Tag: song guide

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.

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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.

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Song Guide: “Outnumbered” by Dermot Kennedy

Why this song?

Dermot Kennedy has written a great album. Hands down. No argument. That’s what it is. His debut album Without Fear was released in 2019 and has been hanging out on the Triple A music chart ever since.

There have been Film & TV placements, tours, and accolades for Kennedy’s unique blend of musical styles. He mixes a passionate Pop vocal sound with insightful Singer-Songwriter lyrics and Hip-Hop rhythms. So let’s take a look at a song from the album that shows off all three: “Outnumbered.”

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Song Guide: “Leave the Door Open” by Silk Sonic

This Song Guide is dedicated to all you guys and gals who lived, loved, and danced to the great R&B/Soul hits of the ’60s and ’70s. If you remember Rose Royce, The O’Jays, The Delfonics, and Teddy Pendergrass… you’re gonna love this song.

“Leave the Door Open” has an authentic vintage Soul sound that makes me wanna teeter around the dance floor on platform shoes so tall they give me a nose bleed. At the same time, it has the luscious lyric imagery, cascading rhymes, and rhythmical melody twists that my 2020-era self finds totally satisfying.

It’s a perfect example of a successful blend of styles—old and new—in a mash-up that drove this song to platinum sales and the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2021.

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Write a song like “Driver’s License” – Olivia Rodrigo

WHY THIS SONG?
“Driver’s License” is the debut single by Olivia Rodrigo. It got a lot of attention for the way it raced up the music charts and piled up millions of listens on stream-on-demand sites like Spotify and Apple Music. It quickly rose to #1 on the Pop music charts in the U.S and U.K with double platinum sales.

Rodrigo already had a throng of fans from her roles in successful Disney TV series like High School Musical, and there was a strong marketing push for the song from the record label as well (which is one reason artists still sign record deals).

But all of that does not take away from the fact that the song has a ton of appeal and is extremely well crafted. So, let’s pull it apart to see what makes it work and get some ideas for songs of your own.

Continue reading Write a song like “Driver’s License” – Olivia Rodrigo