HACKING

HIT SONG STRUCTURE

Stop Writing Songs Even Your Friends Don’t Remember

By TotalControlAudio.com

Second Edition

Copyright 2014. All Rights Reserved. Total Control Audio, LLC

Hit song structure analysis performed by totalcontrolaudio.com
 HACKING
HIT SONG STRUCTURE
Stop Writing Songs Even Your Friends Don’t Remember

Even if your goal isn’t writing a hit song, you can quickly learn the framework to make your songs catchier and
more memorable. In this eBook, we’re hacking hit songs to understand the similarities and differences from one hit
song to another hit song. We hack across popular genres...so you don’t have to!
!
Song structure for the Songwriter is like the Sistine Chapel’s ceiling1 for Michelangelo’s painting. It’s your canvas.
!
Now let’s get started.

1. The Sistine Chapel ceiling is a cornerstone of Renaissance art that Michelangelo painted between 1508 and 1512.
“Just because you can sing the phone book doesn’t mean you can write with weak song structure.
Unless you’ve had a hit, always start with intro, verse, pre-chorus, chorus, verse, pre-chorus,
chorus, bridge, outro.” 2
!
~ Desmond Child3

2. Desmond stated this during the ASCAP Expo 2008 Presentation on Hit Songwriting.
3. He has written over Seventy Top-40 Hits and has sold 300 million records.
 HACKING
6 Reasons to Read this eBook
Even If You HATE Hit Songs (as we all do, sometimes)
Hacking Hit Song Structure isn’t an eBook about how fantastic Hit songs are, though it might sound like it. Even if
you hate Hit songs, here are six reasons why you should glance through the Hit Song Structure examples:
!
#1 We start with AC/DC! Okay, maybe you hate rock songs too, but “Shook Me All Night Long” has stood the test
of time. And, it’s very similar in structure to the global smash hit “Firework” by Katy Perry. We’ll show you both.
!
#2 It doesn’t take much work. The eBook will take you less than 7 minutes to peruse. We use big diagrams so you
don’t have to read much.
!
#3 It’s interesting stuff. We’re hacking into the structure of Hits. It’s fascinating to see the similarities and
differences.
!
#4 We’ve done the analysis for you. For Free!
!
#5 There aren’t any wrong answers. You just might get inspired to try something new. It’s the awesome thing about
songwriting. Write what you want to write.
!
#6 Because it’s fun to write songs people like. And, maybe you’ll get rich! As Bruce Lee said, “Adapt what is useful,
reject what is useless, and add what is specifically your own.”
 HACKING
Hit Song Structure
The Sections

! ! ! ! ! !
Pre Pre
Intro
Verse
Chorus
Chorus
Verse
Chorus
Chorus
Bridge
Outro

Summary of the Song Sections:

!
The Intro has become a very short part of the hit song. Today’s Hits often have Intro’s less than 10 seconds long. Many Hits
have Intros of 5-8 seconds. Yes, “Livin’ On A Prayer” had a 38-second Intro, but that was 1986. “Wrecking Ball” has an 08-
second Intro today.
!
Most of today’s Hits have only two Verses of 12 -16 bars each.
!
The Pre-Chorus is a 2 - 8 bar lift prior to the Chorus. Using a Pre-Chorus is common in Hit Songs. Since we’re hacking the
Hits to understand the basic structure, we simply define the Pre-Chorus as any lift that happens prior to the Chorus. What
others might call a B-part, extended verse, pre-hook, or lift, we simply call a Pre-Chorus.
! Six Steps to a Hit Song:
The Chorus or Hook in Hit Songs is typically 12 - 16 bars, with 16-bars being extremely common. Most Hits have two 1. Make your Intro extremely short
Choruses. 2. Try a Pre-Chorus in your song
! 3. Get to the Chorus in less than 60 seconds
The majority of today’s Hits have a Bridge, which is sometimes called the Middle-8 because the Bridge is often 8-bars. 4. Use only two Verses (or three for Rap)
! 5. Include an 8-bar Bridge
The Outro almost always repeats the Chorus and sometimes elements of the Pre-Chorus, Bridge, and Intro. Most Hits are 6. Skip the solo
less than four minutes long.
“It is possible to become world-class in just about anything in six months or less. Armed with the right framework,
you can seemingly perform miracles, whether it’s Spanish, swimming, or anything in between.”
!
~ Tim Ferriss4

4. Tim is the #1 New York Times Best Selling author of “The 4-Hour Workweek. Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich.”
 HACKING
Hit Song Structure

On the following pages we’ll hack into the “framework” of Hit Songs. We’ll start with classic
songs and work our way to current Hits.
 SHOOK ME ALL NIGHT LONG - AC/DC
Hit Song Structure
Tempo 125 BPM

:30 @ 1:02 Song Length 3:30

! ! Pre
! ! Pre ! !
Intro
Verse
Chorus
Chorus
Verse
Chorus
Chorus
Gtr Solo
Outro

16-Bars 12-Bars 4-Bars 8-Bars 12-Bars 4-Bars 8-Bars 16-Bars 24-Bars

FAST FACTS About Hit Song Information

“Shook Me All Night Long” !
! US Billboard Hot 100 #35
Written by Young, Young and Johnson !
! No. 10 on VH1's list of "The 100 Greatest
Tempo: 125 BPM Songs of the 80s"
! !
Time Signature: 4/4 Back in Black Album 26m+ sales
! !
Key Signature: G Major Played at every AC/DC concert
! !
Length: 3:30 Released August 19, 1980
! !
Intro Length: 30 seconds Youtube Link: Shook Me All Night Long
!
!
Hit song structure analysis performed by totalcontrolaudio.com
 LIVIN’ ON A PRAYER - Bon Jovi
Hit Song Structure
Tempo 122 BPM

:38 @ 1:25 sec Song Length 4:10

! ! ! ! ! !
Pre Pre
Intro
Verse
Chorus
Chorus
Verse
Chorus
Chorus
Solo
Outro (fade)

8-
16-Bars 16-Bars 16-Bars 16-Bars 8-Bars 16-Bars 9-Bars 20-Bars
Bars

FAST FACTS About Hit Song Information

“Livin’ On A Prayer” !
! !
Written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, Billboard Hot 100, #1 Hit Song for 4 weeks
Desmond Child !
! Top five on 12 charts around the world
Tempo: 122 BPM !
! Slippery When Wet album has sold 28m+
Time Signature: 4/4 !
! Released October 31, 1986
Key Signature: E minor !
! Youtube Link: Livin’ On a Prayer
Length: 4:10 (Album) & 4:47 (Full Version) !
! !
Intro Length: 38 seconds

Hit song structure analysis performed by totalcontrolaudio.com

 SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT - Nirvana
Hit Song Structure
Tempo 115 BPM

:16 @ :57 sec Song Length 4:30

! ! ! ! ! ! !
Pre Pre Pre
Intro
Verse
Chorus
Chorus
Verse
Chorus
Chorus
Solo
Verse
Chorus
Outro

8-Bars 12-Bars 8-Bars 16-Bars 12-Bars 8-Bars 16-Bars 8-Bars 12-Bars 8-Bars 16-Bars

FAST FACTS About Hit Song Information

“Smells Like Teen Spirit” !
! US Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks: #1
Written by Cobain, Novoselic, and Grohl !
! Nominated for two Grammy
Tempo: 115 BPM !
! Sold over 2 million copies
Time Signature: 4/4 !
! Released September 10, 1991
Key Signature: F minor !
! Youtube Link: Smells Like Teen Spirit
Length: 4:30 (Single Version) !
! !
Intro Length: 11 seconds

Hit song structure analysis performed by totalcontrolaudio.com

 LIVIN’ LA VIDA LOCA - Ricky Martin
Hit Song Structure
Tempo 178 BPM

:11 @ :53 sec Song Length 3:59

! ! ! ! !
Pre Pre Pre
Intro
Verse
Chorus
Chorus
Verse
Chorus
Chorus
Chorus
Outro

8-Bars 20-Bars 10-Bars 28-Bars 8-Bars 10-Bars 28-Bars 10-Bars 55-Bars

FAST FACTS About Hit Song Information

“Livin’ La Vida Loca” !
! !
Written by Luis Gómez Escolar, Desmond Billboard Hot 100, #1 Hit Song for 5 weeks
Child, Draco Rosa !
! #1 on 20 charts around the world
Tempo: 178 BPM !
! Sold over 8 million copies
Time Signature: 4/4 !
! Released March 23, 1999
Key Signature: C# minor !
! Youtube Link: Livin’ La Vida Loco
Length: 3:59 !
! !
Intro Length: 11 seconds

Hit song structure analysis performed by totalcontrolaudio.com

 LIVE LIKE YOU WERE DYING - Tim McGraw
Hit Song Structure
Tempo 80 BPM

:24 @ 1:05 sec ! Song Length 4:28

! ! ! ! !
Pre Pre Bridg Outro
Intro
Verse
Chorus
Chorus
Verse
Chorus
Chorus

e

8-Bars 16-Bars 5-Bars 14-Bars 16-Bars 5-Bars 11-Bars 6-Bars 24-Bars

FAST FACTS About Hit Song Information

“Live Like You Were Dying” !
! Billboard Country charts #1 seven weeks
Written by Tim Nichols and Craig Wiseman !
! Billboard’s #1 Country song 2004
Tempo: 80 BPM !
! ACM Single & Song of the Year, NSAI Song
Time Signature: 4/4 of The Year and CMA Song of the Year, and
! Grammy Best Male Country Performance
Key Signature: G Major
! !
Length: 4:21 (Radio) & 4:58 (Album) Released June 7, 2004
! !
Intro Length: 24 seconds Youtube Link: Live Like You Were Dying
!
!
Hit song structure analysis performed by totalcontrolaudio.com
 EMPIRE STATE OF MIND - Jay Z
Hit Song Structure
Tempo 86 BPM

:11 @ :55 sec Song Length

! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
Pre Pre Pre
Intro
Verse
Chorus
Verse
Chorus
Verse
Chorus
Bridge
Outro

4-Bars 14-Bars 2-Bars 10-Bars 14-Bars 2-Bars 10-Bars 14-Bars 2-Bars 10-Bars 6-Bars 10-Bars

FAST FACTS About Hit Song Information

“Empire State of Mind” !
! US Billboard Hot 100, Rap, R&B: #1
Written by Hunte, Keys, Shuckburgh, Keyes, !
Sewell-Ulepic, Carter, Robinson Grammy, Best Rap Song
! !
Tempo: 86 BPM Sold over 5 million copies in the US
! !
Time Signature: 4/4 Released October 20, 2009
! !
Key Signature: E Major Youtube Link: Empire State of Mind
! !
Length: 4:34 !
!
Intro Length: 11 seconds

Hit song structure analysis performed by totalcontrolaudio.com

 FIREWORK - Katy Perry
Hit Song Structure
Tempo 124 BPM

:08 @ :54 sec Song Length 3:44

! ! ! ! ! !
Pre Pre
Intro
Verse
Chorus
Chorus
Verse
Chorus
Chorus
Bridge
Outro

8-
4-Bars 16-Bars 16-Bars 16-Bars 8-Bars 16-Bars 8-Bars 24-Bars
Bars

FAST FACTS About Hit Song Information

“Firework” !
! !
Written by Katy Perry, Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Billboard Hot 100, #1 Hit Song in 2010 and
Erik Hermansen, Sandy Wilhelm, Ester Dean 2011
! !
Tempo: 124 BPM Top five on 20 charts around the world
! !
Time Signature: 4/4 Sold over 10 million copies in the US
! !
Key Signature: Ab Major Released November 24, 2010
! !
Length: 3:44 Youtube Link: Firework
! !
Intro Length: 7.7 seconds !
Hit song structure analysis performed by totalcontrolaudio.com
 GANGNAM STYLE - Psy
Hit Song Structure
Tempo 132 BPM

:14 @ :1:07 Song Length 3:39

! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
Intro
Verse
Pre Chorus
Chorus
Verse
Pre Chorus
Chorus
Bridge
Outro

8-Bars 16-Bars 13-Bars 16-Bars 16-Bars 13-Bars 16-Bars 8-Bars 11-Bars

FAST FACTS About Hit Song Information

“Gangnam Style” !
! !
Written by Park Jae-Sang, Yoo Gun-Hyung #1 Hit Song on 35 charts globally
! !
Tempo: 132 BPM 1.8 billion Youtube views
! !
Time Signature: 4/4 Sold over 4.5 million copies in the US
! !
Key Signature: G minor Released August 14, 2012
! !
Length: 3:39 Youtube Link: Gangnam Style
! !
Intro Length: 14 seconds !

Hit song structure analysis performed by totalcontrolaudio.com

 DIAMONDS - Rihanna
Hit Song Structure
Tempo 92 BPM

:11 @ :52 sec Song Length 3:45

! ! ! ! ! !
Pre Pre
Intro
Verse
Chorus
Chorus
Verse
Cho Chorus
Bridge
Outro

8-
4-Bars 8-Bars 16-Bars 8-Bars 4-Bars 16-Bars 4-Bars 16-Bars
Bars

FAST FACTS About Hit Song Information

“Diamonds” !
! !
Written by Sia Furler, Benjamin Levin, Mikkel #1 on 23 Charts around the world
S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen !
! Top five on 36 charts around the world
Tempo: 92 BPM !
! Sold over 7.5 million copies worldwide
Time Signature: 4/4 !
! Released September 27, 2012
Key Signature: B minor !
! Youtube Link: Diamonds
Length: 3:45 !
! !
Intro Length: 11 seconds

Hit song structure analysis performed by totalcontrolaudio.com

 THAT’S MY KIND OF NIGHT - Luke Bryan
Hit Song Structure
Tempo 110 BPM

!
:08 @ :35 sec Song Length 3:10
!
! ! ! ! ! !
Pre Pre
Intro
Verse
Chorus
Verse
Chorus
Bridge
Outro

4-Bars 10-Bars 2-Bars 15-Bars 10-Bars 2-Bars 15-Bars 8-Bars 19-Bars

FAST FACTS About Hit Song Information

“That’s My Kind of Night” !
! US Billboard Hot Country Songs: #1
Written by Dallas Davidson, Chris DeStefano, !
Thomas Walker, and Ashley Gorley Sold over 1 million copies in the US
! !
Tempo: 110 BPM Released August 5, 2013
! !
Time Signature: 4/4 Youtube Link: That’s My Kind of Night
! !
Key Signature: E Major !
! !
Length: 3:10 !
!
Intro Length: 7.7 seconds

Hit song structure analysis performed by totalcontrolaudio.com

 WRECKING BALL - Miley Cyrus
Hit Song Structure
Tempo 120 BPM

:08 @ :41 sec Song Length 3:32

! ! ! ! ! !
Pre Pre
Intro
Verse
Chorus
Chorus
Verse
Chorus
Chorus
Bridge
Outro

4-Bars 8-Bars 9-Bars 10-Bars 8-Bars 8-Bars 18-Bars 16-Bars 25-Bars

FAST FACTS About Hit Song Information

“Wrecking Ball” !
! !
Written by Gottwald, McDonald, Moccio, !
Skarbek, Walter Billboard Hot 100, #1 Hit Song
! !
Tempo: 120 BPM Released August 25, 2013
! !
Time Signature: 4/4 Youtube Link: Wrecking Ball
! !
Key Signature: D minor !
! !
Length: 3:32 !
! !
Intro Length: 8 seconds

Hit song structure analysis performed by totalcontrolaudio.com

 HACKING
Now What?
5 Steps Toward a Hit
Alright, so we’ve looked at a handful of massive Hits. What can you do with this song structure stuff?
!
Step One: Decide if experimenting with Hit Song structure is for you. If it seems cool then proceed. That’s
easy!
!
Step Two: Pick one Hit Song from this eBook and listen to it while referring to our structure hack. We’ve
include a YouTube link on each song’s page to make it easy for you. When you feel confident in identifying
each section of the song, listen to another one of the Hits and do the same.
!
Step Three: Play the best song you’ve ever written. Listen to the structure. How similar is it to the Hits?
!
Step Four: Use your favorite audio program (i.e. GarageBand, ProTools, Sonar, etc.) drop in one of the Hit
Songs and use our free Songwriter Loop Pack to build a new drum track.
!
Step Five: Delete the Hit Song track. Write a new song using the drum track you built!
 HACKING
Now What?
FIREWORK Example in GarageBand

Watch Ron Wikso’s video demonstration

 Songwriter Resources
ASCAP
BMI
SESAC
HFA
Nashville Songwriter Association International
Berklee Online
SOCAN
National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
Songwriters Guild of America
 Songwriter Tools

Lilac Writer
Hooktheory
Groove3
Chromatik
SoundCloud
Writing Hit Country Lyrics
Inspiration
 “I'm sick to death of people saying we've made 11 albums that sound exactly the same. In fact, we've
made 12 albums that sound exactly the same. It’s just rock and roll. A lot of times we get criticized for it.
A lot of music papers come out with: 'When are they going to stop playing these three chords?' If you
believe you shouldn't play just three chords it's pretty silly on their part. To us, the simpler a song is, the
better, 'cause it's more in line with what the person on the street is.”
!
~ Angus Young5

5. Angus has a band called AC/DC that has sold over 200 million records worldwide.
“My vocation is more in composition really than anything else—building up harmonies using the guitar,
orchestrating the guitar like an army, a guitar army. I always felt if we were going in to do an album,
there should already be a lot of structure already made up so we could get on with that and see what
else happened.”
!
~ Jimmy Page
“I didn't really know what I was doing when I started. I just started writing songs. After two songs I just
continued to explore it. I don't force it. If you don't have an idea and you don't hear anything going over
and over in your head, don't sit down and try to write a song. You know, go mow the lawn.”
!
~ Neil Young
“There’s a lot of craft that goes into achieving a hot song—at the beginning of your career, you’re usually more
inspiration than craft, and you get great when those intersect.”
!
~ Kara DioGuardi6

6. Kara has over fifty Top-40 Hits, 160 million records sold and was an “American Idol” judge.
“I've just really been into melody and lyrics and songwriting. Writing a rap, to me, is easy. I could write
a rap like that. But writing songs and melodies and s**t that's hopefully going to stick around for 30, 40
years is f**king hard. If you have good songs and you're talented, people will eventually come to your
shows, people will buy your music.”
!
~ Kid Rock
“I don't think rock n' roll songwriters should worry about art. I don't think it comes into it. As far as I'm
concerned, Art is just short for Arthur. I look for ambiguity when I'm writing because life is ambiguous.
A painter's got a canvas. The writer's got reams of empty paper. A musician has silence.”
!
~ Keith Richards
 Bonus Material
Hit song structure is not just about what you’re reading in this eBook. There was much
more we wanted to include. We’re busy doing song analysis and building useful tools for
songwriters and recording musicians.Yes, we specialize in drum loops, but we’re about
writing memorable songs.

!

If you’re not on our email list, please sign up here. We give away useful stuff.

!

And, since you’ve read all the way to the end of this book, we have some bonus drum
loops for you!

!

www.totalcontrolaudio.com/bonus/
!

www.totalcontrolaudio.com/multitrack-drums/

Copyright 2014. All Rights Reserved. Total Control Audio, LLC | Contact us at totalcontrolaudio@gmail.com
Hit song structure analysis performed by totalcontrolaudio.com
Now go write a memorable song!