I read this for work, specifically an independent study class I taught for a student interested in songwriting. This book was helpful and a good reference guide but it sure had a lot of fluff. The most problematic thing about it was the examples were corny and lacking imagination. A style reference guide is only as good as The examples a references. 2.5 stars.

The best advice on songwriting I've ever heard was something Bob Dylan once said to Eric Bibb: "Remember to keep it simple. Forget all that fancy stuff." Of course, this works best once you're familiar with the fancy stuff.

The other best advice I've ever heard was to practice, as you would with any other skill.

Writing Better Lyrics gets five stars because it embodies that approach so well. The first chapter illustrates a method of writing that is sensory and immersive, and tells you to go practice. From there, you will learn about different approaches to rhyme (such as effective use of imperfect rhyme), metaphor, structure, point of view, and prosody. Ultimately the author encourages writing that flows naturally while avoiding common pitfalls, like cliches or superfluous detail.

The middle section is a little bit of a slog, as the sections on rhythm and rhyme are technical. But they're worth the patience and practice if you're willing to power through.

And one favorite quote of mine came from the last section, which was on co-writing but could have just as easily been about any writing: Don't be afraid to write crap. One crap idea can lead to a better one, then to an even better one. Crap, the author says, makes the best fertilizer.

Recommended for lyricists and linguists, who might also take an interest in the rhetorical devices explored in this book.

This is an excellent resource I will be referring to for years to come. It will soon take the shape of a 'well-loved book'--worn pages and dogged ears and such.

I would highly recommend this as a resource for any wannabe songwriter.

this book was soooo written in 1995. take what you can and leave the rest

3 stars = I liked it

This certainly is one of the few solid and approachable books on lyric writing out there. IMHO it is useful, the author demonstrates several strategies to improve your lyrics with non-confusing examples that are reprinted each and every time a small change is made. This is super useful as you can see the before-and-after right there without the need to 'imagine' what a small lyric change would make to the overall feel of a section. Overall, I'd recommend it unless you've read too many books on lyric writing.

What I did not like: Honestly, this is more subjective, but this book has this cringy 1980's / older-male-musician / 1990's-rock-band-wannabe feel to it and in my opinion, this approach to music and lyrics is narrow and we've already overcome it. Of course, the author is a Berklee professor and by no means am I saying that his expertise does not count. I just wanted to showcase the underlying vibe of the book. You can feel he was present on the rockband scene when only record labels dictated how music is made and consumed. Vaguely said, it really reminds me of older men writing lyrics the way it was done back then. All throughout the book I wanted a more modern, youthful and all-embracing feel. Mr Pattison scathingly criticises the use of clichés, however, to my surprise, many of the lyrics he wrote as examples were indeed very dated and clichéd. There is, like I mentioned, this guy-wants-a-girl vibe that is told from his perspective. This cliché romantic guy heroism vibe. This is further accentuated by the use of the third person lyrics (She goes home, and all she can see is emptiness...). Similarly cringy is the heroic and dramatic social critique/commentary lyrics that rarely work out well - they just feel patronising-ish, trite, hackneyed and pompous.

However, when you ignore this vibe, the technicalities of the book certainly are enriching and serve one well in writing lyrics.