Avoiding the dreaded "girl/world" rhyme, and other songwriting tips.<br /><br />Question: What mistakes <br />or clichés do you try to avoid when writing songs? <br /> <br />Josh Ritter: <br />Well, I think—I have lots of like, tics, that I think that—or lots of <br />things <br />that bug me. I sort of think about <br />it, it's kind of like fashion. A <br />song has to feel good when you're singing it. It <br />has to feel like somebody will put on a suit. You <br /> have people that you know that put <br />on clothes and they look effortlessly good in them and it's like, there <br />was no <br />work. And whether or not that's <br />the case, the fact is that you have to feel comfortable singing what <br />you're <br />singing and so some things that make me feel uncomfortable are rhymes <br />that seem <br />a little too obvious. Rhymes that <br />seem a little too—rhymes that are overused: "girl/world," girl/world <br />syndrome, <br />"knife/strife," "shelf/myself," you know, I stay away from all of those. I don't like autobiographical <br />songs. I don't think that <br />they're—and I don't like autobiographical singing. I <br /> don't want to think about the person singing the song on <br />stage. Like I feel like the song <br />is your chance to like—like a short story, or anything is a chance to <br />live <br />inside a character that's been given to you. You <br />are being given this character and then you can live <br />inside it, not a chance to see inside somebody else's private life. You know, I don't like that, and I <br />don't think it leads to very original songwriting. You <br /> know? Those are some things that bug me. And <br />good songs, they're just things that <br />you can sing in the car, on the way home without a guitar, that you can <br />play <br />yourself and learn how to do.Recorded April 5, 2010Interviewed by Austin <br />Allen<br /><br />Question: What mistakes <br />or clichés do you try to avoid when writing songs? <br /> <br />Josh Ritter: <br />Well, I think—I have lots of like, tics, that I think that—or lots of <br />things <br />that bug me. I sort of think about <br />it, it's kind of like fashion. A <br />song has to feel good when you're singing it. It <br />has to feel like somebody will put on a suit. You <br /> have people that you know that put <br />on clothes and they look effortlessly good in them and it's like, there <br />was no <br />work. And whether or not that's <br />the case, the fact is that you have to feel comfortable singing what <br />you're <br />singing and so some things that make me feel uncomfortable are rhymes <br />that seem <br />a little too obvious. Rhymes that <br />seem a little too—rhymes that are overused: "girl/world," girl/world <br />syndrome, <br />"knife/strife," "shelf/myself," you know, I stay away from all of those. I don't like autobiographical <br />songs. I don't think that <br />they're—and I don't like autobiographical singing. I <br /> don't want to think about the person singing the song on <br />stage. Like I feel like the song <br />is your chance to like—like a short story, or anything is a chance to <br />live <br />inside a character that's been given to you. You <br />are being given this character and then you can live <br />inside it, not a chance to see inside somebody else's private life. You know, I don't like that, and I <br />don't think it leads to very original songwriting. You <br /> know? Those are some things that bug me. And <br />good songs, they're just things that <br />you can sing in the car, on the way home without a guitar, that you can <br />play <br />yourself and learn how to do.Recorded April 5, 2010Interviewed by Austin <br />Allen
