From 2008 through 2014, when I wasn't teaching and/or running sound for everything you can imagine happens at a performing arts center, my primary function was creating original songs to be used by various online entities.   
 
I didn't receive much direction from the clients.  I would get an email with vague requests. Write a song about money.  Write a song about John Henry that also pays tribute to the ballad song form. Write about the planets in the solar system or how to count by twos.  Write a song about baby frogs.   
 
That was it, and I took it from there.  Some of the tracks I did, got a bit over the top.  We would stack vocals so high it would make Freddie Mercury blush.