Lyric Writing Tools #1: Big Reveal

It’s always a good day when you can add tools to the toolbox. Weapons to the arsenal. So we’re going to go over 6 powerful lyrical tools for our Week of Lyric Writing Tools. First up, we’re going to look at the big reveal. 

Big Reveal

The first lyrical tool we will go over is the big reveal. You know, like the reveal at the end of the original Planet of the Apes film. 

The main character spends the entire film trying to figure out how to get back to earth. But, in the end, he sees the half-buried remains of the Statue of Liberty– he’s been home the whole time.

While not at the end of the film, the reveal of “I am your father” from The Empire Strikes back is maybe the best example of a big reveal. It is truly shocking and also changes everything. 

We can use this same tool in our songwriting. The big reveal helps the end of the song really stick out and be memorable. Instead of a 3rd or 4rd repetition of the chorus, you can reveal one last piece of information that brings everything together. 

Or you can utilize a twist, so the last piece of information changes everything.

An example of a “big reveal” at the end of a song would be Everything You Want by Vertical Horizon. The song utilizes largely symbolic verses, where the writer is talking about the female’s life and choices. But the chorus is much more straight-forward: 

He’s everything you want

He’s everything you need

He’s everything inside of you that you wish you could be

He says all the right things at exactly the right time

But he means nothing to you and you don’t know why

But, the final chorus does a slightly alternate melody and finally reveals

I am everything you want

I am everything you need

I am everything inside of you that you wish you could be

I say all the right things at exactly the right time

But I mean nothing to you and I don’t know why

So you could say it’s the ultimate friend zone anthem. 

Even though it’s a seemingly minor alteration- and even if you see it coming- it still manages to hit you a little harder. Every “I” he sings has that little extra tinge of pain of finally admitting “It’s me! I’m everything you want!”

Anyone who’s ever been interested in someone who didn’t quite feel the same way will feel just that little tinge of familiar pain with that final reveal.

Sometimes even very specific wording can help you get the most effect in your final big reveal. Let’s look at an example of this with Roy Orbison’s Running Scared:

Just running scared each place we go so afraid that he might show

Just running scared what would I do if he came back and wanted you

Just running scared feeling low yeah running scared you loved him so

Just running scared afraid to lose if he came back which one would you choose

Basically, he’s running scared with his lover, trying to get away from someone she used to love. Why? Because he’s scared that she wouldn’t choose him. She might choose the other man who she loved. 

Shouldn’t everyone want to be someone’s first choice? Why even bother with this game? But anyway, let’s take a look at the next lyric.

Then all at once he was standing there so sure of himself his head in the air

My heart was breaking which one would it be

Then you turned around and walked away….

Oh no. 

I left out 2 words at the end. I bet we all know what they are… It has to be from me, right? The whole song seems to indicate this is the sad, inevitable conclusion. But the final line is actually this:

Then you turned around and walked away with me

Now, you probably saw that coming, because you know this post is about big reveals and twists. But if you didn’t know that, there is little to no chance you aren’t thinking from me at that point. 

His wording choice is the entire reason that twist works so well. Everything in that line, up until the word with, would indicate that she’s walking away from him. Nothing about “Then you turned around and walked away” says “happy ending”. 

In fact, if you remove the last 2 words and keep it “Then you turned around and walked away,” it actually would have been the sad ending we thought was coming. But the added 2 words change everything.