Issue Date: December 4, 2005

Contest

Yo, Teens! Word up and win

Find out what contest judges Alicia Keys, Bow Wow and other artists say about writing hit song lyrics.

By Frappa Stout

A catchy hook, a moving message or a compelling story -- that's what it takes to make a hit song these days. With rap and hip-hop dominating the charts, it's all about the lyrics -- and nobody knows that better than the editors of Billboard magazine, the international authority on popular music and our partner in the 2006 USA WEEKEND Songwriting Contest for Teens.

This year, write your best interpretation of the theme, "Come Together," to capture the resilient spirit of our country after this tough year. You could win the chance to celebrate in person with the hottest chart-topping talent at the 2006 Billboard Music Awards and meet one of the stars backstage. (Watch this year's awards at 8 p.m. Tuesday on Fox.)

To help you get started, we asked for tips from our panel of guest judges: rapper Bow Wow ("Wanted"), country star Sara Evans ("Real Fine Place"), reggae artist Damian Marley ("Welcome to Jamrock") and unmatched singer-songwriter Alicia Keys, whose new acoustic album, Unplugged, debuted in October at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart. (Alternative rockers Hoobastank, of The Reason, also are judging.) Here, the judges sound off on what makes a good lyric -- and whose genre does it best.

First, how important are lyrics?
Alicia: Most important. You can have the hottest beat or the most stripped-down music, but it's the lyrics that make a song.

Bow Wow: To an artist, they mean so much. They distinguish the best from the rest.

What makes a good lyric?
Alicia: Simplicity. And it's harder than you think. To capture a world full of emotions in six simple lines takes the poetry of a master. But it's possible.

Sara: You can't be so obvious that your song is just rhymey-rhymey. But you also can't be so deep that nobody has any clue what you're saying.

When did a song's words first touch you?
Alicia: When I was 12, listening to Marvin Gaye's What's Going On album. The way he talked about things happening in the world, things I saw, too ... I realized writing gives you strength, because you can focus people on issues.

Sara: Just watching Coal Miner's Daughter as a child and seeing Loretta Lynn scribble those lyrics, "You ain't woman enough to take my man." It was amazing to say so much in a couple of verses and a chorus.

Who, would you say, is the best at writing lyrics?
Bow Wow: Tupac [Shakur], especially his record Dear Mama. The words are so real. I'm a mama's boy, and I grew up with my mama only. So that was inspiring. On my third album, I made a record called To My Mama.

Alicia: Everybody from Marvin Gaye to Kurt Cobain to Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel has influenced me. Stevie Wonder and Bill Withers are incredible.

Damian: My father [Bob Marley] is one, naturally. His lyrics were his true feelings about a situation. But I enjoy others. KRS-ONE is very innovative. He's not saying what everybody else is saying.

How do the other genres size up?
Sara: In rock, nothing really has to make sense. Gwen Stefani's Hollaback Girl: I love it, but what does it mean? In country, there's a point, there's a story -- something happens.

Damian: I've learned a lot from hip-hop in terms of writing. It has always had more detailed lyrics and storytelling.

Bow Wow: I don't like pop music. But I have to give it to N'Sync: They were the masters. They did bubble-gum records and more serious songs.

Have your words ever met with resistance?
Alicia: In the beginning, people wanted me to be more predictable or more like others so my music could be easily digested. I like that I didn't listen.

Sara: There's a song on my new album called Tell Me that's really about serving your spouse. It makes some women uncomfortable.

What's your advice for teens who want to enter our contest?
Sara: Write from the heart. And give the listener credit for being intelligent enough to get what you're saying.