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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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What Hurts The Most
Title
Rascal Flatts
  Artist
Album Me and My Gang

Buy This Album

rascal flatts what hurts the most
 
Jeffrey Steele, Steve Robson
  Songwriters
 
Dann Huff, Rascal Flatts
  Producers
Play Song Excerpt Help with Real Audio
Concept
A hurt love song after a romantic breakup.
Lyric
The pain and regret one feels when a love relationship ends. Very straightforward, sincere with good imagery.
I can take the rain on the roof of this empty house, that don't bother me
I can take a few tears now and then and just let them out
I'm not afraid to cry every once in a while
Even though going on with you gone still upsets me
There are days every now and again I pretend I'm ok, but that's not what gets me.
Groove
A full straight 16th note feel in the track accompanies more rhythmic melodic riffs which give this sad ballad a lot more push and intensity than most tearful recordings.
Melody
Great melodic structure throughout with lots of leaps and distinctive turns and twists. Each section has its own hooks with the pre-chorus more driving and intense while the chorus is more legato and drawn out. The use of dissonant tones that resolve gives the song a modern sound as well as accentuate the emotional hurt in the lyrics.
Harmony
Simple minor diatonic triads with a few color tones and 7ths added. Though the chords are conventional, their pacing or harmonic rhythm makes for some surprises including a few deceptive cadences.
Structure
Signature ABC Signature ABC-solo-C form. Verse-Pre-chours-Chorus, Verse-Pre-Chorus-Chorus, Solo, Chorus. Easy to follow
Signature
Mournful fiddle line in the intro sets the mood perfectly.
Production
Solid groove, flawless production, great balance between vocals and instruments. A blend of both traditional and modern country styles with background banjo and fiddle sounds over a modern rock track.
Predicted Longevity
This song is a classic that will last a long time. A cover from the original songwriters, it already has since been covered by a few more artists. With its emotive yet understated vocal performance and fresh musical sounds this recording has both repetition and surprise. A Grammy nominee at the least, most likely a winner in country if not also in pop.

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