First thought ... phone a friend!
To use any music program you are going to need to know a little about music, but you could have a look at Band-in-a-Box. I haven't played with this since its very early days (maybe 20 years ago) but it is still going. Basically you type in the chords you want, specify the music style and the program generates the backing for you. Google it for details. You'll find it for sale on Amazon too.
If you were using an Apple laptop I'd have suggested GarageBand. This works in a different way by allowing you to organise loops of sound from files that come with the program.
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When you are ready for something a bit more challenging, buy a copy of Computer Music from a newsagent. On the enclosed DVD they will have their own "studio" containing a basic sequencer/arranger program and lots of plug-ins.
I tend to use programs like Sibelius, Logic or Pro-Tools for my own work, but as you say, they can be a bit daunting to someone who is unsure about some basic principles.
Anyway, hope you have fun.
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okie dokie, so you have the lyrics already written and no music for it to go with? Honestly i would probably say "phoning a friend" is a good idea. I've done some recording but it was all instrumental because i don't sing lol, wish i could though. The way i start is finding a riff/beat that i like the sound of and building off of it, and once i know how i want it to sound i shape it up and give it structure. For what you're trying to accomplish i think recording on the laptop is fine, thats what i did. it can be a pain but it's cool in the end.
good luck!
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I think music is not what u want. You might want to consider literature as a more important priority.
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My personal recommendation at this point would be to collaborate with another musician.
Also, it's not clear to me what your level of musical no-how is. You say you have lyrics. Is it safe to assume that you also have a basic melody for those lyrics? Do you have a basic sense of what chord progressions you want to use as the basis for the background music?
If you have a melody, then another musician can help you come up with some good chord progressions to go with it. Of course, it's easier for them to do that if the melody is written down. Otherwise, you need to sit down and try different chord progressions and see how they sound with the melody.
Technically, you don't need anyone else's help to do it on your own. However, I will note that given your lack of experience playing an instrument, I suspect it will mean a lot more trial and error on your part if you do it all alone. There's nothing wrong with that, as long as you don't get discouraged as a result.
On the question of recording studios, I will note that time in a recording studio is expensive. If you're looking to go big and market your music, it's something you might want to consider eventually. But for right now, it's not worth it. And you certainly want to spend time on your own getting everything worked out so that if you do decide to shell out the money to record in a studio, you're ready to get in, record, and get out as quickly as possible.
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Recording advice
Rb17 implied he wanted to make music ... I would take that as evidence that that was what he wanted. If I had not used an unknown process or program for a real life project I would never have acquired new knowledge or skills. Having a project in mind, specially one that has to be completed, is a very strong incentive to learning a new program.
