How Do You Co-Write a Song?

Most of my career has been co-writing. With Shaggy, with Brian & Tony Gold, with whoever else is in the room that day.

So here’s how a typical session actually runs, start to finish. It’s less mysterious than people think.

Step 1: Start with a track

A typical session starts with an instrumental. A backing track somebody has already made.

We walk in with no lyrics. Just the track, playing.

Starting with a track takes all the guesswork out of what the song should sound like. Everyone hears the same thing, so nobody has to explain what’s in their head. (If you don’t play an instrument, this is one of the easiest ways to write.)

Step 2: Melodies first, and vote fast

Then we start throwing out melodies. Whatever sounds good.

When someone comes up with a melody they like, they check with the room. “Alright, what do you think of this?”

If everyone’s like, “Yes, that’s great,” we keep it.

If there’s hesitation, we scrap it and move on.

That second rule is the one that saves sessions. Nobody defends a weak idea for twenty minutes. Hesitation is an answer. The next idea is usually better anyway.

Step 3: Get the chorus idea settled

Once the melodies are in place, we work on lyrics.

It’s always helpful to have the chorus idea first: the topic, the theme of the chorus. That drives the theme of the rest of the song and makes the writing a lot faster. (Here’s why the chorus should come first.)

With a co-write, this matters even more. Four people with four different ideas of what the song is about will go in circles. One agreed chorus idea points everybody the same way.

Step 4: Demo it, then sleep on it

When the song is done, we record a demo.

Then we take a day off from it. We listen again the following day and decide if we still like it.

That break is important. In the room, everything sounds great, because you just made it and the energy is high. The next day, you hear it the way a stranger would.

Step 5: Write a batch, keep the best

You make as many songs as you want, depending on how many tracks you have. Then from that batch, you pick the ones you like.

Not every song from a session is a keeper. That’s the point of writing several.

The exception: no music at all

It doesn’t always go this way.

Shaggy and I wrote “Strength of a Woman” without any music. He came in with an idea of what he wanted the song to be about, and we built the melodies and lyrics from that. Only afterwards did we take it to musicians and producers to turn it into a full song.

So a track helps, but it’s optional. A clear idea of what the song is about can do the same job.

What to take into your next co-write

1. Bring tracks, or make sure someone does.
2. Agree on the vote rule up front: everyone likes it, or it goes.
3. Settle the chorus idea before the verses.
4. Demo everything, then wait a day before deciding what’s good.

Co-writing is how most of my songs got made, and it’s also how most of my opportunities came along. The people in the room are the network.