Songwriting

Songwriting 101: Lovedrug

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Today I’m breaking down a song I wrote a couple of years ago called Lovedrug.
This track is a good example of how simplicity in songwriting can be extremely effective when the core ideas are clear.

It uses one of the most common harmonic patterns in popular music:

I – V – vi – IV

(If you haven’t read my earlier post on chord relationships, I recommend starting there for a deeper explanation of why these chords work so well together.)

Let’s jump in.

Key and harmony

Although the song is often described as being in D♯ major, the more standard and readable key name is:

E♭ major

All of the chords in the song are diatonic—they belong naturally to the same key. There are no borrowed or outside chords. This is one of the main reasons the harmony feels so stable and familiar.

Verse progression

E♭ – B♭ – Cm – A♭

Functionally, in E♭ major:

  • E♭ = I

  • B♭ = V

  • Cm = vi

  • A♭ = IV

So the verse follows:

I – V – vi – IV

Chorus progression

E♭ – Cm

Functionally:

  • I – vi

Reducing the harmony in the chorus helps make it feel more focused and emotionally direct compared to the verse.

Making the song easier to play on guitar (capo approach)

These chords are awkward to play in open position. To simplify things, I place a capo on the 8th fret and use open chord shapes.

With the capo on the 8th fret, I use:

Verse shapes

  • G major → sounds as E♭ major

  • D major → sounds as B♭ major

  • E minor → sounds as C minor

  • C major → sounds as A♭ major

Chorus shapes

  • G major → sounds as E♭ major

  • E minor → sounds as C minor

This allows the entire song to be played using familiar open-position shapes while sounding in E♭ major.

Why I chose this key

The reason I chose E♭ major (capo on the 8th fret) is simple:

it fit my voice best.

Choosing a key is often more about the singer than the instrument or the theory. A song can feel completely different when moved up or down by only a few semitones.

During the writing process for Lovedrug, I also experimented with the song in G major and B♭ major before settling on this final key.

Trying different keys is a great way to:

  • find a more comfortable vocal range, and

  • discover new melodic ideas.

Song structure

I would categorize the form of this song as:

A – B – A – B – C – B – B – C

Where:

  • A = verse

  • B = chorus

  • C = instrumental break / interlude

I originally labeled the “C” section as a bridge, but functionally it behaves more like an instrumental interlude. The harmony and overall feel remain very similar to the verse and chorus, and the main difference is that the vocal melody is replaced by a guitar riff.

So the structure is best understood as:

Verse → Chorus → Verse → Chorus → Instrumental break → Chorus → Chorus → Instrumental break

Emphasizing the chorus

My favorite part of Lovedrug is the chorus. Since the melody is especially catchy, I wanted to make it the emotional center of the song.

To do that, I simply made the chorus the most prominent section by:

  • repeating it more than any other part, and

  • placing it close to both the middle and the end of the song.

Lyrics and theme

Here are the lyrics:

Verse

I love to watch you squirm
Every time you lie
Feel the way it hurts

Chorus

You get me high then you bring me down
Don’t know why I ever stick around
Hate to say, hate to say it now
Just a drug, just a drug, just a drug to me

Verse

Why did the fire die?
I want to watch it burn
Every single time

Chorus

You get me high then you bring me down
Don’t know why I ever stick around
Hate to say, hate to say it now
Just a drug, just a drug, just a drug to me

Lyrical idea

The song is about staying in an unhealthy relationship and becoming emotionally addicted to the constant highs and lows.

A line like:

“You get me high then you bring me down”

directly mirrors that emotional cycle. The language is intentionally simple and repetitive to reinforce the feeling of being stuck in a loop.

For this song, clarity and emotional directness mattered more to me than metaphor or complexity.

Melody-writing approach

The melody started with a very simple idea:

  • on the word “high”, the melody walks up the scale,

  • and on the word “down”, the melody walks down the same scale.

After that, I experimented with many variations of this idea until I found one that felt natural and expressive. That version eventually became the verse melody.

From there, I created small variations of it for the rest of the song.

In practice, melody writing is often just:

trying twenty different ways to sing the same short phrase, and keeping the one that feels best.

Final thought

Lovedrug is built almost entirely from:

  • diatonic chords,

  • a very common harmonic pattern (I – V – vi – IV),

  • and a simple melodic idea.

If you take one thing away from this lesson, I hope it’s this:

simplicity can be extremely powerful when the core emotional idea is clear.

It’s very easy to add too much. Sometimes the strongest songwriting move is knowing when to stop adding and let the song breathe.

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Songwriting

Three Proven Ways to Write Stronger Melodies

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Writing a strong melody is arguably the most important part of creating a memorable song—and also one of the hardest. Many great bands and writers fall short not because their ideas are bad, but because their melodies never quite connect.

One of the fastest ways to improve your own writing is to study what great melodies actually do. When you look closely at well-known songs from the past century, clear patterns begin to appear.

After analyzing dozens of songs over the years, I’ve noticed a few recurring melodic traits.
Here are three practical techniques you can start using right away.

1) Use wide interval leaps (strategically)

A classic example of a wide melodic leap appears in
Somewhere Over the Rainbow.

Right on the word “Some-where”, the melody jumps up by a perfect octave.

That opening leap immediately grabs the listener’s attention because it breaks away from the step-by-step motion most melodies rely on.

The key is contrast.

Wide leaps are most effective when they are surrounded by smaller, stepwise motion. Used sparingly and tastefully, they can turn a good melody into a great one—especially in a chorus or emotional peak.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with larger jumps, but make sure they feel intentional and supported by the surrounding notes.

2) Develop a rhythmic theme

Great melodies are not defined by pitch alone.
They are just as recognizable by their rhythmic shape.

A strong example of this can be heard in
Eleanor Rigby by
The Beatles
(written primarily by Paul McCartney).

Listen to the opening vocal phrase (“Eleanor Rigby picks up the…”).
What stands out is not only the notes, but the repeating rhythmic contour of the line. The phrasing feels slightly asymmetrical and unusual, which gives the melody its distinctive character.

Rather than focusing on counting a specific number of measures, the important takeaway is this:

The melody repeats and develops a recognizable rhythmic shape.

You can apply this idea by:

  • breaking your melody into short rhythmic fragments, and

  • recombining and repeating those fragments in slightly different ways.

A consistent rhythmic identity can make a melody feel cohesive even when the pitches change.

3) Use melodic “color tones”

Another powerful way to make a melody more expressive is to use notes that go beyond a simple major or minor triad.

These notes are often called color tones—such as the 7th or 9th above a chord. They add tension, warmth, and emotional nuance to a line.

A great example can be heard in
High and Dry by
Radiohead.

During the chorus, the melody lands on a note that goes beyond the basic triad implied by the harmony. It doesn’t sound wrong—in fact, it sounds more expressive and vulnerable.

In practice, these notes usually function as:

  • chord extensions, or

  • brief non-chord tones that resolve smoothly into the harmony.

By allowing your melody to occasionally emphasize notes outside the basic three-note chord, you can introduce richness and emotional depth without complicating the song.

Final thought

Stronger melodies often come from small, deliberate choices:

  • a well-placed wide leap,

  • a recognizable rhythmic shape, and

  • the tasteful use of color tones.

If you begin listening for these traits in songs you already love—and start experimenting with them in your own writing—you’ll quickly find your melodies becoming more distinctive, expressive, and memorable.

Cheers, and happy writing.

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