3 Valuable Pieces of Songwriting Advice From Neil Young

Neil Young has enjoyed a long and storied career, and many would consider the folk rock icon to be one of the finest songwriters of his generation. Naturally, after decades as an artist, Young has more than a few pieces of songwriting advice to dish out. Here are just a few things he has generously divulged through the years to young or up-and-coming songwriters!

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Avoid Overthinking When It Comes To Writing Songs

Songwriting is a thought-heavy process. To Neil Young, though, there’s a healthy balance to be had. Overthinking can complicate and muddy an otherwise solid idea. Young once said that he stops writing once he starts thinking too hard, and this might be an excellent way to avoid contrived songwriting.

“Usually I sit down and I go until I’m trying to think,” said Young. “As soon as I start thinking, I quit. Then when I have an idea out of nowhere, I start back up again. When that idea stops, I stop.”

Embrace Failure From the Start

Honestly, this is one of the most valuable pieces of songwriting advice out there, and good advice for life in general. In the documentary film Neil Young Journeys, Young discussed the importance of failure and the inevitability of doubt when it comes to songwriting.

“The other thing that you have to be willing to do, and you have to be ready to embrace it and accept it and really open it into your life with open arms with wide vision is failure,” Young said. “Be sure to welcome failure, say, ‘You’re okay with me failure, come on in.’ Because then you have no fear, if you have no fear and you believe in yourself and only listen to yourself then you are number one. Everything else is behind you.”

Trust Your Intuition

Trusting your intuition as a songwriter can be extremely difficult. How can you truly know if a line or verse or whole song is even good? Shouldn’t you look to others for inspiration? While all musicians will have their inspirations, Young drove home how comparison can be a death knell for writers. In Neil Young Journeys, the “Heart Of Gold” hitmaker made it clear that trusting yourself and not comparing yourself to other songwriters is the key to making authentic music.

“First of all, you have to trust yourself, there’s nobody else that matters,” said Young. “It’s over if you start looking at other people, that’s what I think.”

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