In agreeance to what Schmange said... It's important to know that stuff, but it's not essential. I don't know all the technical terms of writing songs and such but I've listened to enough music that I know how to structure a song and how not to. Listen to some of your favorite songs and see how they're structured. You'll find that they're pretty similar most of the time. Also something I like to do is read lyrics to some of your favorite songs... then you can really see the structure of the song. Sometimes songs are so simple lyrically but they make them seem more complex through changes in chord progression and solo breaks and bridges. Just get a feel for what is out there and check out some books. good luck!