Music to Write By: 7 Singable Syntax Songs

Some freelance writers find that they work a lot more efficiently in a quiet room, but others are more productive when they’re listening to music while they work on freelance writing jobs from home. But what if you’re tired of the same old playlist? Here are some fun songs to listen to while you write — and they might even make you a better writer.

“The Tale of Mr. Morton” — Schoolhouse Rock

This one’s a classic, and it’s so cute and so catchy. There are a ton of great Schoolhouse Rock grammar songs, covering topics from conjunctions to adverbs, but my favorite is this one, which covers one of the most basic writing topics: subjects and predicates.

“Word Crimes” — “Weird Al” Yankovic

Everybody knows Yankovic as the guy who has been spoofing popular music for years, from “Eat It” (set to Michael Jackson’s “Beat It”) to “Amish Paradise” (which got him in a bit of hot water with Coolio). But “Word Crimes” is more than just a witty reinterpretation of Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” — it’s a smart, snarky song full of lessons in proper word usage and punctuation. In fact, there’s so much in here that you’ll probably need to go back and watch the video a few times to catch all of the lessons the song contains.

“Preposition” — The Bazillions

If you’ve ever been unclear about what a preposition is, this pop-rock tune will help straighten you out. Check out this band’s YouTube channel for more fun songs about grammar.

“The Spelling Mistakes Song” — A.J. Jenkins

The English language contains plenty of words that can be tricky to spell correctly. This song can definitely help you avoid some embarrassing mistakes.

“Parts of Speech Rap” — Rhythm Rhyme Results

Songs about grammar don’t have to be limited to just folk or pop music, as this song proves. You’ll be dancing in your chair in no time as you learn about nouns, verbs, and more.

“LY” — Tom Lehrer

This one’s a little old-school: It was a segment on “The Electric Company” (kids, ask your parents). But Tom Lehrer, perhaps better known as the guy behind the elements song, does a good job describing how the suffix “-ly” turns adjectives into adverbs.

“The Elements of Style” — Jake Heller

I just couldn’t resist this one: It’s so fun! These two guys (and their fabulous mustaches) pose as William Strunk and E.B. White, co-authors of the famous writing guide, as they rap about some of the writing tips it contains.

I hope you enjoyed these fun songs about writing and grammar. What songs are on your writing playlist?

Mindy Young, an editor for Online Writing Jobs, got her start as a newspaper copy editor after earning her B.A. from Russell Sage College in Troy, NY. She spent nearly 13 years editing stories, writing headlines, and putting together pages for daily newspapers, and along the way, she also had the opportunity to write food columns and restaurant reviews. After earning a pair of Associated Press awards and a Suburban Newspaper Association award, she left journalism for the world of content marketing, where she puts her skills to work every day for OWJ clients and writers.

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2 comments on “Music to Write By: 7 Singable Syntax Songs
  1. Samantha Stauf says:

    I love word crimes. I usually listen to music scores when I’m writing. Can’t write if my music has words.

  2. Mindy Young says:

    I tend to listen to techno, myself, or dance music, songs with a driving beat. But now and then, I like to shake things up a bit with something a little different.