Hit Songs Deconstructed Deconstructing Today's Hits for Songwriting Success http://reports.hitsongsdeconstructed.com Stereo Hearts Deconstructed Skip to: Audio/Video General Information At a Glance Structural Analysis Sectional Analysis Waveform Primary Instrumentation, Tone & Mix Benchmark Analysis Overall Assessment Hit Factor Assessment Conclusion Why it’s a Hit Take Aways Audio/Video Back to Top General Information Back to Top Artist: Gym Class Heroes featuring Adam Levine Song/Album: Stereo Hearts/The Papercut Chronicles II Songwriter(s): T. McCoy, A. Levine, B. Blanco, B. Lowry, A. Malik, D. Omelio Producer(s): B. Blanco Chart Position: #2 – Billboard Pop Songs Chart Genre: Pop / Hip Hop Sub Genre: Dance (only in first section of the chorus) At a Glance Back to Top Length: 3:32 Structure: B-A-B-A-B-C-B Tempo: Mid (~92 bpm) First Chorus: 0:01 (.1% into the song) Intro Length: n/a Outro Length: n/a Electric vs. Acoustic: Electric 1 / 30 Hit Songs Deconstructed Deconstructing Today's Hits for Songwriting Success http://reports.hitsongsdeconstructed.com Primary Instrumentation: Synth, Electric Guitar, Electronic Drums Lyrical Theme: Love/Relationships Title Occurrences: The actual title does not appear in the song (see lyric sections of the report) Primary Lyrical P.O.V: 1st & 2nd Structural Analysis Back to Top At-a-Glance Section Length (Length of each individual section within the song) In the graph above we see the first half of each chorus (the section preceding the “oh, oh oh” part), both verses and the bridge all landing at 0:21. The “oh, oh oh” section of the second, third and fourth chorus as well as both pre-choruses land at 0:11. The transitions between the chorus and verse sections are exceptionally short (landing at 0:01 and 0:02), as is the final pause at the end of the song followed by the lyric “yeah” (landing at 0:04). Overall, each section is just the right length to keep the listener engaged without “overstaying its welcome.” Structure Timeline (Shows when each section hits within the timeline of the song) 2 / 30 Hit Songs Deconstructed Deconstructing Today's Hits for Songwriting Success http://reports.hitsongsdeconstructed.com Total Section Analysis (Total time consumed by each section and its percentage of the total song) Looking at the chart above, it’s not very difficult to tell where the focal point of Stereo Hearts lies. Totaled together, all of the chorus sections (including the “oh, oh oh” parts) total 55% of the songs total composition. This is followed far behind by the verses (totaling 20% of the song) and the pre-choruses and bridge, each of which total 10% of the song. What’s interesting to note is that in most Hip Hop/Rap influenced songs the verse sections account for much more than 20% of a songs total composition (i.e. the verses are deemed just as important as the choruses from a time allocation standpoint). Even though Stereo Hearts has a strong Hip Hop influence in the verse sections, the Pop nature of the song wins out in terms of overall structure (i.e. Adam Levine’s ultra-infectious chorus). Momentum/Intensity Factor (Evaluation of the intensity of each section within the song timeline 3 / 30 Hit Songs Deconstructed Deconstructing Today's Hits for Songwriting Success http://reports.hitsongsdeconstructed.com on a scale of 1 – 10, 10 being the most intense) Stereo Hearts makes great use of momentum and intensity shifts throughout the entire song, doing a fantastic job at both keeping the listener engaged and providing greater impact and contrast to sections that precede and follow one another. The song kicks off with the chorus in a mellow (sparse) manner, characterized by Adam’s vocal over a solo piano. At 0:10, the momentum is kicked up a notch with the introduction of the electric guitar, which continues until we hit the “transition point” where Travie proclaims “Gym Class Heroes, baby!” This is then followed by a brief pause before launching into the first verse. At 0:24 we enter the first verse where the sparse Pop nature of the first chorus is now shifted to a more intense, low-down Hip Hop vibe. This is brought about by the nature of the beat, the synth bass and Travie’s rapped lyrics. The momentum continues throughout the first half of the section, and increases just a bit with the introduction of the electric guitar “accentuations” during the second half of the section. The pre-chorus lands at 0:45, where we see the intensity levels further increased due to the increased tension brought about by the change-up in Travie’s vocal delivery coupled with swell that ushers in the chorus. At 0:56 we hit the first half of that super-infectious chorus, where we see the momentum and intensity levels being brought way up primarily due to the changeover from the hip hop beat that defined the verse and pre-chorus sections to a straight-up dance beat coupled with the return to the guitar rhythm that was established during the first chorus (intro) section. The overall momentum continues throughout the first half of the chorus, until we get to the transition point where the music and drums are pulled from the mix during the lyrics “…along to my stereo.” At 1:17 we hit the second half (“oh, oh oh”) section of the chorus, where the momentum takes a dip from that of the first half primarily due to the “stop/start” nature of the music and the vocals. This continues until we get to the last line of the section (to sing along to my stereo) and another “transition point,” where the music and drums come to a halt in conjunction with the proclamation of the lyrics “let’s go!” that ushers in the second verse. The momentum/intensity progression that was indicative of the first half of the song (verse 4 / 30 Hit Songs Deconstructed Deconstructing Today's Hits for Songwriting Success http://reports.hitsongsdeconstructed.com through the second part of the chorus) repeats during the second half, until we hit the bridge at 2:35. Here we see the momentum and intensity levels taking a dip primarily due to the removal of the drums from the mix during the first half of the section coupled with addition of the mellow orchestral strings and “lighter” vocal delivery. At 2:45, (second half of the section), the momentum and intensity levels are increased when the electronic drums enter the mix coupled with Adam’s “climbing” vocal delivery, and this continues until we hit the drum fill at the end of the section that ushers in the final chorus of the song. The momentum/intensity progression that was established during the previous two chorus sections repeats in the fourth (and last) chorus, until coming to the end at the lyric stereo. This is then followed by a brief pause and the lyric “yeah,” which is then followed by some “vinyl crackle” before coming to a final conclusion at 3:32. Sectional Analysis Back to Top Intro: 9/10 What’s great about the intro section to Stereo Hearts is the fact that there isn’t one. Instead, the song kicks right off with the chorus (albeit a “sparse” chorus), and instantly engages you with the super-infectious melody and clever opening line My heart’s a stereo, it beats for you so listen close, hear my thoughts in every note.” The music is characterized by the lone piano, electric guitar (during the second half of the section) and the LP stereo “crackle” effect which gives the section a retro “stereo turntable” vibe. As the first chorus progresses, we see the tension and momentum start to increase via the inclusion of the electric guitar rhythm that enters halfway through the section, followed the background vocal accentuations from Travie before launching into the first verse with Travie declaring “Gym Class Heroes, baby!” All in all, the first chorus does a fantastic job of immediately engaging the listener, setting the scene for the entire song, and providing a great segue into the first (rap oriented) verse. LYRICS & CHORD PROGRESSIONS IN THE FIRST (INTRO) CHORUS Key: (Parenthesis): Carry-over chord from the end of the previous line 1st Stanza: F#m – D – A My heart’s a stereo (A )– E – F#m It beats for you, so listen close (F#m) – D – A – E Hear my thoughts in every no-o-ote 5 / 30 Hit Songs Deconstructed Deconstructing Today's Hits for Songwriting Success http://reports.hitsongsdeconstructed.com 2nd Stanza: F#m – D – A Make me your radio (A) – E – F#m And turn me up when you feel low (F#m) – D – A This melody was meant for you (A) – E To sing along to my stereo ***Note: More on the melody and lyrics in the “Full Chorus” section that follows later in the report. GRAPHICAL REPRESENTATION OF VOCAL MELODY PRESENT IN THE FIRST THREE STANZAS OF THE (INTRO) CHORUS (listen to the section while you look at this): Key: Red Diamond: Any note value longer in duration than an 8th note (including rests) Blue Diamond: 8th note Green Diamond: 16th note 6 / 30 Hit Songs Deconstructed Deconstructing Today's Hits for Songwriting Success http://reports.hitsongsdeconstructed.com GRAPHICAL REPRESENTATION OF THE VOCAL MELODY PRESENT IN EACH INDIVIDUAL LINE WITHIN THE FIRST (INTRO) CHORUS (listen to the section while you look at this): 7 / 30 Hit Songs Deconstructed Deconstructing Today's Hits for Songwriting Success http://reports.hitsongsdeconstructed.com Verses: 9/10 8 / 30 Hit Songs Deconstructed Deconstructing Today's Hits for Songwriting Success http://reports.hitsongsdeconstructed.com Here we do a complete 180 from the Pop vibe that was established during the first chorus (intro) section of the song, where it’s now all about the low-down, dark Hip Hop oriented groove that provides the perfect backdrop for Travie’s memorable rapped lyrics.