MOST HITS HAVE A SHORT INTRO. THE AVERAGE INTRO OF TODAY’S HIT IS ABOUT 7 1/2 SECONDS The intros are just verses minus the vocals, and the outro is a chorus minus the vocals. The bridge is where the solo occurs and is almost like a different song with a completely different set of chords and feel. During the last verse the song takes a left turn with an added nine bars that build to the B-section guitar line. The Arrangement The arrangement of “More Than A Feeling� is pretty classic in that it breathes with intensity pretty much where you expect it to––except for one place. The B-section is unexpected in that it is a Les Paul/Marshall lead line that fades into feedback and reverb into the chorus, which has both double big electric guitars, handclaps adding motion and harmony vocal answers. The bridge is interesting in that it is a lead guitar melody over a new set of chord changes, which leads into the third verse where the drums drop out and the intensity lowers. This is brilliant in that there’s a new nine-bar part tacked on to the verse where the drums and lead guitar enter and help the song build to its peak with the lead vocal and guitar wailing on the same reverbed note. The arrangement elements are: r 'PVOEBUJPO CBTT BOE ESVNT r 3IZUIN BDPVTUJD TUSJOH HVJUBST JO WFSTF DMBQT JO DIPSVT r 1BE OPOF r -FBE MFBE WPDBMT MFBE HVJUBS JO UIF # TFDUJPO BOE TPMP r 'JMMT MFBE HVJUBS JO CBS UIJSE WFSTF CVJME WPDBM BOTXFST JO DIPSVT Now let’s look at some recent hits.
Firework Katy Perry “Firework� is a more or less traditional pop song in that it has a common structure found in most hits. It looks like this: 42 February 2014
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TIPSU JOUSP ] WFSTF ] # TFDUJPO ] DIPSVT ] DIPSVT ] WFSTF ] # TFDUJPO ] DIPSVT ] DIPSVT ] CSJEHF ] DIPSVT ] DIPSVT ] PVUSP That doesn’t mean it’s boring, though. The song builds nicely and takes us through a couple of peaks (one at the bridge and one at the outro), thanks to the song’s built-in dynamics. The Arrangement The intro and first verse are extremely sparse, with the strings entering at the first B-section and continuing to build to a crescendo through the first chorus. The chorus repeats with additional movement thanks to the entrance of the bass. The first half of the second verse drops down to just 8th notes on the keyboards plus the drum pattern, but changes with the entrance of the bass on the second half—a very nice arrangement touch that keeps the interest high by changing the dynamics of the song. Dynamics is a huge key to excitement, either live or on a record, and this song is an excellent example of how it is done. The arrangement elements are: r 'PVOEBUJPO CBTT BOE ESVNT r 3IZUIN LFZCPBSE QMBZ JOH UI OPUFT TUSJOHT r 1BE TZOUI JO UIF CSJEHF r -FBE MFBE WPDBM r 'JMMT TUSJOHT JO UIF DIPSVT
Grenade Bruno Mars If you were going to write a straight-down-the-middle pop song, this is the way to do it. The song is unusual in that it begins right with the verse with no intro. Other than that it’s formula all the way, not that there’s anything wrong with that if it works (it does here). Basically the song looks like this: WFSTF ] DIPSVT ] CBS JOUFS MVEF ] WFSTF ] DIPSVT ] CSJEHF ] UXP CBS JOUFSMVEF ] WFSTF ] PVUSP The Arrangement Just as the form of the song follows a formula, so does the arrangement. It develops from the sparse first verse to the big chorus, then drops to a less sparse second verse, and finally peaks at the bridge. The tension is released by the stripped-down last outro verse, which is very unusual since most outros retain the big sound, and the tension, to the end. There’s an organ that plays just underneath everything that acts as the Pad and glues the track together, which is a pretty common use for the instrument. What’s interesting is that the
arpeggiated electric piano line in the verse acts as the Rhythm element, but during the chorus the rhythm switches to the double time feel of the drums. The arrangement elements are: r 'PVOEBUJPO CBTT BOE ESVNT r 1BE PSHBO r 3IZUIN BSQFHHJBUFE FMFDUSJD QJBOP MJOF JO UIF WFSTF UIF EPVCMF UJNF GFFM PG UIF ESVNT JO UIF DIPSVT BOE PVUSP QFSDVTTJPO r -FBE MFBE WPDBM r 'JMMT CBDLHSPVOE WPDBMT BOE UIF PDDBTJPOBM QFSDVTTJPO TPVOE FGGFDU
What Hurts The Most Rascal Flatts This big country hit is another song that follows the traditional hit-single form almost perfectly. It looks something like this: JOUSP ] WFSTF ] # TFDUJPO ] DIPSVT ] JOUFSMVEF ] WFSTF ] # TFDUJPO ] DIPSVT ] JOUFS MVEF CBST ] TPMP CSJEHF ] DIPSVT ] UBH ] PVUSP If you were going to draw up the form for a hit record, this song would be it. The difference here is that the execution of every aspect is top-notch, which separates it from other songs that might have the same form but never became hits. The Arrangement What’s especially cool is that all the sections of the song repeat––but are slightly different the second or third time through. A good example is the line in the last bar of the first half of the intro, which is initially played on acoustic guitar, then doubled with the fiddle the second time through. On the third pass it’s a steel fill. Another great example is the last chorus where the song stops and the melody changes, then the background vocals enter right afterwards. Also listen to how the second verse develops with the entrance of fiddle and electric guitar. Then in the second chorus the steel and banjo enter. The arrangement elements are: r 'PVOEBUJPO CBTT BOE ESVNT r 3IZUIN BDPVTUJD HVJUBS JO UIF WFSTFT BOE UIF CBOKP BOE TIBLFS JO UIF DIPSVTFT r 1BE TUFFM HVJUBS BOE CJH FMFDUSJD HVJUBS DIPSET EVSJOH UIF DIPSVT r -FBE à EEMF JO UIF JOUSP BOE JOUFSMVEF MFBE WPDBM JO UIF WFSTFT BOE DIPSVTFT BOE MFBE HVJUBS JO UIF TPMP r 'JMMT TUFFM HVJUBS BOTXFS JO UIF JOUFSMVEF BOE CBDLHSPVOE WPDBM BOTXFST JO UIF MBTU DIPSVT