Repetition is Key

Everybody wants a chorus that they can remember. A good, well written chorus, is a puzzle piece that can stand alone, and is worth repeating, sometimes over and over again, untill you get sick of it, and then you repeat it again!

When I write songs, I tend to do it all in one take. However, when I listen to popular artists, like for example Eminem, it sounds to me like the recording engineers took the chorus, and verses individually, and pieced them together with software. This has always intrigued me. I have a bit of a perfection complex, I know there's a proper term for it, but I can't really think of it right now. To me, taking the chorus, and "pasting" it in next to the verses is like cheating. It doesn't convey the same amount of emotion that a song done in one take would convey. At least to me personally.

Don't get me wrong, there's a certain amount of respect that any songwriter should have for production value of great quality, however, it's just not for me. The reason I bring it up, is because of the connection that songs written in this manner make with the audience. It shocks me everytime to realize that most pop artists do their chorus in one perfect take, and don't seem to put as much effort into all of their song as say a folk artist, or certain metal bands that play their songs the whole way through.

Not that there's anything wrong with this, the main difference is that the focus differentiates from artist to artist. I have respect for all forms of songwriting, and believe that whether you choose to sing each chorus a bit differently, or focus on that one "all important take" is completely up to you as an artist. When I write, I believe it depends on the song. Some songs beg to be recorded in one full take, while others, mixed and matched to the point of obscurity, and perfection.

Repetition truly is the key to a memorable song. As to where you want to focus your repetition, be it just using the same words, the same melody, or the same everything, well, that's what makes some songs greater than others. I can't tell you what to repeat, and how, that's just something you have to listen to, and decide for yourself. There's definitely no wrong way, when it comes to repetition!

Songwriter of the Day:

Dave Mustaine!