What Happened To USA Top 40? - Song Structure

[ryonk]

I REALLY DIG WHAT U SAID AT THA END OF THA VIDEO TO. COMPARIN IT TO FOOD. WE ALL NEED A PROPER DIET OF MUSIC. BECAUSE IT DEFINITRLY FEEDS THA SOUL!

[WintersEndOfficial]

Name one song that starts with a chorus.

[WintersEndOfficial]

Dude...the ONLY reason I like country is because of the downhome twangy feel haha

[TheBlackJacksItalia]

actually the verses should be BEFORE the choruses

[cullyvan]

Hmm.. As you probably know Brian there is still LOTS of good music out there, probably more than there ever was (and I'm quite old). Pop Music has changed a lot since you and I were younger, its gone a lot more eclectic. Its no longer about little genres and if people are truly interested then they will find it.

Commercial radio stations are simply that. Its mostly soft rock , shit pop or hip hop or songs you have heard a million times before.

Ive got more to say but I'll come back.

[ImDavidGurney]

Affirmative action money and drug money ruined top 40.

[isamplex]

Oh yeah, you're right...what ?! This video is nearly 3 years old..? Hmm.

Still a good video - sympathic, clear speech, wonderful food metaphor. :)

Go on with these.. hmm, well, let's call it "your explenations", take politicians for example or daily TV, peoples behavior.. time for a new vid ;)

Greets from GER

[teamkillaman]

country blows!!!!!!!!!!

[djscottyc]

Couldnt agree with you more, i like the food metaphor, it explains it in a way that anybody could understand. I know this vid is old but the information holds true to today. I feel there is even more "candy in on the radio today, but hip hop seems to be taking a back seat for once and i am a EDM guy myself, alost everything on the radio has some form of a "dance" beat and im happy about that. Its interesting to see the ebb and flow of music evolution. Great Vid!

[zcerveza]

I am used to calling your B section the Bridge, and calling your Bridge a Pre-Chorus.

So most songs would be like this with my terminology...

Verse

Pre- Chorus

Chorus

Verse

Pre- Chorus

Chorus

Bridge

Chorus

[80shairmetalman]

whats the name of that second song?? lol

[SCUBONZIES]

that's a really bad song and Nintendo music was for 2000 era the start to the end

[FlacoTV]

The candy example is brilliant! Very good video. I really appreciated it.

[zamorabora]

Another element I think may be involved is, people like to sing (even if only in their heads) and if you look at just what's on mainstream radio these days, the country stations (and sometimes the classic rock stations), are the only mainstream radio formats playing anything you can sing-along with. Some pop stations too, though the last time I was subjected to a pop station, the music was all incredibly over-synthasized, and just as un-singable as radio hiphop.

Anyhow, I enjoyed your video!

[JoeSkutnik]

Very informative. Great points. Thank you!

[heyheyheybaybaybay13]

hell to the yeah. your so right

[fuzzpedal0101]

So it's not actually the structure you're criticising, rather there isn't more distinction between the parts?

[yoxy7112]

I've been studying music, and playing it for over 30 years - Amen to everything you said - Ask these new artists if they know any 7th chords... I DON"T THINK SO ! Today's top 40 is ran by some goofballs straight out of the GHETTO !

[vick2510]

you...are a men/woman of my heart

nicely spoken! it is ran by some asses......espicially overrated lil wayne...

[GuitarMan3292]

@yoxy7112 Just because someone doesn't know music theory or chord names doesn't mean they cant make good music. Hendrix is the prime example.

[DFGorman]

As a professional songwriter and producer, I totally agree with you on this top40 crap. However, on your song structuring, you are misleading people as far as your terminology. You are right as a bridge is normally a key change to help the song climax. The B-section is the same term as Pre-Chorus. When I'm in the studio with some of these well known artist and I say lets go back and redue the Bridge, and I meant the B-section, they would look at me like I just started in the game yesterday.

[elizetgamx]

good vid.

[CLASSICKMUSIC]

MAN I'M JUST 30 SECONDS INTO THIS...and I have 2 agree wholeheartedly...I wish that alot more people could hear this..

[DjScratchBattery]

The "B-Section" in Hey Ya is just the same bassline from the chorus and verses but with some lyrical variation. Although it is very different lol

[DaftStrings]

at 0:25 I yelled, "Amen Brian!" I now know why I liked "Hey Ya" way more than anything else on the radio at that time. You're totally right on modern hip-hop being too repetitive. At 5:24 LOL! 9:52 *Duh.. Duh... Duuuhh!*

[boomtao]

What you call a Bridge in "Like a Virgin" is actually called a 'pre-chorus'.

[pinkcrayon5]

Really nice video dude. You've got some great points here

[happyINcarolina]

REAL country fans know that Nashville has destroyed country music.. POP MUSIC is the only thing considered "country" getting played these days..

Have you heard this new hot country radio? fellow country lifer George Jones asked the crowd at a sold-out show at the Silverton recently. They quit playin them good ol drinkin songs.

Haggard- The program directors, they dont want anything in a song that causes you to look up from your computer. I dont identify with that way of thinking.

[bostoncommonband]

Hey Brian, your definition of "Bridge" is actually what's called a pre-chorus.

So the 4 bar phrase leading out of the Bridge / B-Section and back to the chorus is the "pre-chorus"

[bigd1576]

Brian, I've been Djing for 20 years I totally Agree with you 100% !!! I got into Djing because of the then called rap and "new wave" music scene. The now hip-hop is way TOO slow, no one really dances to it even at school events, I've Notice maybe its the new MTV with 20 Second clips of a video. The major companies complain of no sales personally they are losing it cause of no talent one hit wonders. Thanks for the videos keep em coming .."Enjoy"!!

[benjireize]

This is the kinda thing that goes through my head when i hear a song, not on the first run though thankfully - cuz wudnt that be annoying eh

[checkabreak]

LESS IS MORE

[harlemIam]

Good Video. I'll like to see more like it.

[Grenozh]

I guess this means modern day hip hop is going to be twice as worse, because they are sampling from country

[djraptorx]

Disney Pop rocks, but yeah everything else is shitsux.

[EAShortBus]

lol, +1

[daveatx]

Brian, I agree 1000 percent....the typical pop "songs" that chart today just sound to me totally uninspired, emotion-less, structure-less, and forgettable. If I hear one more song about someone's "boo" or "shorties," I might just puke. Pop (and Rock) music is in serious need of a full-blown revolution to turn it on its ear, a la the way Nirvana did in the early 90's. While I'm thinking about it, whatever happened to lead guitar solos? Haven't heard a decent lead guitar solo in years.

[benjireize]

-guitar solos- I know they're more like full song solos but what about Dragonforce? then i spose thats metal. still awesome though :)

[foolsterinc]

I do agree with you on some of your points, but you just picked songs that portrayed your point and your point only. Also songs don't really need to follow the structure to be good. Also the songs you picked were not the best. Oh well this is your opinion. Finally not all artists are going down the crapper for example Linkin Park, Breaking Benjamin and Evanescence have their high points. Good video.

[briansredd]

I picked songs to demonstrate my point, but I didn't have to put too much thought into it.

You know, at first, I thought I was just getting old.  Then, when I started traveling several years back, I realized that I usually liked what I heard on the radio in other parts of the world. Hence, my observation on USA Top 40 music.

[jgkojak]

Great video--

This is excellent!

Songwriting- even on indie/rock/alternative has deteriorated the last 5 years. GREAT JOB!

[mamush]

hey brian...what u said on this vid is exactly what i've been thinkin for years..most of todays music is made using certain formulas that big companies have come up wit..i was born in 85 ba i stil see the quality of music deteriorate over time..rmmbr mariah careys songs in the early 90s were awsme but try reading the lyrics to any of her new songs....great videos btw cany u please do a video on ( phantom by jus†ice)its a sample of release the beast by breakwater

[briansredd]

That's the same sample Robot Rock uses. You probably knew that already.

A couple of weeks ago, I found Breakwater on 12" during a crate dig, but it was so scratched up I passed it up :(

[mamush]

oops ...phantom is actually sampled from "tenebre" by Goblin it was used for a horror movie by the same name back in the 80s...mybad..lol

[MasterDarkarbiter]

I'd also like to mention that you seem to confuse a change of feeling to a change of key. None of the songs that you said changed keys actually changed keys. As songs in general generally don't. Except for maybe the eurodance (think eurovision) example of where they play the "chorus" melody and then play it a key higher and then at the original key (rather cheesy though) to create a sense of excitement etc.

[wandermusic27]

I really enjoyed this video. I wished more people understood the dynamics of creating music! There are a few artist who are not good songwriters, but they think they are! They need some lessons and you could really teach them a thing or two! Thanks for the info! If you have anymore, please list them!

Peace!

[MasterDarkarbiter]

Ooops... outkast... ah well anyway they don't exactly sound like much other pop anyway.

[MasterDarkarbiter]

BTW the dates I'm mentioning are probably about the second phase (or maybe I'm wrong by a year or so... but anyway thats just an example).

I find it interesting you mention black eyed peas (older stuff) they're more kind of neo funk and certainly (were) unique so its not a terribly great example. You should check out some Liquid funk stuff... its a genre of drum n bass with funk breakbeats that often samples disco/funk stuff. Quite accessable for pop music listeners too.

[briansredd]

Did I mention Black Eyed Peas? hmm don't remember that. I did give Outkast as an example, though. It wasn't suppose to be a negative one. I gave phrase to the B section but noted the lack of bridges between most verses and choruses.

[MasterDarkarbiter]

More videos like this please! As someone once said the way pop music works most of the time is: Music genre is underground (best) Music genre gets a few key songs played on radio Music genre is popular... still good if maybe simplified a bit Music genre has been popular for a year or two now... its getting a bit stagnant and eventually people lose interest From what I've heard 1996/7-big beat 1998-trance (not sure about u.s. though? ) 2001-Nu metal 2003-Pop rock 2005-Electro house/hip hop

[shamamster]

and thats why i stopped listening to the radio back in 6th grade..

[rushentertainment]

You are so right

[dardardarvin]

lol

i never thought soljaboy souded like akon

LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

ahhahahhhhhhhahahaa

[briansredd]

Of course not. You are 12

[Klublife]

I love how you pointed this out. It drives me crazy. Hence why I don't listen to the radio anymore. I used to like watching those movies about break dancing, but If you notice all the music in them is the shitty poppy hip hop. Sounds all identical.

[johngr2007]

Good video brian. This is why edm is my mainstream.

[jriktor]

ace explination, hip hop/rap is badass and all but the shit on the radio is pathetic everysong is about money,girls,cars,bling, and how "thug" they are and to top it off always taking phrases from one song and using it on the other. LISTEN TO ALL GENRES OF MUSIC!! why stick with one type? you will get bored with it after a while.

it used to be the MUSIC business now its BUSINESS music.

[roboflamingo]

good job on this one brian

[GlassOnion952]

I like your "full meal" analogy. And it's true we really do need some more musicians creating new music.

[djisfan]

Having said all that, I do want to stress how much I miss music that is faster than the typical 100BPM you hear now. We need 124-138 blister bass thumping club tracks that don't sound like wussy Thunderpuss remixes but actual High Energy Like Bobby Orlando and Patrick Cowley gave us. There...I feel better now :)

[djisfan]

I love Hip Hop and what they are doing with it today. It's rap all grown up. Sure it's marketing, but why else record and put it in the stores? 50 Cent's tune was an instant party classic and stays in my playlist. I get all the hoopla but I never get hung up on how they do it as long it moves the crowd.

[briansredd]

Stop that, Jullie. Makes you sound young. HA!

[djisfan]

You know I can't pull that one off! :) I'm old but that's ok. I do respect & understand your thoughts on todays new mainstream. We're going through a musical cycle. It will all come back around and we'll be listening toacoustic folk guitar on Kiss-FM. HeHe.

[djtavi77]

petty good explination, really helped, I share the same thinking.

[djpi0]

lol.. ur using 50 cent as an example.. hahahaha.. u into this ?

this is quite helpful..

thnx bri

[briansredd]

Well it's one of the most popular Mainstream USA songs from this decade as is the Outkast song

[33lp]

respect i'm a musician. can'nt believe you took the time to break down that tune. ifyou can cal it that. hey ya is a better song. check the new black crowes album . best rock albun 08.

[davehikah]

Don't geddit twisted. Holy hip hop, gospel Gangstaz, amen.

[briansredd]

I've never had any love for "Christian Music" artists or a cattagory. My issue is they are elitests. People like the Doobie Brothers, Prince, George Harrison, etc have written beautiful music about God & Spiritualality. However, are not accepted by the clique. Is it because they also write "Sucular" music? Is it because they are full of sin? Well, according to the gospell, we are ALL sinners.

[briansredd]

It also rubs me wrong when an artist will ONLY write about God & Spiritualality. To me, a legit artist will write about whatever is on thier mind and not limit themselves to just one subject. It all smells like marketing and nothing more to me. Sort of like Souless Soul music.

[ShermerIllinois]

Very interesting idea. I remember in the early 90's when "modern country" went mainstream. I wonder if the same dynamic might have been at play.

Seeing as how the New Pop, New Romantic and Glam Rock periods of the 80s had passed, maybe then there was another "good song structure" drought where Country had an opportunity to fill a void.

Same here, though. I don't like country much, but if I'm going to listen I want to hear the old stuff like Hank, Waylon & Cash.

[jasperibe]

I have noticed the trend to country with the advent and popularity of line or group dancing. A lot of resources are available to learn line/group dances to predominantly "new" country songs. Which could also be a reason for the need to come up/develop a dance to a song to increase its popularity... ie Crank Dat

[iamroma]

Great video, and I like your full course meal analogy...

[ddrmaniac5]

lol rap does sound the same to me to!

[drjackohollious]

Word up Brian, this vid is great, I think that akon and 50 and others can make good songs using the same structure throught, but the lyrics are not very uplifting. Be careful that some one does not brand me and you as racists. Love the vid man1

[briansredd]

Nah, this isn't a race issue by a long way. In fact, most of the people making the choices as to what gets played are old white men.

[mcmookie]

Timbaland, Kanye West, T-Pain, these are the people who should not be allowed to collaborate in 2008.

[WeeShooey]

Great subject this. In the UK and I'm sure elsewhere, the latter part of the 90s and early 2000s was swamped with "dance" ie: house ,progressive house, hard house, rave,etc and the list goes on. Those who run the music industry in the past have had too much control on who can and cannot enter into the industry The internet has changed all that and control is back with those at grass roots level. But watch out, the powers that be, want control of the internet and if they do... heaven help us.

[viciousdogproduction]

Most songs typically have a sameness throughout them. That's how songs are, some songs have crazy changes throughout, and it works. But that's just the way it is. If the song sounds good, it's going to be a good song throughout-which is more defined by the overall sound and lyrical content. Sampling is great, and I also enjoy it. However, if you're looking for good music that isn't country, the radio will not be the place you'll find it.

[theillestboYee]

Hip-hop is dead. The music industry is dead, period.

[CRAZYTRAE]

Hip hop died after people like Soulja Boy, Akon and Flo Rida came in the picture. Hip hop isn't like it used to be or as I remember it from when I was a kid.

[Pixelbuddy]

THANK GOD! Someone else realizes this! Thank you!

[discodjking]

What is disney pop? ive never heard that term before.

[RRollergod]

Any songs being produced by Disney. (Hollywoods Records)

[tim9798]

Miley Cyrus, Highschool Musical, and related.

[briansredd]

Add Britney & Justin to that list. They are all products of the Rat.

[igotoxtremes06]

Brian, an interesting post that is kind of different than your others. Your definition of Bridge was...interesting. I think you nailed it with the part about current music. What might end up saving us is piracy. While I don't condone it, it is the producers forcing candy-pop. When their $ dries up, the real artists will rise virally. They may be poor, but it'll be about the music again.

[JesusIsMyHomeDogg]

great vid... hope to see more like it!

[djthefluff]

The simplicity of some of that Top40 music is mind dazzling. I had a complete Remake of Souljah Boy-Crank That in 2 minutes only using out-of-the-box samples from FL Studio. Well, not the "singing", only the "music" (let's say "noise" here). Then I rapped some vocals myself how bad this track sucks, and put them over the beat. My girlfriend thought I just took a instrumental version of the track and put my voice over it. Till she knew that I put the whole thing together myself. I hate the song!!

[dj99surf]

Xlent vid Brian. I'm not a fan of new country either. Some older stuff like Wanda Jackson, Patsy Cline, even Hank Williams Sr. is pretty good. Here in NorCal people seem to either like hip-hop or country. But at parties I dj at they like the old school funk, disco, just fun pop dance music. I'm trying to introduce my friends to more House as well.lol. I liked the demo of song structure. Please make more vids like this too!

[conormang]

Also, I thought you might like to hear this: today on my university campus, the office of student life had their speakers set up and playing a bunch of mainstream [c]rap to promote our upcoming student gov't elections. My other DJ buddy and I were pretty sick of it, so we plugged in my iPod and rocked out to some classic funk (Vaughn Mason, Delegation, D-Train) for a little while. ;)

Keep the good vis comin!

-Conor

[conormang]

Boy Brian, you really hit the nail on the head with this one. It's really sad to see music on such a massive level just degenerating the way it has in the past few years. Very interesting video, definitely makes a strong argument.

[MagikGimp]

Country music sampling? Yikes

[djkristinsommers]

Brian, you just put into words the frustration I have been feeling the last 8 years!!!!

[humby]

I completely agree that Top 40 music has gotten homogeneous. I don't listen to the regular radio as often because it's the same song being played. Record labels are even more desperate for a hit now and thus the cookie cutter effect. No risk= no rewards.

[lz2k7]

does anyone have a spare time machine? .. man, i can't stand today's music ... just cant...i've been listening to a lot of old funk and also collecting , that was music for sure, but still got love for my good old freestyle, electro, old school hip hop :)

[sleeperawaken36]

Fantastic video! Great way of putting it Brian :) I'd give you 6 stars for that one if I could!

[AarmOZ]

I know in a bar setting (especially having been in the Navy) that country does work. It is fun to sing to and has remeberable chorsus and smooth versuses. Also, you have to remember that country music is written by the people who perform it, where pop and other mainstream songs are written by the label because it is statistically more likely to sell. People can only enjoy this for so much if it does not have that human element from the performer.

[briansredd]

I'm affraid you have been hoodwinked! Most of the new country music that comes out today happened in one of 2 ways:

A: The lyrics and/or music came from the same clearning houses that Top 40 uses

B: The "Artist" is represented as the writer/composer but what has actually happened is they are co-writers at best. Record companys can't afford to take chances, so they don't. They will bring in a team of "Experts" to write, rewrite, or ghost write.

[twrea]

I agree with you music in the US has for a time gone dry..However over the past few months I have seen a up surge in the us of House and Trance music,.In fact many of the TOP:10 songs this week have elements of the afore mentioned. So to say where going country, maybe not, maybe With much hope will see a rise in House and Trance. What American music needs is to cut away the cookie-cutters and get back to making music! In that reguard Country music has never failed. Nor blues, which is elemental!

[yvesmdjgryphon]

no vegetables in your "full meal"? :)

but nice vid, the bridge split the verse and chorus apart so it sounded more interesting, and it went crescendo ;)

[BigMilan]

should i take them to the bridge?

take them to the bridge!

:) awesome vid. make a lot of sense. This might be the reason why I don't really listen to the new pop music. especially the songs like the 50 cent one. it as if someone made a 4 or 16 beat loop and just let it play for the entire song.

[LRCVWDude]

Ah, highschool memories with that Outkast track; senior year at it's finest :).

I've said it before Brian, actuallly to my DJ union members; the only way we can fix today's music is to ban any and all forms of payola and make sure to ENFORCE it.

[ocmike34]

OMG, Top 40 Is BOARING!

[BTape]

bwahaha. too true, we'll be sampling country.

[frits297]

very interesting!

5*

[hollandiadj]

good vid

[mattd28]

cool vid

[hollandiadj]

mayby a good hardstyle record

[BigMilan]

rock on!

[MasterDarkarbiter]

Hardstyle is nearly as immature as pop music.

[goobertw]

Great Vid! :)first