In every culture in the world, one can find songs and they have existed from the beginning.  Songs captivate the attention of the audience and move the listener to respond with some action or other causing songwriting to be considered a very powerful art.  Many cultures in the world have songs for freedom, harvesting and planting season, songs to worship and praise deities, songs of war, those that mark a rite of passage, songs to encourage and many others.   A song therefore should be skillfully put together in order to hit its mark and fulfill the purpose for which it was written.

To begin with, the songwriter must know the message they are trying to pass on.  The lyrics should therefore be crafted in such a way as to convey this message as powerfully as possible.  Words, particularly in music, can be a very powerful medium of communication.  Once the words have been picked, the rhythm of the song must also be chosen.  The main thing to consider when making these selections is the feelings that are to be reflected and drawn out of the hearer.  Sad songs tend to be low and slow while fast, upbeat songs are usually happy ones.

With the words and mood of the song already selected, the accompaniments in the form of musical instruments must be carefully picked as well.  The reason for this is that the moods as well as feeling of the song are affected in a major way by the background accompaniment in the form or instruments.  Additionally, it is important to think carefully about the tempo and beat of the song as one is picking the instruments to use. The explanation for doing this is that they are important in setting the sentiments and mood that the song is to carry as well as to bring out the emotions or sentiments conveyed by the writer.  This will in turn dictate the musical experience of the listeners.

Songs with fast tempos such as freedom songs, war songs and songs of celebration cause the hearer to bob their head, stomp their feet or pump their fist in the air.  Songs that are sad or dirge like may only get a swaying response or may cause the listener to stand completely still.  Short-term physical reactions may be drawn out from the listener by the song.  However, other songs can cause long-term change that affects decisions made and even causes the listener to change their environment.  One cannot underestimate the art of songwriting as the changes brought about by music are felt and they experienced the world over.