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A Songwriting Analysis Essay

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A Songwriting Analysis

There is one thing that is vital to every musician and that is songwriting. Whether they right the songs or not they must have something original to sing and play before they can even try to be a success. Songwriting is a craft that almost anyone who really enjoys music has tried his or her hand at. Songs have the power to inspire, unite, and comfort a person unlike any other form of media. Record companies are always on the lookout for the next number one single and while some songs are completely unique and original most of the biggest singles in the past history have all had things in common that made them so popular. The really good memorable songs of the past have all generally had a least some of the …show more content…

Rollingstone recently did a list of what they thought to be the one hundred greatest pop hits. By taking a few songs from this list it is possible to examine some of these characteristics that make a great song. One of the most memorable and timeless songs in history would have to be Rolling Stones “Satisfaction.” In the Rollinstone article they ranked this song as being the second greatest pop song of all time right under the Beatles “Yesterday.” This song is centered on a guitar riff that lead guitarist Keith Richards almost while sleeping. He woke up with the riff in his mind, recorded it on a tape player, and then immediately fell back asleep. This guitar riff is the hook of the song, which had immediate appeal and connection for the listener. The hook and immediate mass appeal were two of the techniques mentioned earlier as a character of a successful song. The song also touched the emotional chord of the listener with intense lyrics that made cultural commentary in the sixties the song was destined to be a hit. It was at number one for four weeks, on the charts for fourteen weeks, and was the song that propelled the Rolling Stones from a decent band into one of the greatest rock bands of all time. An example of a song that was successful more because of its lyrical content rather than mostly its musical aspect is Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean.” The song was one of Jackson’s first attempts at songwriting

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