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What is the perfect song?
As promised, I began writing my novel yesterday to kick off NANOWRIMO (National Novel Writing Month), and the overarching theme of it is about the quest for "the perfect song." I have an idea of what I'm going to play around with, but I'm curious--what makes up YOUR perfect song. What are the ingredients? What does a song need to have? What does it need to do to people? Should it bang and crash, or be soft and lucid? Are lyrics as important as melody and music? Does it need lyrics? What emotions should it stir up in you? Lonliness? Togetherness? Love? Hurt? Soul? Pain? Struggle? Success?
And with that in mind, do you think it's remotely possible for one song to affect every single person? Is there something primal than can be written into a song that can blow any mind, blast open any barrier? Or are people too different and polarized at this point in history to ever possibly be brought together on the same sonic plain, if only for 2 minutes and thirty-eight seconds by a song?
Sound off in the comments about your favorite songs, or what a song needs to be perfect.
And with that in mind, do you think it's remotely possible for one song to affect every single person? Is there something primal than can be written into a song that can blow any mind, blast open any barrier? Or are people too different and polarized at this point in history to ever possibly be brought together on the same sonic plain, if only for 2 minutes and thirty-eight seconds by a song?
Sound off in the comments about your favorite songs, or what a song needs to be perfect.
Labels: bad music, national novel writing month
posted by Chris at
1:35 PM
1 Comments:
SO glad you asked. For me, the following are the components of a great song: melody, vocal skill, musicianship, and sincerity.
I think melody is self-explanatory, other than to say that the melody can be pleasant, exciting, haunting, and a number of other things.
Vocal skill is not limited, in that the singer doesn't need to have some crazy pipes to be effective. The singer must be able to sing, but passion, power, phrasing, or timber may compensate for a singer with an average voice.
Musicianship is similar to vocal skill, in that the technical skill isn't the only thing. The drummer who invests in the beat of the song, even if he isn't world class in skill, may still be the producer of a great song.
Sincerity is likewise self-explanatory, I believe, as it has already been addressed under the headings of vocal skill and musicianship.
I think Van Morrison's "Brown-Eyed Girl" may be in the running for the best song of my lifetime. Almost fifty years later, the tune has not lost any of its appeal, primarily because it posseses the components mentioned above.
AC/DC's "Shook Me All NIght Long" is similar in its longevity, but otherwise has nothing in common.
Springsteen's "Junglemand" is another great one, and yet it is very different from the two mentioned above, and all three still adhere to the criteria mentioned at the outset.
For more recent candidates, one can look at a number of songs by Goo Goo Dolls, Jimmy Eat World, and I recently heard one from Jack's Mannequin called "Dark Blue" that I find impressive. Have to keep listening to see if I want to elevate to my own hall of fame.
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