Arranging Quote by Mikal Cronin
“The music comes first, like, 99 percent of the time. I come up with the basic chord structure and the melody first and then I get really obsessed with arranging, adding, and subtracting parts. The last step of the process, for me, is finding words that fit into that structure and figuring out exactly what I want to talk about.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: Music Magazine, 2015
The songwriting process prioritizes music before lyrics, with arrangement and fine‑tuning shaping the final piece
In simple terms: Music comes first, then words
Focus on melody before lyrics
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- studio recording
- live performance
- collaborative writing
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How does music influence lyrical meaning?
- Can arrangement override a weak melody?
Lyrics may feel forced if not naturally aligned with music