MAJOR PROJECT RESEARCH edited

ANALYSING AND IDENTIFYING THE CONTINUOUS SUCCESS OF

EVERLASTING MUSIC HITS AND HITMAKERS BEHIND THEM:

IS HIT MAKING AN UNEXPLAINED

PHENOMENA OR A FORMULATED

PROCESS?

by Tatjana Tasic

II

“The world don’t need any more songs. They’ve got enough.

They’vegotwaytoomany.Asamatteroffact, ifnobodywrote

any songs from this day on, theworld ain’t gonna suffer for it.

For everyman,woman and child on earth, they could be sent,

probably each of them, a hundred records, and never be

repeated.There’senoughsongs.

Unlesssomeone’sgonnacomealongwithapureheartandhas

somethingtosay.That’sadifferentstory.”

-BobDylan

(Zollo,2003)

III

ABSTRACT

This project analyses what makes a music hit stand the test of time and still sell

recordsandremainrememberedbyavastnumberofpeople.Itlooksintothepowers

behindmakingasuccessfulhitandwhetheritisabusinessmechanismortrueworkof

art.Thereisareviewofover20hitsongswhicharealldifferentonefromanotherin

their genre, background or reason for success. I have broken down a song into

different elements aswell as looked into the sciencebehindhumanpsychology and

neurology to understand process behindmusic choices and preferences. Interviews

(primary and secondary)with artists in the industry have been collected to present

theirviewsintothesecretbehindmakinghits.

Finally Ihavestudiedthemusic industryand itseffectandcontrolbehindsongsthat

havemadechartsandtoppedsales.Itisimportanttomentionthesongandindustry

analysedisfromtheperiodof1950’suntil1990’s.

Myconclusiondoesnotgiveadefiniteanswertothehypothesisasitisaveryblurred

line when it comes to art, how it is created and then experienced. However, this

researchhascorrectedsomeofmypreviousopinionsandhasopenedupmyeyesto

howcomplexthewholematteris.

IV

PREFACE

Firstly,IrememberwhenIwasveryyoung,certainsongsusedtomovemesostrongly.

Thesadchordprogressionof thestringsection in“Nights InWhiteSatin”byMoody

Bluesmademeexperience feelingswhich in reality Ihadno reason forknowing.To

thisdayIfinditstrange,andslightlycomical,how“TheFinalCountdown”by80’sglam

rockbandEuropeusedtomakemefallapartintearswhenIwasalittlechild,justby

hearingtheprominentmelodyinthechorus.Itwasverydramatic.

Secondly, I love Prince. And I loveHeart. I am addicted to someof their songs. But

neitherofmyparentsorrelativeslistenedtoitwhileIwasgrowingup.Infactnoone

aroundmedid.AndIlovethesongsthatwerewrittenalongtimebeforeIwasborn.

Sothequestiontoboth factors iswhy?Whydowe lovehitswhichareveryoldand

whydothesesongsmoveussoprofoundly?

Theproblem is, this isagiganticquestion.Therearebillionsof songsandbillionsof

peoplefromallwalksoflife.Itwasdifficulttonarrowdownthetopicforthisproject.

ThemoreIgatheredinformation,readbooks, interviewsandengagingconversations

withfriends,musiciansandnonmusicians,themoreIwasawarethatthiscouldbean

endlessdebateandaprojectwithoutapossibleframe.Ihaveheldontothequestion

athand;isitaformulaoranunexplainedphenomena,andsimplifiedtheresearchby

goingthroughanexcruciatingprocessofselectingalistofhitsongs,bynotfollowing

chartsandsales,asitisproventonotbeatruereflectionofpopularity,readingdozens

ofinterviewsfromthehitmakersthemselves,andlearningabouttherecordindustry.

The researchwas done in amusic periodof 1950’s upuntil 1990’s so it is between

whenphysicalrecordsweresellingandpublishinghouseswereinfullthrottleupuntil

V

the era that has past long enough time to be able to look back and determine if it

remainedahit.followingthisoverallanalysisIhaveaddedmybriefforecastofwhich

songsIpredictwillremainhits.

Thehypothesis remainsandendlessdebatewithmanypeople swaying towardsone

belieforanother.EventhoughIstartedtheprojectcertainallgreatestsongscanonly

comefromaplaceoftruegeniusandtruthwiththeartist,myopinionhasbeenstirred

andIwillremaincuriousforaslongasmusictendstomoveme.

VI

TableofContents

INTRODUCTION.........................................................................................................1

DEFININGA“HIT”.....................................................................................................2

HISTORYOFPOPULARMUSIC...................................................................................3

21HITSLIST..............................................................................................................6

1950’s................................................................................................................................71960’s..............................................................................................................................101970’s..............................................................................................................................131980’s..............................................................................................................................16

EVERLASTINGHITFORECAST...................................................................................22

ANALYSINGASONG................................................................................................23

STRUCTURE.....................................................................................................................24LYRICS.............................................................................................................................25MELODY..........................................................................................................................26

HOWWEHEARMUSIC............................................................................................28

INFANCY..........................................................................................................................28EARLYCHILDHOODANDADOLESCENCE...........................................................................29ADULTLIFE......................................................................................................................30

WORDSFROMTHECREATORS;WHEREDOES“IT”COMEFROM..............................31

VIEWSONTHOUGHTCONTROL.......................................................................................31VIEWSONHIGHERPOWERS............................................................................................32VIEWSONDISCIPLINEVERSUSINSPIRATION....................................................................33

INTERVIEWSWITHPRODUCERSCHRISECKMANANDDARIODENDI........................34

POWERSOFTHEMUSICINDUSTRY.........................................................................37

CONCLUSION:UNEXPLAINEDPHENOMENAORAFORMULATEDPROCESS..............40

APPENDIXA-InterviewWithChrisEckman...........................................................42

APPENDIXB–InterviewWithDarioDendi..............................................................42

REFERENCES............................................................................................................43

BIBLIOGRAPHY........................................................................................................45

1

INTRODUCTION

Whatmakesacertainhitsongasurvivinghit?Whydosomanypeopleacrosstheglobe

like it? Why does its popularity refuse to diminish with age? Who is behind the hit

making? Why do certain producers, artists or music business entrepreneurs have a

continuoussuccesswithmakinghitsanddotheyallhavesomethingincommon?These

areallquestionsthatdonothaveastraightforwardanswer.

Thereissciencebehindhowweperceivesoundonaneurologicalandculturallevel.Our

music preferences develop and grow with us and. On the other hand there is the

phenomenaofsourceofcreativityandprocessfromthehitmakers.

Thegiftofcertainproducersandmusicartiststhatmakememorablehitsongs,adored

by millions across the globe over decades is fascinating and not easy to unravel.

VisionariessuchasOtisBlackwell,StevieWonder,Prince,ButchVigorNileRodgersand

soonhavemademusichistory.

Andwherewoulditallbebehindthegiantmachinethatmakesitallcometolife,orto

ourmusicdevices?Musicindustry.Doesitrecognisetruetalentordoesitdeceiveusfor

profit?

Theobjective is togatheragreatamountof informationandperspectivesand thusa

conclusion whether these everlasting hits, or at least some of them, are really

unexplained phenomena that lie within the souls of the creators or if it is all just a

matterofgreatcraftsmanship,avesselofexcellentknowledgeandapproachtomusic

business.

Thisisa100%writtencontributionsubmittedtoobtainaBachelorsofArts

2

DEFININGA“HIT”“Asongthatsellsaverylargenumberofcopies”

“Someoneorsomethingthatpeoplelikeverymuch”

“Performancethatisverysuccessfulandpopular”(MacmillanDictionary)“Asuccessfulventure,especiallyafilm,poprecord,orsong”(Oxforddictionaries)“Asuccessfulorpopularventure”(http://www.thefreedictionary.com)“Somethingthatisverysuccessful”(http://www.merriam-webster.com)Therearemanydefinitionsofahitsong.Somearguethatthedefinitionliesintheprofit

ofeveryoneinvolvedincreatingthesong,inotherwordstherecordcompanyandthe

production team, and others say it comes down to how widespread the audience it

reaches.Isomesense,neitherofthesetheoriesarewrong.

Itwouldbe clear to say that if a song is rememberedwell by vast numberof people

worldwideaftertwoormoredecadespast,thiscouldclassifyasahit.

3

HISTORYOFPOPULARMUSICPopular music evolved in the US from various worldwide backgrounds and cultural

inspirations that amalgamated and spread out into the entire western world and

beyond.

Severalmusical and cultural developments happened in theUnited States in the 19th

century, which brought on the rise of popularmusic that spread across the western

worldandeventuallycametobeaswhatweknowittoday,onaglobal level.Popular

music,i.e.musicenjoyedbyalargenumberofpeople,developedintheUS,progressing

songfromtheatresontoamusicalstage.Firstformofmusicalentertainmentenjoyed

bylargemassesofpeople,thatreallytookoverAmericawasminstrelshowinmid19th

century, known as Minstrelsy. The subject of the show were white performers

caricaturingblackpeoplebycoveringtheir faces inblackpaintand imitatingtheblack

population, which happened to be ex slaves from the North and slaves from South

America. Theentertainerswouldaccurately imitate their speech, singinganddancing

styles. Eventually the black performers took on this role so were in fact imitating

themselves. After the civil rightsmovement in 1865, which aimed to eliminate racial

discrimination and followed by abolishment of slavery, Minstrelsy started losing

popularity.

Simultaneously,avarietyshowknownasVaudevillebecameadominantentertainment

movement.ItcameafterMinstrelsy,butnowfeaturingmainlyCaucasianartists,singers,

jugglers,dancers,acrobatsfromallovertheUSaswellas,again,blackperformers.Now

theywere integrated. This is relevant as it depicts the strong impactblackmusic and

culturehadonAmerica.Therewassadness,andtherewasjoy.

“Despiteof(orperhapsbecauseof)theseverehandicapofslavery, itwasthemusicof

theslavesthatmadethefirstofmanyprofoundly importantblackcontributionstothe

Americanmainstream”(Clarke,D.2013,p.21)

Byendof1880’s,NewYorkwasfullofvaudeville,orvariety,theatres.Whatbecamea

priority in vaudeville were attractive female performers such as Norah Bayes, Eva

TanguayandLillianRussellthatdidnothesitatetoshowaleg,whilesingingprovocative

4

songs. As radio culture boomed and became popular in most households, so did

VaudevillediminishfromlivestageontotheTVscreen.

“Songwritersandmusicpublisherskeptaneyeonup-and-comingtalentinvaudeville.It

wasapparentthatthebestwaytomakeasongahitwastogetsomeonegoodtosing

it”(Clarke,D.2013,p.46)

By1900,all thebestsongwriters,bookingagentsandpublisherswere located inNew

York’s famous Tin Pan Alley, between 6th Avenue and Broadway, surrounded by

theatres.Itwasthefirstpublishinghouseassuch(laterevenbecameanameforamusic

genre in it’sownright),printing largevolumesofsheetmusicforperformers, lyricists,

songwritersandevenhomeuse.Asthecopyrightlawswerequiterelaxed,bookersand

publisherswouldmakenoteofsongsthatprovedpopularand indemandandprinted

theirownversionsformassexposure.TinPanAlleybecameknownasthebirthcentre

ofpopularmusic.Eventhoughit’sphysicallocationchanged,theindustryassuchkept

thename.Vaudeville,dancehallmusicandballadswerethecommercialmusicmaterial

generatedfromtheTinPanAlleyonhighdemand.“Soonitwasalmostimpossiblefora

songtobecomeahitunlessitwaspublishedinNewYorkfirst.”(Clarke,D.2013,p.52)

A lotof the songs thatwere successful contained subjectsaboutwhat the songwriter

sawhappeningaroundhimoneventshereadaboutorheardaboutineverydaylife.For

exampleCharlesK.Harriswrotehit songs“After theball”and“HelloCentral,giveme

heaven”basedonrealeventsheobserved.Mostofthepopularsongswereballads.

Anotherimportantsongwriter,whostronglyinfluencedthecourseofpopularmusicand

filled this era of early 20th century with game changing songs, was Irving Berlin. His

contentwasquitejournalistic,capturingthelifeofNewYorkcitizensandtheireveryday

livesandinterconnectivity.

BerlinwasoneofmanyJewishrefugees,whichcameovertotheUStofleetheTsarist

Russia.Apartfromasearchforanewhomeandanewbeginning,theseJewsbrought

withthemtheirmusic.

Much progress has happened during the 1800’s in America and its separated views

betweennorth and south regarding the slavery abolishment and the impact on black

performersintheentertainingindustry.Inthefollowingcenturycomesanewwaveof

socialandculturalchange,whichhasshapedpopularmusic,asweknowittoday.

5

Newinfluencecameaboutintheearly20thcenturybymergingofEuropeanfolkmusic

withAfrican-American,thendeemed“black”musicthathadfounditsownnewsenseof

directionintheAmerica.

ThereisaclearconnectionbetweentheJewishcommunitythatescapeditshomeand

theblackpeopleofAmerica.Bothoftheseminoritieswereostracised,sufferedpeople

withnorightstoworkandsubjectedtoracistlaws.

Beginninganewlifeonanewland,theJewsbroughtwiththemsomethingthatwould

changethecourseofmusicandhowweexperienceittoday,forever;theirsongs.These

songswouldremindthemoftheirhomelandandgivethemthesenseofcommunityand

togethernessonceagain,aswellasthefeelingtheybelongsomewhere.

Anotherculture that sufferedsimilar fatewasAfrican-Americans.Even thoughslavery

wasofficially over in 1865, the integrationofAfricanpeoplewith thewhite racewas

veryslow.

By thebeginningof20th century therewere still segregationof social groups.Besides

African-American, it was Jewish, Italian and so on. However, what African-American

people had is what made that country very rich. They brought their music and

performance to American culture. And just like the Jews, their songs were jolly and

entertaininginmelodyandrhythm,whilecontextuallyveryfocusedonsocialreflection.

Asmentionedbefore,inthe19thcentury,popularmusicwasmostlyballads.

Parallel to these events, the white man of America brought folk music from the

countryside(nowknownascountrymusic)tothebigcities.CountryfromMidwestUS

andgospelfromSouthwereverymuchresponsibleforwhatwastobecomethebirthof

Rock‘n’Rollin1950’s.

Artists such as Bing Crosby collaborating with jazz legend Louis Armstrong was just

another exampleof themergenceof all this “genres” and cultures creatingAmerican

citiessuchasNewYorkthemeltingpotofwhat istobecomeinthenewage,popular

music.

Popularmusiccultureevolvedfromthedesiretoentertainandconnecttoculturalroots

andpeopleofallbackgrounds.

6

21HITSLIST

One could endlessly argue as to which songs are truly best remembered, and the

journeytofindthemostaccurateandtruthfulrepresentationofthislistisacomplicated

one.

Therearevarious“Bestsongsofalltime”listscompiledbymusicmagazines,datafrom

music streaming platforms such as Spotify, digital purchases, sales of 45inch singles

sincethe1950sorsheetmusic,jukebox,etc.

AsBillboard’s own columnist Trust (2013) explainedhimself, “Aswewrote in January

whenYouTubedatawasaddedtotheHot100'sequation:"Generallyspeaking,ourHot

100formulatargetsaratioofsales(35-45%),airplay(30-40%)andstreaming(20-30%)."

Trust(2013)explainsfurtheronthat“that'sanoveralltargetfor100songseachweek.

Thatmark can change. This week, though, the Hot 100 breaks down in linewith the

formula'sintent:sales,39%;airplay,34%;and,streaming,27%.

And, week-to-week, some songs show largely along those percentages, while others

skewnoticeablytowardanyofthechart'sthreemetrics.”

Salesfiguresofsinglesarenotanaccuratereflectionofasong’spopularity,simplydue

tothefactthatnotmanypeoplepurchasedsinglesexclusively.Samegoeswithcharts,

asitisashort-termstatistic,oftenbasedonpredictabilityandinteresttowardsthesong

inaveryshort spaceof time.Needless tosay that forexampleChristmashits,orhits

made for social or political support such as “WeAre TheWorld” and “Candle In The

Wind”arenot true reflectionof interest towards the songasmuchas supporting the

causeormarkinganannualcelebration.

Consideringtheanalysisisfocusedonsongsthathaveremainedhitsoveralongperiod

of time isanother reasonas towhychartsarenot reflective informationofwhathas

necessarily sustained in success. The Grammy Hall of Fame is a useful and more

accurate guidance as it awards songs for their "qualitative or historical significance",

after they have been released for at least 25years. Hencemy list goes up to 1990’s,

followedbymypersonalforecastofwhatcouldberememberedafterthat.

As far as equal opportunity goes, any genres, labels or bands are not supported very

muchbybroadcastmediasuchasTVmusicchannelsorradiostations,which isnotto

7

saythesebandsorartistsdonothaveavastandconsiderablefollowing,evenyearsand

decadessincetheirhitswerereleased.

It is relevant to mention, since this project is based on longevity of hits and not

necessarilychartdata,thatsomesongshavegainedmorepopularitywithtime.Thiscan

be noticed in recent polls and statistics drawn from digital downloads and user-

generatedplatforms.

Ihavecompiledalistofsongssincethe1950’swhichfeatureeitherinweeklychartsas

number1,orhavetoppedsalesasthebestsellingsingleattheyeaitwasrelease,and

finally if it isonthelistoftopsongsofalltimeissuedbymusicmagazinessuchasthe

infamousNME,QMagazine,ortheloyalandintegralBillboardUS.

Mychoicesarecarefullyselectedinordertocovervariousgenresaswellashits,which

wereeitherperformedbyacharttoppingband/artistoronehitwondersofthesame

impact.

The list is inchronologicalorder.Muchattentionhasbeengiventopicksongs,which,

through my analysis, appear to have different reasons for everlasting success. Some

songsareuniqueintheirway,somearegamechangersintermsofleadingthewayto

new style of musical or cultural expression. Some songs are follow ups of a very

successfulsongwritingpatternwhileotherscomefromdeepestemotionalsinceritythat

isimpossibletoeverforgethowmuchitmovesus.

1950’s

• “RockAroundTheClock”‘55

Performedby:BillHaley&HisComet

Writtenby:MaxC.FreedmanandJamesE.Myers

Producedby:MiltGabler

GrammyHallOfFame

EventhoughitisnotthefirstRock‘n’Rollsongevermade,itwasthefirstRock‘n’Roll

songtotoptheUSchartsandtheonethatpushedthegenreintotheglobalmainstream

and.AsthesoundtrackfortheculturallysignificantandcontroversialmovieBlackboard

Jungle, it revolutionised rock and roll through the theatre screens captivating young

8

masses. It’s a very energetic song, with thumping rhythm section that drove the

youngsterswild.Asfarasrelevanceinproductionandrecordinggoes,everyinstrument

wasmiked,thusbeingrichandfulfillingsoundtotheear.Withhipattitudeandyouthful

rockabillystageperformance,playingatdozensofhighschooldancesacrossUS,young

teenagerswereHaley’smainaudience.Itmaybetheeasiestargumentthatwinningthe

heartsofateenageaudienceisapowerfulrecipeforinternationalsuccess.Itheldhigh

positionsonbothBillboardandUKcharts.

REASON FOR ONGOING SUCCESS: remembered as the first rock and roll song which

markedthebeginningofaneweraformusicandyouthculture

• AllShookUp‘57

Performedby:ElvisPresley

Writtenby:OtisBlackwellandElvisPresley

Producedby:SteveSholes

Elvis isarock ‘n’ roll icon.Withthis fact, it isneedlesstomentionthattheprocessof

selectingoneofhishitsforthislistwasadiligentone.Althoughhissixthnumberonehit

onUSBillboardchart,thereasonforthischoiceissimplyforthefactsthatithadstayed

on top of the chart for impressive eight weeks in US, is certified 2X Platinum by

theRIAA,becamePresley’s firstnumber1 in theUKandentered“TheRollingStone’s

500GreatestSongsOfAllTime”list.Apartfromthecredentials,thischoicealsobrings

outthemagicbehindPresley’ssuccess.WhatPresleygavetoAmericawasafreedomof

self-expression and self-discovery, which the youth of America felt suppressed from.

Presleywasa sexual revolution,manifested throughhiship swayingperformance,his

seductivesingingandletlooseenergy.JustlikeJerryLeeLewis,whoisalsoonthelist,

heplayedandperformedinstyleofblackmusicandinawaythatwasonlywitnessedin

churchgospel.Nowonderhis radio identityand racewereambiguousuntil seen live.

Thisabsolutelyshookupthenation.SongwaswrittenbytheprolificOtisBlackwell,an

African-AmericancharttoppingsongwriterandperformerfromBrooklynwhoprovided

numeroussongsforPresley,aswellasforJ.L.Lewisandthenotorious“Fever”,made

successfulbyPeggyLee.

9

REASONFORONGOINGSUCCESS:Seductivesingingwithromanticlyricsandasteadyup

beat rhythm made the a few heads spin. Elvis’ stage presence and provocative

performanceplayedamajorfactorinthisrememberednumber.

• GreatBallsOfFire‘57

Performedby:J.L.Lewis

Writtenby:OtisBlackwellandJackHammer

Producedby:SamPhillips

GrammyHallOfFame

This song was the peak of Lewis’ fame craze. Written again by Otis Blackwell, this

famousrock‘n’rollnumberwaspossiblypredisposedforsuccessbyit’spredecessorhit

“Whole Lotta Shakin’” (banned due to insinuating sexual lyrics), which shook the

listeners,andnowTVaudience, likea sudden rhythm-pounding, lascivious insinuating

earthquake. Great Balls of Fire has the well-known recognisable to-the-point

introductionthatgrabsimmediateattention.Thesongisaclassicrock‘n’rollsound,but

withaverycatchymelodywithselftitledhookandateasingbridge:

“You’refine,

Sokind,

I’lltellthisworldthatyou’re

Mine,mine,mine,mine!”

Lewis’ superb execution of the song’s lyrics, which is performed and phrased with

passion and seduction, is accompanied by his provocative, temperamental and

dangerously electrifying piano-whacking performance. As The Rolling StoneMagazine

(2011)expressed,“’GreatBallsOfFire’ is fullofSouthernBaptisthellfire turned intoa

near-blasphemousodetopurelust”.

Originallywrittenas“GreatGodAlmighty”,theGodfearingsingerchangedthewordsto

“Goodnessgracious…greatballsoffire!”whichleavesamemorablestamp.

Ononefamousperformanceoccasion,whilsttouringUSwithChuckBerryin’57,Lewis

waswitnessedbyhundredsofscreamingfanstosetthepianoonfirewhilstperforming

the songon stage.Perhaps this “fiery” connectionandgod-provoking title left “Great

BallsofFire”tobeLewis’mostmemorablehitwhichhelpeddefinethe1950s.

TherecordenteredtheUSNationalRecordingRegistry.

10

REASONFORONGOINGSUCCESS:Dynamicsanddramatics.Thisclassichitstandsoutfor

all the great reason: Catchy aggressive melody, snappy lyrics, theatrical and slightly

eccentricinterpretationandvocaldelivery.Backedbyphenomenalpianoplaying.Lewis

broughtdramaandscandal intorock ‘n’roll,withhisperformanceaswellaspersonal

lifechoices.Hisrebellionandattitudemadefameandhisperformanceshitanerveona

conservative,morallyunprovokedAmerica.

• Fever‘58

Performedby:PeggyLee

Writtenby:PeggyLeeandOtisBlackwell

Producedby:DaveCavanaugh

GrammyHallOfFame

OriginallywrittenbyOtisBlackwell, andperformedbyR&Bsinger LittleWillie John in

1956,“Fever"gainedmemorablesuccessonbothsidesofAtlantic,thankstoPeggyLee’s

arrangementanddelivery.Unlikemanycoversofsongs,whichtendtoaddtextureand

layers to the existing composition, Peggy followed her instinct for subdued power in

musicandpassion for rhythmsectionandstrippedbacktosongto itsbareminimum,

onlytomakeit’ssimplicitymostpowerful.Withjustdrums(playedbyhands),bassand

fingerclicksat thebackground,Lee’svocaldeliveryof thesongmade itadefinitehit.

UnliketheoriginalperformancebyWillieJohn,whichwasmorerough,Lee’ssingingis

sultry,seductiveandslightlyenigmatic.Leehasalsochangedpartsofthesong’slyrics,

butunfortunatelydidnotcopyright.

REASONFORONGOINGSUCCESS:Sometimeslessismore.Theaccentonthegrooveand

PeggyLee’smysteriousvoicemakethesongunique.

1960’s

• SheLovesYou‘63

Performedby:TheBeatles

Writtenby:JohnLennonandPaulMcCartney

Producedby:GeorgeMartin

11

Method behind selecting a famous Beatles songwas similar to Elvis’ decision-making

process.The fact that it is theirbestsellingsingle todateandwith it, thebestselling

single of the whole decade, made it easy to decide. Beatles made success with

exceptional songwriting ideas, and by keeping the AABA song format (in the early

Beatlesyears)whichprovedsuccessful.However,thissinglehadafewnewinteresting

concepts. Sometimes The Beatles keep songwriting fresh by starting a song with a

bridge,butthistimetheyopenthesongwithahookfromthechorus. Assimpleas it

sounds“SheLovesYou,Yeah,Yeah,Yeah”hookworks.Theysinginapeculiarharmony

andendthesonginthemajor6thchord,whichsoundsunusual,yetinteresting.

REASONFORONGOINGSUCCESS:Thissong,asotherBeatles’masterworks,survivesthe

musical time lapse due to their interesting and innovative arrangements and clever

attentiongrabbinghookpositions.

• YouReallyGotMe‘64

Performedby:TheKinks

Writtenby:RayDavies

Producedby:ShelTalmy

GrammyHallOfFame

Song written by the band’s guitarist Ray Davies propelled the Kinks into history of

influential bands. After failing to break throughwith two of their previous hits, “You

ReallyGotMe” retrospectivelygavenuancesofpunkand rough,distortedheavy rock

andinspiredbandssuchasTheWho,JohnLydonandJimiHendrix.

REASONFORONGOINGSUCCESS:Distortedrecordingtechniqueanddirtybluesriffgave

anewsoundtorock.Gamechanger.Secretliesintherecordingtechnique.

• TheSoundofSilence‘64

Performedby:Simon&Garfunkel

Writtenby:PaulSimon

Producedby:TomWilson

GrammyHallOfFame

12

Even against the hurricane of Beatlemania, Sound of Silence managed to get heard,

althoughonlyinit’ssecondattempt,whenjustafterPaulSimonandArtGarfunkelgave

up on the flop of their album, the song got re-releasedwith drum parts. The power

seemstomostlylieinthelyrics,whichareunshadowedbydelicatemelodyandsubtle

sound.

Simonexplains(Mastropolo,2015)“Thekeyto‘TheSoundofSilence’isthesimplicityof

themelody and the words, which are youthful alienation. It’s a young lyric…it was a

post-adolescentangst,butithadsomeleveloftruthtoitanditresonatedwithmillions

ofpeople”.

“‘TheSoundofSilence’hasmoremelodic,genius,simplepowerthanIeverrealised.As

theyearsgoby,there’ssomethingextraordinarilyhookyaboutthatsimplemelody”says

Garfunkel(Mastropolo,2015).

ThealbumenteredtheUSNationalRecordingRegistry.

REASON FOR ONGOING SUCCESS: Simplicity in sincerity. Powerful lyrics supported by

simplebeautifulmelody.

• ICan’tGetNo(Satisfaction)‘65

Performedby:TheRollingStones

Writtenby:MickJagger,KeithRichards

Producedby:AndrewLoogOldham

GrammyHallOfFame

Perhaps it isagoodthing,butthere isnotmuchtosayaboutthisclassicrocksong. It

containsthegenuineexpressionoffeelingsandfrustrationsinJagger’svoiceaswellas

powerful Richards’ guitar riff, which does not age with time. It has all the sincerity,

rawness and energy a solid rock song should have and it is timeless. Formid 60’s, it

definitelygavetherock‘n’rollgenremoreattitude.EvenStevenVanZandtclaims,“It

was,afterall,themostimportantrockrecordever"(Lynch,2015)

REASON FOR ONGOING SUCCESS: raw energy and pure rock ‘n’ roll attitude in the

songwritingandperformance.Hookylyrics.Timeless.

• Respect‘67

13

Performedby:ArethaFranklin

Writtenby:OtisRedding

Producedby:JerryWexler

GrammyHallOfFame

Although originally written and performed by Otis Redding, Franklin’s version made

historyandeverlastingsuccessasanodetofemalepowerandwoman’sconfidenceand

self-respect (as the song suggests)aswell asbecominga symbolism to feminism.The

lyricsareslightalteredonherversiontofitthismessage,aswellastheaddedfamousR-

E-S-P-E-C-T citingbridge. Itwas recordedwith theMuscle Shoals rhythm sectionwho

then started their own famous Muscle Shoals Sound Studios in Alabama (important

recordingcentreresponsiblefortheproductionofsomeofworldstophits).

This version even convinced the Grammy Awards in 1968 to create a whole new

categoryinordertogiveitanaward;BestFemaleR&BVocalPerformance.

REASON FOR ONGOING SUCCESS: Lyrics about celebration of female empowerment,

carriedmajesticallywithAretha’ssoulfulandpowerfulperformance.

1970’s

• SmokeOnTheWater‘72

Performedby:DeepPurple

Writtenby:IanGillan,RitchieBlackmore,RogerGlover,JonLorde,IanPaice

Producedby:DeepPurple

DeepPurpleareaprolificheavyrockbandwhohavehelpeddefineboththedecadeand

genresofclassichardrockandheavymetal.It isofabsolutenecessityandimportance

tolisttheminthisselection.SmokeOnTheWaterisaclassichit.Thewonderfulthing

aboutitisthatitisahitamongstpeoplewhodonotlistentorockorheavymetal,nor

necessarily knowwho Deep Purple are. But theywould know the opening guitar riff

played by Ritchie Blackmore, which has put a stamp on the record and made it an

instantlyrecognisablehit.Agreatexampleofhowagood,well-thoughtriffgoesalong

way.(Importanttomention,assimpleistheriffsound,itisquitecomplextoplay).The

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lyricsareanautobiographicalstoryfromoneoftheirgigs,however,itdoesnotseemto

holdthebearingofitssuccess.

REASON FOR ONGOING SUCCESS: Powerful, memorable riff that is instantly

recognisable.

• Superstition‘72

Performedby:StevieWonder

Writtenby:StevieWonder

Producedby:StevieWonder

GrammyHallOfFame

This legendary hit was 22-year-old Wonder’s second US number one. Known for its

fantastic funk groove and that specific Hohner clavinet sound, Superstition is a hit

recordthatreallystandsout.Thesongiswritten,arranged,producedandperformedby

Wonder himself, therefore it is solely his creation and it shows his sheer talent and

wizardrywhenitcomestosongwritingandarrangement.


REASONFORONGOINGSUCCESS:talentedsongwritingwithskilfularrangement.Catchy

groove.

• BohemianRhapsody‘75

Performedby:Queen

Writtenby:FreddyMercury

Producedby:RoyThomasBaker

GrammyHallOfFame

Still3rdbestsellingsingle,thisshockinglyunusuallystructuredsongthatcontainsopera,

aballad,hardrocksegment,andaguitarsoloseemslikeanodetopopularmusicforms

with which everyone is familiar with. Enriched with challenging vocal parts and

harmonies and complex music arrangement, it is possible the success lies precisely

behindtheunpredictabledirectionanddiversityofmusicstyles.Itishighlyentertaining.

This anthemic hit shakes the notion that success behind a hit on a global level is

subjectedtoanyparticularsongform.Averyriskyandcourageousmovebythebandto

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go into such a creative production journey, yet it proved incredibly successful,

considering it is “a song that has no chorus, that eschews conventional love-based

narratives fornightmaresofmurderandnihilism,andwhichhasat least sixdisparate

kindsofmusicinitssixminutes”(Service,2009)

REASON FORONGOING SUCCESS:brave avant-garde composition and production, like

nothingeverdonebefore.Anthem.

• DancingQueen‘76

Performedby:Abba

Writtenby:BennyAndersson,BjörnUlvaeus,StigAnderson

Producedby::BennyAndersson,BjörnUlvaeus

GrammyHallOfFame

DancingQueen is the epitome of all things kitsch, glittery and glossy in theworld of

American disco. The reason for this is because that is exactly what the writers and

produceraimedfor."OuraimwastomakeAmericanrecords…becausetheysoundedthe

best”recallstheirengineeratthetime,MichaelTretow.(SuperSeventies,2000)

Itgainedrelevantsuccessinthirteencountriesworldwide,aswellasacrossEuropeand

reaching number 1 in the US. Dancing Queen is definitely a “floor filler” song and

thereforekeptaliveonanycelebratoryoccasionwhichinvolvesaliveband,ajukebox

orkaraoke.

REASONFORONGOINGSUCCESS:“Thetrackhasallthecomponentsnecessaryforpop

immortality: cheerfully defiant upper-range piano chords, sprightly disco strings, and

sweetlyblendedvocalsfromLyngstadandFältskog”

• Stayin’Alive‘77

Performedby:TheBeeGees

Writtenby:BarryGibb,MauriceGibbandRobinGibb

Producedby:TheBeeGees,AlbhyGaluten,KarlRichardson

GrammyHallOfFame(Album,OST)

Thesongwaswrittenatthesametimeas“HowDeepIsYourLove”and“MoreThanA

Woman”with thebrothers’aimtomakea rhythmandblues record.ThesongStayin’

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Alive propelled them to stardom not only by appearing in the opening credits of

Blockbuster smash hit “Saturday Night Fever” featuring John Travolta’s sexy swagger

walk,sharplydressedinleatherandflaresthatcapturesthemomentofexciting,excess

fuelled times in 70’s America, but also because of its addictive tempo and groove,

originally recorded by a drum machine. According to their engineer and assistant

producerKarlRichardson,theywerenotawareofdiscoormakingadiscorecord.They

weregoingforanR&Brecord.Richardsonadded,“Itwasallaboutfeelatthattime;that

was the key to the music”. (Buskin, 2012, pg.164) According to Barry Gibbs and

Richardson, the band was very aware they had a massive hit on their hands. They

outsourcedthebestperformerstooverdubthestringsanddidnothesitatesplittingthe

tapeandre-doingthewholeprocessagainuntilitsoundedjustright.


REASON FOR ONGOING SUCCESS: Recognising a hit song, followed by meticulous

production.Thesonghadsuccessbecauseitencapsulatesthateraperfectly.Thisisthe

caseofasongbeingattherightplaceattherighttime.Itisatimetravellingpostcard

from70’sdiscodancefloor.

1980’s

• Don’tYouWantMe‘81

Performedby:TheHumanLeague

Writtenby:PhillipOakey,JoCallis,PhilipAdrianWright

Producedby:MartinRushent

Manysongslike“Don’tYouWantMeBaby”hittheradiosandnowthevideostoo.This

was the new wave music period, a fresh new entry into the new decade, with an

abundance of new arrangement ideas, songs taking influences from wherever they

pleasedandmakingitwork.Synthesisersmixedwithpunkrockmixedwithdiscomixed

with dark gothic. It was all there. And it all made some level of reception. On the

popular level (as opposed to arty, underground and obscure newwavemusic of the

early 80’s) there were tons of great songs. This one is chosen because it peaked at

numberoneacrossEurope,USand Japanandstill today it represents1980’s,evento

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thenewest generations, born in the00’s. It containsdramatic synths, a solid rhythm,

andacatchyhappychorus.Itisalsoalovestorysanginaverysimplifiedmanner,easy

to learnandsingalong. It followsan interestingstory inwhich thesinger,PhilOakey,

quickly hired his friend Ian Burden on synth, and two random teenagers from a

nightclubinSheffieldtosingasbackingvocals,inordertomakeamorepoporientated

catchy song and effective tour ahead and save himself from being sued by Virgin

Records.Hishastyplanworked.Somemightsaytheirdebutmulti-platinumalbumDare,

which contained “Don’t YouWantMe”was ablueprint for thenew synthpopgenre,

which took both sides of theAtlantic.Martin Rushentwhoproduced and engineered

thealbumwasveryinvestedinthesynthsoundandappreciatedhowbigofajobitwas

tomakeelectronicmusic.Thisqualityofproductionofsuchanewsoundforthattime

absolutelymade an impression and helped the record be seen in its binaurally shiny

glory.

REASONS FOR SUCCESS: A catchy pop melody, easy to remember. The memorable

moody synthmelody at the beginning (which repeats in themiddle of the song, and

closesthesongattheend)signifiesthenewsoundofthe80’s.Superbexecutionofthe

newsynthpopsoundintheproductionprocess.

• BillieJean‘82

Performedby:MichaelJackson

Writtenby:MichaelJackson

Producedby:MichaelJacksonandQuincyJones

GrammyHallOfFame(Album)

As we enter the era of MTV and video, audience can now also get attached to the

artist’s visual appearance, performance, and artistic direction of great video making

(Duran Duran are a great example). By this time Jackson has won they ears of his

audience,andnoweyesbyanyonewhoownedaTVset.Butaside fromhismagnetic

charisma,mysteriouspersonalityandmindblowingdancemoves,hissongsweregreat.

Billie Jean has a personal story in the lyrics. It had passion in the vocals, like most

Jacksonsongs,andithasafantasticarrangement,moresotheinfamousbasslinewhich

isthesong’shook,andwhichgetstuckinpeople’sminds.Jacksonsaidheworkedonit

for threeweeks It is incredibly distinctive, one can recognise it within first two bars,

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along with the specific drums, which took dozens of takes, and specific drum setup

accordingtothemixengineerBruceSwedien,untilitwasadrumsoundthathasnever

beendonebefore.Jacksoncameupwiththewholearrangement,fromthelyricstothe

rhythm section, in his mind. The production wizard Quincy Jones helped sculpt this

everlastingartpieceandSwediendeliveredaccuratelytheenvisionedsound.

REASON FOR ONGOING SUCCESS: The sound and the rhythm. The production is so

impressiveandthegroovesoaddictive,itpleasestheearswhenlisteningtosuchcrafted

sound.Oneofthebestproducedrecords.

• TheTrooper‘82

Performedby:IronMaiden

Writtenby:SteveHarris

Producedby:MartinBirch

It is a puzzle when it comes to music giants such as Iron Maiden. A band that has

branded heavy metal, and has most dedicated followers across the globe, since

beginning of 80’s does not seem to hold the brightest torchwhen it comes tomusic

charts.ThisispreciselyoneofthereasonsIhavenotreliedonchartstorepresenton-

goingpopularityofcertainsongs.Andbecauseoflackofhighpositioningincharts,even

thoughtheyhavereleased14albums,itwasnoteasytochooseasongforthislist.The

Trooper is added as it is a clear Maidenesque production and arrangement.

Unpretentious melody and catchy, it is considered an “all-time genre classic that

boastsMurrayandSmith'smostmemorable harmonized lead riff, plus that trademark

galloping(bass)rhythm”.(Huey,nodate)

Dickinson’s dramatic and powerful vocal delivery is phenomenal. It is a clear Iron

Maiden song, with their signature writing and composition skills. The Harris-Birch

combinationhasproventoberecipeforsuccess.

REASONFORONGOINGSUCCESS: IronMaidenhascreateda longlistofalltimeheavy

metal classics. This is one of them. A representation of the British heavy metal era.

Catchy chorus and signature galloping rhythm. Their melodies, rich arrangement and

historical story-telling lyricshavebeenunrivalled in the last3decades. Theydefinitely

owntheword‘epic’whenitcomestosongproductions.

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• Let’sDance‘83

Performedby:DavidBowie

Writtenby:DavidBowie

Producedby:DavidBowie,NileRodgers

Choosing this songcreates theopportunity towriteabouta few facts simultaneously.

DavidBowieisaniconandpossiblycouldbesaidamusicalgenreinitsownright.Bowie

isthemusic,thevision,theart,theuniquenesswhichtrueartistspossess.Behindthis

Bowiehitstandstheall timehitmakerNileRodgers.BythistimeBowiehasmadehis

impactonthemusicworld,butnotinsuchbroadmannerthatwouldclassifyhimaspart

ofpopularmusicculture.Thealbumandsong“Let’sDance”changedthat.Itchangedin

asensethatnowBowiewasheardeverywherebyeveryone.Bowiewantedtogetoutof

the niche department of obscure music and persona and become more widely

accessibletotheworldwithvariedmusicalpalette.“Hetoldmethathewantedmeto

dowhat Ididbest–makehits”confirmsRodgers(Law,J.2013,p.522)NileRodgers is

theproducerwho,sameinotherartists’records,managestotapintothecreativityof

the artists, pull out a hit record yetwithout disturbing the essence of the artist. This

recordisdefinitelyaBowiesongbutRodgersgiveshisinputthattransformsitintoahit.

Ithastheattentiongrabbingintrointothesong,whichistypicalRodgersstyle,asheard

onmostChicrecordswhichdefinedthediscoera.

REASON FOR ONGOING SUCCESS: Bowie – Rodgers collaboration. Unique songwriting

andsingingmatchedwithtastefullylayeredpoparrangementandsoundbigenoughto

nudgeBowie’stalentupanotchwithoutoverdoingit.

• PurpleRain‘84

Performedby:Prince

Writtenby:Prince

Producedby:Prince

GrammyHallOfFame(Album)

PrinceRogerNelson,alsoknownasThePurpleOne, isoneof themostaccomplished

and prolific musician/songwriter on the planet. With literally hundreds or records

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written, arrangedandperformed (forhimself aswell asother artists) it is nowonder

Princehasmadea fare shareof all timehits.Amongst “Kiss”, “WhenDovesCry” and

“DiamondsandPearls”isthealltimeclassic,PurpleRain,mainscoreforthesametitled

movie,alsoproducedbyPrincehimself.Abeautifulsemi-autobiographicalballadwitha

largeguitarsound,echoingdrums,empoweringbackingvocalsandmainvocalsnearly

cryingwithsincerity,thissongreallystandsoutfrommanyballadsalike.Ithasaneasy

sing-a-longchorusanda slowtempo, soslowthesong isnearly still,whichentrances

the listener. The guitar solo is emotional, made even more vulnerable with Prince’s

falsettopassageaccompanying it.Thesynths,whichalsocreate rain likeeffect,adda

healthydoseofthat80’smagic,makingasongabitmoredramatic.


REASONFORONGOINGSUCCESS:Beautifuluniquemelody.Repetitionofguitarmelody

attheendofsong.Sincerityinperformance.Big,dramaticproduction.

• SweetChildO’Mine‘87

Performedby:Guns‘N’Roses

Writtenby:AxlRose,Slash,IzzyStradlin

Producedby:MikeClink

Howdoesavolatile,badbehaving,explicitcontentbandclimbtothetopofthepopular

musicladder?AppetiteforDestructionistothisdaynumber1bestsellingdebutalbum

intheUS.Soitseems,regardlessofmoralpreferences,agreatrecordisagreatrecord

andpeopleenjoylisteningtoit.Whenthealbumwasreleased,however,itdidnotgain

massattentionuntil the label strategically released“SweetChildO’Mine” tosave the

LP.Tothisday,itisrecognisedastheGuns‘n’Rosessong.Evenbynewgenerations.Itis

still played on radios (rock stations as well as ballad stations, 80’s music station,

romanticstations)onjukeboxes,inclubsandbars.Itpleasestherockfansaswellasany

fansofagreatlovesongthatisdeliberatelyrougharoundtheedges.Slash’snotorious

guitar riff has echoed over decades and not many guitar riffs (especially as a song

opener)areasgreatlyacclaimedastheonein“SweetChildO’Mine”.

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REASON FOR ONGOING SUCCESS: Great melody, catchy love song lyrics, powerful

recognisableguitarriff.Guitarsoloandbuildingchordprogressionstowardstheendof

thesongholdstrongemotionalresonance.

• LikeAPrayer‘88

Performedby:Madonna

Writtenby:Madonna,PatrickLeonard

Producedby:Madonna,PatrickLeonard

A great video goes a long way in the 80’s. And so does controversy, in any decade.

Madonna is awise businesswoman aswell as an honest songwriter and an assertive

performer.Aftertheenormoussuccessof“LikeAVirgin”albumfollowedby“TrueBlue”,

Madonnadecidedtotakethingsintoherowncreativehandsandwriteanalbumwhich

wasmoremature,andmorecathartic.Thissongfromthealbumofthesametitledeals

withracism,rape,religion, love,sexandconfession.Thatisahandful.Themessageof

the song is made clear with a very powerful video, which incorporates all of these

withoutanyambiguity.

Madonna’slyricsarehonestandsincere;“Ididn’ttrytocandy-coatanythingormakeit

more palatable for mass consumption, I guess. I wrote what I felt.” (Zollo, P. 2003,

p.616)Themelody isgreataswellasthesongstructure. It fluctuatesfromquiet,self-

reflecting tone to joyous gospel-like beat. It builds up towards the end into a strong

crescendo climax backed up by a rich choir performance, and resolves into gospel

church-like rejoicing and rhythmic clapping. The song fades out in a haunting minor

chord progression and choir follows. All these parts of the song contribute to its

magnetismandsuccess.Thesongisanalltimeclassic,notboundbyera.

REASONFORONGOINGSUCCESS:tabootopicsbeingchallenged,writtenfromtheheart,

exuberatespassioninitsdelivery.

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EVERLASTINGHITFORECAST

• SmellsLikeTeenSpirit‘91

Performedby:Nirvana

Writtenby:Nirvana

Producedby:ButchVig

This song is a perfect example how a song canmark the beginning of a new time in

music.Afterallthe80’swhichglamourisedmusic,anewgenerationofmusiciansfeltit

wasenoughofmaterialising imageofmusicand time tostrip thingsback to rawrock

andtshirtandjeans.Grungewasborn.“AndSmellsLikeTeenSpirit”wastheopening

scene.Ithasalltherawnessandslightlymaddeningenergyaboutitsupportedbyvideo

in which the group very clearly show theywere all about playingmusic and nothing

more.


REASON FOR ONGOING SUCCESS: represents the zeitgeist of the music world. It will

alwaysberememberedas“thatsong”whichintroducedusintothe90’s.

• BackToBlack‘06

Performedby:AmyWinehouse

Writtenby:AmyWInehouse

Producedby:MarkRonson,SalaamRemi

Itisdifficulttoselectwhichoneofhersongswillstandthetestoftime,perhapsmostof

the ones that are currently known well. With nearly 100 million views on YouTube,

“Back To Black” seems promising. Amy was a compelling singer with heavy, brutally

honestlyrics.ThissonghastheMotownsoundwhichwouldautomaticallycreateappeal

to older generations as well as the youth who adored her. This is a sad ballad with

emotionsbeingheightenedwiththesoundofchurchbells,strings,sombrechorus.Yet,

themostpowerfulaspectisAmy’svoiceandherfeelingsthatpourout.

REASONS FORONGOING SUCCESS:Amywill remain an icon, as an exceptional singer,

much in the similar footsteps of Aretha Franklin or Etta James. This song has the

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strongestinterestonstreamingplatformsandisasolidtrackthatspeaksdirectlytothe

heart,whichAmyclearlywearsonhersleeve.

• GetLucky‘13

Performedby:DaftPunk,PharrellWilliams,NileRodgers

Writtenby:ThomasBangalter,G.M.deHomem-Christo,NileRodgers,PharrellWilliams

Producedby:ThomasBangalter,Guy-ManueldeHomem-Christo

As one of the best selling songs of all time which sold over 9.3 million copies and

number1inover20countriesandreceivedan(atleast2X)platinumin13countries,it

issafetosayalotofpeoplelikeit.Whenitcameoutitwasplayedoneverystation,in

everyclub,oneverymusicchannelonheavyrotation.Ithasarichanalogueproduction

andafunkydiscogrooveandverytastefularrangement.Itdoesnothaveafashionable

sound,asinitcouldhavebeenmadeinthe70’sor80’sor90’s.Itisthereforetimeless.

REASONFORONGOINGSUCCESS:Thesongisfantasticallyproduced(ittook18months

tomake) andhasanaesthetically pleasing, lush sound.Discogroovehasprovenover

timetoalwaysgetpeopledancing.Pharrell’swarmvocalsandrhythmicchorussinging

createahook.ItalsohasNileRodgers’inputandhisgroovyguitarriff.Itcannotfail.

ANALYSINGASONG

A song in western popular music usually consists of three basic elements. Structure,

lyrics(notalways,butinthiscaseitwillbeanalysedasareasonforeverlastingsuccess)

andmelody. The question regarding which aspect of the song is more relevant, is a

reoccurringone.Creativetouchessuchasproductiontechnique,choiceofinstruments

andarrangementaswellasvocalexpressionoftentendtoholdthesecrettosuccessfor

makingsonganeverlastinghit,asitisseeninthesonganalysis.Buttheydonottendto

exist as a general rule, rather as an exception. An example of this being “In the air

tonight” by Phil Collins, most remembered by the phenomenal tom fill before the

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second verse, which only happened due to talkback mic with compression being

accidentally left “on” in the recording room, returning into a channel with a

compression gate. Whilst a groove will be the secret ingredient of one hit, such as

Wonder’s“Superstition”,anothersongwillhavethatunmissableguitarriffasheardin

“SweetChildO’Mine”byGuns‘N’Roses.

STRUCTURE

“ I liketobeunpredictable.Thereisn’tonesong(onalbumCityStreets)that’sAABAor

ABAB.Theyallturnleftsomewhere…there’sabeginningtoasong,andthereshouldbe

an end of a song, and of course there’s the middle. And I like to take that middle

anywhereitwantstogo…Thesongformislimitless.Youcandoanythingyouwant.”–

CaroleKing(Zollo,P.2003,p.144)

Thefirstthingthatbecomesapparentaboutasongisitstempoandrhythm,thenlength

of the song and finally the pattern (verse, chorus, verse, bridge, chorus). Tempo and

rhythm are schematic patterns, which we develop in our brain at a young age. This

cognitivepredispositiontofamiliarityandpreferencewillbeexplainedinmoredetailin

thenextchapter.Structure is importantbecause it isonewayofcontrolling listeners’

expectations.Ifasonghasprovensuccessfulandsatisfyingtoalargeaudiencebybeing

3minuteslongwithtwoverses,twochorusesandashortbridgeinthemiddle,thenitis

alogicalsteptousethisasanequationthatworkswhenwritingasong.Anexampleof

suchsuccessonagrandscaleisseeninthe60swiththeBeatlesandthenpopularAABA

form (verse 1, verse 2, chorus/middle 8, verse3). A band that has written dozens of

songs with a very vast spectrum of moods and song structure patterns, had success

sustainability fromthebeginning followingtheir firsthit“Frommetoyou”.Likemany

bands, they secured their fame by following this song form,whichworked until they

wontheheartsofanaudiencesolarge,theycouldaffordtothenexperimentcreatively

andstillbeheard.

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“SheLovesYou” followedsoonafter,goingstraight tonumberoneagainaswellas“I

wanttoholdyourhand”,“Can’tbuymeLove”and14more,whichthentookdifferent

shapes.

Completely contrary to this is Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”; an amalgamation of

differentpopularmusicgenresinapeculiararrangement.

By observing two ends of the complexity spectrum regarding the song structure, the

theorythatsuccessismorelikelyfollowingacertainformpatternisquestioned.

LYRICS

“Nowadays I pay much more attention to lyrics than I used to. I used to think that

nobodyreallywhistledalyric.Ithoughtthethingpeoplerememberedwasthemelody.

And I think that’s still true, but I think a bad lyric is going to down a song.” – Burt

Bacharach(Zollo,P.2003,g.202)

Lyricsappeartobeeithercompletelyobsoletetothesuccessofasong,ortheessence

of magnetic pull towards it. Songs that are stripped back in the melodic and

instrumentalcomplexity,bywriterssuchasBobDylan,TomWaits,CaroleKingorJoni

Mitchell,carrytheirvalueinpoetry.Wetendtoconnecttotheconfessionsordeepest

innerthoughtsandobservationsthatthesongwriterhasofferedtosharewithus.Thisis

whatconnectsus.

“One of the reasons that we’re willing tomake ourselves vulnerable to our favourite

musiciansisthattheyoftenmakethemselvesvulnerabletous…Thepowerofartisthat

itcanconnectustooneanother.”(Levitin,D.2006,g.244)Ofcourse,thisistruetomany

formsofart,notjustverbal,lyricaltype.

Asaforementioned,“SoundofSilence”writtenbyaprolificsongwriterPaulSimonholds

the power in its lyrics and the truth of it, which listeners invest their connection to.

However, likemanycomposersandsongwriters,Simonswaysbetweenthebalanceof

lyrical andmelodic importance. There is no rule or connection necessarily between a

songwriter and prioritised element of the song. As Burt Bacharach’s quote above

suggests, perhaps with age and/or experience, the artist’s focus shifts. As Bacharach

26

feels that bad lyrics could have a negative impact on a powerful melody, reversely

Simonsuggeststhatweakmelodywoulddrowngreatlyrics:“Mythinkingisthatifyou

don’thavetherightmelody,itreallydoesn’tmatterwhatyouhavetosay.Theyonlyare

available to hearwhen the sound entrances andmakes people open to the thought”.

(Antlitz,nodate)

Withthisinseparableintertwiningrelationshipbetweenthetwoelements,thenextand

finalelementtoexaminethereforeismelody.

MELODY

“Melody is one of the primary ways that our expectations are controlled by

composers…Thesettingupandmanipulatingofexpectationsistheheartofmusic,andit

isaccomplishedincountlessways.”(Levitin,D.2008,p.112)

Several things definemelody in a song.Mainly it is an order and pattern ofmusical

notes.Butitisalsoshapedbytimesignatures(rhythmicpatterns),tempoandcoloured

byinstrumentswhichgiveitacertaintimbreandpitch.Italsohasthestrongesteffect

onusemotionally.Thesimplefactthathumanbodyreactstomusic inageneralway,

meaning,weall reactnearlythesametoamajorandminorscale,modes,ortotonal

andatonalmusic,consonanceordissonanceinharmony.Someexciteus,whilstothers

make us feel sad or melancholy. Pitch and chords (combination of notes played

together)haveapowerfuleffectonouremotionalresponse.“Mood,excitement,calm,

romanceanddangeraresignalledbyanumberoffactors,butpitchisthemostdecisive.

Asinglehighnotecanconveyexcitement,asinglelownotesadness.”(Levitin,D.2008,

26)

Thenextchapter“HowWeHearMusic”elaboratesonthesequestionsastowhycertain

melodiesandpitchesmoveusonaneurologicallevel.

Amelodyisusuallymadeupofvariouschordsinacertainorderorflow,knownaschord

progressions. These chord progressions carry the movement of the melody and

therefore the mood. Chords have a music theory behind it that is somewhat

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mathematicalbutthechordprogressionscanhaveinfinitepatterns,withalogicallinkto

a certain extent, but not necessarily a rule. This is composer’s creative freedom to

design.Theseprogressionshavedefinedgenressuchasrock‘n’roll,Motown,rhythm&

bluesandpunk.Theycanbedefinedaspatterns.

Ifasonghasarhythmsection,thiswouldbeit’sbackbone.Thepercussionandthebass

tendtoprovideagrooveforasong.Somecomposersaremastersof findingtheright

groove that a vast number of people get hookedon.Oneof themost known groove

masters is the hit maker Nile Rodgers. Apart from being the guitarist and composer

(alongsidethebassplayerBernardEdwards)fordiscobandChic,Rodgershasbeenthe

magicianproducerbehindsomeoftheworldstophitsandalbumsfromvarietyofartists

suchasDavidBowie,DavidLeeRoth,BryanFerry,DuranDuran,Madonna,JeffBeckand

manyothers.

His band Chic had a worldwide success in defining the Disco genre and by having

continuous hit success. They all contain his signature groove and the way the songs

breakdownafterchorusintosimpleinstrumentalmelodiesandthenrebuildthemselves

back again. This has proven (on the club dancefloors in the 70’s) to be something

audiencesgocrazyfor.

Thedebatewhetherwritinga successfulhit comesdown towordsor the soundsand

beatsseemsanendlessone.Whilesomesaytheremustbeabalance,andothersthatit

dependsonthesong,someyetclaimoneisclearlymoreeffectiveonusovertheother.

(Zollo,2008)

Andfinally,thereareartiststhatcomeupwiththewholearrangementformusicand

lyrics and rhythm and pattern simultaneously, such asMichael Jackson. Most of the

world’spopulationhavebeen familiarwithandquite fondof theworksofhisgenius.

Jackson possessed a unique and remarkable talent of hearing complete songs in his

head, even without any musical or songwriting training. “The lyrics, the strings, the

chords,everythingcomesatthemomentlikeagiftthatisputrightintoyourheadand

that'showIhearit”.(Jones,L.2014)Thelistedsong“BillyJean”wasjustoneofmany

songswhichhehad a complete visionof in hismind, that came from somewhereup

aboveandjustlikeRodgers,Jacksonsongsarepopularfortheirdominantgroove.

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HOWWEHEARMUSIC

InthissectionIlookmoredeeplyintohowwereacttomusicashumans.Howourbrain

behaves and responds to it, what music triggers off emotionally and how we are

predisposedtocertainmusicpreferences.

Whatisitthatmakesusattachedtoacertainsong?Whydosomesongsfeelasthough

theyknowexactlyhowwefeel,andwerelatetothemsostrongly?Andwhydoesthis

feelingaboutthemnotfadeevenafterhearingthemhundredsoftimes?

In our lifetimedifferent subjects influenceourmusic preferences. Biology, neurology,

self-identification(IDdevelopment),socialgroupsandbiggerviewoftheworldandour

place in it, often reflected throughnostalgia. Tomake things simpler, I haveanalysed

theseinfluencesinalinear,order,from(pre)birthtoadulthood,becauseourcognitive

andemotionalpreferencescanonlybedevelopedinachronologicalorder,oneunable

tobeindependentofthepreviousone(evenifweliketoarguethistonotbetrue,and

thatourdecisionsaremadesolemnlybyourcurrentobservationsandthought)

INFANCY

Alexandra Lemont’s of Keele University conducted an experiment with mothers and

their babies in both prenatal and infant phase, as part of her study about musical

preferences in infants the study shows that babies at 1 year of age already have a

preferencetomusicwhichtheyhavebeenexposedtowhilstinthewombafter20orso

weeks,atwhichtimetheirauditorysystemisfullydeveloped.

Other studies by Trainor of McMaster University and Sarah Trehub, University of

Toronto,haveshownthatinfantshavetheabilitytorecognisepitchandmusicalshapes

and patterns as well as timbre and tempo. This also includes recognition between a

patternandtimetransposition. This isrelevantbecauseadults’cognitivebehaviour is

no different. These studies suggest we have a predisposed familiarity to music

29

surroundingourenvironment,inotherwordsculture.Asfarasmelodyandpitchgoes,

somestudieshaveshownthatWesternmusicseemstobepreferredchoiceforinfants,

regardless of their culture or race. Even though there are still more evidence being

collected to support these reports, perhaps this is related to infants’ preference of

consonancerather thandissonance inwesternmusic.According toTrehub (Levitin,D.

2006,p.229)“infantsaremoreabletoencodeconsonantintervalssuchasperfectfourth

and perfect fifth than dissonant ones, like the triton.” These are all elements of the

westernmajorandminorscale.Sohowisthisrelevanttoinfants’responseandhowwe

arehearingmusicasadults?

Lets say that babies are open to interpretationwhen it comes to equal and unequal

stepsofourmajorscale, inotherwordswholetonesandsemitones.Theydonotfind

onemoreconfusingthanothers,andforthisreason“ourbrainsandmusicalscaleshave

coevolved”(Levitin,D.2006,p.229).

EARLYCHILDHOODANDADOLESCENCEBy the age of two, children begin to showassociationwithmusic of their culture. As

they age, they begin to get bored of the simple songs with predictable chord

resolutions.Bytheageof5,childrenwouldhaveformedparametersofsongrecognition

andwould“have learnt torecognizechordprogressions in themusicof theirculture–

they are forming schemas. We develop schemas for particular musical genres and

styles”.(Levitin,2006,p.117)Music played in their environment by their family or radio will begin to have an

influenceonachild’smusictaste.

However, the most important phase seem to be the teenager period. According to

Levitin (2006, p.231) “researchers point to the teen years as the turning point for

musicalpreferences.”Adolescentyearsareastagewherewegothroughself-discovery,

which includeshowweconnectourselvestoourworld,raisingquestionssuchaswho

amI?WhatdoIlike?Whatismyattitude?WhatdoIthink/feelabouttheworld?What

doesmysocialgrouplike?Who/whatdoIidentifywith?

30

With these questions we shift from prenatal and infant predispositions to music

preferences to external influences, which we associate with and to which we start

havinganemotionalresponseto.Emotionsplayagiantroleatthisstageasteensare

emotionallychargedthroughoutthisself-discoveryperiod.

Many music labels and witty songwriters are well aware of this powerful influential

phaseof youngadults and thereforepurposelywrite songswithwhich teenagers can

relateto,whetherit isangstorlookingforneedtobeunderstoodandheard,inthese

lonely teenager heads that nobody else seems to understand!Music genres such as

punk,newwaveorheavymetal,whichareverymuchsoanattitudedefinitionaswellas

musictype,havejust likefootballclubsorcertainlifestylepreferences,givenpeoplea

socialgroupwhere they feel theybelong, they feelapartof something that isunited

and supported in numbers andmost of all, related and understood by one another,

whentherestoftheworlddoesnot(orsotheyfeel).AsLevitinpointsoutinhisbook,

“welistentothemusicthatour friends listento…weformbondsorsocialgroupswith

peoplewhowewant to be like, orwhomwebelievewe have something in common.

Music…avehicleforsocialbondingandsocialcohesion.Musicandmusicalpreferences

becomeamarkofpersonalandgroupidentityandofdistinction.”(2006,p.232)

ADULTLIFEAswemove fromadolescenceand themusic thathelpeddefine theperson,we shift

towards adulthood. From here on people will, naturally, always remain open to

influences to newmusic however, themusic which has shaped them and which has

provided them company and definition of their identity and possibly given lifelong

friendshipsandmost importantmemories,wouldhavemadethestrongest imprinton

their preference. As Dylan shares his thought; “The melodies in my mind are

simple…they’rejustbasedonmusicwe’veallheardgrowingup.”(Zollo,P.2003,p.73)

Hereiswheretheaspectofnostalgiabeginstoplaythelargestpart.Also,aswegrow

older,themorewelookbackintoouryoungadultlife.Aspopularmusichasexistedas

suchforonly justover60years,therearen’tmanygenerationsandvariablesofmusic

agessincethen.Thisisrelevantassomedecadesandperiodsofmusichavehadmoreof

31

animpactcapturingthezeitgeistofthoseeras.ForexampleJohnLennon’s“Imagine”or

Marvin Gaye’s “Whats’s going on” encapsulating the times and troubles of society

duringtherepercussionsofVietnamWarorpunkrockasanantigovernmentrevoltand

response to Thatcher Britain. It must be noted however, that many of these socio-

political “souvenirs”of certaineranevermade top-charting successworldwide simply

becausethepowerisinthelyrics,andnoteveryoneunderstandsEnglish.

But if the popularity of songs isweighed in the nostalgic aspect of a generation, this

wouldmeanafterthesegenerationshavepassed,sowilltheinterestinthesongs.Yes

this isnot thecase.Somesongs remainhitsnomatterwhenandbywhatgeneration

theyareheard.Sowhatisitthatmakesthempopularacrosstheboard?

InthenextchapterIhavelistedresponsesofsomesongwritersandproducerstothebig

questions, such as what makes a song an everlasting success and where does the

creationcomefrom?

WORDSFROMTHECREATORS;WHEREDOES“IT”COMEFROM

VIEWSONTHOUGHTCONTROL

JohnLennon:“It'slikeabstractartreally.It'sjustthesamereally.It'sjustthatwhenyou

have to thinkabout it towrite it, it justmeans that you labouredat it.Butwhenyou

justsayit,man, you know you're saying it, it's a continuous flow. The same aswhen

you'rerecordingorjustplaying,youcomeoutofathingandyouknow"I'vebeenthere"

and it was nothing, it was just pure, and that's what we're looking for all the time,

really.”

(Cott,J.1968)

Paul Simon: “I don’t consciously think about what a song should say. In fact, I

consciously try not to think about what a song should say. You want your mind to

32

wander.As soonas yourmind knows… it’s supposed toproduce some lines, either it

doesn’t or it produces things that are very predictable. And that’s why I say I’m not

interested in writing something that I thought about. I’m interesting in discovering

wheremymindwantstogo,orwhatobject itwantstopickup. Italwayspicksupon

somethingtrue.”(Zollo,P.2003,p.95)

Bob Dylan: “Throwing yourself into a situation thatwould demand a response is like

using bait. People who write about stuff that hasn’t really happened to them are

inclinedtodothat…motivationissomethingyouneverknowbehindanysong,really.

Itsnicetobeabletoputyourselfinanenvironmentwhereyoucancompletelyaccept

alltheunconsciousstuffthatcomestoyoufromyourinnerworkingsofyourmind.You

havetobeabletogetthethoughtsoutofyourmind….andyouhavetobeabletosort

themout,ifyouwanttobeasongwriter.Youmustgetridofallthatbaggage.”(Zollo,P.

2003,p.72)

VIEWSONHIGHERPOWERS

Carole King: “That song wrote itself. It was written by something outside of myself

though me…that song is one of the examples of that process where it was almost

completelywrittenbyinspirationandverylittleofanyperspiration”

Zollo:Doesthatgiveyouthefeelingthatthesesongscomefrombeyondyou?

CaroleKing:“Absolutely.”(Zollo,P.2003,p.143)

Michael Jackson: “"The songwriting process is something very difficult to explain,

becauseit'sveryspiritual.Youreallyhaveit inthehandsofGod,andit'sasif itsbeen

writtenalready-that'stherealtruth.As if itsbeenwrittenin itsentiretybeforewere

born and you're just really the source throughwhich the song come. Really. Because

theyjustfallrightintoyourlapinit'sentirety.Youdon'thavetodomuchthinkingabout

it.AndIfeelguiltyhavingtoputmyname,sometimes,onthesongsthatI-Idowrite

them-Icomposethem,Iwritethem,Idothescoring,Idothelyrics,Idothemelodies

butstill,it'sa...it'saworkofGod."(Kory,A.2013,p.98)

33

DavidByrne:Itendtobelievethatitcomesfromsomethingwithinmyself.ButIcomes

fromthecollectiveunconscious, fromapartofmyselfthat’salsoverysimilartoother

people, so it becomes a part of myself that’s no longer me. It’s not I any longer. It

doesn’t reflectmy petty concerns or desires or problems. Its tapping into something

universal.”(Zollo,P.2003,p.496)

LeonardCohen:“IfIknewwherethegoodssongscamefrom,I’dgotheremoreoften.

It’samysteriouscondition.It’smuchlikethelifeofaCatholicnun.You’remarriedtoa

mystery.”(Zollo,P.2003,p.335)

Madonna:“Idon’trememberthenameofmyfirstsongbutIdorememberthefeeling

that I hadwhen Iwrote it.And it just cameoutofme. I don’t knowhow. Itwas like

somebodypossessedme.Andthenafterthat,theyjustkindofgushedoutofme.”

“Iwaitforinspiration”.(Zollo,P.2003,p.616)

VIEWSONDISCIPLINEVERSUSINSPIRATION

Leonard Cohen: “To be able to find that song that I can be interested in takesmany

versionsandittakesalotofuncovering.Myimmediaterealmofthoughtisbureaucratic

andlikeatrafficjam.Sotofindthatsong,thaturgentsong,takesalotofversionsanda

lotofworkandalotofsweat.Oneisdistractedbythisnotionthatthereissuchathing

asinspiration,thatitcomesfastandeasy.Andsomepeoplearegracedbythatstyle.I’m

not.”(Zollo,P.2003,p.332)

Zollo:Areyouawriterwhowillworkonsongsonadailybasis, regardlessofwhether

you’refeelinginspired?

David Byrne: Yes. I still think you have to wait for the inspiration, but unless you’re

there,waitingatthebusstop,youain’tgonnagetonthebus.Ifindthatyouhavetoget

into the mode and hope that something comes. It doesn’t always.” (Zollo, P. 2003,

p.501)

34

Madonna:“Iwillsingittohim(co-writerPatLeonard).Orhumthemelodylinetohim,

andhewillput it intoa chordprogressionandwe’ll comeupwitha song thatway. I

startsinging(melodies)justfrommyhead.OrifIthinkofalyric,likeahookoraline,I’ll

justputittoamelodyandhe’llbangitoutonthepianoforme.”

(Zollo,P.2003,p.617)

Fromthesestatementsitisevidentthatthemostcommonfactoristhatittakesalotof

worktobeabletochannelthesourceofcreativity.Alsothereisthesharedmysteryof

notquiteknowingwherethesongscomefrom.Nevertheless,italsoshowsthatthereis

notonerule.Differentartistshavedifferentapproachandviewsonmusicandartand

workethic.

INTERVIEWSWITHPRODUCERSCHRISECKMANANDDARIODENDI

Ihavehad theprivilegeand joydiscussingmy researchhypothesiswithChrisEckman

(The Walkabouts, producer, musician, film score composer, and co-founder of

Glitterbeat records) and Dario Dendi (producer, engineer, worked on albums by

Stereophonics,Killers,KaiserChiefs,Sugababes).

Herearetheirinsightsonthetopic.

T.T:Howwouldyoudefineahit?

C.E:There isnoobjectivewaytodefine it. It’son thechartssellsacertainamountof

copies or (these days) it is played a certain amount of times on Spotify or other

streamingplatforms.Forme,Idon’tcarehowmanycopiesithassoldif itthenleaves

35

our consciousness. Instead, it is something that stays, enters an ongoing musical

conversation.Somethingthatisreferstooveragainandhasaculturalcurrencytoit.

D.D: Itshardtodefineit,becausetherearesomehitswith4chords,somehitswith8

chords,thatdon’treallyhaveahookychorusbuthaveahookyriff,butthereisalways

something -oneelement,acertainsomethingthat juststicks inyourhead,andgrabs

you straight away. That is the common denominator, but that can come in various

forms.Thatcanbeavocalhook,aninstrumentalhook.Iwouldsay,moreoftenthatnot,

it’saverygoodmelody.

T.T:Isthereadifferencebetweenalistener’sandproducerspointofviewwhenitcomes

todefiningthemeaningoftheword“HIT”?

C.E: In somecases yes, in somecasesno. someproducers are verymoneydriven. So

theirdefinitionofahitwoulddependondiditbringapaycheck.Somearemoredriven

by other things. Some can afford it; have had previous success and are not worried

aboutit.Forothers,itfeelsveryaccidentalwhentheyendupwithahit.

D.D:actuallyIdon’tthinkthereisadifferencebecausegoodproducersshouldbegood

listeners,andinactualfact,thosetwothingsarethesame.Thewayproducerscreatea

trackshouldbefromalistener’spointofview.Sothetwothingsgohandinhand.

T.T:Whataboutinfluenceoflabelsandmarketing?

C.E: There’s plenty of great sounds out there that I’m sure nobody has ever heard. I

meanthey’rereissuingsoulstufffromthe60’sand70’sconstantly.It’slikeabottomless

wellofamazingsongs.Whyweren’t thesehitsandotherswere? It’scertainlynot the

qualityofsongwriting. It’scertainlynotthequalityofproduction. It’scertainlynotthe

qualityof the vocal track. There’sotherelementshear that reallyhavenothing todo

withthechemistryinthestudioorthesong.

T.T:Relevanceonsongstructure:lyrics,melody,arrangements.Wouldyousaythatone

ofthesethingsismoreimportantthananother(whenitcomestosuccessofahit)?

36

C.E:WellIthinkoverallin(popularmusic)lyricsaretheleastimportant.Forsure.Ifyou

lookatpopmusic, it (lyrics) hasneverbeenabigpartof it, it’s neverbeen themost

importantelement.

T.T:Whatwouldyousayismostimportantelement?

C.E:Melody,really.Wesingalongtosongswedon’tevenknoworunderstand.Thefirst

thingyou’re focusingon is theprogression, thechordchange. I thinkmoreandmore

thesedayseventherhythmicaspectofit.Again,thereareexceptions.

D.D:Ithinkmelodyisprobablythemostdefiningelementforahit.Itiswhatmakesthe

songmorememorable andmakes it stick,makes it catchy, communicatesmore, in a

morebasiclevel.

I remember, listening to English songs as a child - not having a cluewhat theywere

singingabout,butlovingthesongsbecauseofthemelody,soIthinkmelodyplaysavery

important role,but itsnotalways just themelody - it canbe somethingelse. It’s just

thatsomethingthatgetsyou!

T.T:Andyoucan’tputyourfingeronit.

D.D:Youcant!

T.T:Doyouthinkmaybethat’swherethemagicis?

D.D:Yeah.

TT:Doyouthinkweperceivemusicdifferentlyifweknowwhotheartistis?

CE:Absolutely,wecan’thelpit.

37

POWERSOFTHEMUSICINDUSTRY

Thebeginningof20thcenturycreatedawholenewindustryinmusicbasedonmaking

records thatwill sell.TinPanAlley inNewYorkwas thecentrepointof that industry,

sincethelate1800’s.Thebusinessmenandentrepreneurssawmoneyinnumbersand

went forward to followschemesof successfulhits. Sameas inVaudevilleandTinPan

Alley.Asmentionedinthehistoryofpopularmusic,TinPanAlleywasinawayaclubof

songwriters and publishers. First it was songs written for live performances and

theatres,thenitbecameapparentthatballadswerepopular.Eventuallycamerock‘n’

rollin1950’swhichsawasuddenemergenceofproducersalloverMidwestUSaswell

asSouthernUS,setouttomakethenextbigrock‘n’rollrecord.Anditwaseasierback

then.Nothing like it ever existedbefore, and therewas ahandful of songwriters and

producerswhomadehitafterhit.

Rock ‘n’ roll songswere focusedon teens andAldonMusicPublishing, at the famous

BrillBuildinginManhattanwasfocusingonexactlythat.Youthdictatewhatispopular.

Youthiswherethemoneyisandmusicbusinessorientatedthesongsforteenagerlife.

BrillBuildingwastheTinPanAlleyofrock‘n’roll,whichcontainedanastronomical165

music businesses. From songwriters and arrangers, to publishers, promoters and

performers, including studio facilities. “A classic model of vertical integration.”

(http://www.history-of-rock.com/brill_building.htm)

TheBrillbuildingwasaproductionlineofpopularmusic.Interestinglyenoughandnot

allthatsurprising,manysongwriterssuchasBurtBacharach,LauraNyroandCaroleKing

eventuallybecameperformersof theirown,morepersonalwork, lookingfor freedom

ofcreativeexpression.

ThestoryofTinPanAlleyandtheBrillBuildingareexamplesofmusicbusinessseeing

the profitable future. There were creative hot spots for different music waves. 50’s

MotowninDetroit,60’ssoulatMuscleShoals,70’sDiscoinNewYork,andpunkrockin

London, 80’s electro-synth-pop in Germany etc. and all this locations catered for

production of the same music. Where there is demand, there is opportunity for

productionandprofit.

Thedownfallisthatstylesofanyartformtendtopass.Andwiththerecordlabelsnow

havingthelastword,especiallyafter1970’s,therehadtobeawaytokeepconsumers

interestedinthemuchinvestedproduct.Firstly,therewasthepressuretocreateahit

38

single. This means, hits did not happen by chance, but by plan. As the successful

songwriter/publisherPhilThornalleyrecallsfromhisearlydaysinthelate70’s,“Itdidn't

matterwhotheartistswere,theycouldbelikeapopbandoracredibleband…allthat

matteredwasthattheyhadahitsingle,because if theydidn'thaveahitsingle, there

wouldn'tbeanotheralbum.ThesedaysIthinkeveryoneconsidersthatnormal,butback

thenitwasconsideredabitbrutal.”(Flinner,A.2015)

Thehardfacttobearisthatmuchofthemusicindustryfactswhicharegiventous,and

whichhavepaintedapictureofpopularmusicdemandis,forthemajorpartofit,rather

false.

A few eye openers have emerged in recent years, depicting the real face of music

businessandhowstatisticsandfactsarehandled.Anawardwinningrecordproducer,

whohas,under thepennameMosesAvalon,writtenthe important“Confessionsofa

recordproducer”book,isoneoffewwhoshedalightonthishiddentreasure.

Radio plays, record sales and song charts are as reliable as a word of mouth. And

although, thanks to companies such as SoundScan, it has been more transparent to

follow record sales, it is fascinating the loopholes cleverly created to keep certain

recordsontop.

These days we have streaming sites and user-generated content platforms such as

Youtube, which could be dubbed “label-generated content”, as little as we know. If

numberofclicksorchartpositionwillsparkupinterestandgeneratesales,theywillbe

involved.AsMoseswritesinhisbook,“Ithinkitwouldshocktheaveragepersontolearn

thatuntil 1991 theBillboard charthadnothing todowithactual record salesoreven

airplay!”(Moses,A.1998,p.92)

So, looking back into these times before 90’s (as my 21 Hit List) in this example,

Billboardwere not able to track record sales by actual sales, but instead by shipping

invoicesofrecordcompanies.However,themanyrecordswerereturned,andtherefore

thisisnowayanaccuratenumber.Italsodoesnothelpthatthepersonnelhandlingthe

goodsandwritinginvoiceswerealsocorrupt.

Apartfromcontrollingthenumbers,musicindustryisveryawareonhowtoplaymind

games.Orat leasttry.Oneofexamplesofthis iscontrollingairplay.Thewayarecord

company gets to have a song on the radio is by nothing less than legal corruption.

Airplay isadvertising.Promotion.Theywouldpaya lotofmoneytogetasongonthe

radioonrepeatbutasmallpercentagethengoestothesongwriter,andeventuallyback

39

into the record companies’ pocket. And, of course, the advertising (airplay) does the

rest.

Labelwouldhirepromoterswhowereexcellent salesmenwithgreatpersuasion skills

and…money. There is a story of promotermaking sure the stationmanager played a

recordwhichwouldensuretobeabighit.“Ifheheardanenvelopeslidingaroundthe

sleeveofanalbum,hewouldreply,“Thissoundslikeagreatrecord””.(Moses,A.1998,

p.96)Thesoundofmoney.

There is an aggressive philosophy behind this, suggesting that a song will we played

enoughtimesuntilthelisteners learntolikeit,sameas“ifthesongisonthecharts it

mightpersuadepeopletobuytherecord”.(Moses,A.1998,p.93)

40

SO…UNEXPLAINEDPHENOMENAORAFORMULATEDPROCESS?

“Theultimate illusion inmusic is the illusionofstructureand form.There isnothing in

thesequenceofnotes themselves thatcreates the richemotionalassociationwehave

withthemusic.Ourabilitytomakesenseofmusicdependsonourexperience.

Justhowthisstructureleadsustoexperienceemotionalreactionsispartofthemystery

ofmusic”(Levitin,D.2006,p.109)

Therearestillunansweredquestionsonascientific,neurologicallevelastowhycertain

songs move us, regardless of our age, era or geographical location. Perhaps some

songwriters have figured out the formula, and how itworks on a simple biochemical

level to which we respond sensually and emotionally. Perhaps it is precisely the not

knowing,evenfromtheartiststhemselves,wherethecreationofthesongcomesfrom,

whichmakes itmagical.Andperhaps it comesdown touniquechemistrybetweenall

peoplethathavecrossedpathsandworkedonarecord.Ormaybetherecordindustryis

verysuccessfulinbrainwashingourjudgementbyforce-feedingourearscertainsongs.

Theanswerissubjectivetotherecord.Wemustbetruetoourselvesandquestionwhy

wefeelaboutacertainsongthewaywefeel.Shouldwedislikeitifwediscoveritwas

contrivedtobeahit,orshouldwepaymoreattentiontoalesslikedsongbecausewe

havelearntthebeautifulsincerityofitsroots.

When I first started this research, and throughout themajority of it, Iwas convinced

that whatmakes a hit an unforgettable one is precisely the sincerity, the truth, if it

speaks from the heart. People somehow have a way of connecting to art of others,

whichissincere.Wehaveabuilt-inantennaforempathy.However,themoreIstudied,I

havelearnttoacceptthataswellasgettingaddictedtoasongbecauseitmovesmeon

apersonallevelandIcanfeelasifIamhavinganintimateconversationwiththeartist,I

canalsobemovedbygreatsoundingproduction,exquisitelyarrangedrhythms,timbres,

depthandwidthofsound inspace it ismixed in,onaneurological levelwhichwould

takemetoaeuphoricstate,overandover,nomatterhowmanytimesIheardit.One

can trick you into the other. Music can manipulate us into emotions triggered from

differentdirectionsthanwethink.“Mostcontemporaryrecordingsarefilledwithtypeof

auditory illusion. Our brains use cues about the spectrum of the sound and type of

41

echoestotellusabouttheauditoryworldaroundus…Recordingengineershavelearnt

tomimic those cues to imbue recordingswith a real-world, lifelike quality. Recording

engineers andmusicians have learned to create special effects that tickle our brains."

(Levitin,2006)

It is important who we are as individuals. Some people are more inclined towards

poetry and thereforewould have a stronger response for songwriters with profound

story telling and poetic skills. Others, like myself, are mostly moved by chord

progressions,harmoniesandmostofallthekeythesongiswrittenin,aswellastempo

andgrooveofarhythmsection.

Neuroscientistssayskilledcomposersknowhowtokeepusengagedwithasamesong

over years and years just by “setting up and manipulating our expectations” with a

composition.And itdoesnotmatterhowmanytimeswehaveheardthepiece, itwill

stillholdourcuriosityandattention.

Whetheramassnumberoftheworld’spopulationgocrazyoveracertainsongdecades

laterwhichwasformulated,orcametobebyanunexplainedphenomenamightnotbe

asfascinatingasthefactthatwhicheveritis,weaspeople,acrosstheglobe,mostreact

tomusicinthesameway.Thefactthatacertainsongcanbecomeandremainahitby

havingmillionsoffans,tellssomethingaboutthephenomenaofhumanbehaviourand

emotionalconnection.

42

APPENDIXA-InterviewWithChrisEckman

The interview was semi – structured, conducted over Skype and recorded via Skype

recording feature. Itwas over one hour long, however I have transcribed and edited

segments,whicharerelevanttomythesis,excludingofftopicconversations.

APPENDIXB–InterviewWithDarioDendi

ThisinterviewwasconductedinLondoninacasualmanner.Ithasbeenrecordedonmy

mobile device and transcribed. As above, much of the conversation drifted off top,

henceIeditedandselectedpartsoftheinterviewrelevanttomytop.

Althoughthe interviewsweredoneseparately, they followedthesamequestion flow,

thereforethissectionintheprojectiswritteninsuchnature.

43

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