ekoldr Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 I'd really like to know people. I'm sure everyone has a different opinion so lets hear 'em. I am known as Valentinez Alkalinella Xifax Sicidabohertz Gombigobilla Blue Stradivari Talentrent Pierre Andri Charton Haymoss Ivanovici Baldeus George Doitzel Kaiser the Third Dont hesitate to call Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 Purely subjective experience, of course... For me, it's really in the arrangement - is there action? Does it take me somewhere? Or does it beat the same riff (or the same chord progression) over and over for 3 minutes? If it does, is there anything compelling to distract me from this? (Radiohead's "Creep" - the "solo" is pure magic, and really bails the song out) I know I write with this precise set of questions in mind, so I gotta believe this is what makes a song great to my ear... A bunch of loud, obnoxious music I USED to make with friends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lightningdan Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 Songs that I like, I like based on: Does it make me feel good? Can I just immerse myself in it? Do I get it? Can I relate? If not it won't grab me at all. Also what makes a song great is do I hum it or whistle it throughout the day? Does it stick in my head? If there's a singer, I have to like his/her voice too or I end up hating the song. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v157/sixtoedkitty/Miaroxsig.gif I've got my ship, and all her flags are flying. She's all the I've got left, and MUSIC is her name!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Big G Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 For me its good melody and does the music capture or create an atmosphere you are looking for. Another way to look at it is does it just hook you that you are stuck with it in your head, but its very subjective and if you like it then that makes it a good song, we dont all like the same stuff, so just just keep writing..... Love life, some twists and turns are more painful than others, but love life..... http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=592101 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kramer Ferrington III. Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 Not sure about the "it sticks in your head" bit. Otherwise advertising jingles would all get grammys. And how do you defined "stays in your head?" I've bought some albums that I heard years ago and even though I couldn't remember the songs to save my life, I find myself remembering every note as soon as I press "play". Have the songs stayed in my head? Sure, but not in any tangible sort of way since I couldn't hum them for love or money. Band MySpace My snazzy t-shirt empire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Iverson Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 I think a good song has to create an atmosphere... a mood is created, a message is conveyed, a feeling is evoked. Yes, all the musical criteria are relevant, but there are many well-crafted pieces musically, with clever lyrics that no one remembers... and lots of dirt simple tunes that everyone knows.. go figure! It has a lot to do with the lyrics and tune somehow coalescing... another grey area. Maybe that's why certain songwriters, who aren't lyrically gifted, have a lyricist in the wings! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Ellwood Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 I think what makes a song good is the same thing that makes a joke universally good. It has to somehow relate to a common human experience, so that when you hear the lyrics, you say "Yeah" yeah I know what that means, or, I've felt that way or yeah that's what I think too. Or it has to go against what you think, but but still stimulate thought. http://www.thestringnetwork.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Big G Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 yes kramer i may have got the wrong words used in my definition. A good melody, sound lyrics and you've gotta be getting close. But i do believe great songs stay with you in some way. Love life, some twists and turns are more painful than others, but love life..... http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=592101 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ekoldr Posted May 24, 2006 Author Share Posted May 24, 2006 To me a song is good if it maes me sing, even if I don't know the words. I love driving in my car and singing my heart out and making stupid dancy moves. It's all the more fun when people look at you funny then I just follow them and do more stupid stuff. What I dislike aout music is when people stop liking a song because it's played out. Or Stop likeing a band because they got big. I absolutely hate that, because if everyone stoped listening to music once it got old or played out there would be no Classic Rock, and who doesn't love a good classic rock song? I could like a song even if there is a simple melody and lyrics, Mr. Brightside for example, the entire verse is one note, is it a bad song therefore? No it's a great song it makes me sing and dance when I hear it. Also a song doesn't have to be complicated to be good. I do like complicated music but sometimes it's just irritating. Also Guitar solos can only go so far, I don't want to listen to an entire album where every song ha a super uber awesome guitar solo because it's boring, it makes every some sond the same. I am known as Valentinez Alkalinella Xifax Sicidabohertz Gombigobilla Blue Stradivari Talentrent Pierre Andri Charton Haymoss Ivanovici Baldeus George Doitzel Kaiser the Third Dont hesitate to call Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted May 24, 2006 Share Posted May 24, 2006 Ekoldr - that is ultimately the truest definition of a great song - if you can listen to it 10,000,000 times and it never gets old, it's a great song. Otherwise, it's just a catchy something-or-other that wore off after awhile... A bunch of loud, obnoxious music I USED to make with friends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvar Posted May 24, 2006 Share Posted May 24, 2006 A song is good if it touches people in some way- I don't mean it has to be heart-wrenching- if it causes a response- positive or negative, be it movement, thought, or just a feeling- chances are it will be a good song. There are thoughts and feelings that can't be expressed with words- hence- we have music! Also, if it happens to sell a million + you can just about bet it's a good song! at least for the songwriter! lmao "Who's gonna teach the children about Chuck Berry?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ekoldr Posted May 24, 2006 Author Share Posted May 24, 2006 I also like songs I can relate too I think everyone does, this may be kind of a Tangent but this is my thread so I can do what ever I want! haha "who I am hates who I've been" by Relient K is a song that I can relate too alot, because it really is the truth. I used to not be a very nice person, and I didn't have many friends because of it, I also broke my future girlfriends heart because of some stupid shit and she hated me for a long time til just recently, so yeah great song! I am known as Valentinez Alkalinella Xifax Sicidabohertz Gombigobilla Blue Stradivari Talentrent Pierre Andri Charton Haymoss Ivanovici Baldeus George Doitzel Kaiser the Third Dont hesitate to call Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kramer Ferrington III. Posted May 24, 2006 Share Posted May 24, 2006 Originally posted by ellwood: It has to somehow relate to a common human experience, so that when you hear the lyrics, you say "Yeah" yeah I know what that means, or, I've felt that way or yeah that's what I think too. Or it has to go against what you think, but but still stimulate thought. I'm not sure about that one, simply because I'm crap at understanding lyrics. I'm always mishearing things. And I doubt that I am alone. And then, there's songs where I understand every word and yet I have no idea what it's about (the Beatles' "Come Together" is a good example, as is "Stairway To Heaven"). Or songs where I somehow feel I've missed something (Gram Parson's "$1000 Wedding"... I've never understood where he's going with that one) or even songs in unknown languages (the classic example is the German WWII song, "Lili Marleen" where the Brits had to rush out an English version to stop their guys from listening to the original on German radio) So yeah, a good lyric is pretty nice to have, but it's not essential, IMO. Band MySpace My snazzy t-shirt empire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LavaMan Posted May 24, 2006 Share Posted May 24, 2006 1. Catchy melody and chorus (makes you want to sing along) 2. A good hook/riff 3. Excellent dynamics - song tells a story 4. Good catchy lyrics that are not trite or dumb Lava Man www.lavacable.com Your One-Stop Custom Cable Shop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedster Posted May 24, 2006 Share Posted May 24, 2006 A lot of things...different things for different songs. I'd say one thing...can it stand alone if played in a "stripped down" sense? In other words, if you strip it down and either play it with a power trio or solo with an acoustic guitar, is it still a great song? Melody/chord structure with some sort of hook, and lyrics. But I hear melody quicker than I hear lyrics. "Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pappy P Posted May 24, 2006 Share Posted May 24, 2006 If I like it. It is good. If I want to listen to it again, it is good. A great song is one that I have to listen to again. A great song is one that still sounds good 20 years later. And It just happens to have all the stuff listed by Lavaman Originally Posted by Lavaman: 1. Catchy melody and chorus (makes you want to sing along) 2. A good hook/riff 3. Excellent dynamics - song tells a story 4. Good catchy lyrics that are not trite or dumb www.birdblues.com My Stuff On Sound Click Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Iverson Posted May 24, 2006 Share Posted May 24, 2006 Re: understanding what a song is about. If a song creates a mood.. feel...atmosphere, do you have to understand every nuance? Classic example: Bob Dylan. It used to kill me when people would sit around trying to imagine what he "really meant". Who in the world could possibly tell you, except Bob himself? Another example: I once wrote a tune called "Tenacity", where part of the lyrics go: And as for young eagles They're out making their first flights A little bit wobbly But soon they're clean out of sight! It was referring to young Christians I happened to know. I later asked a singer I was working with elsewhere if she knew what I was talking about, and she said no. But she still related to the image and enjoyed singing the song! The point being: a song is not a doctoral dissertation, is it? It's mostly just someone expressing their thoughts and feelings, hoping that someone else will want to hear it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kramer Ferrington III. Posted May 24, 2006 Share Posted May 24, 2006 Originally posted by Eric Iverson: If a song creates a mood.. feel...atmosphere, do you have to understand every nuance? No, of course not. I'm always surprised at how stupid some lyrics are when you see them printed. And yet, when the singer is finishing up in a big crescendo, all those "Yeah!"'s and "Baby!"'s actually seem to make sense, in some undefinable way. Band MySpace My snazzy t-shirt empire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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