more how artist write videos

The title of the thread should probably be changed, if possible, to songs specific to the 1989 album. And it should probably be changed so that it's not specific to Taylor Swift, but dance/pop songs in general at present.

Her more country-pop songs have plenty of melodic movement.

I'm not a big fan of any of her music, but have followed her music after one of the guys in the worship band I used to to do live sound engineering for gained huge internet fandom and eventually got a deal with Sony records, covering her songs at first and then writing his own. That guy is Tyler Ward.

She does have a real knack for writing pop tunes and with her success has access to Max Martin, who is the real machine behind dance pop stardom. I suspect he might have encouraged the mono-tone melodic lines prevalent in 1989, which the video hints at, but doesn't come out and say it. Whether it's part of the zeitgeist or not, as the video claims, that's kind of a stretch in my opinion.

Max Martin if from Sweden, and one could just as easily make the argument that the simplicity in the melodies Max writes is influenced by Scandinavian style and culture; which has for many decades been one focused on simplicity.

pghboemike-Great share again! I really enjoyed it. I love the information you've been finding!

rockstar_not-the term "simplicity" is a slippery slope for it can imply "easy to understand OR do."

I would agree that the melodies are easy to understand. To say they are easy "to do" I would disagree with.

I know for a fact those melodies are worked and reworked to death until they are exactly how they intend them to be. There is nothing more or less than is needed.

I do not know for a fact how Max Martin writes melodies. I do know that he has been responsible for countless pop hits over the past couple decades. I did live in Sweden for 6 weeks in 2000, when Darude's "Sandstorm" was taking that country by storm (about a year before it seemed to hit here) and I saw and absorbed many expected and unexpected things while there and working for Saab; living in an apartment and shopping as a local (exactly one brand of hand-dishwashing liquid on the shelves), etc. Simplicity means many things; I mean it in a positive way.

I'm merely making a point that the video presenter's presumption that the reason these monotone melodies that Max writes (that is, single note) are popular today is that are a result of the 'zeitgeist' could easily instead be down to his Swedish heritage, where let's see - I'll use a different term than simplicity....lack of unnecessary decoration, could also be the source. Here's something from the automotive world side of Sweden. Back in 2000, Saab had a button you could push called 'Night Panel' and it blanked out all instrument panel lighting except the speedometer (and perhaps the tach). Just what is necessary, nothing to distract. This is a concept to try to follow when writing, composing and arranging songs.

So, perhaps a poor choice in using the word 'simplicity'.

The monotone note choice for melodies is throughout modern electronic dance music as well; where vocals are not even necessarily in the song. Is that also the zeitgeist making it's way to what is popular? Just listen to the Monstercat, Tiësto, Anunjadeep, etc. podcasts for examples. I listen to about an hour or two of this per month. More than that and I get a little bored, but for that hour I do enjoy it, and it helps pace my 'constitutional' walks.

rockstar_not-Agreed and well said! I hope you didn't take it as I was implying you were wrong in what you said. I was just clarifying my take on it...and I feel we are saying the same thing

I have heard 3 reactions when you say the name Max Martin.
1-I could SO write something THAT stupid. (yeah right!)
2-He is the "G" in OMG!
3-Who?

It's very cool you got to experience that culture!

How interesting!
I hadn't realized that Taylor Swift wrote her own
material. I would have thought there was a well
run production studio creating it. Live and learn.

When you read her list of accomplishments, it is impressive. She's the youngest female singer to date to have written and sung a #1 country hit. And that's just the beginning of her accomplishments.

This is an interesting read: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2357847/bio

She is very talented, no doubt.

By most accounts she is wise beyond her years as a businesswoman, not unlike Tom Petty in protection of rights.

Check out this book if you want to know more about the Swedish sound and Max Martin. They talk all about this topic. I read it last year just to get insight on the biz.

The Song Machine: Inside the Hit Factory

Steve,

I've read part of that one. Guess I need to pull it out and read the rest!

Also, I'm originally from St. Louis.

Cool. I'm a transplant myself. Born and raised in Northwest Illinois (Freeport).

Moved to the IL side of St. Louis nearly 15 years ago.