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Anatomy of a Hit

Anatomy of a Hit
Hit song analysis
View all Anatomy of a Hit Articles

Coming Soon:
Beyonce—Irreplaceable
Corrine Bailey Rae—Put Your Records On
KT Tunstall—Suddenly I See

Nelly Furtado–Promiscuous
Ne-Yo—So Sick
James Blunt—You're Beautiful
Rascal Flatts–What Hurts The Most
Eminem—Lose Yourself

Norah Jones —Don't Know Why
Avril Lavigne —Complicated
Alan Jackson—Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning?

Pink—Get the Party Started
Craig David—Fill Me In
Alicia Keys—Fallin'
Train—Drops of Jupiter
Janet Jackson—All For You
Dido—Thank You
Sisqo—Incomplete
Macy Grey—I Try
Faith Hill—Breathe
Destiny's Child—Say My Name
Santana/Rob Thomas—Smooth
Ricky Martin—La Vida Loca

More Anatomy of a Hit Articles...

Classic Songcraft Articles
Reprints from Cat's columns in The Music Connection and LASS/NAS Musepaper

Outside vs. Inside Songwriting
Cat describes the change of opportunities in today's songwriting scene from Outside Songwriting for established artists to Inside Songwriting for original acts.

Grabbers and Shakers
Cat lists many of hue characteristics that make a pop song a hit song including what grabs a listener's attention and what keeps an audience involved all the way through to the end.

A Songwriter's New Year's Resolutions
Cat lists some goals and resolves we as songwriters can make to improve our writing and our careers for the coming year.

Other Classic Articles

The Hispanic Invasion
Today's pop scene has much in common with that of the mid-'60s. American pop music is being invaded by foreigners. Only this time the British aren't coming, it's the Hispanics.

1999: A Year of Retro and Recycling
Cat looks at the year 1999 in pop music and saw a return to recordings with older more melodic writing and more romantic dance styles including latin dance styles. Hot and sexy began to replace alienation and rebellion as the millennium turned.

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Articles and Writing Issues from other Songwriters and Instructors
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Songcraft, pop format and marketing issues

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Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning?
Title
Alan Jackson
  Artist
Album Drive

Buy This Album

Where Were You? Album Cover
 
Alan Jackson
  Songwriters
 
Keith Stegall
  Producers
Concept
Explores both the singer's and society's feelings after the suicide bombings on 9/11
Lyric
Expresses the deep personal and national soul searching that occurred after terrorist attacks of the twin towers and the Pentagon. Did you stand there in shock at the sight of the black smoke risin' against the blue sky? Did you shout out in anger, in fear for your neighbor or did you just sit down and cry? Did you weep for the children who lost their dear loved ones and pray for the ones who don't know? Did you rejoice for the people who walked from the rubble and sob for the ones left below? Did you burst out with pride for the red, white and blue and the heores who died just doin' what they do? Did you look up to heaven for some kind of answer and look at yourself and what really matters? A large list of different images from a lot of diverse personal perspectives, truly a sensitive reflection of what we all went through.
Groove
A gentle slow 16th groove built on simple guitar picking and a basic half-time drum feel
Melody
A simple anthem like melody in a 7-tone major scale. A modern day folk style hymn.
Harmony
Basic I IV V harmony with a few added vi chords for added depth. There is much use of the church like IV chord especially in cadences like at the end of the chorus.
Structure
A loosely woven verse verse chorus structure. Not a typical commercial use of form but there is enough repetition and contrast to be easy to follow.
Signature
No real signature, just a simple guitar strum.
Production
Effective low key production that emphasizes the song and Jackson's heartfelt vocal, not the arrangement. Guitar is complemented nicely by steel guitar, mandolin and strings. Drums add strength on the choruses and lay back on the verses. Alan
Predicted Longevity
This song will have a long life, as long as we as a nation stop to remember that infamous day. Of all the 9/11 songs, this one is the strongest one. It was nominated for the Grammy for Song of The Year for 2002 and in my book it should have won.

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