Songwriting to Create a Vehicle for an Artist: Adele’s “Hello”

Adele’s “Hello” is huge.  As of this writing it had spent 7 weeks as #1 in US, got bumped down to #2 for a week and went back to the top.  As the lead single that practically went viral the moment it came out, “Hello” is without a doubt, an …

Consider the Risks: Van Halen “Jump”

You may wonder, Van Halen and deep thoughts?  But “Jump” is a quintessential impactful song, one that elicits emotional response from me — that of joy and happiness.  The chords and music work together to create a sense of exuberance. That said, lyrically, this song isn’t saying “I’m so happy, …

Songwriting Analysis: The Beatles “Eleanor Rigby”

Even before we get to the innovative and ground-breaking arrangement, the Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby” is a gem of a song.  We’ll break down the song’s melody to study these songwriting techniques: Repetitive figure in the melody to reinforce a certain idea Big intervals in key spots to draw listeners’ attention …

The Biggest Missed Opportunity in Writing Songs for Impact

If you are writing songs with lyrics, and if your goal is to create an emotional impact, then this is perhaps one of the fundamental concepts that you’ll want to keep in mind.  This is such an often-missed opportunity (even among songs that are very impactful already), though it is …