Here’s Why Your Song Title Matters…
Song titles are most often copied from the hook, or complete afterthoughts, it’s time to pay closer attention when we finalize them.
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How The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” Takes Beethoven’s Ideas to #1
In this analysis, pop music theorist Ben Morss shows how The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” is built from four-note scale segments.
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Practical Advice From Our Experts: Song Form Basics
Your songs should take listeners to exciting destinations and tell exciting stories, but in order to do that they need a lyrical road map: Song Form.
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Songwriting for Producers: 3 Ways to Introduce the Hook
Looking to beef up your chorus with extra anticipation and energy? Here are three simple ways to insert momentum into your song at the hook.
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Album Histories Monthly: Joan Jett – ‘I Love Rock ‘n Roll’
Welcome back to our new series on Flypaper, Album Histories Monthly, which brings you the story of a single album each month, in the month that it was originally released. Last month, we covered the Replacements’ 1984 goofball-punk classic, Let It Be. This month: Joan Jett and the Blackhearts – I Love Rock ‘n Roll Release Date: November 18, 1981 “Looking…
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Album Histories Monthly: The Replacements – ‘Let It Be’
Welcome back to our new series on Flypaper, Album Histories Monthly, which brings you the story of a single album each month, in the month that it was originally released. Last month, we covered Blondie’s 1978 classic, Parallel Lines. This month: The Replacements – Let It Be Release Date: October 2, 1984 “We were all kind of long-haired, dope-smoking teens…. We’d light…
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Album Histories Monthly: Blondie – ‘Parallel Lines’
Welcome back to our new series on Flypaper, Album Histories Monthly, which brings you the story of a single album each month, in the month that it was originally released. Last month, we covered New Order’s influential Substance 1987. This month: Blondie – Parallel Lines Release Date: September 23, 1978 “I remember how struck I was by Debbie and her presence…
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How to Write Lyrical Hooks That Stand Out
Writing a hit song takes much more than just good luck and a sense of melody. To a large degree, songs become hits because they simply get stuck in our heads. Incorporating truly memorable lyrical and melodic hooks is absolutely vital. But what happens when the hook gets buried or is too complicated for listeners to…
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Defining & Deconstructing the Characteristics of a Billboard #1 Hit Song
What is it that makes a Billboard #1 song? Why do some songs make it to the top while others flop? The answer seems to be a difficult cocktail made up of formulaic songwriting mixed with a few unique ingredients that set a song apart; when blended correctly, it’s capable of hooking millions of listeners. Let’s…
