Hello's Vocal WOW Factors & Soaring Power
Adele spent over three years in silence. Not literally, of course. However, prior to the release of "Hello", Adele hadn’t released a song since 2012. Since its release, the song topped over 40 charts throughout the world, and its accompanying music video scored over a…
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Hotline Bling's "Mute Button" Technique & False Lyrical Beginning & Ending
While "Hotline Bling's" video and Drake’s unique, widely parodied dance moves certainly helped expose the song to the masses, it's the strength of the song itself that keeps people listening. When you dig down deep, you’ll find that it contains a host of clever compositional…
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Hello, Hotline Bling, & Same Old Love: Genre Fusion Techniques
It all sounds the same. Homogenized. Unadventurous. That’s what many people think about today’s mainstream music. However, when you look more closely at the songs that top the charts, it becomes apparent that nothing could be further from the truth. In this article, excerpted from…
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Penn's Picks: Bowie Gems 1969 – 1979
Rarely has an artist’s death impacted so many people so deeply. Bowie defied genre. He defied gender. He goes down in the record books as one of the most innovative artists to ever live with a career spanning almost 50 years. In his honor, we…
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Highlights From Our Q4 Trend Report
Did female vocals finally make a comeback? Which retro influences were the most popular - the 60s, 70s or 80s? Did the prominence of Hip Hop/Rap increase or decrease? Our latest Hit Songs Deconstructed Trend Report takes a look at the compositional characteristics that define…
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To Bridge Or Not To Bridge?
Hit songwriter and educator Jason Blume interviewed David Penn, Hit Songs Deconstructed co-founder and editor-in-chief, for this article on the latest structural trends defining today’s chart-topping hits. This article was published by BMI's MusicWorld on January 7th.
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Penn's Picks: Black History Month – 2016
In honor of Black History Month, we’re featuring 10 of the most influential Black artists and producers who have shaped the sound of popular music over the last hundred years. Limiting the list to just 10 was not an easy task, but we think you’ll…
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The 2016 Grammys Deconstructed
Hit Songs Deconstructed congratulates all of the winners from the 58th annual Grammy Awards! Here we've compiled some of our recent Hit Songs Deconstructed reports showing the what, how, and why behind some of the night's biggest wins.
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‘Hello’ Deconstructed
'Hello' marks Adele’s return to the charts following a multi-year hiatus. And what a return it is. To date, 'Hello' spent numerous weeks at #1 on the Hot 100 and has topped the charts in over 30 countries throughout the world. The reason for the…
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