Musicologist comes up with formula for catchy songs

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around a musicologist's proposed formula for creating catchy songs, examining various musical attributes that contribute to a song's appeal. Participants explore the implications of this formula, contrasting it with traditional music industry practices and expressing personal opinions on the catchiness of specific songs.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants highlight that a higher male voice with noticeable vocal effort, combined with a small vocal range, contributes to a song's catchiness, as noted by researchers Pawley and Müllensiefen.
  • Others suggest that longer musical phrases and pitch complexity are key attributes for creating catchy tunes, with a focus on the number of pitches in a chorus's hook.
  • A participant contrasts the musicologist's findings with a simpler formula used in the music industry, emphasizing a structure of 16 bars of 4/4 time and common chord progressions.
  • Some express skepticism about the catchiness of the songs listed by the researchers, labeling them as annoying rather than catchy.
  • There are humorous remarks about the musicologist's credentials and the triviality of the research topic, questioning the seriousness of the findings.
  • Suggestions are made regarding the use of nonsensical lyrics to enhance a song's international appeal, referencing traditional music practices.
  • Several participants share links to songs and videos, contributing to the discussion with personal anecdotes and preferences.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a mix of agreement and disagreement regarding the proposed formula for catchy songs. While some acknowledge the research's insights, others contest the catchiness of the songs listed and propose alternative views on songwriting formulas.

Contextual Notes

The discussion includes various assumptions about musical structure and appeal, with references to cultural differences in music styles and the subjective nature of what constitutes a catchy song.

fourier jr
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... & here it is:

A higher male voice with noticeable vocal effort indicates high energy and purpose, say Pawley and Müllensiefen, particularly when combined with a small vocal range. Both Mercury and rock boss Bon Jovi seem to have the requisite voice qualities.

Otherwise phrase length and pitch complexity are the attributes that make a song catchy.

"Longer and detailed musical phrases – the breath a vocalist takes as they sing a line is crucial to creating a sing-along-able tune," their overtly technical statement explains. "The longer a vocal in one breath, the more likely we are to succumb to a sing-song."

And a final crucial characteristic is the number of pitches in the chorus's hook. And the more the better. "The more sounds there are, the more infectious a song becomes" say the researchers. The ultimate catchy songs combined longer musical phrases and a hook over three different pitches.

& they have a list of the top 10 catchiest songs too
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/09/29/catchiest_song_ever/

this one belongs in the top 10 imho
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfUYuIVbFg0
 
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Hrm. Interesting. The music industry has used a much simpler formula:

16 bars of 4/4 in some permutation of I-IV-V in any key.
 
I don't know all the songs in that list, but the ones I do know, I agree, they're horrible (top 10 most annoying).
 
I wouldn't buy it until "musicologist comes up with with their own catchy songs "
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KANI2dpXLw
 
Proton Soup said:
Muppet Video

 
Plato was right about everything, everything.
 
Every time I see this thread, I see mucousologist.
 
fourier jr said:
& they have a list of the top 10 catchiest songs too
Hm. I think I know why so many of the songs are new and not what I'd call wildly generation-spanning popular.

The research ... has been published as part of a campaign to get the kids interested in science and engineering
Better put some on that list that the kids actually know...
 
  • #10
P.S.

I really like Queen.

But if I never hear We Are the Champions again as long as I live, it will be too soon.

(Same goes for Queen's Another One Rides the Bus. Surpassed only by Pink Floyd's Comfortably Numb and Money)
 
  • #11
 
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  • #12
Willowz said:
Plato was right about everything, everything.

& pythagoras!
 
  • #13
A Ph.D. in singability?

How did he find a dissertation committee willing to read such a triviality?
Pythagorean said:
Hrm. Interesting. The music industry has used a much simpler formula:

16 bars of 4/4 in some permutation of I-IV-V in any key.

Don't forget the traditional sonata form, too: first verse, chorus, second verse, chorus, bridge, third verse (often with same lyrics as second verse), chorus, coda.

Also, in African-American- or Yiddish-derived music, these's often a relatively flattened third, fifth or seventh note, known as the "blue note" in African-American-derived music, and as the "Jew note" in Yiddish-derived music.
 
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  • #14
By the way, does anybody know what a "boffin" is?

And a suggestion: if you want your song to be an international hit, instead of actual words, use "Fa la la"-type lyrics (which I call "carrier lyrics"). After all, Native American music traditionally uses only such syllables.
 
  • #15
muppet video

I've been rick rolled so much that I actually LIKE that song now! Example: I opened a new window to post this reply so I wouldn't have to interrupt the song.

I don't know how to feel about this...
 
  • #16
BadBrain said:
By the way, does anybody know what a "boffin" is?

it's the british word for egghead
 
  • #17
Here's the ultimate antidote for a Rick rolling (and one of my personal favorite songs to boot):



Enjoy!
 
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  • #18
And the formula for how to write a love song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdudKAMOz5s
 
  • #19
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  • #20
Here's another formula for writing the perfect mainstream song.

It's from a band called "Status Quid". which is a lampoon of an ancient UK band which I really love called Status Quo, whose new album is called "Quid Pro Quo".

I guess they don't like the new album as much as I do, because here's their piece, entitled: "Boring Song":

 
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  • #21
For those of you who are too young and/or too far above my social origins to know who "Status Quo" are, here's a cut off their new album, entitled: "Rock 'N' Roll 'N' You":



And, for those of you who are my age, here's an amazing old song of theirs that I'm sure you'll remember:

 
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