My Top 10 Favorite Lesser-Known Pop Melodies (Today)

When you talk songwriting, there are certain names and certain songs that come up over and over again. Fore example: the Beatles. Eventually you have to purposely exclude them from every conversation, or they are all you'll ever talk about. In that spirit, here are 10 of my favorite lesser-known pop melodies.

Writing Instrumental Songs

So…you’re a hot-shot guitar player that wants to write instrumentals, and you’re wondering how all this songwriting crap applies to you. Well grab that axe and warm up those tubes my friend, ‘cause this post is about to make all your wildest dreams come true.

Fight Club – Lyrics vs. Melody

Pick up any songwriting book, or participate in any class and it is likely the majority of questions asked and instruction offered will revolve around lyrics. Most online forums are deluged daily with “Critique My New Lyrics!” posts. It would indeed seem that, as the old Nashville saying goes, “lyric is king”….but is it really? I’ll bet Melody would have a few things to say about that. I say, let ‘em fight.

The DNA of Songs

Like people, songs come in all shapes and sizes. Some are long, some are short. Some are happy and some are sad. Some are fast and some slow. Though they may vary widely in appearance, all songs share the same basic DNA – the same building blocks. Each building block carries out a specific function. It is vital for a songwriter to understand these functions, and recognize when and where they are needed - and when they are not.

Sticky Melodies

It’s no secret that music has a memory-enhancing effect on the human mind. Of all the components in pop music, melody is the one most easily remembered. It is an interesting fact that people can more easily remember a melody without lyrics than vice versa. That does not mean that all melodies are equally memorable. We’ve all experience having a melody stuck in our brain. Writing such melodies is every songwriter’s goal, but how is it done?

Geurilla Songwriting

The hook. All songwriters have heard the term. It is a musical passage designed to “grab” a listener. At their most basic (and boring), hooks are just phrases repeated enough times in a song to be remembered. However, good hooks are far more sinister. They lay in wait to surprise and shock. They grab the attention, engage the ear, and imprint themselves on the subconscious. They are a musical ambush.

Singability

Brace yourself. Grab hold of something and make sure you know where the barf bag is, because I’m about to deliver some news so shocking, so life altering, that your world is going spin backwards. Here it is: songs are meant to be sung. Oops…here’s the bag. There you go. Get it all out. Take a moment to clean yourself up, and when you’re ready we’ll continue…