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What our customer's say!

"Publishing Date Error ! ", If you have reservations about buying this book because of the publishing date (1984) you should think again. This book has been revised and updated but some how, some way no credit is given. The author makes reference to songs written in 2006 by John Mayer and others!
As for the value of this book - it is absolutely wonderful. Just reading the first two chapters gave me countless ideas for new song lyrics.
The only thing I would change about this book is that the author gives examples of numerous songs by their titles only, assuming you know the songwriter and the lyrics. That doesn't help if you don't know the song.
And finally, I bought this book "used" but it is in perfectly new condition (saved alot of $$). Most likely due to the error in the publishing date, people think this is an old book. Enjoy!

"Surprisingly good", I've gotten over "writer's block", which was a myth to begin with. I'm writing great lyrics now, and feeling confident in my lyrics.

"THIS IS THE BEST BOOK ON THE SUBJECT OF LYRIC/POETRY WRITING ", If your goal is to learn all you ever need to know about lyric writing, then this is the book you must own. I have read many books on this subject, and this book is clearly, the authority on the subject. And because this book brings forth a sound foundation for meter and rhythm, it is perfect for high school and college students that are studying poetry; I should know, by reading this book, I got all A's in my English classes where poetry was taught. And being a songwriter for over 10 years, I can't say enough about what a great help this book has been to all my research in the field of popular music composition. The book is full of examples from newer pop songs, but also gives examples of Tin-Pan Alley songs that are worth noting; upon listening to the Tin-Pan-Alley songs, my taste in music has expanded.

"How Lyric Writers Eat their Veggies", This is THE book to learn the tools to write excellent lyrics for pop music. It systematically explores techniques and presents successful examples of their use. Yes, it plods like a school textbook, but it is written by a successful teacher who has mastered her craft. Yes, some examples are old, but they still illustrate excellence in action. Some other books are certainly quicker and more entertaining reads, but if your goal is to write the very best lyrics you possibly can, you are only hurting yourself if you do not work carefully through this book, however long it takes. Then do it again, and keep it handy for future reference.

"This book is awesome!", This book proves that Lyricism is a craft that can be taught, not a gift that you either have or have not. In reading it I have already identified which of my lyric ideas are the strongest, which ones need a lot of work, and which ones need to be thrown out all together. Every page of this book gives you more tools to work with to push your lyric writing in the right direction.
Much of the book is written about popular music (but not necessarily "pop" music) with a lot examples from older country songs and theatre songs. However, no matter what style of music you want to write, the same principles apply. If you are looking to write quality lyrics for a band, a singer, or for publication, you MUST read this book.

Read this reviews before You buy...

"THE Best Inspiration for Lyricists", If you want THE book on lyric writing, this is it! Sheila Davis's highly readable work has inspired beginning as well as experienced writers. I should know! Thanks to Sheila, my CD of 20 of my original songs, I'M IN LOVE WITH MY COMPUTER, was named "One of the Best Cabaret CDs of `98" by InTheatre Magazine. Sheila is not only a published songwriter, but also a supportive workshop teacher. Her book reflects her teaching style: highly accessible but thought-provoking at the same time. She gives examples for every point she makes.Reading the book is the next best thing to working in person with her, which I've had the privilege of doing. I also highly recommend her workbook "Successful Lyric Writing,"particularly helpful to the lyricist starting out, and "The Songwriter's Ideabook" which is wonderful for any songwriter looking for a creative boost!

"You were so good at keeping things vague.", I agree that "obtuseness" "can never [or, at least, can only rarely] successfully pass for depth", but I'm not so sure about vagueness. It seems to me that John Lennon and Bob Dylan in the sixties made something of an art of vague lyric-writing--to great commerical success and critical acclaim. (Paul McCartney likes to tell how John Lennon made him replace the lines "She was just seventeen/Could have been a beauty queen" with "She was just seventeen/And you know what I mean" and how afterward "You know what I mean" became a catch phrase in popular song. No one really knew for sure.) My point here is that there are a lot of ways to skin a cat. A true artist will invent his own. But the problem with this book is not that it wants you to write one way and not another; the problem with this book is that it really isn't able to distinguish a good lyric from a bad lyric or to analyze a lyric profitably and that when you read it you aren't getting advice from the horse's mouth; you're getting second-hand, watered down advice.

"Your Ticket to Fame and Forturne", Did you ever listen to the radio and wish you could do that, wish it were your songs played, celebrated, whistled and hummed across the nation? Would you like to be able to say, "I write the songs that make the young girls cry; I write the songs; I write the songs"? Well, now you can. Sheila shows you how--how you can make more money than you've ever imagined, how you can be adored by the masses, how you can make the young girls cry. Believe me, music publishers are constantly ploughing through unsolicited manuscripts desperately searching for hit songs. It's gotten so bad that many popular music artists are starting to resort to writing their OWN songs! Seriously. And how much money can you make? Federal law sets royalty rates for recordings at about $.02 per record to split with your publisher, so if your song sells a mere one million copies, you stand to make an amazing $10,00! (That is, if you are both composer and lyricist, otherwise $5,000.) That's enough to feed, clothe, and house you and your entire self for nearly six months! How does the author of "The Craft of Lyric Writing" know so much about song writing? She has actually LISTENED to popular songs; she has ANALYZED popular songs; she has herself WRITTEN...songs! No, this is one opportunity you simply can't afford to pass by.

In addition to "The Craft of Lyric Writing" by Sheila Davis, I also recommend "The Craft of Lyric Writing" by Sheila Davis.

"Hmmm", If you listen to the radio you'll discover that there are no rules, no rhyme (so to speak) or reason, to successful songwriting. It helps to be lucky, well-connected, etc. Fate is fickle. If you want to be a GOOD lyric writer; that's different. Practice writing prose as well as lyrics; listen to good lyrics--analyze them.

Recommended: "The Moviegoer" by Walker Percy (not to teach you lyric writing, silly!)

"The modern hit-writing authority...", ...Davis catalogues the fundamentals of the craft, from lyric structure to rhyme and meter to avoiding common pitfalls. She makes all of this easy to understand. Every one who wants to write lyrics should buy this book.

Singer-songwriters be warned: this book is written by a non-performing, professional lyricist. Those not trying to write a Top-40 hit should take Davis' comments about appropriate subject matter with a grain of salt. Davis' prose is what you'd expect from someone who writes catchy songs for a living: hokey and salesmanlike.

None of this detracts from the basic truth of the book, that clarity and specificity are virtues in writing, while obtuseness and vagueness can never successfully pass for depth. For her examples Davis sticks to truly well-written songs; for the most part she does not hold certain genres superior to others. In sum, the woman knows of what she speaks. Read this book.