These days, there are apps like LyricStudio that use artificial intelligence to “help” you write songs. You give it a hook or a general description and it does the rest. You can go line by line with it (you propose a line, it proposes the next, and so on) or you can just have it write the whole song.
Alternatively, you can open up Grok or ChatGPT or your AI of choice and say something like, “write a first verse and a chorus of a country song about a guy who loves his truck more than his girl.” (FYI: You'd ask for the whole song. We asked for just first verse and chorus to keep this explanation shorter.)
Here’s what ChatGPT shot back:
🎵 Title: “Tailgate Heart”
She said it’s me or that old Chevy,
And I paused, thinkin’ real heavy.
She slammed the door, I turned the key—
Guess it’s clear what she means to me.
Leather seats and that V8 hum,
Outlast love when love comes undone.
Chorus
‘Cause my truck don’t lie, don’t cry, don’t leave,
She starts up strong when I need reprieve.
Got rust on the fender, but never on her soul,
She’s the only one who’s never let go.
Yeah, my girl walked out, but I ain’t stuck—
I’m still in love… with my ol’ truck.
That seems pretty competent. But is it really?
AI titles this song, “Tailgate Heart.” Where is that in the song? Titles of songs are almost always their hook. This is an absolute rookie writer mistake. We see it all the time in critique sessions with amateur writers.
Speaking of hooks, what is the hook? “I’m still in love… with my ol’ truck”? The hook should encapsulate the central point of the song and the central point of this song was in the prompt sent to the AI: a guy who loves his truck more than his girl. Is "still" being in love with his truck, presenting or highlighting the central conflict of girl versus truck?
In reality, the AI proposes a title, “Tailgate Heart,” that would make a great hook (if properly set up and amplified by the verses). It’s a pretty cool way of expressing the “core” of the song, but the AI “writer” hammered that exactly as many beginning writers would and left the title out of the song!
What about the chorus line, “She starts up strong when I need reprieve.” Would a “country” person ever say that? Hell no. Our AI “writer” did the same thing amateur writers often do. “He” or “she” stuck in a word that wasn’t really “right”—just because it rhymed. MEANING FIRST, rhyme second! Never “bail out” and stick in a word that rhymes that does not mean exactly what you want or need to say.
What about marketability? Its axiomatic in writing for male country artists: never disrespect "the girl"! Why? Because "she" typically chooses the song, the playlist, the song/station on the radio dial, which shows/concerts to go to, and so on. Dis her and YOUR song gets turned off! "Guess it's clear what she means to me"? No way. That line gets YOUR song turned off in pro music circles. But AI doesn't know that.
We could go on, but you get the drift.
Oh hell, there’s one more line we just have to point out: “Got rust on the fender, but never on her soul.” Rust on her soul? WTH? Would you ever write that? Of course you wouldn’t. But our AI “writer” did and writes lines like this all the time.
The moral of this story? Thank goodness, at least so far, AI writes crummy songs. But you don’t need to. Lyric Éditeur™ can help you on your journey from beginner to pro writer.
One final thought: If you let AI write your lyrics, you will never learn how to do it yourself. And as Steve Jobs said (or some Zen Buddhist): “The journey is the reward.” We say: “Big fat royalty checks are the reward!”