planning and pop songs

Painting a vivid picture of people in as few words as possible is something we're expected to do, and it's also something that songwriters have to keep in mind. There's only so many words that will fit into a 4-minute rock/pop song.

While on a road trip over the weekend I heard Gavin DeGraw's song "Chariot" for the first time in awhile, and one 16-word line from the beginning of the song provides a perfect example. After hearing these few words, I have a crystal clear mental image of who he's singing to:

"Your favorite fruit is chocolate covered cherries...
Seedless watermelon...
Nothing from the ground is good enough."