I was thinking about all the songs that were special to me over the many years and just tried to figure out What made them so special to me?

Was it the melody?
The Lyrics?
The beat
The vocal quality of the singers?

I listed out my favorite groups/singers:

EWF
Sade
Spinners
Prince
Michael Jackson
Macy Gray

And I thought about the songs that were my faves....could I figure out WHY??

EWF-September

Forget the lyrics....the melody, and vocals carry this song to the heavens..

Sade-Maureen

The lyrics, the instrumentation, and understated vocals...maybe the sentiment of the words meant something to me that I have yet to realise, but I find that song among the top 3 of all her songs

Spinners-Mighty Love

The power of the vocals, the melody....I think I am celebrating the quality of the lead singers delivery, the magnificence of his voice, etc....

Prince-When Doves Cry

This is a little more difficult, because in many ways it does not fit the mold of a typical hit song....

I always find myself drawn to the words, moreso than the music or melody, which is certainly not as important....but the driving nature of the beat....even though there it is a drum machine that propels this song also plays a big part in why I love this song

Michael Jackson-Stranger in Moscow

Now, of course, that song is not one of his top hits...but something about the delivery of the words, the sombre nature of his voice, the quirky music and beat take this song for me to the highest level.....I dont even pay attention to the lyrics. although I of course sing along....but the other qualities of the song rise to the forefront..

Macy Gray- I cant wait to meetchu

Now...she sure dont have a great voice....we can probably agree on that...but maybe there is something that forces me to look beyond that....and maybe dwell more on the quirky nature of her music, vocal style, the fun way she writes a song.....for someone who loves EWF, a group which has much more strict structure to their music, I am surprised that I love her so much....but maybe that is what makes music so great???

Have any of you ever sat back and thought about why you had an affinity to your fave artists??

Is there a blueprint to what makes a great song???

So there U have it.....tough to tie it down to one feature....maybe good music encompasses more than one major quality.....
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