The Journey to a Hit Song

“Oh I wrote that song in 15 minutes” …

It's made headlines, the intrigue and mystery of a song that seemed to write itself. What was the inspiration? How did they write it? It’s up there with the illustrious “Overnight Sensation” phenomena when an artist seems to come from nowhere to holding the #1 chart position and dominating streaming platforms. Both situations appear to come from a magical place where the writer was just so inspired, or the artist just had “the right appeal.” There is truth to that but arriving at that moment takes some work. And let’s not forget, without a hit song, there is no “overnight success.”

"As the anecdote goes, a song can be written in 15 minutes, but it takes the lifetime of experiences packed into that 15 minutes to make it a hit."

Let’s dissect the journey to success for a minute. I’ll be blunt. Overnight success is the marriage of myth & perception. Hype generated to fuel excitement around a new and emerging artist.

As the anecdote goes, a song can be written in 15 minutes, but it takes the lifetime of experiences packed into that 15 minutes to make it a hit. Van Halen’s “Runnin’ With the Devil”, Lorde’s “Royals”, Blur’s “Song 2” and Warrant’s “Cherry Pie” were all breakout hits that claim to have been written in under 30 minutes. There are countless other songs for established acts that fall into this magical occurrence, too.

Photo: Lukas Graham - Warner Bros. Records https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lukas_Graham#/media/File:Lukas_Graham_Warner_Bros_press_photo.jpg

If you remember the ‘80s and ‘90s you might have better references to the overnight sensation phenomena. Back then, when all media was tv, radio & print, the mystery and allure of a new artist, that seemed to come from nowhere, was exciting. It was inspiring and it made every aspiring musician believe that they too could be that person. But it seems, for better or worse, the dawn of the internet has stripped away a lot of the mystery about artists. The information is all out there. And if it’s not, it’s forgotten. That’s not to say we’re immune to the phenomena with “Gangham Style” by Psy and “7 Years” by Lukas Graham coming to mind as recent overnight hits.

Truth be told, most who make it into the spotlight have been cutting their teeth for years in the background. Playing small clubs, bars, etc… for little pay. Ghost writing songs for artists or selling music beds or beats. Working multiple jobs to sustain their passion. Some artists that come to mind are Sheryl Crow and Ryan Tedder (One Republic) who worked on demos, collaborating, getting experience and learning for years before breaking into the spotlight.

Starting with a more recent example, let’s look at Lukas Graham’s sudden rise to fame. Most of the world discovered them in 2015, with the release of “7 Years”. Though the process to get there started earlier, Lukas Graham formed in 2011. They started releasing well produced homemade videos online on youtube, facebook and other social media under a local label, Copenhagen Records. They built an audience locally, taking advantage of social media but they also hit the road, performing over 107 concerts in 2012 to support their first album. Soon after, they signed to Warner Bros. Records. Looking further back, the lead singer, Lukas Forchhammer, started singing at age 8. He became classically trained and at 22 joined a writing team called Future Animals. At 23 he formed Lukas Graham and at 27 had his first worldwide hit. (Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lukas_Graham, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lukas_Forchhammer)

Sheryl Crow is another example of the journey to what seemed like an overnight hit in “All I Wanna Do.” Did you know Sheryl started writing and singing in 1987? 6 Years before “Tuesday Night Music Club” was released? She toured with Michael Jackson as a background singer, she sang on albums for Johnny Mathis, Don Henley, wrote songs for smaller acts, and wrote jingles. Does that sound a little familiar? Her day job was as an elementary school music teacher until things picked up enough to take it full time. (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheryl_Crow)

Finally, Ryan Tedder from One Republic, broke through with his first hit in 2007 with “Apologize” right? Yes, but you could say that “The Look” won over the audience on a one-hour MTV special, which caught the attention of Timbaland. He worked with Timbaland for 2 years developing as an artist while continuing to produce for others. To get there he started playing piano at age 3. He started singing at age 7 and sang for 2 hours a day from age 12 until he turned 18. He held the typical waiter and shop assistant jobs until securing an internship at DreamWorks where he worked on demos as a singer, producer or both which eventually led to his appearance on the MTV special. Also of note, it took 6 months for him to write the second verse to “Apologize.” (source https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_Tedder, https://www.songfacts.com/facts/timbaland/apologize)

Photo One Republic - Credit: Keenman76 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:OneRepublic_performing_in_Toronto,_Canada,_Aug_2017.jpg

So, what have we learned here?

1)   There’s a journey to song writing, every step has its own purpose.

2)   You never know how you’ll reach the next step, but it’s important to continue to develop.

3)   Songwriters work together to develop their skills and gain experience and new perspectives.

4)   You have to see each step you take as a success, no matter what skill level you have achieved, even when it feels like a failure, it’s a part of growth.

5)   It’s normal for songs to take a long time to be written.

As a multiplatinum songwriter and performer, I can attest to these stories. I, myself started writing jingles and drove across the US shopping my first demos to secure a record deal. It’s been an incredible journey to receive two “Songwriter of The Year” awards, two GRAMMY nods and several billboard hits. I look forward to sharing my experience with fellow songwriters at two Brickman Bootcamp for Songwriters events this year. Bringing writers, artists and musicians together from all over the country to an environment to help them achieve another step in their journey to success.

The stories here are a small summary of the journey to a hit song and I encourage you to research some of your favorite artists, performers and songwriters and learn more about their journey, too.