Analogies

Analogies are the building blocks of songwriting. Here is what I've learned about them and how you can use them to make your songwriting better. I've also included links to examples.

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They should be one of your songwriting tools to take listeners to new places in ways that are unexpected and interesting. This will make your songs much more compelling. They also help you show not tell.

They allow you to compare two different things when you’re songwriting so you can make it clear to the listener there are similarities between the things you are comparing. You can use them to explain or illustrate what you mean.

The listener then understands the new concept because you provided insight or a suggestion that existing similarities imply even more similarities. It builds on something they already know.

When used correctly they can provide sometimes very stark and unexpected pictures of what you mean in your song. Taking your song out of the ordinary is very important.

However be careful not to make the comparison weird. Make your listener's journey a pleasant one so they will want to keep listening to your song.

This writing tool points out relationships but it can break down when examined in detail because it does not follow that every detail is the same. There will be differences so be careful not to push them too far.

If you go into too much detail little things will become obvious that are different and focus will be on the differences and not on the similarities which was your original purpose.

Analogy often get expressed through the use of similes and metaphors. Similes and metaphors have different characteristics and therefore different uses depending on what you're trying to achieve in your comparison.