As Guest Judge Magou Samb says, a great song transports you to a “specific, deeply significant moment in time.” And with our 2022 Song Writing Competition being our most popular competition EVER, we got to experience an amazing array of moments in just a few minutes, from the loss of a beloved grandfather to the after-effects of heartbreak to escaping the stress of school, and so much more.
Many thanks to all who entered, and read on to see the winners, finalists, and highly commended songs, plus Magou’s commentary!
WINNERS:
Best Lyrics: 08/13/98 by eliza rhinelander (Canada)
A very powerful song exploring life and loss. There is a great authenticity in the conversational prose that Eliza adopts in this song. Eliza cleverly centres her song around a specific, deeply significant moment in time. This is a great technique we can use when writing a song: choose a specific moment in time and then describe it – what emotions did you feel? What could you see? What could you hear? What could you taste? What could you touch? etc. A great song Eliza, keep it up!
Best Performance: The Strange Things by Eneko Lane (UK)
Eneko’s “The Strange Things” perfectly captures the stylistic elements of Celtic and English folk music in both its lyrics and music. Eneko assumes the role of a bard, telling his listeners a story (If anyone out there wants to explore this narrative style of lyric-writing be sure to check out Bob Dylan!). Eneko draws his listeners into the world he creates with many great writing techniques, such as alliteration, rhyme and use of imagery. But Eneko doesn’t tell us everything and that’s what makes this song great! As a listener, we have to interpret his lyrics and fill in certain gaps and silences and as such we take on a compositional role in interpreting the text. A creative performance from Eneko—a true one man band incorporating two guitars, lead and backing vocals (no mean feat!) into the final piece. Bravo Eneko!
Runner-Up: My Frozen Heart by James Whear (UK)
A very moving, soaring song from James exploring the different emotions of heartbreak. James uses a great structure in this song to help organise his ideas. In the verses, James tells the listener what has happened while the pre-chorus and chorus are his reflections on these events. The bridge combines narrative content with emotional response, making it the climax of both the music and lyrics. Another fantastic technique is James’ imagery of different seasons to convey the passing of time. Well done James!
PEER REVIEW WINNER: (chosen by the WtW team)
Best Peer Review: Death_to_the_letter’s (Australia) review of Drive to Rome
As I read Death_to_the_letter’s review of “Drive to Rome,” I could tell that they were putting as much care into their review as the writer had put into their song. As a reviewer, it can be so easy to fall into generalizations, platitudes, and vague language that, while accurate, doesn’t fully approach the nuance of the writing. Death_to_the_letter patiently and coherently explains how and why they reacted to the piece. Take a look at this annotated comment that remarks on the slant rhymes present in the song’s pre-chorus:
“This rhyme scheme is so unique in songs! It’s almost every alternating line that follows two different rhyme schemes, and the end of the chorus hits you with every two lines. It gives the illusion of slowing down as the chorus hits the second verse.”
Who wouldn’t want to receive such encouraging and insightful feedback? The rest of the review is of the same stellar quality, taking on a professional but conversational tone that both uplifts and gives direction to the writer. It’s the sort of review that permits an author to transform their work, and I recommend that any budding or seasoned peer reviewer read it!
Best Performance/Best Lyrics Finalists:
guitar lessons by ~ antara.k ~ (India)
Friend Zone by EllaCamper (US)
Peer Review Finalists:
Sydney H.’s (Switzerland) review of Divinely Rejected
SunV’s (India) review of Fingerprints
Best Performance/Best Lyrics Highly Commended: (alphabetical by song title)
All That Won’t Come True by SunV (India)
Another Day by Cogan (US)
Broken Things by Reipae Dunn (New Zealand)
Butterflies by makaylamizzi (Australia)
Can’t Bear Seeing It Burn Down by Daisy ghosh (India)
Clouds by maevemchughmusic (Ireland)
Colours of You by Kisha (Singapore)
Dive by snehaarya (US)
Fireflies by Danny Harris (Australia)
Gardens of Grey by maddyblackmusic (US)
Her by Writing4Life (Australia)
Judgement Day by EmmeH (US)
Mind Games by rebecca07wall (Australia)
Our Dance by JamesM (US)
Parasite by grazes_ (UK)
Purple by Poetry Nerd (US)
Semantics by megllor (US)
Winter Calls by clarishwang (Singapore)