Goo Goo G’joob.
I Am The Walrus! Well, not really.
Things have been admittedly crazy here in the office. Since seeing the Beatles Love Cirque Du Soleil show in Vegas, the pop hits of the fab four have been lodged in my head. I suppose there are worse problems to have, but it did seem as if I was listening to a broken record.
Either way, I got the thinking about catchy songs and how they get stuck your mind. Sometimes it’s a song you love, a song you remember from a bygone era, or a song you absolutely hate. If you’re like me, the latter tends to happen the most. Not to sound like that opinionated guy at your local coffee shop, but pop radio is a culprit. You may hear a song you absolutely loathe but the radio will “play that song until you like it.” After that, the next crop of songs are ready to annoy the heck out of you.
Having nostalgic songs in mind are my favorite. Anyone between the ages of 20 and 35 know this song right here:
And it will never leave your memory for as long as you live.
There have been articles written about how hit music has been boiled down to a science and that there’s certain aspects of songs that your subconscious instantly grabs on to. Then again, they still haven’t been able to predict who would become a star, so there’s that.
It makes you wonder if other forms of media have similar road maps for determining what will resonate with an audience. If you’re a screenwriter, it’s been said that the “Save The Cat” book series has more or less become the standard formula for film. On the other hand, there are mountains of books that hypothesize their own methods for success.
There is a part of me however that says that maybe we should leave the science and formulas aside and focus on the craft of creating. People in turn will “like what they like” based on their preferences and past experiences. When I was in film school, I was told that everyone is going to interpret your movie differently because everyone brings their own personal baggage into the theater (Or the page. Or to the tracklisting). It’s one of the pieces of advice I learned from that place that still sticks with me today.
Flobo Boyce 