Read it and weep

Rules ain't dirty

What I did with the students, and what I will do in these coming articles, is analyze the bejeezus out of famous pop songs and show you the rules the pros follow: the cheap tricks, the hacks, the cheats, the formulas, whatever you wanna call it. I like to call it craft.

Professional songwriters are not "artists." They are craftsmen. They know the rules and play by them. I understand this might sound a little icky to a lot of people, but remember this one thing: every song that has made a lasting impact on the career of its performing artist has been carefully crafted to have this exact effect.