Proof That Dan Smith Is A Songwriting Mastermind

If you’re like us, you’ve been obsessed with BASTILLE since you first heard them. One of our favorite things about them is their lyricism and how they bring a story to life. This is done at the hands of the mastermind, lead singer, and lyricist Dan Smith most of the time. Dan’s masterful skills aren’t contained to just BASTILLE, however. And thank goodness for that! His pen game can be found blessing countless artists’ discography and all of THP’s playlists! So naturally, we’ve got to talk about some of our favorite songs that Dan has written for other artists. Let’s get started!

‘Kiss Me’ – Dermot Kennedy

We’re huge Dermot Kennedy stans here at THP. So when we saw Dan’s name on the writing credits of ‘Kiss Me,’ we immediately lost our minds. And just as we suspected, it’s an absolute bop! The track is about being so in love with someone but knowing it can’t last. So you’re clinging onto every good moment for as long as you can because you know that one day, all you’ll have left is those memories. It’s the kind of story that we love to see Dan help bring to life because he always hits the marks.

‘Higher’ – Clean Bandit feat. iann dior

There’s nothing quite like a solid Clean Bandit track. Always guaranteed to put you in a good mood and add a pep to your step. Now add in iann dior’s beautiful vocals and the pen game of Dan Smith, and you’ve got yourself a true work of art! ‘Higher’ is a song about how being around someone can make you feel like you’re on top of the world. We love the way Dan creates lines that illustrate such vivid pictures without using a lot of words to do it.

‘This Is The Place’ – Tom Grennan

Tom Grennan is someone we hold very near and dear to our hearts. ‘This Is The Place’ is just one of his many songs that we love, and it gives Dan Smith so much. We can tell he had a hand in this one by how the lines build to the chorus and flow along. It somewhat reminds us of ‘Another Place’ by BASTILLE. It’s a similar narrative of wishing you could go to a reality where the relationship you’re missing worked out. And how you cope with the fact that you have to stay in this reality where you lost that love.

‘I Love You But I’m Lost’ – Tears For Fears

Dan Smith’s collaboration with Tears For Fears is something we didn’t know we needed until we got it. His way of articulating a message without having to sacrifice words for the flow is something we admire. And ‘I Love You But I’m Lost’ sacrifices absolutely nothing. It’s a track we can’t believe didn’t take over the charts when it dropped, but it’s taking over our playlists now!

‘Better Love’ – Foxes

What’s better than Dan Smith just writing for someone else? When he hops on the track to compliment their vocals as well! Foxes is a pop icon who has a voice of liquid gold. ‘Better Love’ is one we loved the second we heard. And don’t think we didn’t immediately notice Dan in the background on the chorus too. But we had no idea he was the one to write this entire track with Foxes! If we could get 800 more of these, that’d be amazing. Thanks!

‘Half Light’ – BANNERS

Not to be dramatic, but we’re basically BANNERS experts at this point. We can’t get enough of his music, and this track has accompanied many of our moods. Learning that Dan helped write this one makes even more sense. The way ‘Half Light’ begs for the truth, transparency, and presence of someone you care for. The emotions of watching them slip away in real-time and knowing you can’t stop it. Basically, we’re crying from just writing this right now!

Dan’s artistry continues to grow and span in more ways than we could possibly keep track of. The idea that he started by using poems his neighbor would write when they were young teens to write these masterpieces and so many others. To say it’s admirable and inspirational still isn’t even enough!

What’s one of your favorite tracks written by Dan? Let us know in the comments below. Or you can let us know by sending us a Tweet on Twitter @thehoneypop! Or let us know on Instagram or Facebook!

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT BASTILLE:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | SPOTIFY | TIKTOK | TWITTER | WEBSITE | YOUTUBE