Songwriting Books and other resources

A few years ago, I decided I wanted to get better at songwriting. I read lots of books and searched the internet for things that would help me write better songs. I reviewed the books I found and gave them a star rating.

https://nickhaynesmusic.com/category/book-reviews/

I also searched for other resources, podcasts, blogs and other handy resources. Hope you find lots of useful stuff.

https://nickhaynesmusic.com/category/song-writing-resources/

Unicorns and Superheroes

 
If childhood dreams came true
There would be unicorns and superheroes everywhere
If childhood dreams came true
Then my friends would be zookeepers and astronauts
Some would drive  trains and fight  fires
While the superheroes, save the world
and the unicorns play

Wake up and dream, wake up and dream
Wake up and dream, the world needs dreamers now
The world needs dreamers now
the world needs  dreamers

If childhood dreams came true
Ice cream  and holidays would last forever
If childhood dreams came true
Jobs would be fun and people never mean
we could eat ice cream, all summer long
While the superheroes save the world and unicorns play

If childhood dreams came true
Wars would be fought by plastic soldiers
If childhood dreams came true
Rabbits and dogs would never grow old
One of the soldiers might get chewed, by the  dog
While the superheroes saved the world and unicorns danced

Wake up and dream, wake up and dream
Wake up and dream, the world needs dreamers now
The world needs dreamers now
The world needs  dreamers

These songs are available in all the places where music is streamed and downloaded, including Spotify, Apple, YouTube, SoundCloud and Bandcamp.

When I was immortal

When I was immortal
I used to hitchhike alone
Lifts from DJs and crazies
When I  missed the last train home
When I was  immortal
I trusted  in strangers
Ignoring the dangers
That the  adverts warned about

One day we’ll all be dust
But we get to laugh, we get to play
Dreams will burn and rust
But we get to dance today
dance today

When I was immortal
I used to squander my days
Waiting for the sun’s rays
To burn up the night before
When I was immortal
Smoking was fine
Health warnings mean  nothing.
When the future’s so far away

Ice cream summers and swimming pools
Waiting for life to start
Took so many chances but nothing got broken
Except for my heart,
That was the best part
 
 One day we’ll all be dust
But we get to laugh, we get to play
Dreams will burn and rust
But we get to dance today

These songs are available in all the places where music is streamed and downloaded, including Spotify, Apple, YouTube, SoundCloud and Bandcamp.

Seaside Town in Winter


They walk along the pier
Stop and stare down at the  sea
The  waves are wild and free
In a seaside  town in  winter   
They walk along the beach,  
Draw pictures in the sand
He  laughs and takes his hand,  
In a seaside town in winter  

More under the surface, than people believe  
In the heat of the summer   
When the tourists are gone, the town starts to breath
Starts to  breath

They run towards the pub,  
Shelter from the rain
Soaked to the skin again,  
In a seaside pub in winter  
When they get a drink, he says,  
I’ve dry clothes you can  borrow
Stay with me until  tomorrow,  
In a seaside  town in  winter  
 
In a seaside town, pull the shutters down
In a seaside town, in a seaside town in winter
In a seaside town, all the shutters down
In a  seaside town, in a seaside town in winter

These songs are available in all the places where music is streamed and downloaded, including Spotify, Apple, YouTube, SoundCloud and Bandcamp.

Olidays

It’s becoming routine, the same place every week
He gets lucky on Friday,  then they fall asleep
Next day at half past sober He tells his friend  
I don’t want to  twist
I don’t want to turn
I’ve got sunscreen
I’m not going to burn
I don’t want one-night stands
I want olidays,olidays, olidays
To share picnics in the park
I want to fall in love before it’s dark
Don’t want one-night stands
I want olidays

His  friend takes a drink and puts down his phone
I often feel like that,  you’re not alone
He leans against the bar, together they sing

Now in a Hollywood film, The whole room would cheer
Raise their glasses, and all move near
They would be chanting, and dancing and waving and
singing
Olidays olidays olidays

But this is England  
He’s not in a film
So people  tutted
He felt gutted and embarrassed
But then he started to whisper
Olidays, olidays, olidays
 

This song is available in all the places where music is streamed and downloaded, including Spotify, Apple, YouTube, SoundCloud and Bandcamp.

Food Romance

First night was takeaway pizza
That’s how our relationship started
The cheese was rubbery, but the toppings were good  
and we were  both satisfied when we parted
Now we get it hot and crispy,
by making it at home
Only time better out was on holiday in Rome
(or was it Naples)

It’s a food romance  
Milestones of our time together
It’s a food romance
That I’m sharing with you.

When we got married, we took a train to Paris  
and with a group of friends
we had a picnic by the seine
Crusty French bread, a range of cheeses,  
Pâtisserie and Veuve Clicquot champagne 
We go back there to remember that day in October  
When we feasted, on Parisian treats

Cupcakes in the snow in New York
Finding wild mushrooms in the forest
Buying a truffle from a man with a hound
hot fresh doughnuts on Brighton pier
 
It’s a food romance  
Milestones of our time together
It’s a food romance
That I’m sharing with you.

This song is available in all the places where music is streamed and downloaded, including Spotify, Apple, YouTube, SoundCloud and Bandcamp.

Bricks

Every good venue that closes down
Rips another piece from the heart of the town 
A  city is more than fancy flats
Generic stores and chains of  coffee shops
 
I remember the place so  well,
Old  posters on the wall behind the  stage
You had to breath in to squeeze in the hall
While the  band pumped out  power chords and  rage
Saw them later on  TV
But where was the passion they had on that stage.

Used to be more than bricks
It’s where we grew together, had fun together
Used to be more than bricks
But it’s back to  bricks  today  
Every good venue that closes down
Rips another piece from the heart of the town 
A city is more than fancy flats
Generic stores and chains of  coffee shops
 
I remember the bar so  well,
Crowded round the table talking  rubbish double speed
Don’t remember all that we said
It was always about music and the politics of   greed.
Sometimes met up in other pubs
But it wasn’t the same, it wasn’t our place

used to be more than bricks
It’s where we grew together, had fun together
Used to be more than bricks
But it’s back to bricks today
just a pile of bricks today

This song is available in all the places where music is streamed and downloaded, including Spotify, Apple, YouTube, SoundCloud and Bandcamp.