⇐Home
- Writing
Anatomy of a Hit
Blog
Songwriter's Soapbox - Music & Songwriting Industry
Successful Alumni & Colleagues
Successful Colleagues
-
Cat's Biography
- Contact Cat
Cat on Amazon
@davidcatcohen
Anatomy of a Hit™
Cat Cohen's Hit Song Analysis -
Cat analyses the top hits of each year dating back to 1999, reviewing the hits and delves into their anatomy to explain how they are structured and why they are today's hits (and may continue to be hits well into the future).
Ed Sheeran—Castle On The Hill
Castle On The Hill” is a skillfully written, imagery laden, and powerfully sung folk-pop ode to coming of age in the English countryside.
Bruno Mars—Versace On The Floor
Versace On The Floor” is an impeccably written, artfully sung neo-R&B-pop sexy romantic ballad laden with sophisticated sensual imagery and memorable uplifting music.
Justin Timberlake—Can't Stop The Feeling
“Can’t Stop The Feeling” is one of happiest, best put-together pop-dance recordings on the charts in a long while.
The Chainsmokers feat. Halsey—Closer
A hip sexy song about two ex-lovers hooking up spontaneously after spending a long time apart.
The Weeknd—Can't Feel Your Face
“Can’t Feel my Face” is a well-written and flawlessly produced energetic disco-funk dance hit from R&B newcomer The Weeknd.
Adele—Hello
“Hello” is a well-crafted and produced emotional recording that shows Adele is back stronger in voice and more expressive than ever.
Meghan Trainor—All About That Bass
A high-spirited bubble gum pop recording with a playful message of self-acceptance hidden in its frivolity.
John Legend—All Of Me
John Legend’s most positive love song to date, one that evokes the beauty, sensuousness, and passion of romantic love.
Magic—Rude
“Rude” is an excellent reggae-pop recording by a uniquely gifted underground Canadian group with its contemporary sound and lyrics
Sam Smith—Stay With Me
Smith delivers a classic expressive soulful song about unrequited love.
One Direction—Story Of My Life
“The Story Of My Life” is a sad passionate song of about the end of a deeply felt love relationship.
Robin Thicke feat. Pharrell Williams—Blurred Lines
Robin Thicke’s "Blurred Lines” was the controversial party hit of summer 2013.
Demi Lovato—Heart Attack
Lovato’s high-voltage electro-pop hit is a state of the art intense and emotional expression of a young woman struggling not to fall in love.
Pink feat. Nate Ruess—Just Give Me A Reason
Pink and Nate Ruess (lead singer of “Fun”) team up in this classy pop-rock love ballad.
Lorde—Royals
Royals,” an edgy teen feminist anthem, is one of the most refreshingly original songs of the year.
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Mary Lambert—Same Love
“Same Love” is a soulful sung-rap recording that makes a strong civil rights case for same sex couples and marriage equality.
Bruno Mars—When I Was Your Man
Bruno Mars sings an expressive straightforward self-confessional pop ballad about romantic regret.
Train—DRIVE BY
An emotional song expressing regret after a romantic breakup.
Mumford & Sons—I Will Wait
A quirky, idealistic folk-rock song paying tribute to a relationship in a style reminiscent of traditional folk music updated for a contemporary audience.
Kacey Musgraves—Merry Go 'Round
Relative newcomer Musgraves has a winning social commentary country-pop hit on her hands
Kelly Clarkson—Stronger
An empowering anthem to finding the strength to recover from a failed romantic relationship.
Frank Ocean—Thinkin Bout You
A unabashedly romantic sweet soul ballad about the tender vulnerable feelings of young love.
fun. featuring Janelle Monae—We Are Young
A quirky indie power pop ode to the young urban night owl life style.
Flo Rida—Wild Ones
A celebratory song of adventurous spirits looking to connect for a wild night of romantic-sexual connection
LADY GAGA—BORN THIS WAY
Lady G’s supposed gay anthem is more about herself than the group she purports to represent.
Maroon V/Christina Aguilera—Moves like Jagger
A refreshing burst of playful sexy disco-pop that perfectly showcases two of today’s top recording stars.
Adele—Someone Like You
Adele’s powerful emotionally sorrowful song delivers her straight from the gut soulful style and performance while it crosses many pop genres.
Katy Perry/Snoop Dogg—California Gurls
2010’s hot dance groove hit ala Prince with an updated ode to California Dreaming, Surf City, and Hot Fun In The Summertime all rolled into one.
Eminem/Rihanna—Love The Way You Lie
A sung-rap conflicted plight of a couple who hurt each other as much as they love one another.
Lady Antebellum—Need You Now
A poignant country ballad about needing to remedy one’s late night loneliness.
Melissa Lambert—The House That Built Me
A touching nostalgic song about revisiting one’s childhood home and reliving many of the memories that it brings up.
Carrie Underwood—Cowboy Casanova
Carrie Underwood outdoes herself with this sassy uptempo country rocker about a cowboy too hot to handle.
Owl City—Fireflies
Owl City offers up a refreshingly new youthful electronica sound with an intelligent earth friendly message.
Lady Gaga—Just Dance
Lady Gaga delivers a hot fun campy trip that grabs and keeps the dancer and dance music listener from start to finish.
Beyoncé—Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)
Beyonce releases yet another lively single dance hit that goes all the way to the Grammys.
Michael Jackson—This Is It
A release from the late Michael Jackson archives shows how his writing and singing are still relevant some twenty-five years after this was originally recorded.
Leona Lewis—Bleeding Love
A powerfully soulful and emotional hurt love song that catapulted Leona Lewis to the top of the charts.
Katy Perry—I Kissed A Girl
Katy Perry’s rebellious cutting edge record about testing the waters of same sex affection.
Sara Bareilles—Love Song
On many levels Sara Bareilles delivers one of the best contemporary love songs of the past few years.
Read Why the song
Love Song
is a hit →
Love Song
is a hit →
Taylor Swift—Love Story
Taylor Swift’s song of young romantic desire twists the tragedy of the Shakespeare play Romeo and Juliet with a fairytale ending.
Plain White T's—Hey There Delilah
Plain White T’s uniquely written song of college romance has the intimate personal quality of a love letter.
Alicia Keys—No One
Alicia Keys blockbuster hit that many young (and not so young) couples may make their own special love song.
Amy Winehouse—Rehab
Britain’s bad girl takes us on a retro journey to a detox center with lots of attitude in this modern lounge lizard classic.
Mary J Blige—Be Without You
Mary J Blige sings her heart and soul out on this R&B classic song about staying with her man.
Nelly Furtado With Timbaland—Promiscuous
Nelly Furtado hip hops her way to a dance hit with clever lascivious playfulness and attitude.
Ne-yo—So Sick
Ne-Yo shows that not only can he write hits for others, he can do the same for himself with this romantic lament.
Brad Paisley—The World
In this uptempo country-rocker Brad Paisley values the woman in his life even if the rest of the world doesn’t see how special sh
Rascal Flatts—What Hurts The Most
This sad lament of lost love propelled Rascal Flatts to the top of the country charts and launched their career for good.
James Blunt—You're Beautiful
A simple touching song from a refreshing if one-hit wonder.
Green Day—Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Green Day releases a haunting record that dominates the charts and Grammy Awards in 2005 for good reasons.
Kelly Clarkson—Since U Been Gone
Kelly Clarkson sings young adult angst the way it needs to be expressed, honestly and with just enough edgy attitude that we really feel the chip on her shoulder, all her hurt and disappointment.
Mariah Carey—We Belong Together
Mariah Carey outdoes all her past performances with this hip written, styled, and phrased song of romantic regret.
Usher—Burn
Usher confesses truly from the heart and soul about the conflict of his emotions in one of his tortured love relationships.
Evanescence—My Immortal
Evanescence's moody teen angst recording hits the pop charts with its dark expressive classical rock music and somber theatrical lyrics.
Gretchen Wilson—Redneck Woman
Gretchen Wilson launched her career with this anthem-like hit for all rebellious country woman who refuse to be the southern belle stereotype, yee-haw!
Beyonce—Crazy in Love
Beyonce excites dance audiences with her playfully seductive and compelling case for being out of control over her current love interest.
Toby Keith—I Love This Bar
Toby Keith records a joyful rowdy ode to barroom customers everywhere complete with crowd noises and a colorful cast of characters.
Dido—White Flag
Dido takes her arty lyrics with attitude to a new commercial level with this determined to get over it love song.
Avril Lavigne—Complicated
Avril Lavigne turned this well written song into a breakthrough hit that crossed a touch of youthful punky attitude with middle of the pop.
Norah Jones—Don't Know Why
Norah Jones smashes her way onto the pop charts with this out of left field jazzy hit.
Eminem—Lose Yourself
Eminem takes the rap genre into a new crossover direction with this gripping and revealing story he recorded for a film.
Alan Jackson—Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning)
In the wake of 9/11 this song was perhaps the most memorable and straightforward.
Train—Drops Of Jupiter (Tell Me)
Train's abstract arty and catchy initial hit broke many rules yet established this rock group's presence on the charts for some time.
Craig David—Fill Me In
Craig David takes his cutting edge house/jungle music meets R&B to the pop charts with this playful love romp.
Pink—Get The Party Started
Pink's classic party with attitude dance hit that propelled her to stardom.
Faith Hill—Breathe
Faith Hill's soft sexy ballad successfully crosses from country to pop and greatly expands her audience.
Macy Gray—I Try
Macy Gray's sassy R&B record updates an older style of soul music and brings it back to the charts.
Sisqo—Incomplete
Sisqo seemed to be just a hot flash in the pan with his "Thong Song", but this ballad of romantic regret shows he can really sing.
Destiny's Child—Say My Name
Destiny Child's cleverly conceived, written and produced dance hit blazes its way to the charts carving out new territory in pop and dance recordings.
Santana (featuring Rob Thomas)—Smooth
This hot flavored sensual dance record was an international hit that expanded Santana's popularity to a new generation of fans.
Ricky Martin—Living La Vida Loca
Ricky Martin's blockbuster dance hit successfully crossed over salsa and 60s rock to launch the first wave of the "Latin Invasion" of pop at the end of the 90s.