One of the most significant features of today’s hit songs is the heavy use of repetition. Certain musical themes and lyrics are deliberately repeated throughout the song to make it sound instantly ‘familiar’ and therefore much easier for listeners to remember.
This is especially important when relying on radio airplay to help ‘break’ a new single. Most songs require multiple radio plays over several weeks in order to climb the charts, so repetition of key melodic phrases and lyrics (especially the title line in the chorus) is a powerful way to firmly plant the song in listeners’ heads.
Studies have found that people often feel more comfortable listening to a song they already know, or when they hear a new song that sounds kind of familiar and predictable.
But new songwriters often struggle when it comes to finding the right balance be- tween repeating musical phrases often enough to make the song memorable … and using too much repetition which can make the song sound insignificant, twee and boring.
Too little repetition and you can’t hold listeners’ attention; too much repetition and you turn them off; and no repetition at all can make your melody sound far too complicated to be remembered easily.
That’s why your songs need to have a good balance of predictability (through repetition) and surprise … without overdoing one or the other.
To find out how successful writers manage to achieve this, take time to analyze some of today’s biggest hit songs. Pick out the melodic themes, riffs and lyrics that you hear again and again. The repeated sections may comprise only a few notes or they could be several bars long. Many songs typically feature about 10 repetitions of the title throughout the song.
Make a note of how and where the repeated sections are used in each song—and apply a similar technique to your own songs.
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