Chart Comment:

Oh my goodness....Peter Kay is still there at the top of the UK chart.  And the USA chart just has slight change as usual....how about Justin...eh?

It has been six and a half years since a record that has spent a whopping seven weeks at the top of the singles chart. That was back in December 1998 when Cher's 'Believe' was at the end of an epic run that until now has been unmatched. All that changes this week of course as Tony Christie sits proudly at the top of the pile, seeing off midweek challenges from both Elvis and Snoop Dogg. What I can do is recite the statistic that was used for week ending December 12th 1998 and point out that of the over 1000 records to have topped the UK charts since 1952, only 20 of them have had a longer run at the top than 'Amarillo'. Moving down a run however and it is interesting to note that assuming that this week is 'Amarillo's last week at the top, it will be the 18th single to spend seven weeks (no more, no less) at the summit.

And the download chart is continuing to show it's teeth in being different to the combined UK chart.

Subscriber's Section:

A change this week...I replied to R***** re my 29 differing words theory for Hit lyrics [which is consistently proved to be so right]:

"Thanks a million for that very useful analysis.  May I use it?

You are right, the number 29 is simply an interesting number....meant to convey that 99% of novice writers construct lyrics with words that are too diverse, too numerous....and mostly too complicated and simply boring.

In forcing yourself to re-use fewer, more interesting, words throughout the piece you increase memorability and commercialism....fact!

The great writers understand this and strive to cut down the number of differing words to a minimum.

There has never been a successful 'system' for constructing lyrics or toons.  A lot have tried.  The best system so far is writing from the heart with a unique, hooky title....working much harder on perfecting a line to repeat 8 times rather than 8 differing lines.  Being aware that it is impossible to be over-commercial.

But finally knowing that the 'magic' and fairy dust comes from the performance of the complete vocal arrangement.

Regards

DEC [Cluskey]
dec@makehits.co.uk"

Hi Dec,

Haven't been in touch for a while, hope you are good.  You sound it. And I also agree with many of the testimonials in the last newsletter that you are doing great things for music people.

I want to discuss your 29 words thing. I downloaded a wonderful program for analysing text called "the lingua systems power concordancer" (it's freeware) and got it to do a frequency count of all the words in Britney Spears' Toxic. I then went through the words cutting out the words you refer to as participles.

Before I go on, I fully appreciate the point that commercial songs use as few words as possible.

Now here's what I found:

On an initial count (no filtering of words like it, is, and, etc) there were 82 words.

On the first pass I filtered out the crap words, mostly prepositions and pronouns. This left 49 words.

On pass 2, I filtered words I missed first time, plus verbs that carried little evocative meaning such as feel, know, see. This left 40 words.

I was a little unsure of myself doing this because you definition wasn't very tight so pass 3 is a more ruthless version of pass 2, leaving 33 words.

Now I appreciate that you probably haven't done any detailed statistical analysis of the words in hit songs, so I am going to go on the assumption that 29 words is really an estimate, and that the 33 words of my reduced version of 'toxic' is in the ballpark.

It dawned on me that the ratio of meaningful, evocative, words to useless words might be important in commercial songs. I provide these figures for you below for 'toxic', and I attach the spreadsheet showing how I've filtered the words in case you would like to check (of course I'm hoping you do!)

Total words: 242

Ratio of real words to filler words by count: 66/176 = 3/8 = 0.375

Ratio of discrete real words to discrete filler words: 33/49 = 0.673

I have no suggestion as to an appropriate ratio for a hit song. Maybe it's not important. A proper analysis of the charts would be necessary to determine that.  Does anybody do that? Maybe there's a market for these kind of analyses.....

Well, that's all,

R** S*******

"It is difficult to inspire others to accomplish what you have not been willing to try" 

unknown

Regards

Dec 

You may use any part of this 'One Minute' in your own publications...we simply require you to add:

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'One Minute With Dec' is written each week by Dec Cluskey. Dec's advice?

Get in touch personally to discuss what you want to achieve in music dec@makehits.com

web: www.makehits.com or call +44 (0)1323.728005

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The gags:  [Crude but right?] 

Two alligators sat in the swamp near Washington,  DC.  The smaller one turned to the bigger one and said, "I can't understand how you can be so much bigger 'n me.   We're the same age, we were the  same size as kids.  I just don't get  it." 

"Well,"  said the big 'gator, "what ya been eatin', Boy?"  "Politicians, same's  you," replied the small 'gator.  "Hmm.  Well, where ya catch 'em?"  "Down t'other side the swamp near the  parking' lot, by the Capitol."  "Same here.  Hmm.  How ya  catch 'em?"  "Well, I crawls up under one of 'em's Lexus and  wait for 'em to unlock the car door.  Then I jump out, grab 'em on the leg, shake the shit out 'em, and eat 'em!" 

"Ah!" says the big alligator, "I think I see yer problem.  You ain't gettin' any real nourishment.  See?  By the time you done shaking' the shit out of a politician, there ain't nothing' left but an asshole and a briefcase!"