Hit Song Secrets

On this page I will reveal hit song secrets. Analyzing the most popular songs is something you should do as often as possible. I'll take some that I like and study the structure, the melody and the lyrics of those songs. I hope you will find these hit song analyses helpful and they will help you as much as they helped me.

If you analyze the latest chart-topping songs, you'll soon pick up techniques that can do amazing stuff to your songwriting. It also helps you to keep up to date with the trends, which will make it more likely for you to succeed.

And if you'd like to do it on your own, with the songs you like the most, here is how to do it:

1. Sit down and take your favorite current hit.

2. Read the lyrics and find out what makes the song so amazing.

• Why is the title so great?
• Where does the title appear in the song?
• Are there any contrasts?
• Are there any unusual images?
• Are there any strange words?
• Are there many action words?
• What's the ratio of poetic and informal, everyday language?
• What's the structure of the song?
• Where is the hook?
• How much repetition is there in the lyrics?

3. It's also useful to listen to the music and work out the chords. If you really want to become a master songwriter, you could even learn to play this song.

• What's the tempo?
• What's the key?
• What kind of instruments did they use?
• Where is it calmer or more dynamic?
• Where does the energy increase and drop?
• Where are the contrasts in the melody?
• How much repetition is there in the music and the melody?

Here are the hit song secrets:

Adele - Rolling In The Deep (released November 2010)
Adele - Someone Like You (released January 2011)
Christina Perri - Jar of Hearts (released July 2010)
Lady Gaga - Born This Way (released February 2011)
Rihanna ft. Calvin Harris - We Found Love (released September 2011)

Rolling In The Deep

Rolling In The Deep is an incredible song recorded by Adele for her second studio album, 21. In 2009, she won Grammy Awards for Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Adele has broken several chart records.

General information

Writers: Adele and Paul Epworth
Producer: Paul Epworth
Genre: soul, blues, pop
Tempo: 104 beats per minute
Key: C minor
Vocals span from B♭3 to D5.
Instruments: bass, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, kick drum, piano, claps, snare drum, cymbal, background vocals, lead vocals
Duration: 03:48
The song ends properly, without a fade out.
It spent seven weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Rolling In The Deep Chords

The Rolling In The Deep chords below are for intermediate players. This amazing song takes a little time to learn but it's worth the effort. The more songs you learn to play, the better songwriter you become. And although it's possible to be a songwriter without being able to play instruments, like the amazing David Foster said, it's one of the most important skills a songwriter can have. I'd listen to him if I were you! :)

Intro: C5

Verses: C5, G5, B♭5, G5, B♭5 (four times in the first verse, two times in the second, only Cm, Cm in the third)

Pre-Choruses: A♭, B♭, Gm7, A♭, B♭, Gm, G

Choruses: Cm, B♭, A♭maj7, B♭ (twice)

Bridge: B♭, A♭maj7, B♭, Cm, B♭, A♭maj7

Last line of last chorus: B♭, A♭maj7, A♭, B♭, Cm

Structure

Rolling In The Deep has a pretty unusual structure. After the second Chorus it doesn't go straight into the Bridge but there is a third Verse. Also, the Bridge (or we could call it a new version on the Chorus, a breakdown) doesn't contain much "new material", the lines from the Chorus are repeated with two new lines being repeated in the background. So the song structure of Rolling In The Deep is the following: Verse 1 / Pre-Chorus / Chorus / Verse 2 / Pre-Chorus / Chorus / Verse 3 / Bridge (or modified Chorus) / Chorus.

Melody

The song follows the basic chord progression of C5–G5–B♭5–G5–B♭5. The melody is very beat oriented, the piano comes in quite late into the song. There is a lot of dynamics in the song. The energy gradually increases and almost peaks during the first Chorus. Naturally, the other peaks are the next occasions when the Choruses come in. The song reaches the absolute top seconds before the sudden end of the song. The lowest part from the intensity point of view is the Bridge (or modified Chorus).

Lyrics

The title of the song is great because it sounds interesting and it makes you curious of what the song might be about. The Verses are very well-crafted, creative and poetic, there is great imagery that holds your attention from the start. The Verses have an AABB rhyme pattern. The number of the syllables range from 9 to 13 a line. The Pre-Choruses beautifully transition the listener from the Verse to the Chorus. And when the Chorus finally comes, listening really pays off. Interestingly, the Choruses comprise 49% of the whole song. They sum up everything the singer has gone through. Although the theme of the song is not unique (we were together, then you deceived me…), it presents the situation in an interestingly unique manner.




What Can We Learn From All This?
This is an amazing song, there's no doubt about that. But it's Adele's soaring vocals that makes it an undeniable hit. There is so much soul in it that you can't help but feel what she is feeling. The success of this song also shows that there is still room for songs sung by a "human". It's a great relief with it's raw production. The song communicates the emotions extremely well, it overflows with emotion and it's original. The proportion of the different sections is perfect. The title occurs 15 times within the song, which makes it easy to remember. The clear domination of the Choruses also help the song to become unforgettable. I haven't met one person (no matter what genre of music they like) who wasn't in love with this song…

More Hit Song Secrets 

Someone Like You

Adele's Someone Like You is a song that's going to be considered "a classic" in a short year. It's party due to the great songwriting craft behind it and partly because of Adele's incredible voice. The song is about one of her relationships that had a bitter end and Adele's trying to get over the heartache. Someone Like You is one of the few ballads that managed to become number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song is a single from her second album 21.

General information

Writers: Adele Adkins and Daniel Wilson
Producers: Adele Adkins and Daniel Wilson
Genre: AC (adult contemporary), pop, blues and soul
Tempo: 67 beats per minute
Key: A major
Vocals span from F#3 to E5.
Instruments: lead and background vocals, piano
Duration: 04:46
The song ends without a fade out.

Someone Like You Chords

This song is mainly for intermediate piano players. There are some more complex chords in this song. If you'd like to find out how to play them, check out the piano chord chart or even learn how to play chords very quickly and easily. It's definitely worth learning to play this song. You know the rule: the more hit songs you learn to play, the better melodies you'll be able to write yourself. Soon it'll be second nature to you!

Intro: A, C#m/G#, F#m, D

Verses: A, C#m/G#, F#m, D (3 times)

Pre-Choruses: E9, F#m, D, E9, F#m, D, E/D (E9, F#m, D, E9, F#m, D, D5-, D, D5- the second time)

Choruses: A, E, F#m, D (5 times)

Bridge: E, F#m, E, Bm, C#m, D, D5-

Outro: D, D/E, D7+, D, A

Structure

There isn't anything unusual about the structure of Someone Like You: Verse 1 / Pre-Chorus / Chorus / Verse 2 / Pre-Chorus / Chorus / Bridge / Chorus / Chorus. It's important to note, however, that the first verse is a little longer than the last one, which is pretty usual but it's a great method if you want to avoid predictability in your song.

Melody

The greatest thing about the melody of Someone Like You is that there is so much contrast. The choruses can easily be separated from the rest of the song. They are much more intense than any other part. This is something that's true about almost all hit songs, however, in case of this one it's taken to an extreme. This is why the melody carries so much emotion and you can't help but empathize with Adele.

The transitions from pre-chorus to chorus are a work of genius. There is always a little pause between them, which makes the listener curious of what's going to come. It creates a feeling of suspense that is finally resolved by the chorus.

Lyrics
The Someone Like You kind of lyrics are rare these days. Short, simple phrases, conversational, easy-to-understand language is popular nowadays. This song, however, has a completely different style. It's very mature, elegant and sophisticated. There are several metaphors and scenes described in it, which make it accessible and easy to understand though.
The title of this song is not very unique but does a good job at making us interested in "what's that someone like?".


Verse 1 cleverly takes us into a situation and first mentions Adele's problem only in the fourth line. Therefore it comes as a (little) surprise.


The song has some very nice rhymes in it. The rhyme patterns of verses are AABB(CC), the pre-choruses are AAAB, the choruses are AABBB, and the bridge is AABBCD.


The number of syllables is around 7-11-7-11 in the verses. This way the writers could already include some contrast in the first few lines. Every other line of the verses has to be sung a little faster this way. The pre-choruses have a similar faster-slower pattern and the chorus lines are all slower and last longer, which is another great contrast.


What Can We Learn From All This?
Someone Like You is not your typical hit song. It's much deeper, more mature and sophisticated than 99% of the songs on the charts. Adele's amazing vocals are essential to sell this song. Without an extremely talented singer, it could be a great song but wouldn't be at the top of the charts in my opinion. This song definitely wasn't written with commerciality in mind. And it's great. You don't always have to stick to all the rules of a hit song to have a hit. Of course, you'll increase your chances if you do but every now and then an amazing, different song comes out that sweeps everybody off their feet immediately. This is a great example for such a song.


More Hit Song Secrets

Jar of Hearts

Christina Perri's Jar of Hearts is the kind of incredible ballad that you rarely come across. It's also rare for a ballad to stay on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for long but this song managed to spend 23 weeks there. The song first came out on her The Ocean Way Sessions EP then her debut album Lovestrong.

General information

Writers: Christina Perri, Drew Lawrence, and Barrett Yeretsian
Producer: Barrett Yeretsian
Genre: AC (adult-contemporary), pop, rock
Tempo: 76 beats per minute
Key: C minor
Vocals span from E♭3 to C5.
Instruments: lead and background vocals, piano and strings
Duration: 04:06
The song ends without a fade out.

Jar of Hearts Chords

Christina herself shared the Jar of Hearts chords with her fans in one of her blog posts. She also mentioned that she doesn't read or write sheet music. This shows that you can be an amazing songwriter and not be very knowledgable about music theory. However, it does help you if you learn the basics of music theory. You'll be able to communicate more effectively with other musicians and co-writers.

Verses: Cm, E♭, B♭, Fm (play A♭ the second time)

Pre-Choruses: Fm, A♭, E♭, B♭, Fm, A♭, B♭sus

Choruses: E♭, B♭, Cm, A♭, (A♭m) and end with: E♭

Bridge: Cm (played with your right hand) and walk down C, B, B♭, A (bass note) A♭, G

Outro: A♭, B, F

If you need help with reading chords, visit the piano chords chart page.

Structure

Jar of Hearts has a pretty usual hit song structure: Verse 1 / Pre-Chorus / Chorus / Verse 2 / Pre-Chorus / Chorus / Bridge / Chorus / Chorus / Outro. I like outros a lot because they always summarize the song's message really well and give you a closure while leaving you wanting to hear more. They do all this, really :)


Melody
The melody is very simple but powerful. You've probably noticed that often the simplest songs are the ones that most profoundly move you. Another amazing thing about the simplicity of the melody and the chords that they almost "disappear" in the background and help Christina Perri show off her amazing, melanchoic vocals.


The dynamics are really well-crafted: the intense and calmer periods follow each other in the proper places.


The transitions from verse to pre-chorus to chorus also work great. They are the kind of transitions we are already familiar with from other successful songs but that's something to like about it. It's part of why it's so sticky and gives you an ear worm for hours :)


Lyrics
The lyrics to Jar of Hearts are amazing. Anybody can see that. But what's so special about them? First of all, there is a perfect 'repetition vs. new' balance. The song breaks a couple of "rules", however. For example, in the last two choruses the last lines of the lyrics are changed to give it more impact. This works great in this song. You get the repetition and something new at the same time.

The title "Jar of Hearts" summarizes the song's message perfectly. When you hear the title, you can literally see the guy with a jar of hearts in his hands. The lyrics do a really good job involving you in the scene from the first line. You immediately start asking questions like "why can't you take one more step towards him?" or "why is there so much regret?".
The verses don't have a very consistent rhyme pattern but you can't notice that during the performance. The pre-choruses have an AA, the choruses have an AAAABBCD and the bridge an AABBCC rhyme pattern.


The number of syllables is more in the verses (usually 11 and 8) and less in the choruses (around 7-8). This is a great strategy because you can give plenty of contrast to your song this way. It makes the verses faster and the chorus more heartfelt, melodic.


Jar of Hearts if full of great metaphors. First of all, the title, of course. Then there is my favorite one: "you're gonna catch a cold from the ice inside your soul". I love such clever, graphic and telling lines. There is also the "who do you think you are" expression which is very conversational therefore it's easy to imagine and empathize with it.


What Can We Learn From All This?
This is a love song like almost all other songs on the charts. But it approaches the theme in a completely new, different, creative and unpredictable way. There are several metaphors, action verbs and scenes described in Jar of Hearts that the listeners can imagine with no effort on their part. The dynamics, the contrasts, the melody all work perfectly together and they feel like they are inseparable. The song sounds as if it has just been written at the time of its performance because it's very natural and raw. But if you look a little closer, you'll realize that it's a professionally crafted song and you can find an amazing amount of talent and passion in it.


More Hit Song Secrets

Born This Way

Born This Way is an awesome song that you start enjoying immediately when you first hear it. It's dynamic, motivational with a well-crafted melody. It is performed by Lady Gaga, whose style and voice is very unique. She is also an amazing and prolific songwriter who has broken several records.

General information


Writers: Lady Gaga (aka Stefani Germanotta) and Jeppe Laursen
Producers: Lada Gaga, Jeppe Laursen, Fernando Garibay and DJ White Shadow
Genre: electro-pop and dance-pop song
Tempo: 120 beats per minute
Key: B major
Vocals span from F♯3 to F♯5.
Instruments: electronic guitar and drums, bass and guitar synth, synth strings and keys, some sound effects, lead and background vocals
Duration: 04:20
The song ends properly, without a fade out.
It was the 1000th number-one song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Born This Way Chords

Intro: F#, E, B, F#

Verses: F#, E, B, F# (four times)

Choruses: F#, E, B, F# (three times), F#, F#, E, B (twice)

Bridge: F#, F#, E, B (four times)

Structure
What is interesting about the structure of this song is that it starts with a spoken intro and ends with a spoken outro. Very few artists can get away with it but Lady Gaga has been an exception in all arenas. Between the the intro and the outro there are Verse 1 / Chorus / Verse 2 / Chorus / Bridge / Chorus. This is a typical popular format.

Melody
The melody of some of bridge and the outro is basically a variation of the chorus. There is a lot of dynamics in this song. The intro is quite intense then when the first verse starts, it becomes calmer. Then it becomes more intense again when the second part of the first verse starts. And you can find all this dynamics in the first quarter of the song. The transitions do a great job introducing the choruses.

Lyrics
The title of the song is really good because it totally summarizes what the song is about. It also makes you think when you first hear it: "you were born what way? is this going to be about something positive or negative?" There is a lot of repetition in the lyrics. "Born This Way" is repeated 22 times! This is quite typical in contemporary popular songs, especially in mid-tempo and up-tempo numbers. The verses have an ABAB rhyme pattern. The number of the syllables range from 7 to 10 a line. Still they work really well, you don't feel like there is any inconsistency. The chorus is similar in this respect, the number of the syllables range from 5 to 7. The spoken intro and outro are very short. Born This Way is full of action and descriptive words which work great and really help us imagine a picture: "put my lipstick on", "subway kid"etc.


What Can We Learn From All This?
At the top of charts you can usually find romantic songs only.
Born This Way is about motivation and it shows this theme in a completely new and unique, bold way. You're more likely to get a cut with a song about love but this track proves that there are exceptions to the rule. Also, there is a lot of repetition in this song, which might look funny if you just read the lyrics. But when you're listening to the song you don't get bored of it. I guess it's party because of the great dynamic variety in this song.


More Hit Song Secrets

We Found Love

We Found Love is an extremely popular dance song written by Calvin Harris and performed by Rihanna. It was the first single off Rihanna's 2011 album Talk That Talk.

General information

Writer: Calvin Harris
Producer: Calvin Harris
Genre: dance pop
Tempo: 120 beats per minute
Key: G♭ major
Vocals span from C♯4 to C♯5.
Instruments: lead vocal, sound effects, synthesizers, organ, bass synth, electronic drum kit
Duration: 03:35
The song ends properly, without a fade out.
It reached the nr. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

We Found Love Chords

Since the song is very repetitive, the chords are easy to learn even for beginners. You need to memorize the same four chords for the verse and the chorus. Then the same sections repeat several times.

Verses: Am, F, C, G (four times)

Choruses: Am, F, C, G (twice)

Structure
We Found Love has a really simple structure: Verse 1 / Chorus / Verse 2 / Chorus / Verse 1 (first part repeated) / Chorus / Chorus. The last two lines of the verses could also be considered Pre-Choruses. But they are quite similar to the first four lines so I think they should rather belong to the Verses. The structure of the song couldn't be more simple. Most of the hits out there include a pretty obvious, distinct Pre-Chorus, longer Verses, and some more "meat" in the Choruses as well. Often there is an Outro, too, which is also missing here. A lot of people criticize the structure of this song saying that it's too simple, it can't really be called "art". I don't know if they are right. But We Found Love does a great job making you want to go out and party. And I guess that's the main purpose of this song.

Melody

We found love has a simple chord progression that repeats throughout the song (both in the Verses and the Choruses): Am, F, C, G.. They say that often the simplest songs become the greatest classic hits. Well, it couldn't be simpler than this but I don't think the song is going to become a timeless classic. Not because there is anything wrong with it but because of the genre which probably won't be this fashionable in a couple of years. The instrumental parts in this song might have an even more important role than the lyrics. The instrumental sections occupy a huge percentage of the song (compared to other hits) and there is a part after some of the Choruses where the energy gradually increases, I would call that part the "peak". In the third Verse (which is a half repetition of the first Verse) the melody changes a little. The Bridge is also short and consists of instrumental music only. We Found Love definitely doesn't let you get bored, a new section of the song begins every 10 or 15 seconds.

Lyrics

The title completely summarizes what the whole song is about. It's not always a wise choice since if we know everything from the title, who wants to listen to the song itself? But We Found Love is performed by Rihanna so many people do. And together with the rest of the line "We found love in a hopeless place", it's a really strong theme. The same four lines are repeated in the Chorus, which is a risky move. But it works great in this song, since it's not the story we are so interested in but the party mood it puts us in. The Verses are rather short and there are only two of them. The third one repeats the first part of the first Verse. There is great imagery in the Verses like "yellow diamonds in the light" and "your shadow crosses mine". The first Verse has an AAAAAB, and the second one an ABABBB rhyme pattern, therefore it's quite satisfying to the ear. The Choruses make up only about a quarter of the song, which is rare on contemporary charts. Usually it's about 45%.

What Can We Learn From All This?
This song will probably never become a classic, which is OK. It's a little too simple and too fashionable for that. When I first heard this song I thought they couldn't be seriously putting it out as a first single. But after listening to it two or three times, it grew on me. It always makes me wanna party. It goes to show that sometimes you don't need very complex chords, melodies or even lyrics to write a hit. The performer and the vibe of the song may be more important factors sometimes. Still, the more typical hit song elements you include in your song, the more likely it is that it'll become a hit. We Found Love is definitely an exception to the rule.


More Hit Song Secrets