By: Amit Sher
Content:
- Produce A Unique Melody
- Find your own sound
- Add A Captivating Chord Progression
- Write Lyrics That Tell A Story
- The Right Song Structure
- Research Music Hits Throughout History
- Feedback From Friends and Professionals
So you want to write a hit song? Good news, you came to the right place! We all know there’s no straight-forward formula for writing a hit song, But when you look back at all the hits from the past, they all have similar things in common. While there’s no easy way to get your song on the radio or on Spotify Editorial playlists, you can follow the songwriting tips listed below to find out how to write a unique and catchy new hit song.
1. Produce A Unique Melody.
When you write a song, always try to create a unique and catchy melody.
The most important element of a song is the melody. There are many songs written over the years, but the ones with the great melody are the best ones. When aiming for great music, the melody needs to be catchy and memorable. The best songs are those that stick in your head and are easy to remember. When you start writing a melody, don’t try to overdo your melodies, always keep it simple, but not too simple and not too predictable, if you’re
melody is predictable, then no one will stay for the end of your song.
A catchy melody is called a Hook, which is a piece of the melody that makes you hooked to the song. A good hook can make the song addictive. You’ll improve your songwriting capabilities the more you write melodies.
2. Find your own sound
If you’re an Artist and your song sounds like a Michael Jackson song, then you’re not very original and maybe you should spend some time finding your own sound. Finding your own sound can take time but it’s the most important thing in your musical signature. If you’re a producer, your unique sound can come from a special production technique you’ve developed or a unique sound you’ve found. If you’re a songwriter, find your own chord progression or a special melody that characterizes you the best. If you’re a singer and you’ve got a unique voice, then it’s all up to you to let everyone else hear it.
3. Add A Captivating Chord Progression.
This one of the most important elements of your song, an original chord progression can be a key for a successful song. A chord progression is a series of chords played in a specific order. This skill requires basic songwriting skills and knowing basic chords.
It’s best to come up with a chord progression that has a perfect balance between being catchy, repetitive and sounding original and unique. There are too many songs out there that all have the same repetitive chord progression and similar sounding melodies. It’s best that you take time to create a chord progression and melody that not only sound great, but also match each other. Be original but also familiar, that’s the right formula. You can write catchy melodies, but if the chord progression behind it is not cool, it may mess up your song. Play around with different chords with different timing, this is an essential part in your songwriting process and this is one of the things that makes a song a hit song.
Writing songs involves writing great lyrics. Better songs have better lyrics.
You want to be able to sing your own lyrics, but you also want your fans to be able to sing along too. No one but you can sing your song! That’s the difference between hits and obscure songs. People who don’t understand what you are singing, will not keep listening to your song after hearing it the first time. It’s best to make sure your vocals can be heard clearly, concisely and easy to understand throughout your song. Also make sure your lyrics are short, simple, and uncomplicated so they are easy to understand for people of all ages.
It is also really important that your lyrics tell a story, so your fans can relate to what is being said in your song. The best method to do this is through the use of metaphors, similes and or personification. These methods will assist you in making your song more relatable and meaningful for your listeners. For example, “Her eyes shine like Diamonds in the sky” Is more creative than “Her eyes are so pretty”.
4. The Right Song Structure
Looking back, all hit songs have one thing in common. This commonality can be said to be the structure of the song that was the source of its success. This structure gives the song its own blueprint and sets it apart from the rest. An example of the most popular song structure is:
- Verse Chorus Verse Chorus Bridge Chorus
It’s okay to ask someone for help to edit your song and find the best song structure. The more professional people listen to your music and review it, the better it will be!
If you’re a beginner in songwriting, you should be open for advice.
Just remember that they may have great ideas to help make your song sound even better! If you do decide to hire someone, there are plenty of talented professionals out there willing to work with you on your song and help improve the quality of it.
5. Research Music Hits Throughout History.
Let’s break down the elements of a great song:
- Lyrics
Great songwriters are able to capture emotions and stories in their songs, resonating with listeners on a deeper level than just hearing words. Listen to your favorite song and write the lyrics!
- Melody
An important part of writing a hit song is creating an original melody rather than variations of other melodies from other songs you’ve heard before. This can be difficult without knowing how melodies work! A great way to learn how a melody works is to study them in different genres such as, folk, pop rock and classical music.
Listen to the instruments and production techniques used by the artists who wrote the songs. These methods often serve as inspiration for new creative ideas when creating your own tracks, but always be careful not to overdo it.
6. Feedback From Friends and Professionals.
One of the best ways to find collaboration partners is to connect with people who care about you and your music. This could be your friends, family, or other musicians or music industry professionals who can help you out for free or for a small fee. You may have connections that can help open doors. Your manager can even provide helpful advice on how to effectively network while managing your career path.
7. Promote Your New Song With A Music Submission Platform
Once you have finished up your new hit song, you will need to get your song out there and promote it. We at One Submit can help!
One Submit is an online self service music submission platform that gives artists the opportunity to submit music to curators for 6 different platforms. Artists can submit music to Spotify playlists, Youtube channels, music blogs as well as radio stations, TikTok influencers and record labels.
Once you upload your song onto the platform, a curator, based on the music genre you selected, will review and listen to your song. If they like your song, they will add it to their respective playlist/channel/blog etc. It’s really that simple.
The reality is that there are no simple formulas in songwriting. The best way to learn how to write hit songs is to study the big hits and listen carefully to what makes them work. If you keep trying and pay attention to detail, you will be able to write something people love.
Good luck!
