How to Write a Song Like Taylor Swift

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How to Write a Song Like Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift is a force in modern music thanks to her exceptional songwriting and infectious melodies. What began as a budding country career has become one of the most significant artists to ever live. From county to pop, Swift has kept songwriting at the heart of her unparalleled success. Her ability to make her personal experiences feel universal is why she has captured many fans’ hearts. If you have ever wondered how to write a song like Taylor Swift, this step-by-step guide will show her techniques to craft her timeless songs.

Three Main Components of a Taylor Swift Song

  1. Storytelling: Taylor Swift’s songs are narrative-driven. Whether she is recalling personal experiences or creating fictional characters, her lyrics focus on vivid storytelling using relatable emotions.
  2. Unforgettable Melodies: Swift is known for creating catchy melodies and infectious hooks that resonate with listeners.
  3. Strong Bridges: Swift’s bridges often serve as the emotional peak in her songs, where something new is revealed or the emotion reaches its climax.

Step 1: Find a Perspective

Taylor Swift is the best at making the personal feel universal. Her songs evoke emotions in all her listeners because she is unafraid to be specific when sharing her experiences. The first step to writing like Swift is to identify your current emotions. Are you feeling excited about a crush? Sad about the ending of a friendship? How was your first day of school? Write down what you are feeling in a journal.

Another great technique Taylor Swift uses is writing from someone else’s perspective. If you are not feeling inspired by your own life, look at the people around you and see what they are going through. Empathy, which is the ability to understand and share feelings with others, can help you come up with something. An example of this is her song “You Are in Love,” which is a love song about her friends Lena and Jack.

Another great technique she uses is using her imagination. Create a character in your mind and makeup things they are going through. There are no limits here. A few examples of this are her songs “Cardigan,” “Betty,” and “August,” which are from the perspectives of three teenagers that she made up in her head. Taylor Swift’s albums “Folklore” and “Evermore” are mostly narrated from the perspectives of characters from her imagination!

Step 2: Figure out a Structure

Taylor Swift is a master of using different song structures; she skillfully moves between traditional formats and more experimental forms to serve the emotional tone of each song. In many of her biggest hits, such as “Love Story” or “Blank Space,” she uses the classic verse-pre-chorus-verse-pre-chorus-bridge-chorus structure, the most popular in pop songwriting. This structure helps build anticipation and emotional release, making her songs catchy and memorable.

However, she is also known for pushing boundaries with her writing, not confining herself to the typical under four-minute hit song requirement or classic structure. Her longest song, “All Too Well (10 Minute Version),” is 10 minutes long and charted number one on the Billboard Hot 100. In addition to being long, this song has a unique structure. This shows that the focus should be on storytelling rather than the confines of what is popular.

Verses

The first verse is usually the initial part of a song that listeners hear. It is what grabs their attention and draws them in. The second verse builds on the first verse and chorus.

Taylor Swift, “Blank Space”

“Nice to meet you, where you been?

Taylor Swift, “You’re On Your Own, Kid”

“Summer went away, still the yearning stays”

Pre-Chorus

A pre-chorus separates the verses from the choruses. It often has a different chord progression and melody from the verse and chorus. It builds anticipation for the chorus. Sometimes, Swift skips over the pre-chorus.

Taylor Swift, “Everything Has Changed”

“I just want to know you better, know you better, know you better, now.”

Taylor Swift, “Shake It Off”

“But I keep cruisin’ / Can’t stop, won’t stop movin’”

The Chorus

The chorus is the most essential part of a song. It serves as the climax and repeats at least twice, providing structure. Most of the time, the chorus mentions the song’s title, and that is why it is called the “the hook.”

Taylor Swift, “Cruel Summer”

“Ooh, woah, it’s a cruel summer”

Taylor Swift, “Style”

“We never go out of style, we never go out of style”

The Bridge

The bridge presents songwriters with the chance to give additional information. Something revealing or playful that offers dimension to the composition. The bridge can truly make a song even more special than it was.

Taylor Swift, “All Too Well”

“And you call me up again just to break me like a promise / So casually cruel in the name of being honest.”

Taylor Swift, “Death by a Thousand Cuts”

“My time, my wine, my spirit, my trust / Trying to find a part of me you didn’t take up”

Step 3: Grab Your Instrument or Write to Track

Taylor Swift writes the majority of her songs on her guitar or piano, which gives her music an authentic, intimate feel. These instruments often provide the foundation for her songwriting, allowing her to craft melodies and harmonies that suit the personal, story-driven nature of her lyrics. If you do not play an instrument, try getting lessons to help with your songwriting process. 

Here is a video of her writing “King of My Heart” off of her Reputation album.

Taylor Swift NOW : The Making Of A Song (King Of My Heart)

Another great option if you do not play an instrument is to write to track. Taylor does this a lot when writing with her collaborator, Aaron Dessner. Songs like “The 1” and “Invisible String” were written to tracks that Aaron had ready. Go to Youtube, look up instrumentals, and practice writing to them. A search like “Taylor Swift-type song instrumental” will return a lot of options.

Step 4: Use Metaphors, Similes, and Imagery

One of Taylor Swift’s signature songwriting traits is her ability to paint vivid pictures with words, often turning emotions into visual experiences. She uses metaphors, similes, and imagery to make her listeners feel a part of the story. For example, in “Cardigan,” she captures a sense of feeling forgotten, only to be rediscovered and appreciated by someone who sees her true value with the line, “And when I felt like I was an old cardigan under someone’s bed, you put me on and said I was your favorite.”

In your journal, practice writing a few metaphors based on the emotions you are writing about. If you are writing about your first day of school, here are a couple of examples:

Instead of saying, “I am feeling nervous,” you can say, “Butterflies dance inside me.”

Instead of saying, “I see my friend in the crowded hallway,” you can describe it as “A warm sun shining through the clouds.”

Here is a breakdown of these tools:

  • Swift uses imagery to encourage her listener to use their imagination. This will make your song more engaging and immersive. Imagery is meant to paint a picture in one’s head through vivid storytelling. In “Bigger Than the Whole Sky,” rather than saying, “I am laying down, crying” she says, “Salt streams out my eyes and into my ears.” This is way stronger and more compelling.
  • Swift uses Similes and metaphors to strengthen lyrics by revealing a greater meaning. A simile (“time flies, messy as the mud on your truck tires”) compares two things using “like” or “as.” A metaphor (“We were a fresh page on the desk, filling in the blanks as we go”) directly compares one thing to another.
  • Use idioms to strengthen your message. An idiom is an expression with a different meaning than its literal meaning (“All the king’s horses, all the king’s men, couldn’t put me together again”).
  • Rhyming supports the structure of a song, and strengthening your rhymes might really improve your composition. Investing in a rhyming dictionary could help your songwriting.

Step 5: Write a Poem

To begin putting your rhymes together, try writing a poem to get your creativity flowing. Taylor has turned many of her poems into songs. For example, her song “This Love” was initially a poem. Taylor then turned it into a melody and added music to it. This is a great way to ensure your writing is strong and has a good flow.

Step 5: Find the Melody

Swift is skilled at creating memorable melodies. In many of her songwriting videos, you can see that she mumbles lyrics while finding the right melody. You can approach writing melodies by playing chords and improvising over them, or if your lyrics are already written, speak them out loud and see how they sound when adding a breathy tone to them. This can be called “vocal doodles,” and you should doodle until you feel it suits your song.

This video of her writing “I Did Something Bad” is a great example of how she comes up with her melodies. The words are not yet figured out at the start, but she finds the melody by mumbling over her piano chords. As the video goes on, the whole song comes together!

Taylor Swift NOW: The Making Of A Song (I Did Something Bad)

Step 6: Master Your Bridge

Swift’s bridges are a defining feature of her songwriting, often serving as an emotional climax or moment of transformation within her songs. She uses them to elevate the narrative or shift the listener’s perspective. In tracks like “Out of the Woods,” the bridge reveals something personal with the lyrics “remember when you hit the brakes too soon? 20 stitches in a hospital room,” while in “Cruel Summer,” it erupts into a bold confession with “I love you, ain’t that the worst thing you ever heard?” Swift’s ability to craft powerful, dynamic bridges adds depth to her music, creating memorable moments that resonate long after the song ends. Her bridges are where she often takes the most significant risks.

Try to write something confessional in your bridge. For example, a good confession about your first day of school could be: “I thought I’d be stronger by now, but the fear still creeps in somehow,” to admit to your audience that you are nervous. Think of new information to share with your listener, which could be a Taylor Swift-styled bridge.

Step 8: Find Your Sound

Taylor Swift has explored various genres throughout her career. She began with country music, transitioned to pop, and later went into alternative music. She is known for her willingness to experiment with new sounds and take artistic risks in production. Notable collaborators include Max Martin (Shake It Off, Style, Blank Space), Jack Antonoff (Out of the Woods, August, Fortnight), and Aaron Dessner (Willow, Tolerate It, Cardigan). She can work with many people and still have the same success because her songwriting is what drives the production and makes it special.

What kind of sound do you want your music to have? Figure out what suits your voice and start from there. Maybe your songs need a pulsing synth, or maybe you prefer just a piano. Experiment with your music to discover what works best!

Taylor Swift is a genius at blending personal storytelling with memorable melodies and powerful emotions. She crafts songs that resonate with listeners by consistently delivering relatable lyrics, infectious hooks, and bridges. Whether experimenting with song structure or a new genre, her music remains authentic. Studying Taylor Swift’s songwriting provides a masterclass on balancing personal expression with universal appeal, while pushing the boundaries of music. If you are interested in songwriting classes, have a look here.

Author: Madison

Madison is a singer/songwriter born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Gender & Women’s Studies with a concentration in Media and Communications. As an independent recording artist, her music has received critical acclaim from the likes of EARMILK and Wonderland Magazine. Apart from her involvement with Ensemble Performing Arts, Madison performs shows across California.

Madison

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