How do you write good happy songs?

Question

I've been writing songs pretty much non-stop for the last 2 years or so, and I'm getting better at it, but I can't seem to write happy songs up to the standard of some of the more downbeat ones. There are a few happy songs that I really like, in fact there's one that I like so much that I'm thinking about using it as my band's first single, but the majority of them are below par. To put it into Beatle terms (what can I say, I have an obsession), I'm writing Eleanor Rigby when I want to be writing Can't Buy Me Love.

I think the reason for it is that I don't want to stick to the I, IV and V chords, it doesn't feel creative enough. I'll start out with a happy (although often painfully obvious) song using those chords, and then try and switch a few out for minor chords to make it more interesting, and the optimism disappears.

Occasionally it works, as with my favourite of my own songs which follows a weird ii-V-I-vi progression in the chorus, but usually not.

I thought maybe it was because happy songs just don't use many minor chords, but once again The Beatles prove me wrong. The verse and chorus of She Loves You both have half and half Major and Minor chords, as does the verse of I Want To Hold Your Hand. The chorus of Can't Buy Me Love even goes a step further and has 3 minor chords and only one major.

How can I write interesting happy songs that don't just follow an annoying pattern of I, IV and V?
Any examples of good chord progressions would be great.

Thanks.

David · Accepted Answer

You might try staying away from the vi.  Not ALL minor chords give you a sad feeling, but that one puts you in the relative minor key which is really hard to recover from.  You might try messing around with a 1maj7.  It will give you a different sound that is not gloomy.

Your Bass player or drummer could also be putting a damper on the mood.  If your bassist is doing long, ominous notes under your chords it could bring it down.  Or if your drummer just cant lay off his ride that could do it.

Have you considered that your tempo and lyrics may be to blame?  For example, if we sped up "Puff the Magic Dragon, and sang it in Japanese, we might assume it was a party song.  It's not always the chords that are making the song sad.

__________

Also, try the key of D.  That chord inversion on a guitar sounds quite optimistic.

Gary · Answer

use some 7th chords as Come In chords after verse, try G, Bm, Em, C,D.then for a bridge or chorus try C,D,G,Gm and so on, upbeat fingerpicking or tempo, could also make a nice happy ballard, other than that keep listening to mcfly, good luck

? · Answer

Find whatever makes you happy. 

(Ie are you at a beach? Would that give you the juice for creative writing ideas?)

Trending News

How do you write good happy songs?

3 Answers