resonant songs come from ordinary experiences because that’s where listeners live most of the time. When you give yourself permission to write about the everyday, you dramatically expand what’s available to you as a songwriter.
If it affected you, even briefly, it counts.
Observation Comes Before Judgement
One of the fastest ways to kill a good song idea is to judge it too early.
- “This isn’t interesting enough.”
- “This has been done before.”
- “This doesn’t feel like a real song yet.”
Those thoughts usually arrive before an idea has had a chance to develop.
The “there’s a song in that” mentality asks you to observe first and evaluate later. Capture the moment. Write the line. Make the note. Record the feeling. Let it exist without deciding whether it deserves to become a song.
Songwriting is a process of discovery, not instant approval.
Collecting Is Part of the Work
Not every idea needs to become a song right away.
In fact, most ideas shouldn’t.
Developing this mindset means getting comfortable with collecting fragments rather than finishing everything. Images, phrases, emotional snapshots, half-formed thoughts.
These are not failures. They’re inventory.
When you sit down to write with a collection of lived material already waiting, the blank page loses a lot of its power. You’re no longer asking what to write about. You’re deciding what to shape.
How This Changes the Writing Experience
Songwriters who adopt this way of seeing often notice a shift.
Writer’s block becomes less frequent. Writing feels less forced. Songs start sounding more personal without trying to be. The pressure to “come up with something” eases because you’re drawing from real moments instead of invention alone.
Writing becomes an act of translation rather than manufacture. You’re translating life into sound and language.
Trusting Your Own Experience
At the heart of this mindset is trust.
Trust that your reactions matter. Trust that your life is a valid source of material. Trust that you don’t need to wait for permission, tragedy, or a perfect moment before you’re allowed to write.
Every songwriter has access to this way of working. The difference isn’t who has the better life. It’s who is paying attention.
Songwriting as a Way of Living
When you truly adopt a “there’s a song in that” mentality, songwriting stops being something you do only at certain times of the day.
It becomes a way of moving through the world with curiosity, honesty, and presence.
Life keeps offering material. Most people walk past it without noticing. Songwriters learn to pause, listen, and remember.
And over time, that simple habit builds a deeper, more sustainable creative life than any shortcut ever could.
