Behind the Song: 5 Buck Shuffle | Two Styles, Same Lyrics

Indie folk or funky groove, which version do you prefer?

Behind the Song

When life feels like a never-ending penny-pinching roller coaster, I turn to my favorite creative outlet: writing lyrics and letting Suno turn them into songs. That’s how the 5 Buck Shuffle came to life.

One day, while chatting with a friend about the joys of managing finances (sarcasm fully intended), I blurted out, “In a system that’s designed for struggle.” Something about that line stuck with me. It felt real, raw, and as if it needed to be in a song. So, I turned to my laptop and started jotting down lyrics.

I hadn’t ventured into rap before, but I thought it’d be a fun style to try for this one. Rap can be punchy and full of energy, which felt perfect for the hustle theme of this song.

The Funky Groove Version

I gave my lyrics to Suno and started experimenting with different music style prompts. The rap versions weren’t quite hitting the vibe I was looking for, so I kept tweaking the music style description. Eventually, I landed on something that I thought might be worthy of putting into the world. The only description for this version I could think of was, ‘funky groove’.

The winning prompt:

Catchy lyrics, catchy rhythm, rap, no high hat, blending soulful clear strong female vocals with backup singers for the chorus, rhythmic beats, playful energy, upbeat, fun, 70's soul, Motown.

And voilà, Suno turned that into this:

I figured out later that prompting the words, ‘no high hat’ in the music style section can almost guarantee you’ll get a song with it. I did try a few with that prompt in the exclude style section which is in beta right now.

The Indie Folk Version

After hearing this version, I couldn’t help but wonder, what if the 5 Buck Shuffle sounded totally different? Or maybe I felt so strong about the economy that I just thought the world needed 2 versions of this song. I wondered what it might sound like if it had more of a laid-back, indie pop/folk vibe. I left in a couple of the same prompts though.

Here’s the winning prompt for this version:

Catchy lyrics, catchy rhythm, blending soulful clear upfront strong female vocals with backup singers for the chorus, Indie Pop/Folk, Soul/Pop, Quirky, Sassy, Dance-Pop undertone, minimalistic, 78BPM.

Here’s what came out of that experiment:

Which is Your Favorite?

If you had to pick between these two versions, which one speaks to you more? Do you prefer the funky groove version with the punchy energy or the indie folk?

Or maybe you’re thinking, “Neither of these are my style, I’d go with something completely different.” If so, tell me! What style would you have chosen for a song like. the 5 Buck Shuffle?

Music is such a personal thing, and that’s what makes it so fun. Drop a comment below and let me know your thoughts, I’d love to hear your take.

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