Darkwinner's Favorite Types of Lyrics

Okay, so you're interested in collaborting with me, and you want to know what type of lyrics to send me. I don't really care what genre you were thinking of when you wrote the lyrics. But people want to know what types of lyrics I'm really looking for, so here goes:

I'm looking for lyrics that suggest a story with a definite mood/feeling.

But what does that mean? Well, in The Darkwinner's world view of lyric writing, there are two extremes: "too literal" and "too suggestive." I'm looking for something in the middle

A "too literal" example

Billy Joel's "Scenes from an Italian Restaraunt"- "The Ballad of Brenda and Eddie"

Read Lyrics to "Ballad of Brenda and Eddie" here

I like this song, but it's a good example of being "too literal" and "telling (not suggesting) a story." You could tell the story like this in prose:

Brenda and Eddie were a popular high school couple. When they graduated, they tried living the easy life, even though they didn't have the money to support that lifestyle. There was stress, they argued, and they divorced. But Brenda and Eddie would still survive somehow.

Basically, if you took the above paragraph, made it rhyme and threw in some images of how popular they were, how they tried to live etc, you'd have the lyrics to the Billy Joel song. I like "Brenda and Eddie;" I've listened to it a million times. But this isn't my ideal lyric, it tells and shows too much.

A "too suggestive" example

"Come Together, by The Beatles

A great song with lyrics I consider "too suggestive" is "Come Together" by the Beatles.

Here come old flattop he come grooving up slowly
He got joo-joo eyeball he one holy roller
He got hair down to his knee
Got to be a joker he just do what he please

And so on for more verses. It doesn't tell a story...at all. The vocalist sings with such emotion that you feel something, but the feelings and interpretations depends on who the listner is. Every listener will come away with a different version of what that song means to them. The singer could also sing this happily, or angrily, or sadly or whatever - there's no definitive mood/feeling to the lyrics.

Of course, this is also a great song that I've listened to a million times, but I prefer not to write music to these types of lyrics. There just isn't enough to go on.

Two "happy medium" examples

Moonlight

So this song has the type of lyrics I'm always on the lookout for. (Tangent: I think whoever produced it made a few boo-boos that prevented the song from becoming even bigger than it was. The tempo was too slow for one thing, and the intro was pretty "bleah" also.) The story is:

The narrator is looking forward to a magical evening when his/her partner will sucumb to their passions

If one were to re-write these lyrics as "too literal," you'd get:

I'm looking forward to tonight when I'll be with you
And the magic will be irresistable too
I know you love me so
And I hope you'll lose control
Everything will turn out well
When you succumb to the evening's spell

It "tells" a story ("I'm looking forward to tonight") vs "suggesting" a story ""There's no escape from love Once a gentle breeze Weaves it's spell upon your heart")

If the "ideal" song was a 50%, and "Come together" was 0% ("too suggestive") and "Brenda and Eddie" was 100% ("too literal"), "Can't Fight the Moonlight is probably 70%. (leans a bit to the "too literal" side)

Shakira

Since I can't think of an "ideal song" (probably because there isn't one), I'll use an example that is a bit too suggestive (Maybe 37% in the above quantification scheme, ie, "leans a bit to the "too suggestive" side).)

The only story you "know" is that the singer feels celebratory regarding the the strength that doesn't let (some sort of) separation ruin a relationship.

You're not sure what type of separation, or how it started, or how it ended. But the song is about overcoming love's obstacles, and the listener can personalize the song with details from their own experience.

(I would like the lyrics even more if the second verse developed this idea instead of just repeating verse 1's ideas with different images. Maybe verse 2 could suggest that they've overcome it and no longer are separated and are they are both stronger people for it. Or maybe they do fall apart and the singer regrets her earlier optimism. Or one of them dies and the singer can still feel his strength. Or something. Actually these suggestions are too much plot point-y, and not really development of a theme. If I knew exactly what I wanted to say and how they should say it, I'd be a lyricist ;)

So "Moonlight" is what I hope to work with, as is "Whereever." But if you've got something that's between those two, that's even better. Of course, sometimes I find inspiration to write catchy melodies from "too literal" and "too suggestive" songs also. So if you haven't got "happy medium" lyrics lying around, that's cool, just send me whatever you want, and I'll see what calls to me.

Side note: I also like lyrics with alliteration and anaphora in them. I don't need them, and I love lots of songs without them. But if you've got a song that suggests a story that also uses alliteration and anaphora, wow!

Another side note: I tend to write lyrics above my singing range. (probably because I've got instincts from when I was writing songs before my voice changed.) So it'd be great if your lyrics were written for a female vocalist (or could be sung by either gender.) If not, I can always track down another male vocalist somewhere.

More side notes: I prefer lyrics that don't explicitly describe sexual acts, or cop killing, or use expletives. Call me old fashioned, by I prefer songs with staying power about love and romance. Also, I doubt I've got the "street cred" to write those types of songs ;)