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A lyricist is a writer who specializes in writing lyrics. A singer who writes the lyrics to songs is a singer-lyricist. This differentiates from a singer-composer, who composes the song's melody.

Royalties [edit]

A lyricists income is derived from royalties put on a song. The royalties may range from 50% of the song if it was written primarily with the composer, or less if the song was founded from a collaboration. The royalties copyright the song and help prevent it from being reproduced in other lyrics unauthorized.

Collaboration [edit]

Collaboration takes different forms: Some composers and lyricists work closely together on a song, with each having an input into both words and tune. Usually a lyricist fills in the words to a tune already fully written out. Dorothy Fields worked in this way. Lyricists have often added words to an established tune, as Johnny Burke did with the Erroll Garner tune Misty. Some partnerships work almost totally independently, for example, Bernie Taupin writes lyrics and hands them over to Elton John, who then sets them to music, with minimum interaction between the two men.

Religious songwriting [edit]

In the Christian hymn-singing tradition, many of the popular pieces have words written to fit existing melodies. The Christmas carol, What Child Is This, had its words set to an old English folk tune that formerly was a lover's lament, Greensleeves. The English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams famously set existing poems, by men like William Cowper and Charles Wesley, to traditional folk tunes to create hymns, many of which he published in the English Hymnal. A different way in which this happened was the marriage of non-related words and tune, a well-known example being The Star-Spangled Banner, the national anthem of the United States, with words written by Francis Scott Key strictly as a poem, which was later set to the tune of an old drinking song.

Classical music [edit]

In opera, the librettist is responsible for all text, whether spoken or sung in recitative or aria.

See also [edit]

• Custom song
• Composer
• Singer-songwriter

External links [edit]

Resources for Lyricists

• Discover a Hobby: Online guide to learn Songwriting
• Music Lyrics - Reviews, critiques and news.
• NashvilleHype! Hit Songwriter Interviews
• The World Wide Songwriters Association Worldwide organization of songwriters with tips, articles etc. Be Heard. Get Published.
• One Time Lyrics

Major Music Publishers

• EMI Music Publishing
• Warner Chappell
• Sony ATV Music Publishing
• Universal Music Publishing

Major Independent Music Publishers

• Peer Music Publishing
• Chrysalis Music Publishing
• pigFACTORY Music Publishing
• Bug Music Publishing
• Kobalt Music Group

Performing Rights Societies in the USA

• BMI
• ASCAP
• SESAC

Mechanical Rights Societies in the USA

• AMRA
• Harry Fox Agency