Is writing a number one pop song very tough? No. Is it very easy? No. What is a song but words arranged to a tune? A song, in theory, is just melody + words. So, technically, anyone with the knowledge of a language and the ability to hum a tune can write a song. Of course it goes without saying that a little bit of creativity and talent is also needed but the good news is that people who regularly listen to music are experienced already. But before you start, here are a few basics that should be kept in mind.
What’s the story?
Everyone has a story and so should a song. What’s the script to the song that's being written? The idea is to write a song listeners will be able to relate to, a song that makes people “feel”. The audience should be involved in the song. Don’t just tell a story, ask a question. Remember Alanis asking “Isn’t it ironic? Don’t you think?”
Every story has a beginning, middle and an end. After the writing part is finished, it’s a good idea to divide the song into three rough parts. Intro, middle and end. Remember hit songs are not written, they are re-written.
Format
What format does one follow? How many verses should there be? Anyone who wants to write songs can get access to all the secret tricks of the pros right away. It’s very easy. Just go listen to their songs and analyze the format. There are a few formats that are very popular among songwriters. The variations are not extreme but applied methodologically they can change the feel of the entire song. Two of the popular patterns are:
Intro-verse-chorus-verse-chorus-Bridge-instrumental-outro
Intro-verse-pre chorus-chorus-verse-pre chorus-chorus-instrumental-pre chorus-chorus
The format a songwriter chooses depends on his or her style, how much they have to say in the song and how the melody fits in the context of the song.
Length
Unless one is an established pop star there’s no point making six-minute songs. The ideal song length is 4 to 4-and-a-half minutes. Another important thing is to keep the intro of the song in check. An intro is the beginning of the song, which should be 15-20 seconds at most. An average listener doesn’t have much patience and if the song takes too long to appeal to them, they will just skip forward. Fact: according to most pro’s the ideal length for an intro is 13 second. Go figure!
The beat and the speed
When it comes to a pop song, there’s absolutely no need to fiddle around with very high (fast) or low (slow) tempos. Most of the hit pop songs are either mid tempo, like the ones which make people groove or up-tempo, which makes the listener want to go straight to the dance floor.
It’s a good idea to keep the song in what is known as the 4/4 beat. What is 4/4? It’s the simple one, two, three, four beat that we all know how to tap to. The simpler the beat the easier it is for listeners to follow along. Most top 10 songs on the billboard charts have some variation of the good old 4/4 beat going on.
The Hook
The song must have a hook. In plain English hook means the melody in the intro or the chorus of the song that most people will be humming around. Simply said, it’s the catchiest part of the song, the one that stands out and catches everyone’s attention. What melody do people hum when they think of Tina Turner's "What’s Love Got to Go With It’?
Most songwriters build up the melody through the verse and pre-chorus so that it hits the peak in the chorus where everything comes together and the listener is ‘satisfied’. A good trick is to set the hook rhythmically different from other parts of the song because it’s very important for the hook to have a distinct character of its own which doesn’t sound similar to other parts of the song. Think of the hook like the punch line of a joke. The audience shouldn’t have to work too hard to ‘get’ the hook!
Lastly, (and again, anothe obvious point), it’s always good for a songwriter to know how to play an instrument. So to sum it up, the essential play-it-safe ingredients of a hit song:
- Mid-up-tempo 4/4 beat
- 13-20 second intro, 4 odd minutes total length
- A set pattern of the song
- A verse that tells a story which the listener can relate to
- A chorus that contains a hook which listeners will want to hum again and again
Happy songwriting!
