Robin Frederick, Author at Songwriting Craft & Inspiration

Hit Songwriting: “These Days” by Foo Fighters

Songwriters: Odie Hawkins, Nate Mendel, Chris Shiflett, Georg Ruthenberg, David Eric Grohl

I was looking through the songs I’ve analyzed over the last couple years and realized I’d never done a song by Foo Fighters. Their huge presence looms over the Rock genre, inspiring dozens of top bands. Grammy wins for Best Rock Album and over a decade of hit Rock songs means that I am long overdue.

This beautiful song from 2012 is one of my favorites. And David Grohl has said that it’s one of his. The passionate chorus lyric and unpredictable but catchy melody make this song a Rock classic that will live on and on.

Watch the video. Read the lyrics.

Watch on YouTube
Read the lyric
Shortcut numbers refer to my books “Shortcuts to Hit Songwriting” (“Hit”) and “Shortcuts to Songwriting for Film & TV” (“Film/TV”).

GENRE

The genre is Mainstream Rock. Grohl’s gritty vocal, the layered electric guitars, and hard, punchy drums give it plenty of Rock cred. At the same time, the lyric is thoughtful and the theme serious. There’s an intimate approach to the verses that bursts into a solid, rockin’ chorus with a powerful message that landed this song at the top of the Rock charts.

STRUCTURE

The song structure is:

VERSE / VERSE / PRE-CHORUS / CHORUS
VERSE / PRE-CHORUS / CHORUS
DOUBLE PRE-CHORUS / HALF VERSE / CHORUS

The song opens with a double verse. The verses each consist of two long lyric lines broken up into short phrases. A pre-chorus (“But it’s all right…”) provides some release and begins the build up to the huge vocal leap at the top of the chorus (“Easy for you to say…”).

The overall structure is typical for a hit song up until the bridge. Grohl uses a double pre-chorus as the bridge before going into a final verse and chorus. Notice that he doesn’t return to the pre-chorus again, using just a half verse before roaring into the final chorus of the song.

Hit Songwriting: Royals by Lorde

Pop songwriter and recording artist Lorde

Sometimes a single, unlikely word can spark a hit. Lorde describes seeing the word “Royals” written on the uniform of a Kansas City Royals baseball player. It triggered a response—not to the baseball team, but to the word itself.

“Royals” is a word that’s loaded with associations – wealth, luxury, power, and privilege. It evokes stories of legendary kings and queens, as well as today’s celebrities. And it stirs up interest in just about everyone, which makes it a perfect word on which to build a song. Let’s take a look at Lorde’s mega-hit and find out how to create a hit song from a single word.

Listen to the song. Read the lyrics.

“Royals” recorded by Lorde
Songwriters: Ella Yelich-O’Connor (Lorde), Joel Little
You can read the lyric here.

GENRE/STYLE: Singer-Songwriter

(What is a genre?)
This song has sold triple Platinum and made it to #1 on Pop charts around the world. It doesn’t sound like most Pop hits, though. Definitely not Katy Perry or Kelly Clarkson. Instead it blends a singer-songwriter style lyric and melody with a groove and tempo that owe a lot to Hip Hop, giving the song a cool Urban edge.

When blending genres like this, be sure you’re familiar with both of the styles you’re working in. Your song and/or production need to draw on authentic elements from each source rather than being an accidental mish-mash that may or may not really capture a genre. Listen to your favorite artists in each style as you write. Draw on those elements that appeal to you, or study an artist who is already blending those styles.

Write a Fresh Holiday Hit

Every holiday season, we’re surrounded with recordings of Christmas standards and traditional carols. Wouldn’t it be nice if there were a few new songs every now and then? I mean, tradition is fine but we all need a break sometimes. So, how about writing a fresh holiday hit this season, something just a little bit different?

Here’s a list of contemporary holiday songs that take a slightly different approach to the season. I chose these songs because each one has something interesting to offer in the way of song craft or an inspired idea. Give them a listen and try some of these ideas yourself. Maybe you’ll write the next holiday hit!

It’s that TIME of year

Most of our holiday standards are in good old familiar 4/4 time. How about breaking with tradition and writing a song with a different groove? There are some (but not many) wonderful holiday songs with a waltz feel – “The Christmas Waltz” is one of a handful that comes to mind. So, let’s write a couple new ones. Time signatures based on 3 beats (3/4, 6/8, 12/8) evoke the swirl of falling snowflakes and skaters twirling on the ice. Perfect for the holiday season!

To hear a contemporary Country take on a holiday waltz, check out Alan Jackson’s “Let It Be Christmas.” The irresistible swing and sway give his sweet lyric an uplifting energy.

PLAY IT: Let It Be Christmas – Alan Jackson

Don’t feel like waltzing on the ice? How about a Christmas shuffle? Or explore more unusual time signatures, like 5/4 or 7/4. How about a Dave Brubeck “Take Five” feel this holiday!

New Year, new song …

Aren’t we all getting a little tired of ‘Auld Lang Syne” and “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?” How about a New Year’s Eve EDM rave up? Or a novelty song about people’s worst New Year’s resolutions? Or a song about why we celebrate the end of a year and why we think next year will be better? Here’s a song that will actually make you believe next year will be better!

Songs for TV Commercials with Cathy Heller

Cathy Heller is a go-to artist when it comes to licensing music to TV commercials. Her songs have been featured in major ad campaigns for McDonalds, Walmart, Petco, Quaker, KFC, and many others. For years, Cathy has been successfully pitching her own music and helping other artists do the same. In this podcast I ask her how she does it.

Listen to the podcast

Table of Contents” for the podcast.

Like I’m Gonna Lose You – Meghan Trainor & John Legend

Question: How do you follow up a platinum, career-launching single like Meghan Trainor’s “All About That Bass”? Answer: With two more relentlessly catchy songs that build on a similar retro-blend sound.

Which is exactly what Meghan Trainor did. But after the third single – as much fluffy fun as it was – listeners were bound to wonder if things weren’t starting to sound a little same-y. Time for something new. Trainor hit the sweet spot with a ballad/duet with John Legend that slides perfectly into Trainor’s throwback sound while revealing more emotional depth.

Author: Robin Frederick