Sampson says that in a Nashville songwriting session, it tends to take between three and four hours to finish writing a song.
It can also take days. But sometimes the best ideas germinate and bloom quickly. Sampson and his team wrote Underwood's Grammy-winning, chart-topping smash "Jesus, Take the Wheel" in less than two hours. And knowing when it's time to stop tinkering can be a crucial skill.
"Sometimes, a song being written very quickly can be an indication of how great it is because the song and the lyric ends up being uninhibited -- the lyric has a freedom to it," he said. "Whereas if you sit down and pine over a lyric for three days, you tend to overwrite it in the same way (a painter) can put too many colours on a picture.... Songs can be sort of overpainted."
How to write a country hit
The whole article is a great read -Thanks!
Fun fact: It took at least eight years that we know of to complete the song November Rain.
And even though it's one of my favorite songs ever, it absolutely was tinkered to hell (I prefer the acoustic demo). Still a killer tune, though. Top 10 from the band.
awesome and interesting article...thanks!