What Makes a Good Song?

This is a tricky one to answer. 

There are so many variables including genre, style, mood, theme, understandably, pace or beat, sound quality, originality (big one), feeling.  There is so much to think about in what makes a good song.  Making a good song lies in the professionalism of the writer, producer, and vocalist.  But let’s not forget, it’s really in the ear of the listener. 

There is so much music out there, especially today, that making a good, original, song is truly something special.  But that doesn’t mean they are rare.  I often hear new music while I’m driving that has a totally new sound, a fresh sound, an original sound, and it gets me happy and excited.  To me, that makes it a good song.

Good songs come in many forms.  What makes a good song isn’t necessarily the message, or the sound – but the overall “feel”.  There are artists throughout time that have captured a feeling in their music.  That feeling depends on a lot of things, but sometimes it’s in the form of moods and emotions.  I say this all the time, and I’ll say it again here… to create art, that is, to be an artist… one’s art must evoke emotion.  No matter what the emotion is.  If it makes you feel a certain way, good, bad, happy, sad, angry, excited… whatever it is.  If you can look at something or listen to something and it gives you a feeling, it’s art, and the artist has done their job.  It’s honestly that simple.

So, for me to be able sit here and type out exactly what makes a good song would a fallacy and pompous.  Because it’s different for everyone.  Although, there is the quality of the music that is very important. The sound mix and vocals, the musicianship of the writing (and production) -- that has a lot to do with a good song in my professional opinion.  But that’s a discussion for another day.

If you like a song, it’s a good song.