My Songwriting Gold Standard

So I have my own rule for what makes a great song. I've narrowed it down to three parameters:

• Musically interesting

• Emotionally cathartic

• Sonically excellent

So let's explore the three parameters.

Musically Interesting

The best songs have something about the music that makes you want to hear it again and again. Many jazz artists become so fascinated with the combination of melody, harmony and rhythm that they build great arrangements without any lyrics just because the music is so fascinating, so listen-able, so inspiring. You want to create at that standard.

Listen to the Miles Davis cover of "Human Nature" by Steve Porcaro / John Bettis, made famous by Michael Jackson. There are so many interesting musical elements, every section of the song is fascinating. Miles doesn't even particularly stray into new territory until later in the song, he has so much fun just presenting the head.

Remember, musically interesting doesn't necessarily mean musically "correct". Too many expected ii/v/I chord progressions or clichéd melodic elements and listeners get bored. There needs to be something fresh or intriguing or ambiance-making about the music.

Emotionally Cathartic

The combination of lyrics, melody and music need to take the listener someplace they want to go over and over again. The song concept needs to elicit strong feelings in a fresh and moving way.

Listen to the Lizzo song "Truth Hurts". It resonates with lots of woman (and men) who are tired of the drama they get from men who lack commitment and chase after the next shiny thing they see. Lizzo calls it out. The musical arrangement is so simple so it doesn't obscure the conceptual message: Men, do better!

Sonically Excellent

In today's high production value world, the record needs strong production elements and a great arrangement or setting. It doesn't necessarily need to be complex, but the best songs and the best recordings create something unforgettable.

In the song "In The Air Tonight", Phil Collins takes a simple drum machine pattern, a drone bass and a simple electric piano chord progression and turns it into an impactful edge-of-a-breakup song with amazing sonic power. The drums and electric bass don't even enter into the picture until after the third verse, but the impact is unforgettable. Listen to all the ear candy elements: The band-pass-filtered distorted guitar, the filtered and distorted vocal mults, the vocoder vocals that start verse 3 and the gated real drums when they kick in! The overall effect is so impactful and so in keeping with the high drama concept of the song: This man's been wronged and he's declaring about it!

So that's my gold standard: musically interesting, emotionally cathartic, sonically excellent! Keep tweaking on the songs you're writing. This is what we're all shooting for!