You’ll Never Guess Why “Golden” Is Surprisingly Catchy
Whether you’re a fan or not, you would have surely heard of K-Pop Demon Hunters by now. Netflix’s latest movie has taken the world by storm, with multiple songs from the soundtrack gracing the Billboard with their presence. In this article, we’ll discuss the secrets hidden within the melody of “Golden”, and how we as songwriters can apply this knowledge to our own songwriting.
This article is a summarised transcript of our video “The Melody of Golden Is Crazier than You Think!”. Click here to watch the video for more details, explanations and examples.
The Movements of a Melody
Before we can discuss what makes the melody of “Golden” so memorable, we have to understand the different kinds of movements which a melody can make. The main 3 kinds of movements which make up all melodies are as follows:
- Repetition or Pedal notes – This is when the exact same note is repeated immediately after it occurs.
- Steps – This is when a note moves to the next note in the scale, either in an upwards or downwards pattern.
- Leaps – This is when a note jumps over at least one note in the scale, either in an upwards or downwards pattern.
It’s important to note that another important factor to consider is the effect which different intervals can create in a melody. The smallest leap possible is a 3rd, whilst the largest leap possible within a scale is an octave.
Learn how to write memorable melodies for your hooks with our free 30-min masterclass here:
Why Does this Matter?
Now that we know what melodies are composed of, we then have to ask how this knowledge can be applied in terms of songwriting.
In general, the larger the movement of the melody, the more attention grabbing it is. This means that steps will capture more attention than pedal notes, whilst leaps will capture more attention than steps. We also have to take into account the fact that there are leaps of different sizes, which means that larger leaps will capture a listener’s attention more than smaller leaps.
There are no hard and fast rules in songwriting. However it’s generally agreed upon that the key to establishing a memorable melody is to ensure that you have an appropriate balance of both steps and leaps. A melody with too many steps and not enough leaps will often sound boring, and uninteresting. On the other hand, a melody with too many leaps and not enough steps will sound chaotic, and aimless.
How this Applies to Most Songs
Let’s take a look at The Beatles’ classic song, “Let It Be”. Below is an analysis of the song’s chorus chords and melody done using Hooktheory:
Now, here’s that same analysis again, this time with the number of steps and leaps noted, as well as the ratio of steps to leaps:
If you analyse other songs, you’ll find that most of them adhere to a ratio of steps to leaps which is somewhere between 3:1 to 4:1, which means there are more steps than leaps. This is because the steps are meant to function as a sort of “glue” holding the leaps together. Meanwhile, the leaps are the moments which really pop out at a listener. You will rarely find a song in which there’s a ratio of 1:1 ie. there are as many steps as there are leaps.
Why “Golden” Is Different
“Golden” breaks this rule by having the number of leaps outnumber the number of steps. Below is an analysis of the song’s pre-chorus:
Here’s the same analysis again, this time with the number of steps and leaps noted, as well as the ratio of steps to leaps:
This is very rare in the world of songwriting, and it essentially creates a melody which is in a constant state of motion. Since leaps are the parts of a melody which stand out the most, this also means that the melody is constantly grabbing our attention. It’s also interesting to note that unlike most songs, the melody of “Golden” exceeds the range of an octave. As a result, the melody rises in a powerful crescendo which feels extremely impactful.
How this Applies to Your Songwriting
Due to the limitations of our vocal range, most of us are unable to write melodies which exceed an octave or feature huge leaps. However, you shouldn’t let this stop you from writing dynamic melodies. Instead, identify the highest note within the scale which you can reach. Note that this should be the point at which you have to move from your chest to head voice in order to sing.
Then, select notes lower down in the scale to start from. This will provide you headroom to create an ascending melody without straining yourself. The lower down in the melody you start, the more headroom you provide to create leaps in your melody. Once you’ve reached the limit of your vocal range, you can double back down. You could also do the reverse, and start high before descending lower down the scale, then doubling back up.
This constant ascending and descending pattern creates a melody with lots of movement – which is part of what makes “Golden” so memorable.
Conclusion: You’ll Never Guess Why “Golden” Is Surprisingly Catchy
In short, you don’t need to have an extensive vocal range to create melodies like the ones in “Golden”. Instead, when writing your next song, ask yourself questions like “Do I have enough leaps?”, and “What is the ratio of steps to leaps in my melody?”. Then, you too will be able to write melodies which are as catchy and interesting as those in K-Pop Demon Hunters.
If you would like more details, explanations and examples, then be sure to check out the video now.