PART 0: WHAT THE HITS HAVE IN COMMON (Excerpt)

Key Elements of a HIT

There is no way to say for sure what specific elements, sounds or aspects of a record make it a HIT. Yet every hit has a few key things that grab our attention and make it memorable. Reviewing a long list of hits, we find that many of the same or analogous elements work over and over, in their separate contexts, to create their charisma. Some of these have to do with the song itself, others with the way it is arranged, performed, or with the recording and production process. Finally, some factors may work from the outside - current events, trends in society, marketing, etc.

While it may seem simplistic to reduce every record to generic elements, doing so can help us understand how much great records have in common, and how they meet our expectations for structure, story, emotion and the other bottom-line entertainment values. Here’s a list of the common factors that again and again act as key elements in so many HITS.

Melody - Verse, Chorus, Title Line, Intro & Turnarounds.

Lyric - The Title, Story, Attitude, Relevance or Timeliness.

Song Form - Simple & Familiar, or Unusual.

Arrangement - The Build: Steady, or wildly Dynamic.
Hooks & Riffs, Repeats.
Harmony Vocals, Bass Line, Stylistic or Ethnic “package.”

Performance - Rhythmic Groove or Feel, Energy or Intensity, Mood,
Lead Vocal, Solos.

Recording - Excellent, or Unique.

Production - High or Unusual Production Value, Overall Sound & Blend,
Space or Ambience,
Unusual Specific Sounds (Instruments or studio effects)

Artist - Public Persona, Previous Work, Looks.

Outside Factors - Market Timing, Marketing/Promotion.

A few of these terms need clarification. By Relevance or Timeliness, I mean with respect to current events or things on the public mind, as Aretha’s “Respect” became the theme song for the Civil Rights and Women’s Liberation movements. A Steady Build may happen in one rising tide of energy, as in Tracy Chapman’s “Talkin’ ‘Bout a Revolution,” or (more normally) have one intermediate drop in energy before a final assault, like the Turtles’ “Happy Together.” Wild Dynamics indicate an arrangement that stops & starts, has sudden key changes, lots of changes and surprises, like the Beach Boys’ “I Get Around.”

The repeating five-note guitar phrase that runs through the Kinks’ “You Really Got Me,” can be called a Hook or Riff. Groove refers to the way a record “moves,” and influences how we move or dance in response to its rhythmic persona. The loose, happy groove of the Temptations’ “My Girl” contrasts sharply with the tight, driving Feel of Donna Summer’s “Hot Stuff.”

Energy or Intensity do not necessarily imply a fast tempo, as Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition” or Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” show. Instead, Intensity comes from an aggressive attitude on the part of musicians and singers, as in “You Really Got Me.” Production Value refers to the apparent level of musical luxury, often created by full orchestration, harmony or choral background vocals. High Production Value adds emotional “scale” to a record, from Dionne Warwick’s “Walk On By” to “My Girl” to Toto’s “Africa.”