Author: Robin Frederick

Are Country Hits Today’s Soft Rock?

SONG GUIDE: “Trouble With A Heartbreak” – Jason Aldean
SONG GUIDE: “Slow Down Summer” – Thomas Rhett

If you were a fan of Fleetwood Mac, Hall & Oates, Journey, or Richard Marx, then today’s Country hits are right up your alley. Like the Soft Rock hits of the ’70s through the ’90s, the Contemporary Country genre features memorable melodies with great hooks, well-crafted lyrics, and body-swaying, mid-tempo grooves.

“Trouble With A Heartbreak” by Jason Aldean and “Slow Down Summer” by Thomas Rhett reached #1 and #2 on the Country charts and I can’t help drawing a few comparisons to the big, melodic hits of the 1970s.

So let’s take a deeper look and see what gives these songs their huge appeal. Along the way, maybe we’ll be able to answer the question: Do they really share DNA with the soft rockers of past decades?

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Song Guide: “Halo” – Beyoncé

Why this song?

“Halo” recorded by Beyoncé is a huge Pop hit that has lasted the test of time and continues to pile up listens at Spotify—over a billion at the time I write this. It’s a great example of a big power ballad with a simple, repeating four-chord progression, a killer melody, and an uplifting lyric.

A lot of songwriters I know love to write songs and lyrics in this style, so let’s see what we can learn from success!

Continue reading Song Guide: “Halo” – Beyoncé

Song Guide: “Ghost” – Justin Bieber

WHY THIS SONG

Justin Bieber’s “Ghost” is a Pop hit with a strong, emotionally moving singer-songwriter vibe. It’s the sixth single off Bieber’s album “Justice,” and it’s charting in the top 10 globally.

An artist can no longer release a ten-song album with one, maybe two strong songs. “Justice” has 16 songs and, so far, six of them have been hits. Established artists need songs that sound like potential hits and if you’re an artist who wants to work at this level, you need them, too. So, let’s take a look at what makes this one so appealing.

Continue reading Song Guide: “Ghost” – Justin Bieber

Mystery Lyrics: “Brightside” by The Lumineers

Why this song?

What do the TV show The Sopranos, the disappearance of D.B. Cooper, and Bobbie Gentry’s 1960s hit song “Ode to Billie Joe” have in common? In the end, each one leaves us with a mystery, questions without answers.

People love a good mystery, especially ones that end with a Big Reveal, one that tells us whodunnit while tying up all the loose ends. Giving an audience a mystery that is left unresolved can create dissatisfaction. It’s definitely risky.

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Hit Songwriting: “Cold” by Chris Stapleton

Why this song? 

“Cold” is a powerhouse Alt Country song that adds to Chris Stapleton’s solid reputation as one of Country’s great songwriters.

Although Chris Stapleton has had Mainstream Country hits, his songs don’t fit easily into the Contemporary Country style. The big hits he’s written or co-written for other artists—including “Drink a Beer” for Luke Bryan and “Never Wanted Nothing More” for Kenny Chesney—tend to fall into a neo-traditional Country style that harks back to the acoustic, folk roots of Country music. When Chris Stapleton finally recorded his own songs as an artist, he scored big with “Broken Halos,” a song with a lot of that folksy, roots appeal.

Continue reading Hit Songwriting: “Cold” by Chris Stapleton