Mysteries of the Universe: What makes a song … good?
August 5th 2008 00:41
What makes a song … good?
I’ve pondered this question over the years and have not come to a good conclusion. The best I can say is this: Sometimes it’s the lyrics; sometimes it’s the music; sometimes it’s both; and sometimes it’s neither.
Terrible answer, huh?
Let me give you some examples. Here is a verse from “Self Destructive Zones” by Drive By Truckers:
Same thing goes for this verse from “Hallelujah” from Lenord Cohen. As you all know, it is not always pleasant to listen to Lenny’s voice, but damn, this is a great lyric:
Wow. Fantastic. Poetic.
For songs where music makes it, think about Radiohead’s “Paranoid Android”. Lyrics are almost unintelligible gibberish. But listen to the terrific riffs and various sections (a suite, if you will). Powerful, sweet, and brilliant musicianship
( Really Long Link
Really Long Link )
Another great example of this is Dylan’s “Buckets of Rain”. Lyrics that border on absurd, but a terrific finger-picked chord progression in Open E tuning.
For an example of the “neither” case, we can look at Dylan’s “Knocking On Heaven’s Door”. Lyric-wise, there are only a couple of vague lines. Musically, a simple key of G strummer. But a song that is adored (and covered) extensively.
For a song with “Both”, Iron & Wine’s “Sodom South Georgia” comes to mind. Devastating lyrics; A unique chord progression deftly played with lots of walking bass notes. It has the whole package.
Anyway, I think I’ve rambled enough on a topic with no real conclusion…
I’ve pondered this question over the years and have not come to a good conclusion. The best I can say is this: Sometimes it’s the lyrics; sometimes it’s the music; sometimes it’s both; and sometimes it’s neither.
Terrible answer, huh?
Let me give you some examples. Here is a verse from “Self Destructive Zones” by Drive By Truckers:
The hippies rode a wave putting smiles on faces,
that the devil wouldn’t even put a shoe
Caught between a generation dying from its habits,
and another thinking rock and roll was new
Till the pawn shops were packed like a backstage party,
hanging full of pointy ugly cheap guitars
And the young'uns all turned to karaoke,
hanging all they're wishes upon disregarded stars
If you know the song, you’ll know that the music is … ok. A simple 4/4 rocker in the key of G. Nothing special. But I love this verse. It speaks volumes, no? In a clever, almost poetic way. Great song.
that the devil wouldn’t even put a shoe
Caught between a generation dying from its habits,
and another thinking rock and roll was new
Till the pawn shops were packed like a backstage party,
hanging full of pointy ugly cheap guitars
And the young'uns all turned to karaoke,
hanging all they're wishes upon disregarded stars
If you know the song, you’ll know that the music is … ok. A simple 4/4 rocker in the key of G. Nothing special. But I love this verse. It speaks volumes, no? In a clever, almost poetic way. Great song.
Same thing goes for this verse from “Hallelujah” from Lenord Cohen. As you all know, it is not always pleasant to listen to Lenny’s voice, but damn, this is a great lyric:
Now I've heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the Lord
But you don't really care for music, do you?
It goes like this
The fourth, the fifth
The minor fall, the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah
That David played, and it pleased the Lord
But you don't really care for music, do you?
It goes like this
The fourth, the fifth
The minor fall, the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah
Wow. Fantastic. Poetic.
For songs where music makes it, think about Radiohead’s “Paranoid Android”. Lyrics are almost unintelligible gibberish. But listen to the terrific riffs and various sections (a suite, if you will). Powerful, sweet, and brilliant musicianship
( Really Long Link
Really Long Link )
Another great example of this is Dylan’s “Buckets of Rain”. Lyrics that border on absurd, but a terrific finger-picked chord progression in Open E tuning.
For an example of the “neither” case, we can look at Dylan’s “Knocking On Heaven’s Door”. Lyric-wise, there are only a couple of vague lines. Musically, a simple key of G strummer. But a song that is adored (and covered) extensively.
For a song with “Both”, Iron & Wine’s “Sodom South Georgia” comes to mind. Devastating lyrics; A unique chord progression deftly played with lots of walking bass notes. It has the whole package.
Anyway, I think I’ve rambled enough on a topic with no real conclusion…
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