What Makes a Song a Hit

winston · Post by **winston** » Fri Aug 25, 2006 11:50 am

I am a technical writer as some of you already know, amongst other marketable skills I am also a management and communications consultant.

However, just as important to me at least, I am also a songwriter and a musician.

I am curious to hear from forum members on the topic of what makes a song a hit?

What is it that makes people want to buy certain pieces of music? Let's start with the basics of songwriting and move on to credibility as an artist, musical arrangement, recording, production, marketing and promotion.

I would like to hear your ideas supported by examples of music that has struck a chord with you and the reason why.

admin · Post by **admin** » Fri Aug 25, 2006 1:58 pm

Brian: A great topic for discussion here. For me, a great vocal hook and good harmony lines are essential. To be honest, at times I have missed great lyrics because my right brain was not swept away by the melody. Almost all of the Beatles' music is illustrative of these features.

While some of the early Rolling Stones music was fresh as time when by, I drifted away from their music as it did not have the melodies and harmonies that I enjoyed. What kept me lurking, however, was some of the Stones' guitar riffs which were very catchy. Honky Tonk Women and Brown Sugar are good examples. Mediocre vocals but simply captivating guitar work that pulled me in.

I have not been a fan of overdone guitar solos, and consider that most often a riff that you can sing will win the day. More complex solos such as performed by Steeley Dan are unique and hold my attention, but Stevie Ray although so very talented, loses my attention after a few minutes. Hendrix on the otherhand, had the complexity and uniqueness but typically knew when to quit, at least on his early recordings.

4003 · Post by **4003** » Fri Aug 25, 2006 2:16 pm

Cowbell. "I got a FE-ver, and the only prescription . . . is more cowbell!"

beatlefreak · Post by **beatlefreak** » Fri Aug 25, 2006 5:36 pm

A good melody line that runs through your head after the song is finished, a good beat to tap your toes to, and effective harmony.

telebob · Post by **telebob** » Mon Aug 28, 2006 5:17 am

Payola. That's what makes a song a hit. Seriously.

There is a vast amount of music out there that truly is worthy of commercial success but we'll probably never hear it.

A great song has a great melody. A great song also has to potential to be played on any of several different instruments and still sound like a great song. I once heard an interpretation of Billy Joel's Piano Man played on guitar and it was really cool.

Songs that are totally dependant on a special effect or electronic sound to have a groove often do not that timeless, hit potential.

wayang · Post by **wayang** » Mon Aug 28, 2006 5:57 am

Bob...that cracks me up! I kept thinking the same thing and was going to post it at some point, but you beat me to it.

Here in the real, considerably less than ideal world, 'Payola' is indeed the correct answer to this question.

alanz · Post by **alanz** » Mon Aug 28, 2006 6:15 am

A great song has a great melody. A great song also has to potential to be played on any of several different instruments and still sound like a great song.

Seconding this. Lots of songs sound good with production values layered on them; a song is good if it can retain its goodness stripped down to a simple guitar or piano accompaniment.

awoodfellow · Post by **awoodfellow** » Mon Aug 28, 2006 6:17 am

Funny this would come up .... I just spent a three day weekend pondering just that question.

I've been writing lyrics for about 10 years now. It's no easy task writing songs. Even more difficult to write a good song. So what constitutes a good song? Damned large question. Of course, each song writer *and* listener will have their own perspective. The most glaringly obvious is lyric and melody hooks. However, for me, I don't care how good the lyric is, if it the melody doesn't catch me, then I'll move on the the next tune. I mean, If I'm going to spend three or four minutes listening, the melody has to be memorable and make my heart step up the pace a bit.

Which brings up a myriad of other questions and points for future discussion. (...being introspective here... and thanks for bringing up this topic, Brian...)

First and foremost, what is the intended audience for a song I might write? I consider myself a folkish perhaps leaning toward the Americana style of writer. So that limits my audience right away. What I write would have to be something that engages that genre of listener. I'm not interested in becoming a commercial writer but I want to write coherent lyrics with complimentary melodies. Which again, is no easy job.

A good song is one that you don't have to think about whether it's a good song or not. It just is. The melody hooks you right away. Something inside of you says this is keeper. Then the lyrics hit you and wow, it just makes perfect sense between the two of them. Regardless though, if you like a particular song then it's a good song. The author did exactly what he/she intended to do. Hook you.

I would cite a great writer as Gordon Lightfoot. He is a word craftsman. GL can take a simple idea and create a vast story of imagery. On the other hand, Tom Petty can write great lyrics yet keep them extremely clean and concise. Of course, both are exceptional musicians.

Just a tidbit... I wrote a number a couple of weeks ago that I thought rocked. I wasn't delusional as to it's greatness but I was very into the lyric and melody. I sent it to my mentor in Nashville who pretty much said, "when you *re-write* this [several times] it might be good, maybe."

I even posted the tune here in the Rampant Recording Techniques forum and a few folks seemed to like it. Is it a good song? Well, it's not awful. It's certainly not a hit nor is it intended to be. But if worse came to worse it could be a 3 minute filler on a B side somewhere .... maybe .....

Thanks,

Les

wayang · Post by **wayang** » Mon Aug 28, 2006 6:38 am

Good post, Awoodfellow...

Baseball players are looking to produce 'hits' every time they step up to the plate...though they're frequently lumped together in the goofy catch-all category of "ENTERTAINMENT!!!", this is where Sports and The Arts differ the most. An artist has, among many others, the duty to experiment and try for something new...and that doesn't always put 'runs on the scoreboard'...

Of course, we Artists have our own 'performance enhancing drugs' as well, but that's perhaps a topic for a different thread...

westtexasrickenbacker · Mon Aug 28, 2006 9:44 am

Great melody, a good instrumental hook, preferably to kick off the song with, and not an overly long song in duration. I had an orchestra teacher constantly preach to us about "always leave them wanting more". That's definitely better than the opposite.

I think that is what makes for hit music. The instrument playing doesn't have to be virtuoso, it does have to be very good though, and simple can qualify for good, too.

Many beautiful melodies are somewhat simple. I love those who can play so well, but like someone posted above, my ears get bored if the melody isn't strong.

paulv63 · Post by **paulv63** » Mon Aug 28, 2006 12:05 pm

I'll tell ya... Good writing sure does help. Whenever I see a promo (thanks youtube) there seems to be a common denominator...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktHpWvDrmtM

bigbajo60 · Post by **bigbajo60** » Mon Aug 28, 2006 12:05 pm

Remembering those "Rate-A-Record" segments on the old Dick Clark's American Bandstand leads me to conclude that the statement "it's got a good beat and it's easy to dance to..." is as true as it gets when it comes to a hit song. Note the change of dominant musical styles as dancing became more and more "freestyle". Song structure becomes less important than the steadiness and punchiness of the beat. To my way of thinking, this also accounts for the rise in popularity of drum machines and samplers.

And when it comes to melody, the closer you can get to having your melody remind listeners of a lullaby or a nursery rhyme, the better! Simplicity and repetitiveness usually equals a strong "hook".

Of course, these are broad generalizations and personal opinions. YMMV!

winston · Post by **winston** » Mon Aug 28, 2006 9:11 pm

There have been some very interesting observations so far. Cowbell? I have to admit that I don't get that comment though.

Payola; while a humorous comment, it touches on the seedy side of the business that most of us have to admit is often expected to be offered and therefore a sad fact of life. IMO that shortcut only gets an artist airplay and temporary fame.

It would seem that a good simple melody with a bit of "hook" that is garnished with great harmonies generally does the trick.

What about songs that you dislike at first but they grow on you? This phenomena is often bolstered by other "A" list artists who jump into the fray and make comments about so and so being absolutely brilliant. So and so then becomes the flavor of the month/year/decade. What is it about endorsement of this type that propels these mediocre songs (artists) to fame and fortune?

sowhat · Post by **sowhat** » Mon Aug 28, 2006 9:18 pm

Sort of a winning formula (imho): good tune with a hook + catchy riff + memorable lyrics + good performance + performer's charisma + proper management & PR.

4003 · Post by **4003** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 4:11 pm

The "cowbell" reference is from a Saturday Night Live parody of VH1's Behind The Music - Blue Oyster Cult. It is a must watch video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiD7hGYqg1E