Robyn’s class12 this week covered literary devices, and especially how they can play a part as part of the title and/or key concept of the song. I find this extremely helpful when I have writer’s block, or am otherwise looking for a creative branching off point for my songwriting. (It’s always amused me how putting limitations on your creative process as an artist can actually inspire you further – I wouldn’t always force myself to use a literary device as my song’s concept, but when I do, I find the result is often better than if I hadn’t.)
For instance, my song Leo, was borne from a true story I’d heard where people were discriminated against based on their star-sign. This inspired me to utilise the technique of characterisation in creating a character called Leo. Leo is worried about meeting the expectation of being a strong, lion-like personality, when in actual fact that isn’t necessarily the case, and through the song I try to draw parallels with how we can all relate to the pressure of living up to expectations, whether astrological or otherwise.
12 Habel, Robyn. “Literary Devices”. Lecture presented at the course Song Writing and Performance 1B, University of Adelaide, October 14, 2019.
Jachin's Songwriting and Performance Journal 