Regardless of what they actually say their reasons for making music are for, All aspiring musicians want to be stars. The dream of stardom has been the fuel for many a music career for hundreds of years; Mozart and Michael Jackson are in that respect not as different as one would think, issues of respective talent and taste aside. All current and past pop music stars have one thing in common, though: a hit song that propelled them into pop stardom. The question that has haunted many songwriters and musicians since the dawn of popular music is: what makes a song a hit?

I’ve had the privilege of working with many artists, producers and songwriters over the years who have created million-selling albums and singles, as well as hugely successful commercial jingles, and the one thing that always fascinated me was how they were able to make their songs such that people would pay enough attention to want them. I’ve learned that it’s not magic, nor is it rocket science to create a hit song. I’m not talking about the obvious marketing strategies and constant media bombardment that play a major role in making a song a hit (or in the case of the Internet, the effect of viral marketing), nor the incredible amount of luck, good timing and a generous dose of star power that also play vital roles. My fascination lies with the structure of a hit song; how must a song sound in order to be considered a hit by the media and the public?

An example of hit song making is one of the biggest hits of 2007: “Apologize” from the band One Republic. There are two versions of the song; the original version which appears on their album “Dreaming out Loud”, and the remix version, produced by (now) legendary super-producer Tim “Timbaland” Mosley which appeared on his “Shock Value” album. The interesting thing for me is that the Timbaland version ended up being the “hit”, since the original version of the song is musically far superior to the remix version. here’s my analysis of why Timbaland’s version is more “hit worthy” compared to the original:

1. It’s simple.

In listening to the album version of “Apologize”, there are lots of little things (the cello opening in the beginning, the spacious nature of the arrangement, the interaction of the different instruments, the overall mix of the song) that make the song musically pleasing to my ear. By comparison, the Timbaland version is reduced to it’s “core” sound elements: Bass, beat (including human beatbox-enhanced rhythm effects), piano, vocals, and some synth effects. By stripping out the musically pleasing but superfluous elements of the song, the remix version is more accessible to a wider listening audience.

2. It’s complexly monotonous.

As mentioned in example one, the original version of “Apologize” contains very subtle interactions between particular instruments: the cellos play harmoniously with the piano, the beat is very sparsely programmed, giving the other instruments and vocals more space, allowing for more musical movement. In Timbaland’s version, the dominant theme in the track is the drum groove which, while complex in structure (again, the human beatbox effects combined with the main beat is a Timbaland signature production technique), is extremely monotonous, almost hypnotic in nature. A hit song always has a mesmerizing effect on the listener.

3. It’s short.

The original version of Apologize clocks in at 3:28 minutes. The remix version is 3:04. The vast majority of today’s hit music clocks in at under 3:30, mainly in order to be radio friendly (by allowing radio stations to have more time for commercials), but psychologically to create a sense of wanting more in the listener.

4. It has a chorus AND a “hook”.

One of the questions aspiring songwriters have asked since the beginning of pop music is “what’s the difference between a ‘chorus’ and a ‘hook’ in a pop song?” The simple explanation is this: the chorus is the part of the song that gives the song it’s lyrical / melody recognition; in other words, it’s the repetitive part of the song everyone eventually will sing, hum, or whistle along to. The hook is the part of the song that immediately grabs the listeners attention (it “hooks” the listener into the song). The hook can be a sung melody, an instrumental line, or a musical effect; it’s the thing the makes a listener go, “Aaah, I know that song!” In the case of Timbaland’s “Apologize” there are multiple hooks; the piano intro, Timbaland’s signature “ehh – eh – eh” vocal riff, and the chorus itself. A true hit song has both a strong chorus and one or more hooks, and in many cases the chorus is the hook. Both concepts are designed to grab attention and hold onto it.

5. It has one or more gimmicks.

This aspect of hit songwriting relates directly to the previous point; all hit songs have a gimmick or “ear worm”, an element that makes it stand out from the rest of the pop music pack. The gimmick in Timbaland’s version is his signature vocal riff, which doesn’t appear in the album version of “Apologize”. A gimmick can be anything, from the sublte to the obvious; a guitar riff (“Walk This Way” by Aerosmith or “My Girl” by the Temptations), a drum groove (“Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson), a synth melody (“SexyBack” by Justin Timberlake or “Clocks” by Coldplay) or the song itself (belgian pop star Milow’s version of “Ayo Technology” by 50 Cent, performed with acoustic guitar). The next time you catch yourself whistling a song you just heard on the radio that you swear that you hate (we’ve all done this at one time or another), ask yourself; why is this song in my head? More than likely due to the song’s use of gimmicks.

Sadly, we live in a culture of disposable media, as evidenced by the incredibly short life span of a hit pop song, blockbuster movie, or popular video game. there’s lots of fierce competition for consumer’s money, so songwriters and other creative types must pull out all the stops to grab the most attention for their wares. A little understanding of how the formula of making hit music works goes a long way towards helping aspiring artists further realize their dream of superstardom.