Neil's lyric writing

[GrandDesigner]

I've always wondered about this one:

 

I know the Geddy and Alex write the music, then give the songs to Neil and he writes lyrics, then he sends them back and so forth.

 

But does Geddy also send vocal melodies in some way too and Neil writes to that melody? Or does Neil just write lyrics and then Geddy works them into usable format? Some of the rhyme schemes/metaphors are SOOO perfect I find it hard to believe that Neil could get his original intention across with having to rewrite lyrics to fit a previously unheard vocal melody.

 

 

[Scars]

If I'm correct, I don't believe Neil writes lyrics to the music--he just simply writes them. Geddy will then takes Neil's lyrics and find which ones best suit the music. If there are any discrepancies or anything that is a little awkward for Geddy to sing, then they go through and make the tweaks. But I don't believe that Neil ever (or rarely ever) writes for a particular song.

 

...But I also could be wrong.

[Presto-digitation]

I think Peart just writes down lines, not unlike poetry I suppose. No, I don't believe he works with any melodies. They take his lyrics and work them into melodies that they're (Ged/Al) already working on.

[GrandDesigner]

Thanks guys. I guess major lyric props must also go to Geddy then. Words on a paper can be extremely hard to mold into a cohesive lyric that still emits the same intention the writer had (ie, words must be substituted/changed/dropped to fit melodies, etc) and still packs the same emotional punch.

[PariahDog]

QUOTE (Presto-digitation @ May 29 2010, 05:00 PM)

I think Peart just writes down lines, not unlike poetry I suppose. No, I don't believe he works with any melodies. They take his lyrics and work them into melodies that they're (Ged/Al) already working on.

I don't think Neil thinks about melodies when writing lyrics, but he does think about timing and phrasing.

 

There was a great interview with Neil many years ago (oddly, in Guitar For the Practicing Musician) about how he approaches songwriting. He mentioned that he does pay attention to phrasing, since he is the drummer/timekeeper. I'll try to find a link to scans of the article, because it was a great read. Sadly, I loaned this issue to a friend and fellow Rush fan, and never got it back.

[Pause Rewind Replay]

They went into this some on the Snakes and Arrows MVI. Basically Neil writes lyrics, then gives them to Geddy, who decides which parts he likes, and then sends back what he likes to Neil for him to expand on.

 

Rarely (Far Cry was one they mentioned) the entire lyric from Neil seems to fit a music piece perfectly, and that's a very happy day for Geddy/Alex. Other times Geddy might ditch everything but a couple lines and send it back for Neil to see if he can make something out of the remainder.

 

Of course they didn't say if Geddy ever just takes a look, says, "forget this crap", and tosses them into a private landfill made expecially for that purpose

[Presto-digitation]

QUOTE (PariahDog @ May 29 2010, 05:56 PM)

QUOTE (Presto-digitation @ May 29 2010, 05:00 PM) I think Peart just writes down lines, not unlike poetry I suppose.  No, I don't believe he works with any melodies.  They take his lyrics and work them into melodies that they're (Ged/Al) already working on. I don't think Neil thinks about melodies when writing lyrics, but he does think about timing and phrasing.   There was a great interview with Neil many years ago (oddly, in Guitar For the Practicing Musician) about how he approaches songwriting. He mentioned that he does pay attention to phrasing, since he is the drummer/timekeeper. I'll try to find a link to scans of the article, because it was a great read. Sadly, I loaned this issue to a friend and fellow Rush fan, and never got it back. I'll bet you're right (phrasing/timing).

[red sector animal]

I think Neil writes all the great lyrics and music we dream of, and Geddy and Alex mess them all up before we get to hear them.

 

 

 

 

kidding!

[trenken]

QUOTE (GrandDesigner @ May 29 2010, 05:49 PM)

Thanks guys.  I guess major lyric props must also go to Geddy then.  Words on a paper can be extremely hard to mold into a cohesive lyric that still emits the same intention the writer had (ie, words must be substituted/changed/dropped to fit melodies, etc) and still packs the same emotional punch.

Not really, Geddy doesnt need any credit for the lyrics. He does help put them together, and what makes it into a song is up to him, but he doesnt actually write any of the words, so that credit should go to neil as it always has.

 

The fact that the singer doesnt write the lyrics is very unusual. This is why often Rush lyrics dont actually fit the vibe of the song. Geddy has talked about that many times how its not often where he and neil actually feel the lyrics fit the vibe of the song perfectly, I remember them using middletown dreams as an example where they did fit well together. Whereas when you listen to most other bands, its very rare when the lyrics dont seem to fit the song.

 

This has been discussed here before, there are many songs where they dont fit perfectly, such as The Big Wheel. The lyrics are pretty negative, but the song sounds very upbeat. It still works out fine, but those lyrics probably would have been a better fit in less happy sounding song.