Is it necessary to be fluent in English in order to write great songs?

Question

My English is excellent, but i'm not a native speaker.

Answer 1

Fluency doesn't require being a native, there are natives who aren't fluent in English. All you need is an excellent command of the language to write poetry, songs, or anything else for that matter. Write something and post it in here, and then I can judge better if your English skills are adequate for writing. Things sometime lose something in the translation process.
Of course, English proficiency is not needed to write in any other language.

Answer 2

English of itself is a very awkward language. Writing a good song doesnt revolve around just lyrics, more so it is the writing of the music. Rap and Cowboy poetry 'original rap' requires the flow of the language and native dialect I would say from where you live, with music in the background if at all.
But writing a song sometimes comes from the heart and soul and flows from your being , the challenge is to get that to writing or recording for future additions and growth of the music.

Answer 3

I don't think fluency in English is necessary. In fact, you can use your abilities in your native tongue to your advantage.

In my opinion, great songwriting is all about wordplay, and above all...Art.

Do not be afraid to experiment with the language as you work on your craft.

Have some fun! As you work on your English compositions, why not integrate a word or a line or two in your first language? At the very least I think your audience will be intrigued. Good luck and God bless...

Answer 4

some of abba's songs are excellent, but benni and bjorn had survival english (at least they did early in the group's career) rather than mastery of the language.

one can go considerably further. many of josef conrad's friends found his english 'not quite right' (he grew up a polish-speaker) and most native speakers will have trouble with the first sentence of 'the secret agent' (without quite being able to say why). but 'heart of darkness' is one of the greatest novellas in english, and many of conrad's other books are also regarded as english classics.

Answer 5

Have you ever heard any Operas? There is some wonderful Opera music that is in Italian, Spanish, French, etc. I think it all depends on the feeling behind the song to make it good.

Answer 6

I cant understand a word of the english Ozzy Ozbourne says, but he has great tunes.

Answer 7

I would think it would depend on what type of song you are writing. As long as you have a good working knowledge you should be fine.

Answer 8

If good English skills were necessary there would be no famous rappers.