Songwriting Craft & Inspiration
ROBIN FREDERICK TAKES YOU INSIDE TODAY'S HIT SONGS.
Talk about an irresistible bunch of fun! This song has listener appeal from the first line to the last. It’s a great Contemporary Country party song with a sing-along hook that’s a killer. Let’s take a look at how it all works together.
TECHNIQUES TO HEAR AND TRY:
• Try a sing-along post-chorus for a party anthem!
• Use images to bring a character to life.
• Fake out the listener with your melody.
Let’s say you’re a hard rockin’ band out there working the club circuit. You’d like to get a record deal but can’t seem to interest a label. Your fans love you. You put on a killer live show and tour like crazy, so why won’t the the music industry sign you up?
You may have everything going for you except one thing — you need at least one or two songs that sound like they could get radio airplay either on the big commercial radio stations or on major college radio stations. Record labels know that getting radio airplay is the key to rapid career growth; it will be a key part of their marketing campaign for any group or artist.
So, what’s the difference between a good song that energizes fans at a live performance and a song that can get radio airplay? Let’s take a look at Shinedown’s hit “Sound of Madness,” a powerhouse of a rock song with huge radio appeal, a strong lyric theme, and an unusual but very memorable, contemporary melody.
Recorded by Shinedown
Written by Brent Smith, Dave Bassett
Read the lyrics here.
STRUCTURE
This song opens with three verses. The first one acts as a kind of intro. It’s sung an octave lower than the rest of the verses and sets up the situation in the song. After the intro, there are double verses before the first and second choruses. Here’s the structure:
VERSE 1 (intro) / VERSE 2 / VERSE 3 / CHORUS
VERSE 4 / VERSE 5 / CHORUS
INSTRUMENTAL BRIDGE / CHORUS / CHORUS
In genres like Pop and Country, Verse 3 and 5 would be pre-choruses. The Rock genre goes for a more straight ahead style that leans more on repetition to make its point.
LYRIC
The double verses in this song give the singer a chance to say what he wants to say. The lyrics are vivid, filled with powerful language and images.
“Retro-Blend” is definitely the phrase du jour. Today’s Pop charts are sounding more and more like the music charts of long ago, from the Neon Trees’ “Everybody Talks” to Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” to Bruno Mars’ “Locked Out of Heaven.”
Retro-influenced songs like these evoke the best of yesterday blended with today’s melody, lyric, and production techniques.
Two of the latest hits to pay their respects to the oldies are Pharrell Williams’ “Happy” and MKTO’s “Classic.” If you can remember dancing to Marvin Gaye and the Jackson 5, then you’ve got a big head start on this style. But the commercial magic is in the blend of old and new. Today’s listeners want it ALL. So, let’s a take a look at a Pop hit that delivers the best of yesterday and today. It’s CLASSIC!
There are always a whole lotta party-all-night, feel-good songs on the Country music charts, especially in the summer. It’s a theme with tons of appeal for Country listeners.
The songwriting on all these hits is solid, of course, but, after a while you might start to notice a certain same-ness to the lyrics. They all seem to have pickup trucks, beer, and girls in shorts. So, wouldn’t it be cool if you could write a hit song with this commercially appealing theme and set yourself a little apart from the crowd? Let’s take a look at a Country hit that does exactly that.
“Play It Again,” a summertime hit recorded by Luke Bryan, has the required tailgate and girl in shorts but the song brings this girl to life in a way that’s vivid and believable. You get a real sense of both the singer’s character and the girl’s. The song plays out like a series of scenes, fun to watch and easy to get caught up in.
Artist: Luke Bryan
Writers: Dallas Davidson & Ashley Gorley
The genre is 100% pure Contemporary Country. The detailed story line and physical actions of the characters are clearly drawn. It all takes place within a classic Country setting of tailgates and outdoor summer fun.
The song creates a vivid mental movie that keeps listeners engaged. The insight into the singer’s feelings and the picture of the girl he’s attracted to add to the enjoyment. But to my mind, the youthful, engaging characters in this lyric are the real standout.
The song structure is…
VERSE / PRE-CHORUS / CHORUS
VERSE / PRE-CHORUS / CHORUS
BRIDGE / CHORUS
Until recently you would only have heard a thoughtful, acoustic-based folk song like “Let Her Go” on college radio stations or eclectic NPR shows. Certainly not among Billboard’s Top 10 Pop hits. But there it is. If you haven’t heard this song on the radio then you’ve probably heard it on a national TV commercial or featured in prime time television series like Elementary and The Vampire Diaries.
Let’s take a deep dive into this song to see what makes it work so well and how you can use some of these techniques in your own songs.
TECHNIQUES TO HEAR AND TRY:
Artist: Passenger
Songwriter: Michael David Rosenberg (aka Passenger)
Watch on YouTube.
Read the lyric here.
(What is a genre? Watch this video.)
The lyric, melody, and structure of this song are all reminiscent of the folk genre, with a nod to both authentic English ballads and the folk songs of the 1960s. If you still love to sing “Where Have All the Flowers Gone” then this song is for you! There’s even a subtle group sing-along on the chorus, almost as if everyone is gathered round the ol’ campfire.
But even though the retro underpinnings are clearly there, the melody has interesting twists that give it a modern edge. If you’ve got a few old fashioned folk songs tucked away (and I know some of you do) consider giving them a facelift with these tricks.
