What Makes a Song a Hit

So I have analyzed the song "Call Me Maybe" to help you understand what are some of the aspects that make a song a hit. Have you ever heard of "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen? Is that even a question? Of course you have. It has been played everywhere for the past eight months. The reason why? Because it is a hit. I define a hit as a song that is very successful by gaining the love of many listeners. It also happens to make the artist a very very weathly person. But what does make a song a hit? Even if the audience loves it, there are a combination of things that were put together that worked really well together. This is what I think is needed to make a great hit.

1. You have to be known - i.e. a celebrity:
Im sure there are plenty of songs that have been written by really talented artists that are just incredible, but because they are not known, they are never given a chance to succeed. If you don't have any connection with a celebrity or if you yourself isn't one, then your hopes of producing a hit dramatically increase. People don't want to listen to something that isn't "in." Plenty of music lovers will listen to these unknown artists, but they make up like 10% of the public. The rest of people aren't going to put in the time to find really talented artists. They will listen to what is in front of them.

For example: Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen

She was signed by Justin Bieber, who happens to be a very well known person. He had her open for him on his tour, performing the song. That already gives her a really good advantage.

2. It has to be annoying and repetitive:
Songs that are simple in word content and don't contain deeper meanings are always easier to sing along to. If it is repetitive, then you just say the same words over and over again, making it even easier to sing along. People like to sing along and enjoy themselves. It also helps when the song is upbeat and makes people want to move. Nobody wants to sing and dance to Beethtoven. One there are no words and two, it is slow as heck!

For Example: Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen

Could you possibly think of a more repetitive song than this one?

Hey I just met you

And this is crazy

But here's my number

So call me maybe

I didn't even have to look those lyrics up. They are practically engraved into my brain because that is all the songs says for the 3:13 minutes it lasts. And it does rank high in the annoying factor. But that is what makes it work. It gets stuck in people's heads and there you go. They can't stop singing it.

3. It has to be sung by the right artist:

Depending on who is singing can make a huge difference on whether the song will be a success or not. The artist of the song has to fit the songs attitude. If the song is about anger, then the artist needs to feel that emotion so that they can sing the song well. If you take a screamo song and have Hannah Montana sing it, I guarentee you, that song will fail.

For Example: Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen (I know that is annoying, but it helps to keep my thoughts organized.)

Jepsen has a really spunky, "I don't care about what people think" attitude which really fits the song. She is having a great time while singing it, which the song come across even better.

Here is Carly Rae Jepsen:

Here it is covered by Ben Howard:

I personally like the Ben Howard one more, but it isn't as fun and upbeat. It also isn't as memorable. Carly Rae Jepsens is crazy and out there. His is more toned-down.

4. Lastly, the artist has to have a good name:

The artist's name is the first impression to the listener. If they have a really creative name, the listener will think, hey they sound good. But if they have a name like the Butthole Surfers, people will not want to be listening to their music.