I recently learned something that absolutely stunned me!

I have long admired Dr. Martin Luther King and have always been moved by his stirring speeches. Just a few months ago, however, I discovered to my complete surprise that all of Dr. King's speeches were extemporaneous - he never used notes!

Wow! How did he do that? Was Dr. King simply a "gifted" speaker? He certainly was! Was he inspired by a supernatural passion? Absolutely! But in addition to his amazing gifts of intellect and spirit, there was probably another very important -- but much less glamorous factor -- that allowed him to successfully connect with people of all races, ages, and socio-economic levels. Dr. Martin Luther King had effectively mastered the use of the English language.

What people saw when Dr. King stood up to speak was the net result of years of study and schooling - third grade spelling tests, fourth grade vocabulary words, seventh grade sentence diagramming, high school literature assignments, college book reports and a lifetime of listening to great preachers every Sunday. Little by little, assignment by assignment, Martin Luther King had so mastered the language that when he stood up to deliver an address, the words seemed to spontaneously flow from his lips! Of course, he didn't need notes!

Think about what may have happened had Dr. King depended on his inspiration and natural talent only. He may have seen the injustice in the world and even may have been able to identify the solution, but if he had used improper English -- filled with slang and coarse language -- his still important message would have been ignored. Why? Simply because it wouldn't have "sounded right" to his hearers. Even people who don't know the difference between a noun and a verb know when someone is speaking cogently and articulately according to the rules of their native tongue.

Too often I meet aspiring songwriters who mistakenly think that crafting a worldwide hit will somehow require less effort and study than that invested by an orator like Dr. King. Because listening to great songs is so enjoyable and effortless, we can incorrectly assume that writing great songs should be effortless as well. But as with our spoken language, our song language has rules that must be learned and followed. If not, listeners may not know exactly what's wrong with our songs, but they will definitely realize that something "doesn't sound right."

We hear stories about songs written in minutes that became worldwide hits - stories which only fuel the fantasy that songwriting should be a cinch. The 1980's hit, Every Breath You Take, written by Sting for the Police was such a song. The story is that while on vacation, Sting woke up one night and wrote both the words and music for the song in ten minutes. Inspiration, you say? Well…..yes, but it may be significant to also learn that the day before he wrote that song, Sting - who is a classically trained musician - had been "exercising" his musical skills by orchestrating Ralph Vaughn Williams' Sixth Symphony on a synthesizer. Like Martin Luther King, Sting had so mastered the skills of his language that he could effortlessly apply them on a moment's notice to create a masterpiece.

So what exactly do I mean about learning the language of songwriting? I'm not suggesting that you must become a virtuoso musician like Sting, nor as eloquent in the language as Dr. King. What I am suggesting is this: if you are serious about writing hit songs, it will take more than momentary bursts of natural talent. It will require that you learn a few simple skills and tools which will unlock your own unique gifts.

Do you think you have a flair for writing? Do you have a book of your own poems stashed away with a hope that perhaps one day they might become songs? If the answer to these two question is "yes," then the answer to the next question is crucial:

Are you willing to buckle down and do some study to learn how to use the language of songs to communicate with others?

It's not rocket science. You can do this. Keep coming back - we'll get you started and keep you going.