Learning your lyrics by heart is one of the most important things for you to master, for it will allow you to start focussing on all the other stuff.
One of the easiest ways to learn your lyrics is by simply writing them down – by hand – on a piece of paper. Don’t print the lyrics, but write them down, that way you’ll remember them so much better. Keep this piece of paper with you at all times, and sing your song through the day(s).
Every now and then you’ll find yourself looking for a word, and now all you have to do is grab your piece of paper and check out the missing word. Because you will have actively searched for that particular word, you will remember it better.
Another way of learning your lyrics is by looking for memory aids: pay attention to words that rhyme, look for alphabetical clues, chronological clues, metaphors. Try to paint a picture in your head – look at the lyrics as if it were a movie that you are watching.
FINDING YOUR INTERPRETATION
Look closely at the story of your song and ask yourself 3 questions:
1. What is this song about?
2. Which words or sentences are key?
3. How can I relate to the song?
You will get an idea of the emotions that are expressed in the song; the same emotions that you will be trying to communicate to your audience, once performing the song.
MAKING IT PERSONAL
To help you find your personal interpretation, use the following 4 steps:
1 Translate
As you may not be a native speaker, your first step is to translate every word you will be singing, into your own language, to truly understand the meaning of it.
2 Find metaphors
Decipher metaphors in the lyrics, in order to deeply understand what you will be singing about. Fly me to the moon… could be something like, let’s get away from here and dive into a love nest.
3 Say it
To get even closer to the story, you will first say it, in a conversational style. So no singing here; but acting instead. This is critical to developing your personal interpretation and timing. How would you say it? Singing is a lot like acting. You will see that emphasizing different words can make a big difference.
4 Your own emotion(s)
Now choose your own emotion(s) / feeling(s). Is it intimate? Sing it as a ballad for example. Is it provocative, sexy? Maybe use a bluesy feel. It all depends on your character and the spirit of the moment as well. Are you overjoyed? Sing it big and with bigger dynamics. Does it make you feel like dancing? Sing it as an upbeat Latin song for example.
Assignment
Write out the lyrics of the song you choose by hand;
underline the most important words;
ask the 3 questions;
and analyze the lyrics as described above.