How to Write
Great Jingle Lyrics
There’s a little bit of a recipe to it.
A Note from the Head Chef...
You found a cut you love. Now you need to figure out what you want it to say.
Writing lyrics for an existing jingle is a little different from writing regular advertising copy. The music already has a melody, rhythm and phrasing, so your new words need to fit into the space that is already there.
Here are a few tips from the Kitchen that will help us cook up a better finished jingle for your station.
Listen First. Then Count Syllables.
This is probably the most important thing you can do.
Listen to the demo and count the syllables in the part you want to change. Your new lyric should have about the same number.
Those two phrases simply cannot occupy the same amount of music. We can make little adjustments, but there is only so much room.
Your Station Name Counts Too
Think about the number of syllables in your station or brand name.
That does not mean we cannot use a longer name. It just means a cut originally designed around a short station name may not be the best place for it.
Listen to Where the Words Fall
Syllable count is only part of the equation. The natural emphasis of your words also needs to line up with the music.
A phrase can have exactly the right number of syllables and still sound strange if the music puts the emphasis in the wrong place.
Keep It Simple
Jingle lyrics need to be understood the first time somebody hears them. Short, direct phrases almost always work better than complicated sentences.
You probably do not need the station name, frequency, city, slogan, music positioner, morning show and website all packed into one jingle.
Pick what matters most and give the music some room to breathe.
Write for the Ear
Something can look great written down and still sound awkward in a jingle. Your listener cannot go back and reread it. They hear it once.
Read your lyric out loud. Then try saying it with the demo.
If you are racing to squeeze the last three words in before the music ends, we are probably going to have the same problem.
Does It Actually Make Sense?
Read your lyric without the music.
Does it say what you think it says? Does it sound like something your station would actually say on the air?
Sometimes we get so focused on making the syllables fit that we forget somebody eventually has to hear the words and understand them.
Check Your Work
Before you send your lyrics, have somebody else take a look at them.
Check the spelling. Check your station name. Check the frequency, slogan, city names and anything else that needs to be exact.
A second set of eyes can catch something you have looked at twenty times and missed.
Tell Us How to Pronounce It
If there is any chance we might pronounce something incorrectly, tell us.
Station names, cities, personality names and local terms are especially important.
Even familiar names can change depending on where you are. Newark, for example, is pronounced differently in New Jersey and Delaware.
Do not expect us to know. A quick pronunciation note can save everybody a lot of time.
And Give Us a Little Grace...
We really do want your jingle to sound the way you hear it in your head, and we will work with you to get it there.
Sometimes that means changing a word, adjusting the phrasing or finding another way to say the same thing that fits the music better.
Every once in a while, though, the words and the music just are not going to cooperate. There are only so many syllables, beats and notes available. Sometimes you really cannot fit a square peg into a round hole.
If we suggest changing something, it is because we want the finished jingle to sound natural and make your station sound great.
That is really the whole recipe.
Keep it simple.
Listen to the music.
Give the words some room.
The best jingle lyrics are usually the ones that sound like they belonged in the music all along.