How To Know When Your Song is Done

The biggest question on your mind when you’re down the rabbit hole of writing, recording and producing your song… When to call it done? 

This is a question we all ask ourselves each time we get through the next song. It’s also an extremely important question.

Why?

It can be the boundary between excellence and perfection which causes endless tinkering, ultimately resulting in potentially ruining what already exists. 

I see a lot of questions being asked about this topic, so I thought I’d write this as my next post. 

Here are a range of considerations when you’re on your next song and find yourself unsure if you’re happy enough to close the DAW, export it, and let it go out into the world. 

The psychology of finishing something 

This is arguably the most important point. 

We all know a “friend” with 100s of incomplete ideas who never seems to finish a concept, let alone a whole song. This has massive psychological implications, leaving one with a mountain of work in front of them, and lack of belief that they can actually finish something. 

When you call something finished, it means you’re accepting and committing to this thing (song). It’s a muscle we all need to develop in order to get better at calling something finished. The more you do it, the easier it gets. Finishing a task triggers a sense of accomplishment which boosts your confidence in your ability to do it again.

This feeling of success generates a feedback loop, motivating you to do more and keep going. The most used example of this is: the idea of making your bed first thing every morning. It’s a small task which can set you up for the day. I believe the same rule applies to finishing whatever it is you need to finish - in this case, a song. Making your bed specifically may not apply to everyone, but it’s definitely an interesting point and it could be another task or small win that gets you going. 

Also.. Leaving tonnes of decent ideas as half-baked concepts is the amateur move. 

Taking an idea and finishing it, working that muscle, gaining your own self belief that you can finish things and get things done - that’s a pro move. The pro’s turn up to play and to get it done. That includes knowing when to call it a day. 

Here are some other key signs that your song may be ready: 

1. Energy & Vibe

The song translates how you want it to. It gets you in the feelings, or makes you want to party. You tap your feet, it feels good, it feels right. This is super important, because, if we’re not feeling it, then we can’t expect our audience to. We gotta be tapping our feet if we want someone else to. Does it move you in some way? 

2. Structure & Flow 

Does it flow through the sections the way you want? Does it ebb and flow, having tension and release? 

Do the sections transition between each other really well? Is that chorus hitting right and feels like it has that extra energy compared to the verse or pre chorus? If so, then I think that’s a huge box to put a tick in, and one step closer to calling it done. 

3. Clear Message

Do the vocal delivery and lyrics contain conviction? Is the message crystal clear? Are you satisfied with how the song is telling the story you want it to? This is also something really important to consider. 

4. Is it Memorable? 

Do you have those hooks on lock? You want to make sure that your song has that “stickiness” so that the listener can a) remember it, and b) want to press that REPLAY button. There’s a fine line between just enough repetition and too much, so you’ll have to use your judgment in this to avoid a boring song that drones on. 

5. Arrangement

Kind of following on from the previous point. Is your arrangement feeling and sounding good? Are things cluttering the vocals, or do they have enough space to be the hero of the song? Is your sound design and selection on point so that every sound works together well and has their own place, complementing the sounds around them? Are you using arrangement techniques to ensure that, if you are repeating ideas, that they stay interesting for the listener? 

6. Feedback 

If you have someone trusted whose opinion you value, what do they say about it? 

This isn’t always an easy one for everyone, but if you do have someone you can share the song with to get a good opinion on, and they like the song, then that can be a good indicator that you’re on to something great with your song. 

7. Test it Out 

For the live performers out there, this is a good point for you. Test the song live to see how it feels, notice how the crowds might respond to it. Are you one to take cues from whether it resonates or not? Some live crowd feedback might give you some new unveiled thoughts on ways you could improve the flow or the arrangement.

This isn’t a point for everyone, but can also be a good litmus test for those who need it or want to try. 

8. Take a Break

Come back to the song after a day or two. This can be hard, I know… We’ve all been there, listening to our latest song on headphones for 2 hours on repeat. Coming back with a fresh perspective can be really eye opening. It allows us to see things we may have missed previously. It also puts us (kind of) in the shoes of our audience so we can try emulate how they hear it. 

9. Mentoring 

This point is kind of like an added bonus for those of us who may be earlier on in the songwriting journey and need/want some guidance. This can be a really good way to get some honest, constructive feedback without any potential subjectivity (taste) from friends and family - who may just dislike the song cause it’s not their “style”.

Having someone to learn songwriting as a craft from can be immensely helpful. While youtube is great, learning and interacting with someone in real time is far more in depth and nuanced, and is a huge help - I should know, I had tutors at university when I studied pop and writing. 

Conclusion

Songwriting is an art, and at the end of the day, you need to be happy with what you’ve produced. A good rule of thumb is generally “would I listen to this if it wasn’t my song?”, and whether or not you’re feeling it. If you have ANY doubt about something not being quite right (and i’m not talking about the inner niggling perfectionist), then listen to your gut and address that. If you feel something is off, don’t just leave it and hope something will change. The song won’t change unless you change it. That’s your role as a writer. 

In closing, try to avoid cutting corners and leave everything on the table. Trust me, it’s 100% worth it when you listen back to your song and just KNOW that you did it the way you wanted to, and it ticks all the boxes. The feeling of vibing out to your own song and being confident in the way it tells its story is almost unlike anything else. 

So, if you struggle with knowing when to call it a day, as many of us do (I know I have), then please take this blog post as a word of encouragement.

You might be much closer than you think - just try not to overthink it.