The first step in making a hit record is not to try to hard to make one. You see, I have found that some of the biggest hits have not been predictable, stiff, forced or sometimes even planned. In the heyday when Radio was breaking artists, a 3:30 minute track with 2 verses, three choruses, etc. was the expected standard but today, with the Internet becoming king…a “cookie-cutter” track isn’t always required to catch the listeners attention and make them want to hear it over and over again.

Before you can set out to record or produce a “hit” you need to understand what a “hit record” is. I have discovered 7 key characteristics that make up a hit record…today or 20 years ago.

(1) Is your song memorable? Is there some element of it that hits someone deep in their soul.. a lyric, a phrase, a concept, something that they can relate to in their own lives and they share with you something you have felt yourself at some time or another.

(2) A hit is usually structured so that turning points and dynamics ebb and flow i.e. a verse or pre-chorus exploding and releasing into a chorus. This creates excitement and differentiates the sections.

(3) Musically there are “hooks” which can be catchy phrases, melodic rhythm lines, etc. which stick in your head and you find yourself singing.

(4) Does it create an emotion or mood? Does it affect people in any way…make the dance, cry, think etc.

(5) When you listen to it between two other records does it sparkle or pale compared to whats in front of it or after it? Is it special?

(6) Does it make your hair on your arm stand on end when you hear it the first time or little flutters in your stomach?

(7) Would you bet your lives savings on it becoming a hit and will to risk them?

At the end of the day…a hit record takes on a life of it’s own. It transcends style or genre. It is timeless and will be as significant today as next year or in 10 years.