Aaron Cheney
Favorite Chord: C 6/9
Here are the lyrics to another hit song:
I can't get no satisfaction
I try
And I try
And I try
And I try
But I can't get no
No, no, no
I think a big part of the debate that goes on in this forum comes about because people are comparing dissimilar genres. The things that are important to a successful country or R&B tune are pretty different from the things that make a great trance tune.
Generally when you talk "songwriting" and the "rules of songwriting", you are speaking under the umbrella of country, R&B, and pop. The things that make those songs great are lyrical content, concise song form, and killer hooks. When I dispense songwriting advice, it's usually from that point of view. When you read songwriting books or go to workshops it usually from that point of view. Most independant songwriters ascribe to those principles when creating and evaluating songs.
On the other hand, if you write heavy metal song, a killer guitar riff might trump lyrical content in importance. If you're writing a dance tune, groove and production might trump everything else.
There is, however, a lot of songwriting skill that can apply to all genres; things like prosody and alliteration. Things like melody constuction, hook building, rhyme, and metaphor. An understanding of those things is valuable to any songwriter.
As far as "hit" songs go, I have this opinion: a "hit" is never necessarily a well-written song. I can name a lot of "hit" songs that really suck. On the flip side, a "hit" song is also never necessarily a commercialized piece of crap. I can name a lot of "hit" songs that are frickin' brilliant. There are tons of brilliant songs out there that will never be heard by more than a handful of people, and there is a lot of schlock out there that will make the charts. All things being equal, at the end of the day I think a songwriter that writes consistantly great tunes has a better chance of getting a "hit" than someone writing skill-less songs.
Of course, all things are never equal, are they?
A
I can't get no satisfaction
I try
And I try
And I try
And I try
But I can't get no
No, no, no
I think a big part of the debate that goes on in this forum comes about because people are comparing dissimilar genres. The things that are important to a successful country or R&B tune are pretty different from the things that make a great trance tune.
Generally when you talk "songwriting" and the "rules of songwriting", you are speaking under the umbrella of country, R&B, and pop. The things that make those songs great are lyrical content, concise song form, and killer hooks. When I dispense songwriting advice, it's usually from that point of view. When you read songwriting books or go to workshops it usually from that point of view. Most independant songwriters ascribe to those principles when creating and evaluating songs.
On the other hand, if you write heavy metal song, a killer guitar riff might trump lyrical content in importance. If you're writing a dance tune, groove and production might trump everything else.
There is, however, a lot of songwriting skill that can apply to all genres; things like prosody and alliteration. Things like melody constuction, hook building, rhyme, and metaphor. An understanding of those things is valuable to any songwriter.
As far as "hit" songs go, I have this opinion: a "hit" is never necessarily a well-written song. I can name a lot of "hit" songs that really suck. On the flip side, a "hit" song is also never necessarily a commercialized piece of crap. I can name a lot of "hit" songs that are frickin' brilliant. There are tons of brilliant songs out there that will never be heard by more than a handful of people, and there is a lot of schlock out there that will make the charts. All things being equal, at the end of the day I think a songwriter that writes consistantly great tunes has a better chance of getting a "hit" than someone writing skill-less songs.
Of course, all things are never equal, are they?
A
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oops , this isn't the mad thread?