SONGWRITING TIPS: Try David Bowie’s ‘cut-up’ method of writing lyrics
April 30, 2013 12:27 am
David Bowie’s typically enigmatic decision not to do any interviews about his latest album, The Next Day, meant people were left to put their own interpretations on the album’s unusual lyrics and surreal imagery.
Author Ricky Moody—who writes for the literary magazine The Rumpus—recently asked Bowie to explain his thinking behind the new songs. “I wanted to understand the lexicon of The Next Day,” said Moody, “and so I simply asked if he would provide a list of words about his album, assuming, like everyone else waving madly trying to get his attention, that there was not a chance in hell that I would get the list.”
To Moody’s surprise, Bowie responded by sending him a list of 42 words which supposedly provided the framework for the critically-acclaimed album. Here they are:
Maybe the answer can be found in a 2008 interview with Bowie. In it he described how he often comes up with interesting lyric lines by employing the ‘cut-up’ writing technique used by postmodernist author William S. Burroughs in his controversial novel Naked Lunch.
‘Cut-up’ is a literary technique designed to add an element of chance to the creative process.
It involves taking a finished line of text and cutting it into pieces—usually with just one or two words on each piece. The resulting pieces are then rearranged to create a brand new text.
The cut-up concept can be traced back to the Dadaists of the 1920s, but it was developed further in the early 1950s by painter, writer and sound poet Brion Gysin—and then popularized in the late 1950s and early 1960s by Burroughs.
David Bowie explained: “You write down a paragraph or two describing several different subjects, creating a kind of ‘story ingredients’ list, I suppose, and then cut the sentences into four or five-word sections; mix ’em up and reconnect them.
“You can get some pretty interesting idea combinations like this,” he said. “You can use them as is or, if you have a craven need to not lose control, bounce off these ideas and write whole new sections.”
This technique is also said to have influenced Kurt Cobain’s songwriting. And Thom Yorke applied a similar method on Radiohead’s 2000 album Kid A. Yorke reportedly wrote single lines, put them into a hat, and drew them out at random while the band rehearsed the songs.
Here’s Bowie explaining his cut-up technique in the 1975 BBC TV documentary Cracked Actor …
So there you have it … If you want to get all Bowie-esque and create some unusual and intriguing lyrics, simply reach for your lyric notebook and a pair of scissors – and start cutting and pasting!
# # # #
A 5-star rated book at Amazon, “How [Not] To Write A Hit Song! – 101 Common Mistakes To Avoid If You Want Songwriting Success” is available from Amazon as a US paperback, UK paperback and as an eBook from Amazon’s Kindle Store. It is also available from Apple’s iTunes Store (Books/Arts & Entertainment/Music), Barnes & Noble’s Nook store, and KoboBooks.
“How [Not] To Write Great Lyrics! – 40 Common Mistakes To Avoid When Writing Lyrics For Your Songs” is available from Amazon as a US paperback, UK paperback and as an eBook from Amazon’s Kindle Store. It is also available from Apple’s iTunes Store (Books/Arts & Entertainment/Music), Barnes & Noble’s Nook store, and KoboBooks.
“SURPRISING RHYMING” – The Alternative Rhyming Dictionary for Songwriters and Poets – is available from Amazon as a US paperback, a UK paperback, and across Europe. It is also available as an eBook from Amazon’s Kindle store in the United States, the UK and Europe, as well as Apple’s iTunes Store,Barnes & Noble’s Nook Store and Rakuten’s KoboBooks.
17 Responses to “SONGWRITING TIPS: Try David Bowie’s ‘cut-up’ method of writing lyrics”
[…] being denied the rights to George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four. Bowie has been known to draw on literature and has also used lists of individual words as inspiration for his material. The artist has also […]
[…] So how can these randomising techniques produce a complete and perfectly perfect poem, lyric or short story? No one is saying they will. These techniques aren’t so much about a finished product but an ongoing process, yet another way to inspire you to think differently. As Bowie put it in a 2008 interview: […]
[…] cut the sentences into four or five-word sections, mix ’em up, and reconnect them,” he said. Doing so resulted in “some pretty interesting idea combinations.” That’s for […]
[…] Bowie further explained his use of cut-ups like this: “You write down a paragraph or two describing different subjects, creating a kind of ‘story ingredients’ list, I suppose, and then cut the sentences into four or five-word sections, mix ‘em up and reconnect them.” The technique allows songwriters, he says, to “get some pretty interesting idea combinations,” even if they “have a craven need not to lose control.” […]
[…] The Bowie or Cut-up method is a mystical way of putting together a creative masterpiece, used by William S. Burrough, author of Naked Lunch, and the man who introduced the 23 Enigma. I’m about to find out whether or not it works for me as well…wish me luck! […]
[…] Bowie further explained his use of cut-ups like this: “You write down a paragraph or two describing different subjects, creating a kind of ‘story ingredients’ list, I suppose, and then cut the sentences into four or five-word sections, mix ‘em up and reconnect them.” The technique allows songwriters, he says, to “get some pretty interesting idea combinations,” even if they “have a craven need not to lose control.” […]
[…] arrange them and write lyrics revolving around the arrangement. In a 2008 interview, Bowie further explained his use of cut-ups: “You write down a paragraph or two describing different subjects, creating a […]
[…] being denied the rights to George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four. Bowie has been known to draw on literature and has also used lists of individual words as inspiration for his material. The artist has also […]
By David Bowie | Songwritersdatabase on January 10, 2014 at 11:17 am
[…] a 2008 interview, Bowie further explained his use of cut-ups: “You write down a paragraph or two describing different subjects, […]
By How David Bowie, Kurt Cobain & Thom Yorke Writes Songs With William Burroughs’ Cut-Up Technique | likev.net on February 4, 2015 at 4:31 pm
[…] a 2008 interview, Bowie further explained his use of cut-ups: “You write down a paragraph or two describing different subjects, creating a […]
By How David Bowie, Kurt Cobain & Thom Yorke Writes Songs With William Burroughs’ Cut-Up Technique - Sci-Fi Book Reviews on February 4, 2015 at 11:27 pm
[…] So how can these randomising techniques produce a complete and perfectly perfect poem, lyric or short story? No one is saying they will. These techniques aren’t so much about a finished product but an ongoing process, yet another way to inspire you to think differently. As Bowie put it in a 2008 interview: […]
By On cut-ups, fold-ups and carve-ups | Mel Healy on February 23, 2015 at 1:01 pm
[…] “Songwriting: The Hit Formula” […]
By What Songwriters Say About Writing Lyrics | The Essential Secrets of Songwriting Blog on July 6, 2015 at 1:19 pm
[…] cut the sentences into four or five-word sections, mix ’em up, and reconnect them,” he said. Doing so resulted in “some pretty interesting idea combinations.” That’s for […]
By The 5 Best Lessons From David Bowie's Incredible Creative Legacy - The Black Wall Street 1921 Tulsa on January 11, 2016 at 7:29 pm
[…] Bowie further explained his use of cut-ups like this: “You write down a paragraph or two describing different subjects, creating a kind of ‘story ingredients’ list, I suppose, and then cut the sentences into four or five-word sections, mix ‘em up and reconnect them.” The technique allows songwriters, he says, to “get some pretty interesting idea combinations,” even if they “have a craven need not to lose control.” […]
By David Bowie – Creative Mind | A JOURNEY INTO THE MAGIC OF CREATIVITY on March 1, 2016 at 1:05 am
[…] in 1975, David Bowie gave an interview in which he spoke about his ‘cut-up’ technique for songwriting. It always intrigued […]
By Commencing countdown, engines on… | Mr Staveley's Blog on April 27, 2016 at 9:24 pm
[…] David Bowie and the cut-up method of lyric-writing […]
By 5/2: Song Machine II – musicfundamentals2016 on May 2, 2016 at 2:50 pm
[…] The Bowie or Cut-up method is a mystical way of putting together a creative masterpiece, used by William S. Burrough, author of Naked Lunch, and the man who introduced the 23 Enigma. I’m about to find out whether or not it works for me as well…wish me luck! […]
By The Bowie Method! – DWAYNE DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE on October 6, 2016 at 10:37 pm
[…] Bowie further explained his use of cut-ups like this: “You write down a paragraph or two describing different subjects, creating a kind of ‘story ingredients’ list, I suppose, and then cut the sentences into four or five-word sections, mix ‘em up and reconnect them.” The technique allows songwriters, he says, to “get some pretty interesting idea combinations,” even if they “have a craven need not to lose control.” […]
By David Bowie – The Inspiration of a Creative Mind – Magny Tjelta on October 11, 2016 at 6:42 pm
[…] a 2008 interview, Bowie further explained his use of cut-ups: “You write down a paragraph or two describing different subjects, creating a […]
By Tuesday September 26 – Imaginative Writing BGSU 2017 on September 25, 2017 at 7:30 pm
Thanks for the tips. Its very informative article.
By Nidhi on November 7, 2017 at 2:09 pm
[…] arrange them and write lyrics revolving around the arrangement. In a 2008 interview, Bowie further explained his use of cut-ups: “You write down a paragraph or two describing different subjects, creating a […]
By Jukebox Jive – Ashin Gurung UAL on February 6, 2018 at 12:10 am
[…] Bowie explains his use of the process, “You write down a paragraph or two describing several different subjects, creating a kind of […]
By D&D and the Role of the Die Roll, a Love Letter | DMDavid on June 2, 2020 at 11:21 am
[…] Bowie explains his use of the process, “You write down a paragraph or two describing several different subjects, creating a kind of […]
By D&D and the Role of the Die Roll, a Love Letter - Valkyries Of Khyber - DIE HARD!!! on June 5, 2020 at 3:58 pm
[…] them in that order. David Bowie famously employed this method when writing lyrics. He explained the process by […]
By A step-by-step guide to writing better lyrics – Beatopia on October 20, 2020 at 2:24 pm