There is an understanding amongst songwriters, that a good song - a strong song - is just as good when you remove the arrangement, instrumentation or specific musicians that create it.

A strong song can transcend genre, audience & time. Strong songs have well-crafted lyrics, memorable melody, perfect harmony and usually a little something different that makes them magic.

You can remove all the instrumentation of the original recording and strip it down to an acoustic performance, and it’s still a strong song.

You can have a different artist cover it and change the style completely, and it’s still a strong song.

It’s because it has strong ‘bones’ that it’s so versatile, recognisable and an undeniable classic. No doubt as I’m speaking you are thinking of the strong songs that you know & love.

So the best way to learn how to write a song, is to learn what makes a ‘strong song’. This is essentially learning the rules of songwriting - as evidenced by the strong songs of history, so that you can choose which to follow and which to break.

They have some common ground:

Takes you on a journey - takes your emotions somewhere.
Tension & release - creating “chills’
Familiarity - predictable / comfortable, repetition, relatable.
Twist - unpredictable, pricks your ears up - something new, different perspective.
The Hook - memorable, ear-worm