Optimizing Your Song for Commercial Success

Music excerpts and lyrics are used under Fair Use terms, for the purposes of commentary and criticism. AGENDA

• Song Structure • Chorus Maximization Techniques • Strategic Section Optimization • Chorus internal strengths • Intro • Setting up the chorus • “D” (Departure Section) • Key Components: • Outro • Melody, rhymes, accompaniment, energy, genres and influences, lyrics, prosody, hooks

IB VB IB VB

PST PST

I A1 PC1 B1 A2 PC2 B2 D B3 O

C VB IB A PC T

IB VB IB VB

PST PST

A1 B1 A2 B2 D B3 I PC1 PC2 O 9% 20% 39% 50% 71% 75%

C VB IB A PC T

2019

A1 B1 A2 B2 D B3 I PC1 PC2 O 9% 20% 39% 50% 71% 75%

2018

A1 B1 A2 B2 D B3 I PC1 PC2 O 8% 21% 38% 52% 67% 78%

2017

A1 B1 A2 B2 D B3 I PC1 PC2 O 7% 21% 37% 51% 66% 76%

IB VB IB VB 0:17 0:15 0:17 0:15

PST PST

I A1 PC1 B1 A2 PC2 B2 D B3 O 0:12 0:26 0:14 0:22 0:24 0:14 0:23 0:20 0:25 0:20

T C VB IB A PC 0:05

2019

I A1 PC1 B1 A2 PC2 B2 D B3 O 0:12 0:26 0:14 0:22 0:24 0:14 0:23 0:18 0:25 0:20

2018

I A1 PC1 B1 A2 PC2 B2 D B3 O 0:13 0:24 0:18 0:23 0:26 0:19 0:23 0:21 0:24 0:22

2017

I A1 PC1 B1 A2 PC2 B2 D B3 O 0:13 0:23 0:19 0:23 0:23 0:19 0:23 0:23 0:23 0:21

IB VB IB VB 8 4 8 4

PST PST

I A1 PC1 B1 A2 PC2 B2 D B3 O 4 8 4 8 8 4 8 8 8 4/8

T C VB IB A PC 2

IB VB IB VB

PST PST

I A1 PC1 B1 A2 PC2 B2 D B3 O

VB A IB C PC T

IB VB IB VB

B1 PST PST

I A1 PC1 B2 A2 PC2 B3 D B4 O

VB A IB C PC T

IB VB IB VB

PST PST

I A1 PC1 B1 A2 PC2 B2 D B3 O

VB A IB C PC T

IB VB IB VB

PST PST

I A1 PC1 B1 A2 PC2 B2 D B3 O

VB A3 IB C PC T

IB VB IB VB

PST PST

I A1 PC1 B1 A2 PC2 B2 D B3 O

VB A IB C PC T

IB VB IB VB

PST PST

I A1 PC1 B1 A2 PC2 B2 D PC3 B3 O

VB A3 IB C PC T

IB VB IB VB VB

PST PST PST

I A1 PC1 B1 A2 PC2 B2 D B3 O

VB IB C A3 PC T

I A B A B D B O 0% 5% 20% 33% 50% 67% 75% 100% INTRO OPTIMIZATION TECHNIQUES Backing Music / Sparse Intro Technique

The intro features some or all of the backing music that’s housed in the section that directly follows and possesses a sparse arrangement. • Instantly establish the vibe of the song • Provides room to build

• Establishes and locks the listener into the song’s laidback vibe

• Establishes the traditional country/blues influence

• The adlibs foreshadow aspects of the chorus melody and whistle hook at the end of the song

• The modern production qualities of the adlibs hint at the Pop and Urban direction the song will take

• The intro doesn’t show all of the song’s cards allowing for the song to build

• Vibe establishment • Seamlessly transitions the listener from the intro to the section that follows • A sparse arrangement will provide room for the song to build • A sparse arrangement will help highlight a key hook

Elements are added to or removed from specific segments within the intro. • Helps maintain engagement • Different intro segments can have different purposes (hook establishment, groove lock, influence and vibe establishment, etc.)

New elements are added to or removed from specific segments within the intro. • Multiple, diverse segments helps to keep the listener engaged • Different segments can have different purposes (hook establishment, groove lock, influence and vibe establishment, etc.) • Other notable hits that use the multipart technique:

• When Doves Cry (Prince) / Thrift Shop (Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Wanz)

• Shape Of You (Ed Sheeran) / Sicko Mode (Travis Scott)

• Circles (Post Malone) / Roxanne (Arizona Zervas)

I A B A B D B O 0% 5% 20% 33% 50% 67% 75% 100% “D” SECTION OPTIMIZATION TECHNIQUES Role of a “D” Section

“D” Section is a classification of a song section or sections that occur around two-thirds of the way into the song that provide a pronounced lyrical, vocal, instrumental, and/or energy level departure compared to the other sections. • Bridge • Unique Instrumental Break or Vocal Break • Diversified Pre-Existing Section (Verse, Pre-Chorus, etc.)

Progression #1 Progression #1 Progression #1 (Reinforcement) (Familiarity)

I A1 PC1 B1 A2 PC2 B2 D B3 O

Departure New song section Repurposed differentiated song section

Arrangement: Breakdown, High-Energy Inst/Vox Hook Focus: Drums, Whistle, Title

A1 PC1 B1 B2 IB PC3 B3 O T A2 PC2 (65%)

Arrangement: Arrangement: Full Accompaniment, Breakdown, High-Energy Lower-Energy

Whistle Song Title Hook Hook Fragment

A1 PC1 B1 B2 IB PC3 B3 O T A2 PC2 (65%)

Partial Drum Break

Sucker’s “D” Section: • Occurs at 65% into the song • Shifts the song’s vibe from all out rock in the chorus to all out classic funk • Provides a pronounced arrangement shift compared to the chorus that precedes it • Features two key hooks in full that were teased in preceding sections, coupled with a repeat of the song title hook • The “D” Section does not feature a pronounced energy shift, but the atypical third pre-chorus that follows gets the job done © 2010-2020 Hit Songs DeconstructedTM. All rights reserved. 36 God Is A Woman Recycled “D” Section “D” SECTION OPTIMIZATION TECHNIQUES Recycled Song Section (God Is A Woman: Ariana Grande)

Accompaniment: Breakdown, Lower Energy Vocals: Same as Pre-Chorus 1

I B1 PC2 O T1 A1 PC1 B2 T2 A2 (65%) B3

Arrangement: Arrangement: Full Accompaniment, Full Accompaniment, High-Energy Peak-Energy

God Is A Woman’s “D” Section: • Occurs at 65% into the song • It turns an existing section into something unique, which both heightens engagement as well as the song’s memorability factor • Allows infectious vocals to take center stage • Sparseness and reduction in energy helps to prime the third chorus for maximum impact

• Assess the energy of the sections that both precede and follow the “D” section • Assess the arrangement of the sections that both precede and follow the “D” section • Determine what qualities you want the “D” section to possess • Heighten familiarity/memorability while providing the departure

I A B A B D B O 0% 5% 20% 33% 50% 67% 75% 100% Old Town Road Lil Nas X OUTRO OPTIMIZATION TECHNIQUES Wind Down Technique (Old Town Road: Lil Nas X featuring BRC)

Low-Energy, Whistle Hook Sparse (Unique) Accompaniment

I B1 A1 VB1 A2 VB2 B2 O

High-Energy Chorus

Vocals: Swift & Urie Vocals: Swift & Urie High-Energy Accompaniment

I A1 PC1 B1 A2 PC2 B2 T C B3 O

• Assess your song’s energy and arrangement and determine if a wind down or ramp up outro technique would be most appropriate • Recycle key existing material to heighten memorability & leave them wanting more

• Reprising some of the most infectious and engaging material within your song in the outro is a great way to heighten memorability & leave them wanting more • Keep new material to a minimum

• Keep new material to a minimum to avoid diminishing the impact and retention of what they heard in the preceding sections

I A B A B D B O 0% 5% 20% 33% 50% 67% 75% 100% Sucker Jonas Brothers CHORUS MAXIMIZATION TECHNIQUES Agenda

• Chorus internal strengths • Road to the chorus • Key Components: • Melody, rhymes, accompaniment, energy, genres and influences, lyrics, prosody, hooks

MAIN SYLLABLE LINE LYRICS STR. COUNT STANZA 1 1 A I'm a suck-er for you 6 2 B Say the word and I'll go an-y-where blind-ly 11 3 A I'm a suck-er for you 6 4 B An-y road you take, you know that you'll find me 11 STANZA 2 5 C I'm a suck-er for all the sub-lim-i-nal things 12 6 D No one knows a-bout you (a-bout you) a-bout you (a-bout you) 15 7 C And you're mak-in’ the typ-i-cal me break my typ-i-cal rules 15 8 E It's true, I'm a suck-er for you 8

MAIN SUB SYLLABLE LINE LYRICS STR. STRUCTURE COUNT STANZA 1 1 A a1 I'm a suck-er for you 6 2 B b Say the word and I'll go an-y-where blind-ly 11 3 A a1 I'm a suck-er for you 6 4 B b An-y road you take, you know that you'll find me 11 STANZA 2 5 C a2 c1 I'm a suck-er for all the sub-lim-i-nal things 12 6 D d1 d2 d2 d2 No one knows a-bout you (a-bout you) a-bout you (a-bout you) 15 7 C c2 d1 And you're mak-in’ the typ-i-cal me break my typ-i-cal rules 15 8 E e f It's true, I'm a suck-er for you 8

RHYME LINE LYRICS SCHEME STANZA 1 1 A I'm a suck-er for you 2 B Say the word and I'll go an-y-where blind-ly 3 A I'm a suck-er for you 4 B An-y road you take, you know that you'll find me STANZA 2 5 X I'm a suck-er for all the sub-lim-i-nal things 6 A No one knows a-bout you (a-bout you) a-bout you (a-bout you) 7 A And you're mak-in’ the typ-i-cal me break my typ-i-cal rules 8 A It's true, I'm a suck-er for you

INFLUENCE A1 PC1 B1 T A2 PC2 B2 IB PC3 B3 O

GENRE INFLUENCES Pop (Primary Genre) X X X X X X X X X X X

Rock X X X X X X X X X X

Dance X X X X X X X X X X

Funk X X X X X X X X TIME PERIOD INFLUENCES Retro X X X X X X X X X X (Late 60s/Early 70s) X

VERSE 1 PRE-CHORUS 1

We go together I've been dancin’ on top of cars and stumblin’ out of CHORUS bars Better than birds of a feather, you and me I'm a sucker for you I follow you through the dark, can't get enough We change the weather (yeah) Say the word and I'll go anywhere blindly You're the medicine and the pain, the tattoo inside my I'm feeling heat in December when you're 'round me I'm a sucker for you (yeah) brain Any road you take, you know that you'll find me And baby you know it's obvious I'm a sucker for all the subliminal things

No one knows about you (about you) about you (about you)

And you're making the typical me break my typical rules

It's true, I'm a sucker for you

LINE LINE LINE LINE LINE LINE LINE LINE SONG SECTION 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Verse 1 N N N N

Pre-Chorus 1 J J J/N J/N

Chorus 1 N N N N J J N J N J J N

Verse 2 N N N N

Pre-Chorus 2 J J J/N J/N

Chorus 2 N N N N J J N J N J J N

Pre-Chorus 3 J J J/N J/N

Chorus 3 N N N N J J N J N J J N

Outro N/J N

J/N: Nick harmonizes in near equal prominence to Joe’s lead in the pre-chorus N/J: Joe harmonizes in near equal prominence to Nick’s lead in the outro © 2010-2020 Hit Songs DeconstructedTM. All rights reserved. 62 Hit Song Factors HIT SONG FACTORS Internal & External Strengths

Internal Strengths External Strengths (Composition) (Marketplace)

Memorability Engagement Factors Factors

Emotional Connection Factors

Memorability Engagement Emotional Connection • Repetition • Contrast • Prosody • Simplicity • Embellishments • Hookiness • Hookiness • Hookiness

Blend In Factors Stand Out Factors

Blend In Factors Stand Out Factors • Trend Adherence • Trend Transcendence • Best Practices • Unique Spin

Internal Strengths External Strengths (Composition) (Marketplace)

Music excerpts and lyrics are used under Fair Use terms, for the purposes of commentary and criticism.