What makes a song "Catchy"

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No, really.
I'm not talking about what makes it "good"; I mean what, exactly, is it that makes a song catchy?

― Lord Custos Omicron (Lord Custos Omicron), Thursday, 26 May 2005 02:51 (twenty-one years ago)

strong melody. repeition of said melody.

― The Brainwasher (Twilight), Thursday, 26 May 2005 02:54 (twenty-one years ago)

la bouche said the secret is to repeat the title of the song as many times as possible.

― j blount (papa la bas), Thursday, 26 May 2005 02:55 (twenty-one years ago)

BEVERLY HILLS

― Patrick South (Patrick South), Thursday, 26 May 2005 03:03 (twenty-one years ago)

hooks.

― m0stly clean (m0stly clean), Thursday, 26 May 2005 03:06 (twenty-one years ago)

a chorus helps , except if you're rem,prince,elton john , they write a chorus that sounds like the verse.

after 47 seconds hit the chorus and at 230 do a 17 second solo

― schlock,aching and watering can, Thursday, 26 May 2005 03:08 (twenty-one years ago)

hooks.

we have a winner.

― billstevejim (billstevejim), Thursday, 26 May 2005 03:09 (twenty-one years ago)

Not really, "hooky" is just another way of saying "catchy" ("hooks" are what you use to "catch" listener with, anyhow.)
But what is it that makes a good hook catchy unlike a bad hook which is just a nuisance? and... what seperates a "hook" from "merely a random weird sound/riff/chord added to the mix at a strategic moment."?

― Lord Custos Omicron (Lord Custos Omicron), Thursday, 26 May 2005 03:30 (twenty-one years ago)

this would be an interesting thread if people could answer it.
i want to know too.

― reo, Thursday, 26 May 2005 03:47 (twenty-one years ago)

except if you're rem,prince,elton john , they write a chorus that sounds like the verse.

I have no clue what was meant by that.

To me personally, the best hooks (in rock) very often involve a major-key melody going to a minor chord. i'm not saying this is an ironclad rule, but if you examine some famous hooks, you're likely to find the major-to-minor thing in a lot of them.

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Thursday, 26 May 2005 04:42 (twenty-one years ago)

the minor fall, the major lift to quote leonard......most pop tunes feature repetition of melodic structures over different chords (which comes from the blues i guess) and repetition over a minor chord creates contrast so you are prolly right in one aspect in that......its the balance of repetition against harmonic and melodic innovation that is the tricky part and defines a songs catchiness....repeat too much and the song gets monotonous (lit. & fig.)....dont repeat enough and the ear doesnt get hooked....

its such a fune line between clever and stupid innit?

― Sean Carless (seanthebear), Thursday, 26 May 2005 08:10 (twenty-one years ago)

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