| | Hit
or Miss? Are your songs ready for the world?
Most
songwriters dream of the day when their song wins a Grammy, blares out of millions
of speakers, and hits the top of the Billboard charts. Regardless of the genres
you write in, it is possible to scale the heights of the music world with your
material, if it appeals to a huge number of people. So how can you judge whether
your song has the potential to "make it big?"
There are several key characteristics
that make hit songs stand out from the pack. Take a giant step back from one of
your best songs and answer these questions. When your answer is "no," use that
as an incentive to polish your work or make your next song even better. Also,
note that many songs are "ends in themselves," created to fulfill a less commercial
purpose or answer a more private need.
Some of the guidelines below don't
necessarily apply to such personal songs.
Does the very beginning of
your song set an intriguing MOOD? The first few moments of your tune are akin
to the establishing shots at the beginning of a movie, laying out the landscape
you're about to explore. What, exactly, are you setting your listeners up to expect?
Envision the impact you want to have, and come out swinging. You might open up
with a signature beat, a hint of your melodic/lyrical hook, or a catchy instrumental
riff. Usually you don't want to "give away the store," but rather pique your listeners'
curiosity and create a hunger for the big payoff to come.
Do the opening
lines establish a strong POINT OF VIEW? People look to songs to express powerful
emotions and ideas that they can't necessarily express themselves. "Wishy-washy"
doesn't cut it. The courageous songwriter takes a strong, passionate stand right
from the start, carving out an acre of territory both lyrically and musically.
Of course, taking a stand on anything is more likely to provoke others and open
you up to criticism. This can feel vulnerable... and extremely alive. If you dig
deep and dare to unearth what you really think and feel, you'll write a more compelling
song. And in the end, you'll be speaking for others who share your experience
- and there may be millions of them out there. It's a risk worth taking.
Are
your ideas FRESH & FLAVORFUL, as opposed to stale & tired? Musical and lyrical
clichés might be the first things you latch onto when you start to write. Love,
sadness, anger, inspiration... all of life's mysteries can seemingly be reduced
to cheap, easy shorthand. The only problem is that if your purpose is to move
people, clichés have no power whatsoever. Experience and relish your unique way
of seeing the world, then express it fully instead of playing it safe. Experiment
with all of the colors on your palette, making each song a celebration of your
passion, unlike any that came before. Do
your song's DYNAMICS keep peoples' interest? A great song is a thrill ride
full of twists and turns, tension and release, more like the path of a roller
coaster than a freight train. Is your song simple enough to follow, always propelling
listeners forward, with peaks and valleys along the way and a sense of resolution
at the end? As I like to say, "suck 'em in, build 'em up, and pay 'em off." Start
out creating melodic and lyrical tension, build up that sense of expectation,
and finally pay if off with your chorus or hook. Then do it again, only heightening
the action and forwarding the story. Maybe the addition of a bridge will add additional
interest or insight. Don't take one limited idea and flog it over and over, flattening
out the dynamic flow. Also, when you hit upon a melodic or lyrical passage that
bears repeating, go for it. The brain enjoys repetition, to a degree. Are
your lyric and melody perfectly married, forming a UNIFIED WHOLE? The beauty
of songwriting is that it combines your skills as a speaker of the language with
your musical, non-verbal side. In a hit song, the melody is often inextricably
linked to the lyric, and one immediately calls up the other. A skilled songwriter
can sustain this marriage throughout the song, creating a seamless unity of the
two streams that can never be torn asunder. "Prosody" is the literary term used
to describe this marriage. Important words, syllables and ideas might receive
greater emphasis with a held note, an interval leap or a rhythmic accent, for
example. And lyrical meaning can be magnified with fitting melodic choices. For
example, if you're expressing anger, an abrupt, angular jolt of dissonance might
serve the line better than a flowing, langorous passage.
Are
you effectively using LYRICAL AND MELODIC DEVICES to increase the impact of your
song? Skillful songwriters have dozens of tricks up their sleeves, enabling
them to craft powerful songs that are also lasting works of art. Expertise in
using rhyme, meter, imagery, alliteration, symbolism and many other literary devices
will bring your lyrics to life. And your use of musical tools including melodic
sequences, rhythmic surprises, interval leaps and more will make your melodies
truly sing. Learn the various terminology and practice using these devices until
they're second nature to you. Why settle for the mundane when all of these tried
and true elements of craft can better communicate the colorful, exciting truth
of your experience?
Have you used INSTRUMENTAL FIGURES to catch the
listener's ear? Sprinkling tasty little lines and riffs throughout your song
really spices it up. Experiment with repeating patterns, unusual sounds and effects,
or juicy rhythmic nuggets that stick in people's heads and amplify your meaning.
Hit songs usually have several of these catchy bits, making them instantly identifiable
and memorable.
Does each section of the song CONTRAST with the ones
before it? It's essential that songwriters learn the basics of song structure
and are able to construct AAA, AABA and especially nowadays, Verse/Chorus songs.
These song forms have endured over the years because they work, and they work
best when there are clear contrasts between sections, enabling the listener to
experience forward movement over time. You can heighten the contrast between sections
by using the many tools at your disposal: melodic variation, rhythmic shifts,
new chord progressions, contrasting rhyme schemes, metric patterns, line lengths,
etc. I subscribe to "the theory of compensation" that says that if, for instance,
your chord pattern stays the same over the course of several sections, your melody
and lyrics need to work overtime to add contrast, or your song gets boring, fast.
Honor your listener's attention span. It's notoriously short, and requires constant
stimulation. Does
your song have a KILLER HOOK? All roads lead to your hook, which most often
resides in your song's chorus. That delicious tension you've built up, musically
and lyrically, is gloriously released, delivering a huge, palpable payoff. A great
hook is an ear-gasm, begging to be repeated over and over for maximum satisfaction.
These wondrous peak moments are much-sought-after and rarely achieved, and the
ground shifts beneath your feet when you've written one. It's unforgettable, and
everyone in earshot will agree. The killer hook is the holy grail for songwriters,
separating the amateurs from the pros, the singles from the album cuts. Of course,
not all songs reach this level of "hookiness," but practice makes perfect! Also,
keep in mind that more hooks is merrier. Some of the greatest songs have many
vocal and instrumental hooks in addition to the main one.
Does your
TITLE immediately grab attention? Your title needs that special something
to make it stand out from the crowd. Does it have a clever twist, a strong point
of view, an invented phrase, a provocation of some sort? Does it use rhyme, repetition,
alliteration, or some other literary device? What will make it it stick in peoples'
minds? The title often uses the same lyric as the hook, for obvious reasons, but
not always. Does
your theme, your message, your story, strike a UNIVERSAL chord? In many great
songs, universal truths are strikingly captured in the most detailed, specific
lyric. This might seem counter-intuitive, but it works like a charm. By delving
into the deep well of your life you could tap into the collective human experience,
capturing the essence of a time, a culture, a political or social movement or
a shared state of mind. Songwriters chronical the human story line, and your message
might speak for millions of others. Does
your song PROVOKE EMOTION, making people laugh, cry, or feel strongly? Compare
your song to a court case. Each lyrical line and every melodic phrase is a piece
of evidence in support of your side of the story. The hook is your summation to
the jury, and the verdict rests on whether or not the listener is moved, swayed,
convinced of your point of view. Have you made a strong appeal and won them over
with every tool in your kit? This is the job of the songwriter: to let listeners
look deeply into your world, and see themselves reflected there. Happy
writing! Hit
songwriter Alex Forbes helps aspiring songwriters find their muse.
Contact
Alex at alex@creativesongwriter.com
Snail Mail: 30 West 88th Street, #1B,
New York NY 10024
|
