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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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Promiscuous
Title
Nelly Furtado with Timbaland
  Artist
Album Loose

Buy This Album

Loose
 
Timothy "attitude" Clayton
  Songwriters
 
Timbaland
  Producers
Play Song Excerpt Help with Real Audio
Concept
Two unattached people playing the mating game without really dating.
Lyric
The hip rhyming banter of a guy and girl looking to hookup, romance not much of an issue.
N: You expect me to just let you hit it, but will you respect me if I let you get it? N: All I can do is try, gimme one chance. What's the problem, I don't see no ring on your hand. Promiscuous girl, wherever you are, I'm all alone and it's you that I want.N: Promiscuous boy, you already know, that I'm all yours, what you waiting for? T: Promiscuous girl, you're teasing me, you know what I want, I've got what you need. N: Promiscuous boy, let's get to the point 'cause we're on a roll, you ready?
Groove
A moderately fast very danceable 16th note groove reflects the strong playful sexual desires of the two singers.
Melody
The verses are rapped without any melody, but the choruses are sung with a very memorable hooky melody using a minor pentatonic scale with an added b6 tone for an unusual modern color.
Harmony
There are no chords in the verse, only groove and an instrumental riff. The chorus uses only three 7th chords in diatonic minor, mostly IVmaj7 and iv7 and an occasional i7 in a seldom used weak position. This gives the track a feel of floating without stopping to rest, a zone that does not ever resolve, a technic common in hip dance music.
Structure
2 song sections with a breakdown variant of the verse. AAB AAB B' AB tag. Verse-Verse-Chorus Verse-Verse-Chorus-Breakdown-Chorus-Tag. Easy to ance to and to follow.
Signature
No signature.
Production
Simple but innovative production, the groove is exciting, the harmonies are used in an unorthodox, almost unbalanced manner. The focus is on the two singers and their playful banter.
Predicted Longevity
With such a surprisingly strong melody in the chorus, and the unique vocal back and forth conversation, fresh concept and presentation, it has all the elements to be around for a while. Not the kind of song that can be covered by others, but who cares, a provocative dance hit that coud be around for a while. A Grammy candidate for sure.

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Ne-Yo: So Sick

Coming Soon
Beyonce: Irreplaceable

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