Updated February 07, 2017 10:02:49

What makes a song a hit, and why do some songs stay with us years later?

Musician turned academic Andrew West has written hundreds of songs, and he designed the world's first Masters degree in songwriting. He explains the secrets behind three classic hits.

Pretty Woman shows terrific attention to detail.

First of all, there's the tempo. They would have figured that out in the studio: not too slow, not too fast. And the final version of the song moves at a certain pace that feels exactly right.

The song also uses a dynamic build, the way that the musicians are playing. That memorable riff gets louder and louder until it seems absolutely necessary for Orbison's voice to come in.

It's also important to note the way Orbison uses harmonies on his voice, but only for certain sections of the song.

A lot of critical thought has gone into the way the song is arranged.

Sometimes having the chords match the musical expression, or the expression of the words, can work against the songwriter because it becomes too obvious.

Changing that gives the listener subtext, a backstory, so that you're thinking that maybe the person who sounds downhearted is actually feeling quite optimistic, so the listener becomes more interested in the story.

Highway Patrolman is a consummate example of a song that's written as a story, and one that doesn't work in consecutive time.

Springsteen moves the listener back and forth and by the time you've gotten four or five minutes into the song, you really feel that these people are real. You feel like you've got a sense of their past, their present and their future.

You'd be hard-pressed to equal the way he phrases it, the timing. It's like a great comedian: the spaces he leaves between the lines are the ones where you figure out what's just happened.

Because Springsteen paid so much attention to the way the lyrics are shaped, and the imagery in the lyrics, he put the music as far into the background as he could.

Springsteen actually recorded this entire album with the E Street Band, but those recordings weren't used.

He doesn't want the audience to be listening to the music or the music performances. He wants your attention on his words.

Winehouse's success draws first and foremost on her lyrics being fearlessly autobiographical.

When you put that voice, which is so obviously honest, within the musical influence of the old Stax and Motown records, then it's an irresistible combination.

In songs like Rehab and Back to Black, Winehouse makes use of very familiar song structures or chord sequences.

But Love is a Losing Game uses an A-A-A structure (or three verses), which is very unusual in popular music.

Across an album you need to mix songs that seem familiar, that you enjoy for their predictability, with songs that are completely unpredictable and you enjoy because you can't figure out what's coming next.

Topics: music, arts-and-entertainment, australia

First posted February 07, 2017 09:58:35

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From Bruce Springsteen to Amy Winehouse: The anatomy of a hit song - ABC Online