What are the characteristics that usually make you love a song so much and make it stay in your memory forever?
Personally, I like songs that are musically proven to me in terms of notes and I know that the songwriters of those songs knew how to use the notes.
For example this song:

or

or

Most of the songs produced today don't have this characteristic and aren't on my playlist. I'd almost say most of them. The further we go, the less this feature becomes apparent.
What qualities are important to you and why do you feel those qualities are so important?

 

Last edited by a moderator: Jul 6, 2025

I like songs that taste good. Chewy songs, not crunchy ones.


(I know where this is going.)

 

BBC is truly a master at selecting these types of songs.

 

You said something interesting. You've noticed that some foods no longer taste the same as the ones we used to eat? Either their ingredients have changed or the way they are made. When something's time is up, it's not made the same way again. Tastes change and new things are produced that don't taste like the old ones.

 

Indeed, carry on

 

good luck

 

Each of us has priorities in making music and follow them. I stated my main priority. Everyone is free to have any priority that may come into conflict mine. But some facts cannot be downplayed by linking them to subjectivism. Subjectivism doesn't work well in many cases, and the power of facts is much greater than that. Anyways ...

 

Somehow, since I first heard New Orders True Faith it stuck with me and has been among my top 3 favorite songs.
Hard to say what ticks my boxes. I like the lyrics, the sounds. I especially like the drumkit, Sumners voice... and it's in a minor key.
As good music usually is.

 

So, you have an objective theory of music.
Continue.

 

+ An objective taste

 

It was beautiful. I liked the last part from 3':45" onwards, when the music takes over.

 

What are the criteria of your objective taste?

 

i love all sorts of music. From y2k pop to experimental glitch, jazz to trap, early 1900's cylinder recordings to death metal, literally everything. My favorite however, is bass music, a wide reaching sub-genre of edm. Im very picky with it though. Id say my second favorite genre is 1950's / 60's exotica as well as easy listening from the same era.

Heres some modernish songs i find inspiring, starting with two from Bibio, which are likely two of my all time favorite songs.

I guess this band, Maribou State is one of favorites, as i was their number 1 fan on spotify wrapped lol, with something stupid like 10,000 streams in a year (i swear im ok and have a life)

Assorted bass music, dnb adjacent and bass music adjacent artist.

favorite exotica adjacent and easy listening. Yma Sumac is an all time favorite, so much so that ive acquired something like 30 copies of various vinyl of her's including many duplicates. Any time i see one in the wild i buy it, just in case one of mine gets a scratch lol.

Esquivel, one of the greatest.

this song is one of those melodies you speak of. its contested as to where it actually originated, supposedly written by Eden Ahbez, but somebody claimed he stole the melody. Many famous musicians of the time recorded versions of nature boy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uTCfLuFOxg&ab_channel=Esquivel-Topic

Heres a version sung by Nat King Cole, also great.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iq0XJCJ1Srw&list=RDIq0XJCJ1Srw&start_radio=1&ab_channel=HugoMarques

The Mystic Moods Orchestra is easily one of my all time favorites. Incredible blend of easy listening and found sound recordings. The backstory is great :

Brad Miller was born in Burbank, California, and had developed an interest in railroading in his teens. After a few years of hanging around railyards and learning all the lore of steam and diesel engines, he decided to record the sounds of some of the last steam locomotives operating on a major rail line. Eventually, around 1958, he and his friend, Jim Connella, formed a company called Mobile Fidelity Records and started cutting records from these field recordings, which they released through railroading magazines and model train shows. Sound effects recording was quite the rage at the dawn of stereo, and one of these albums of train sounds was even reviewed favorably in High Fidelity magazine. A few years later, Ernie McDaniel of San Francisco radio station KFOG decided to put one of Miller's albums, Steam Railroading Under Thundering Skies, and an easy listening album, on separate turntables and broadcast them together. His late-night stunt produced a barrage of listener phone calls (most of which were positive), much to his surprise. He later related the episode to Miller, who was inspired by the idea.

While working with arranger Don Ralke, Miller recorded a series of tunes, most of them Ralke originals, played by a string-laden orchestra, then mixed in a variety of environmental sounds he had collected. He took several months fine-tuning the blend, then cut a deal with Philips to release it under the title of One Stormy Night, credited to the Mystic Moods Orchestra.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fL...=1&t=178s&ab_channel=GustavoMoralesBattaglini

 

Last edited: Jul 7, 2025

Seriously, Foster? For fucks sake, another "working with notes" troll-account...

Ain't that truth... OMG

 

When words leave off, music begins.
Heinrich Heine

Where words fail, music speaks.
Hans Christian Andersen

Music is the mediator between the spiritual and the sensual life.
Ludwig van Beethoven

 

For me (as one with no idea about the theory), a song essentially consists of four elements
1. music
2. lyrics
3. musical interpretation
4. vocal interpretation

All of these together determine whether I like a song or not.
From that point of view, I don't like any of the songs you've listed.

The first two songs didn't mean anything to me in terms of the music so that I clicked it away after a few seconds. I didn't even feel like listening to the lyrics.
I almost liked Heart of Glass, but I think Cyrus' vocal interpretation is just bad. Lousy voice (strained roaring into the mic)

 

Both Sides Now

 

I like the song 'Let's Call The Whole Thing Off'. I've always wondered how the writer presented the lyrics to the record company.

You say either, I say either
You say neither and I say neither
Either, either, neither, neither
You like potato and I like potato
You like tomato and I like tomato
Potato, potato, tomato, tomato

'OK Mr. Gershwin, we'll let you know....'

 

Oh, by the way... I forgot to put a very informative warning a generous member here made. Don't remember who was it, so please don't be shy and take your credit if you see this

 

Last edited: Jul 7, 2025