Imagine a world where songwriters, instead of wrestling with their emotions and searching for inspiration, could simply tap into a digital muse. A future where creativity flows effortlessly from our laptops, powered by artificial intelligence. This isn’t a distant dream; it’s rapidly becoming our reality.
The arrival of ChatGPT, a sophisticated “conversational AI,” has sparked conversations across industries, and the music world is no exception. Intrigued by its potential, I decided to experiment: could ChatGPT write a song?
My initial explorations were playful. I asked it to tell stories, answer random questions. It handled them with surprising ease. Then, the thought struck me: could this AI compose a song for me?
A question posed to ChatGPT: Write me a Decemberists-style song about a sailor.
Seconds later, ChatGPT delivered a complete song structure – verses, chorus, bridge, and outro – with lyrics evoking a Decemberists-esque nautical theme. It was filled with sailors, lighthouses, and sea battles. While perhaps a surface-level interpretation of the band’s style, it was undeniably song-like.
On the surface, it resembled a song. Rhyming couplets, standard song structure – the framework was there. But to truly assess its musicality, something crucial was missing: chords. Specifically, I needed Sailor Song Chords to bring this AI-generated sea shanty to life.
Requesting chords from ChatGPT revealed another layer of its capabilities. It not only provided lyrics but also suggested a chord progression. The verse progression – root chord, 4th, and 5th – is a classic, foundational pattern in countless songs. The chorus offered a variation, and the bridge introduced a minor chord for added depth.
To delve deeper, I asked ChatGPT to explicitly write out the lyrics with the corresponding sailor song chords. This is where things became even more intriguing.
Another question posed to ChatGPT: Can you write out the lyrics and chords?
The AI responded with a structured song, clearly delineating verses, choruses, bridge, and outro, complete with sailor song chords above the lyrics.
Verse 1: C – G – Am – F
In a town by the sea, with a lighthouse tall
C – G – F – C
Where the ships do come, and the seagulls call
C – G – Am – F
I met a man with a heart full of dreams
C – G – F – C
He told me stories of the sea and its schemes
Chorus: G – Am – F – C
Of sailors brave, and adventures untold
G – Am – F – C
Of a life on the waves, and a heart grown old
G – Am – F – C
Of a world of discovery, waiting to be sought
G – Am – F – C
In a song that will live, when he is not
Verse 2: C – G – Am – F
He sang of voyages, and battles at sea
C – G – F – C
Of sea shanties, and storms that rage wild and free
C – G – Am – F
With melodies that echoes through the mist
C – G – F – C
And took me to a world, that I have missed
Chorus: G – Am – F – C
Of sailors brave, and adventures untold
G – Am – F – C
Of a life on the waves, and a heart grown old
G – Am – F – C
Of a world of discovery, waiting to be sought
G – Am – F – C
In a song that will live, when he is not
Bridge: Am – F – C – G
And I know that this man’s song will stay
Am – F – C – G
As a lighthouse’s beam, to guide me on my way
Am – F – C – G
For in his voice, I heard a longing heart
Am – F – C – G
And a tale that will start, a brand new part
Chorus: G – Am – F – C
Of sailors brave, and adventures untold
G – Am – F – C
Of a life on the waves, and a heart grown old
G – Am – F – C
Of a world of discovery, waiting to be sought
G – Am – F – C
In a song that will live, when he is not
Outro: C – G – Am – F
So let us sing, of this man’s sweet sound
C – G – F – C
And let our hearts and our feet hit the ground
C – G – Am – F
For in this place, we’re free from all our fears
C – G – F – C
And his song takes us, to our wildest dreams.
Interpreting the formatting required some guesswork, particularly the verse structure with rapid chord changes on the first line. Despite this, the fundamental elements were present: lyrics and sailor song chords.
While ChatGPT doesn’t generate melodies directly, the provided sailor song chords offered a foundation. Based on these chords, I created my own interpretation of the melody and recorded the AI-composed “Sailor’s Song.”
[Audio player of the AI-generated song.]
ChatGPT itself named its creation “Sailor’s Song,” a straightforward title, perhaps lacking in creative flair, but functional.
The resulting song, while not terrible, resides firmly in the realm of mediocrity. It hits the basic songwriting checkpoints: rhymes (mostly), a common chord progression (I-V-vi-IV, prevalent in countless pop hits), and thematic consistency. However, something is undeniably missing. Beyond minor flaws like awkward phrasing and clichés, the song lacks depth and emotional resonance.
In performing the song, I resisted the urge to refine and “improve” it, striving to remain faithful to the AI’s output. This process highlighted a crucial element often overlooked: intuition. ChatGPT possesses vast data and information, but it lacks the intuitive leaps and subtle nuances that define truly compelling songwriting. Songwriting, and indeed all creative endeavors, relies heavily on intuition – those unwritten rules and instinctive choices that elevate a piece from competent to captivating. This intuition is something an AI, as of now, cannot glean from the internet’s vast datasets.
So, while AI can generate lyrics and sailor song chords, and even create a song structure that resembles human composition, the soul of songwriting – the intuition, the emotional depth – remains firmly within the human domain. For now, it seems, songwriters can rest assured that their craft, with all its messy, intuitive brilliance, is safe from complete AI takeover. We will continue to plumb our own depths for songs, even as we explore the fascinating, and sometimes musically mundane, outputs of our AI counterparts.
