Is there a science behind creating pop hits?
When you win a Grammy, the judges tell you that your song or your album was the best of the year. But they don't tell you why. They don't tell you what they liked about it.
But surely there's a science to writing a hit song? David Pogue went on a quest to find out.
He asked singer and songwriter Neil Sedaka, what makes it a hit? "There are various notes that go with various chords. And if the sentiment is right, it give you that, in the groin, in the heart, you get those chills … can you understand that?"
While Pogue waits for his royalties to come pouring in, remember what makes a song a hit: A memorable hook with just the right amount of repetition; a singable voice range; relatable lyrics; and, according to John Seabrook, one more ingredient: "It's not just all, you know, machines and cold production. At the heart of it, there's still magic in the air."
Valerie Simpson says the same thing: "My inspiration is to say it in a way that you haven't heard it, and hope that it means something in your life, that it touches something, you know, something deep down."
For more info:
neilsedaka.comvaleriesimpson.netFollow Oak Felder (@Oakwud) on Twitterjohnseabrook.com"The Song Machine: Inside the Hit Factory" by John Seabrook (W.W. Norton), in Hardcover, eBook and Audio formats, available via Amazon
Story produced by Gabriel Falcon.
