I find most singer-songwriters tedious, but there are some great modern songwriters out there and we wouldn't want to lose them. So, to try to be constructive, here are a couple of things I notice about good/bad songs:

One thing that I regard as a bad sign is when the songwriter introduces the song by telling you how he came to write it and what it's about. A good song, especially a modern one, should stand alone and not need explaining beforehand. More than that, a good song will speak to different listeners in different ways because it will be written to give a general appeal - sometimes songwriters are genuinely surprised when a listener tells them what he/she thinks the song means.

And "Show, don't tell." You may well have a serious point to make but don't spell it out in a finger-wagging way. Illustrate the point in the story and details of the song, and allow the listeners can reach the conclusion for themselves.

Marje