Writing a non-romantic love song with Darrin James

Darrin James is a multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter, and producer known for his distinctive gravelly voice, thoughtful lyrics, and soulful musicianship. His eclectic production style encompasses a growing range of influences, often fusing gritty, bluesy guitar playing with rustic, acoustic elements of Americana and soul-style Hammond organ and horns.

His new album, “See Right Through,” is his fourth full-length record (formerly as the Darrin James Band), and also his most personal collection in recent years. Throughout the record, James expresses feelings of love and loss, set within a soundscape that pushes against the edges of folk music with its textured flourishes of horns, vintage keyboards, and synthesizers.

Darrin shared the process behind his song When You’re With Me. Download the lyrics to follow along.

We talked about:

• Don’t Fall For This Songwriting Scam – Ari’s Take (aristake.com)
• The unique structure of Darrin’s song to bring both repetition and variations
• Should we be worried about our songs being too long these days?
• Writing from the rhythm of your lyrics
• Being consistent with your vowel sounds, and introducing variation
• Jamming with gibberish to get going on a song
• Introducing elements of darkness in an otherwise light lyric