Music has long been one of the most potent and widespread artistic mediums, providing people with relief in all types of circumstances and lifting spirits when life seems hopeless or burdensome. Music provides a safe outlet for anger or grief, connecting deeply with individuals with shared experiences – ultimately it serves more than simply entertainment, contributing towards healthy lives.
Since humans first roamed this earth, music has been an integral part of everyday life – whether that be mothers humming to comfort their infant or ancestral men singing and dancing before hunting and fighting. Neuroscientists, psychologists, and musicologists all continue to research its origins and impact on human brain.
One theory suggests that music is an early form of communication predating language; evidence for this comes from archaic bone flutes discovered. Researchers also point out the cultural influence music had on our development as humans and its power to bring people together – something witnessed during COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns when music played from balconies or online videos provided great relief to many individuals feeling isolated.
Music comes from Latin musik, meaning ‘art of the muses’ in Ancient Greek mythology. There were nine goddesses that represented various arts and sciences such as poetry, epic art, history, law, harpsichord playing and double pipes playing, tragedy/love poetry (Melpomene), hymns/sacred poetry Polyhymnia/Terpsichore and dancing as they are known today.
A great song can provide your mind and spirit with a much-needed dose of serotonin. For maximum impact, it needs to be catchy, memorable and have high production value; have an irrestricably moving rhythm; its words should flow seamlessly from one part to the next; additionally it must have an identifiable protagonist, antagonist and conflict; films, TV shows and books all use “pacing” techniques as one method of structuring stories that can also be implemented when writing songs.
The most successful songs have great choruses and average verses, as a great chorus will make listeners want to sing along, dance and listen again and again. An average verse won’t detract from this key element. When combined with high production values, classic songs will endure as time goes by; Wake Me Up by Avicii boasts 2 billion views on YouTube alone! When released it was ground-breaking at its release; now its production values appear almost conventional or cliche; without its emotional hook it would never have become such a big hit; therefore the following 10 factors for producing great songs are laid out below.