Songwriter Advisor Blog

Dear Friends,

The “Tune Sleuth” newsletter was recently discontinued in order to devote more time and energy to this blog, thus giving everyone more value for their readership. 

Tune Sleuth investigations will definitely always continue to be an integral part of this organization because you, the readers, have demanded it.  Thanks!

The following Tune Sleuth investigation was initially released on the “Tune Sleuth” newsletter in November 2008.  Enjoy!

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American Boy, sung by Estelle featuring Kanye West, is the subject of this “Tune Sleuth” investigation.
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Here’s the full report from the Tune Sleuth’s desk files:

Enjoy!

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…………………….Tune Sleuth
 

   After receiving a confidential informant’s report that “American Boy” by Estelle was a song unlike anything out there on the charts in the current pop music world, I was intrigued and left with no choice but to investigate further to see if it could benefit our readers:

My findings will be based partly on facts and a lot of objectivity and subjectivity, and those songs found in violation will be subject to the full extent of songwriting law!

As a free song reference, I can click virtually anywhere and audition either the promotional video or hear the audio file. For this song, I payed for and downloaded the single from Amazon.com.  

************ I always try to lead by example when it comes to preserving copyright laws, so I can only provide a few lines at a time for educational purposes only.  Luckily, most artist web sites provide lyrics as a courtesy for their fans.  So grab or write down the lyrics and follow along:  

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                           “American Boy”
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Writers:
will.i.am
Estelle
Kanye West

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To conduct my investigation, first I’ll run the song through the song checklist found at:
http://www.songwriteradvisor.com/songwriting-checklist.html
I will then point out good techniques used as well as possible flaws in the song’s construction.

Most importantly, at the conclusion I’ll list all the cool techniques we can all apply to improve our songwriting.

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1. Song Title
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The song title was used at the end of each verse and chorus as well as at the end of Estelle’s breakdown before the last chorus.

Notice the title itself is unique enough to naturally draw much anticipation and attention every time it appears.

The title is also constructed with an adjective, “American “followed by a noun, “Boy.”

I can immediately think of a few potential titles with this method:

Crazy Ways………..I might use it for a  (Country) song
Silent Touch………”       “           ” (Rock) ”
Foolish Lies………”       “           ” (R&B)
Useless Words……..”       “           ” (Pop)

I wrote the “genres” so you can see my personal idea of the type of song which popped into my head based on the titles. Obviously, everyone would have a different opinion on what type of song to write based on the titles because all of us have different perspectives and influences!             
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2. Song Form
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The song form used in this one is:  rap-chorus-verse-chorus-verse-chorus-rap-breakdown-chorus

Wow! The writers appear to have just gone completely by “feel” in determining this song form.

The song form chosen here is but one of the ingredients used to make this song terrificly original, so take note!  This is a great example of taking the common verse-chorus form and twisting it to the feel of the song with absolute success.           
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3. Hook/Chorus
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The hook/chorus stands out as we anticipate Estelle singing the words “American Boy” at the end of every verse and chorus.  Placing the song’s title as a hook at the end of each verse has become common in today’s pop songwriting.  Ne-Yo’s “Closer” is a great example of this method.

“American Boy” uses a really cool, jazzy 4 bar sequence throughout the entirem song to give it an added contemporary feel.  Try the same sequence or a variation, or transpose it to a different key:

Emaj7  -  Cmaj7  -  Am7  -  Fmaj7
                   
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4. The Verses
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The song starts out with a cool rap by Kanye West instead of the usual verse, immediately grabbing your attention with the lines, “Just another one champion sound me and Estelle about to get down.”  Notice in these lines we’re told what’s happening and what’s about to happen, two ideas to hold our curiosity!

You can use this concept in the first verse of a new song  in the first two lines, i.e.,
Your ways are making me lose my grip (what’s happening)
Reality’s about to strike me again(what’s about to happen)
After the first chorus, Estelle breaks into the actual 1st verse and keeps the 1st and 2nd verse fairly consistent until the end of the 2nd verse where she uses “staggered” phrasing on the lines, “Walkin that walk, Talk that slick talk.”  to make those lines stand out.   
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5. The Rap
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Kanye West takes us on a journey in the middle of the song with an extended rap.  As long as the section is, he keeps it interesting because of his amazing talent in varying his phrasing and calling attention to lines such as, “And you thought he was cute before. Look at this P Coat, Tell me he’s broke,” and “And
I’m feelin like Mike at his Baddest. The Pips at they Gladys.”

This is proof positive you may need to get a very talented rapper to write parts for your song in order to be this effective!
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6. Point of View
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The writers successfully used “first person narrative” while focusing on Estelle saying, “Take ME on a trip…”     
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7. Rewrite
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I guarantee this song was rewritten and polished.  There are no wasted words, and the words are extremely hip and “cutting edge.”
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Verdict
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This song strays from the predictable norm we’re used to hearing in pop music today, and it does so with success!  I for one get sick and tired of hearing the same music on my car radio speakers; almost every song in each genre sounds the same!

The writers and producer of this song deserve a standing ovation for daring to be different.  This is my pick for the most memorable pop song by a female in 2008, so far!
           

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Lessons Learned                             
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Here are techniques and cool tips we’ve learned from this song to improve our songwriting:
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1.  Use the song title as a hook at the end of your verses, at the end of your choruses, and at the end of a bridge or breakdown.

2.  To create a two-word song title, use an adjective followed by a noun, i.e., Crazy (adjective) Ways (noun)

3.  You can use a rap to open your song instead of a first verse, follow it with the chorus, then with a normally sung first verse.

4.  Take a simple verse-chorus song form and twist the heck out of it every once in a while!

5.  Use an interesting four chord sequence for an entire song.

6.  Use the following concept during your first two lines of the first verse to keep the listener interested:
a.  What’s happening
b.  What’s about to happen

7.  Pick out a line or two in the 2nd verse and stagger the phrasing to bring attention to those lines as Estelle did when she sang,”Walkin that walk, Talk that slick talk.”