Catchy Songs Sell

[lennonisgod]

IRS is way better than Better for this line alone

"I had my dogs on  yooooouu ooooo ooooooh    eckkkahhhhh ahhhh ahhhhh ahhhhhh"[/b]


Betters Guitar Tone is Very Irritating to the Ears.

I want whatever you smoked to hear that.

lmao that line cracked me up man.

i dunno i mean, i want quality songs, cause catchy ones can be too repetative and annoying

So you want songs that aren't "catchy"  You want a bunch of songs that won't get stuck in your head or that you won't even remember after you listen to them??  Hmmmm... that's a new outlook.  I want fucking catchy\quality songs.  Writing good melodies is about making a song CATCHY. Sweet Child O' Mine is a catchy song and has a great melody.  Do you think Sweet Child is REPETITIVE and annoying??

[W. Adam S]

Ive got better loaded on to the sound system in my pub and out of the 3 new songs Ive had on there people seem to like it the most.

[freedom78]

IRS is way better than Better for this line alone

"I had my dogs on  yooooouu ooooo ooooooh    eckkkahhhhh ahhhh ahhhhh ahhhhhh"[/b]


Betters Guitar Tone is Very Irritating to the Ears.

I want whatever you smoked to hear that.

lmao that line cracked me up man.

i dunno i mean, i want quality songs, cause catchy ones can be too repetative and annoying

So you want songs that aren't "catchy"  You want a bunch of songs that won't get stuck in your head or that you won't even remember after you listen to them??  Hmmmm... that's a new outlook.  I want fucking catchy\quality songs.  Writing good melodies is about making a song CATCHY. Sweet Child O' Mine is a catchy song and has a great melody.  Do you think Sweet Child is REPETITIVE and annoying??

I think the point is that catchy songs aren't always good songs.  Look at most big artists today...the music world is full of poppy, sing along, catchy shit.  And, most of it is terrible.  I'm not saying good songs can't be catchy (The Beatles?)...just that most artists nowadays use catchy as a replacement for quality. 

The most "catchy" GNR moment (IMO) is the chorus of Paradise City.  It rhymes, everyone knows it, and people who don't listen to a bit of GNR will sing along.  It's a catchy chorus on an otherwise uncatchy song.  Can casual fans sing the verses?  Most likely, the can't.  But they love that chorus.  The verses on SCOM are also catchy, and easy to sing for the casual fan. 

But, overall, GNR doesn't strike me as a band that won people over by being catchy.  They kind of beat you into submission, really, with the quality of their music.  IRS has a catchy chorus, and is probably the most catchy moment I've heard on any of the leaks or from live performances.  I don't think that's bad...GNR doesn't use catchy as a substitute for quality.     

[lennonisgod]

IRS is way better than Better for this line alone

"I had my dogs on  yooooouu ooooo ooooooh    eckkkahhhhh ahhhh ahhhhh ahhhhhh"[/b]


Betters Guitar Tone is Very Irritating to the Ears.

I want whatever you smoked to hear that.

lmao that line cracked me up man.

i dunno i mean, i want quality songs, cause catchy ones can be too repetative and annoying

So you want songs that aren't "catchy"  You want a bunch of songs that won't get stuck in your head or that you won't even remember after you listen to them??  Hmmmm... that's a new outlook.  I want fucking catchy\quality songs.  Writing good melodies is about making a song CATCHY. Sweet Child O' Mine is a catchy song and has a great melody.  Do you think Sweet Child is REPETITIVE and annoying??

I think the point is that catchy songs aren't always good songs.  Look at most big artists today...the music world is full of poppy, sing along, catchy shit.  And, most of it is terrible.  I'm not saying good songs can't be catchy (The Beatles?)...just that most artists nowadays use catchy as a replacement for quality. 

The most "catchy" GNR moment (IMO) is the chorus of Paradise City.  It rhymes, everyone knows it, and people who don't listen to a bit of GNR will sing along.  It's a catchy chorus on an otherwise uncatchy song.  Can casual fans sing the verses?  Most likely, the can't.  But they love that chorus.  The verses on SCOM are also catchy, and easy to sing for the casual fan. 

But, overall, GNR doesn't strike me as a band that won people over by being catchy.  They kind of beat you into submission, really, with the quality of their music.  IRS has a catchy chorus, and is probably the most catchy moment I've heard on any of the leaks or from live performances.  I don't think that's bad...GNR doesn't use catchy as a substitute for quality.     

But let's not forget that most of the shitty, "catchy", sing-a-long songs that are released today are released by bands that suck themselves.  I think that most of Guns N' Roses songs are catchy.  I've been listening to mostly the new songs as of late and after I listen to them I always have one of them stuck in my head for the rest of the day.  My ex-girlfriend would always have Better stuck in her head after she heard it. 

I just don't think it's fair to assume that because a song is "catchy" that it isn't any good based on what other bands are releasing today.  As you mentioned... The Beatles have arguably the most catchy songs ever written by any band and MOST people would say that they are all pretty awesome.  If GN'R starts releasing a bunch of songs without decent song structure and good hooks\melodies, then it's not going to get them anywhere.  Songs without melodies are BORING to most people.  I can't listen to bands that can't write decent melodies.  That is one of the best things that Axl does... writes great melodies that DRAW PEOPLE IN. 

The songs on this album are going to be "catchy" songs whether some of you like it or not.  That's what GN'R does.  I don't know why anybody would want less than that??  I for one don't want to be bored with Chinese Democracy after only a few listens and if the songs aren't catchy that's exactly what would happen... unless you are just an easily impressed, boring ass human being.

[novemberparadise23]

i think better is very catchy , but not in a sell out kind of way because it mixes a hard rock sound with just catchy elements

[freedom78]

But let's not forget that most of the shitty, "catchy", sing-a-long songs that are released today are released by bands that suck themselves.  I think that most of Guns N' Roses songs are catchy.  I've been listening to mostly the new songs as of late and after I listen to them I always have one of them stuck in my head for the rest of the day.  My ex-girlfriend would always have Better stuck in her head after she heard it. 

I just don't think it's fair to assume that because a song is "catchy" that it isn't any good based on what other bands are releasing today.  As you mentioned... The Beatles have arguably the most catchy songs ever written by any band and MOST people would say that they are all pretty awesome.  If GN'R starts releasing a bunch of songs without decent song structure and good hooks\melodies, then it's not going to get them anywhere.  Songs without melodies are BORING to most people.  I can't listen to bands that can't write decent melodies.  That is one of the best things that Axl does... writes great melodies that DRAW PEOPLE IN. 

The songs on this album are going to be "catchy" songs whether some of you like it or not.  That's what GN'R does.  I don't know why anybody would want less than that??  I for one don't want to be bored with Chinese Democracy after only a few listens and if the songs aren't catchy that's exactly what would happen... unless you are just an easily impressed, boring ass human being.

You make some good points.  I think the main problem is that we all have different definitions of "catchy."  Your definition seems to be based on good melodies, and that's valid.  A melody can get stuck in your head.  What often gets stuck in my head is a rhyming, sing songy verse or chorus (whether it's a good one or not). 

I think most artists these days rely on a song being catchy (my definition) as a crutch...because they aren't capable of writing quality songs and melodies (your definition).  I have NO problem with songs that meet your definition of catchy.  I don't have a big problem with songs that meet mine either.  It's songs that ONLY meet my definition, and don't go any further, that I dislike.  A catchy chorus or verse is fine, if it's attached to strong musicianship and songwriting.  Usually, it's not.  When GNR is catchy, it's also a great song.  I love the guitar solo in SCOM, for example, and that song is catchy as hell (your def. AND mine!).  But people like Britney et. al. who write (do they even write their songs?) these sing-a-long songs have nothing going for them other than "catchy," which is probably why image becomes so important, too. 

GNR isn't about catchy, to me.  It's about great songwriting and, if it happens to be catchy, too, then that's fine.