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Your Most Successful Song


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Hey Gang

 

Most indies don’t do much post-analysis but it is definitely something that I would encourage.

 

So, a few quick questions:

 

Which song would you say is your most successful song (by whatever measurement you choose). 

 

Why that song? What things made the difference… in your opinion, but even better if you have stats that support it.

 

Is there anything more you could realistically have done?

 

Please post a link to the song!

 

Cheers

 

John

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It was 20 years ago, I was so new to home music production I didn't know what vsti was and thought acid DJ was the most amazing program ever. I was submitting unofficial remixes of Bjork to the defunct Bjork Remix website run by a Japanese fan with servers. 

I did a mix of the instrumental Frosti and ended up being contacted by the guy who made the plates for the music box she used on Vespertine. He was looking for people to contribute to an Americana record featuring music box plates. It was actually a bit scary because I was still so green and extremely aware of the fact.

I guess that could be considered a success. My remix did chart well on the fan site.

Of course it was all totally non kosher and the site got shut down by the label after someone decided to throw a Bjork remix website party in NY. It did help me learn how to start making my own songs 

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1 hour ago, Tonedead said:

It was 20 years ago, I was so new to home music production I didn't know what vsti ....

What a fun start! 

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With school over, career starting and all the things of new home life, I had become more of a music lover instead of actively being involved or working on my own music.  Then, one day a lyric popped out that I knew had to be set to music and produced.  But how?? We had moved and lived in a different state from most of our buds that played music. 

 

So.. we setup a home studio using ProTools. Wow, we were ready.  Doug (who sings and plays guitar and bass) and I went to work.  It took us awhile to learn the basics and finish a recording. Now we needed a professional review and mix.  The first studio we went to, Doug had helped build.  We got immediate response and a very valued set of critique and opinions. But we needed more work.  So that's what we did.  Next mix was so much better.  We went to another studio, no connections there.  Walked in and handed off a CD.  With some effort, we convinced the owner of the studio to listen to it.  He took it to his office and in a few came back and told us he had given it to the engineer.  He had assumed it was a mp3 file and instead it was a large wav file that he couldn't load up.  The Engineer called him and said song was worth a listen.  So we thanked him and he set a time for us to come back and talk.  

 

Long story shortened up, owner had recently converted his studio to include ProTools and he liked us. He gave us tons of time. We recorded the vocal tracks there, and worked to final mix. He set us up with a guy that had a mastering studio and he too, really went out of his way to help us. 

 

We did all the song's legals, art etc. for CD packaging, ordered posters and started contacting specific people/venues that we thought would be interested in the song. Tons of foot work etc.  but song was established. It still has it's time ..for the venue type ... and has definitely been the most successful song I've written.

9 hours ago, john said:

What things made the difference

People.  We couldn't have done it without all the help from those that took interest.  

Motivation. Could have given up at any point along the way but we just kept pushing.

Passion. I wanted this song to be heard.

Guts. Stepping out so far you wonder if it's too far.

9 hours ago, john said:

Is there anything more you could realistically have done?

Probably.

Promotion and Marketing. Our online presence and marketing were pretty much nonexistent and an afterthought. "Just put it out there, people will find it and love it". That was a huge mistake! 

 

 

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I tried a CD release back in....I think it was 2004. 2 people bought it. I was awful at self promotion and really felt like I had started too late to go for a music career. I'm at the 'f it' stage of my life and it's therapeutic fun to knock around a bit and share a track. Actually found a remixed version of a club style track I did what seems a lifetime ago, floating around on youtube. It was a total noob track and it put a grin on my face knowing someone out there got enough kick to remix it. I have to say I value my freedom of not being tied to any particular style based on some past monetary success. I know that sounds BS,but I used to DJ locally before the Bjork website stuff and it was fun at first,til I landed a job with a local pro outfit and got into a rut of having to play the same damn songs to the same damn crowd every weekend. I made some money,but it kind of sucked the fun out of one of the things I loved most. That's how I ended up in a bedroom tinkering around on a computer discovering the new technology and making my own songs 

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9 hours ago, Tonedead said:

I tried a CD release back in....I think it was 2004. 2 people bought it.

 

Just pulling this out

 

One of the things working for us with the physical CD moving was at specific events it was given to those attending .. it was a good arrangement and recurring.

When CD's were really popular it was cool to hear multiple vehicles playing our song leaving the parking.  Haha.. 

 

Being with Cdbaby it is also available everywhere and sales trickle in. 

 

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9 hours ago, Tonedead said:

It was 20 years ago

... today, Sgt Pepper taught the band to play!   :) 

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  • 5 weeks later...
On 5/21/2022 at 11:18 AM, john said:

 

 

Which song would you say is your most successful song (by whatever measurement you choose). 

After more than 55 years of songwriting, that's a difficult question to answer. As I've had no significant commercial success with my music, it's tempting to choose the song that I consider to be my best effort with regard to the craft of songwriting to be the most successful, but I'll go with a more objective assessment from another source. 

On 5/21/2022 at 11:18 AM, john said:

 

Why that song? What things made the difference… in your opinion, but even better if you have stats that support it.

In the early 1990s National Public Radio began the process of creating a show that was to feature independent musical artists (the term "Indie Artists" hadn't yet caught on) who were unsigned by the major record companies. NPR put out word on the air and through various music publications that they were seeking new music for a program to be entitled "Unheard Of" and asking for submissions by artists/bands who fit that description. As a result I submitted a song (on a cassette tape) I had just written and recorded called 'Keep That Monkey Tied Up'.  

 

Much to my surprise and delight, I subsequently received a letter from the producer of "Unheard Of" telling me that my song had been selected to air on the program's first show. After several months of waiting and not hearing anything more about "Unheard Of", I wrote to the show's producer to ask about its status. About a week later I received a call from the producer who explained that unfortunately the program had been scrapped. He did mention that the first show had actually been recorded but would not air. He expressed his regrets about the show not being picked up, mentioned that he thought my song was a standout and hoped I'd have some success with it. 

 

Of course I was disappointed that the show was not happening, but I was encouraged by the producer's words, and a few years later I created my first home produced CD album (with CD-writing Corel software on my Windows 95 computer) featuring 'Keep That Monkey Tied Up' along with ten other original songs. 

On 5/21/2022 at 11:18 AM, john said:

 

Is there anything more you could realistically have done?

At that time, there weren't nearly as many resources for independent artists to promote their music as there are today. I also had a day job that was very demanding and time consuming, so a move to a music center like New York, Los Angeles, or Nashville was out of the question where I might have had a breakthrough was never realistically going to happen. 

On 5/21/2022 at 11:18 AM, john said:

 

Please post a link to the song!

Here it is:  https://soundcloud.com/walt-leuzinger/keep-that-monkey-tied-up-41820-1117-am

 

On 5/21/2022 at 11:18 AM, john said:

 

 

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@Reginald Bigsby a great breakdown. I appreciate you exploring what success meant and the relevance of stats. :) 

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I must say before answering to this topic, I haven't released a LOT of music like some of the other posters here. Just FYI. Speaking objectively from a career-life POV, I've two songs that come to mind.

 

Fading Colours (2020)

 

When it comes to numbers & metrics, I guess this song would be the most successful. 

 

image.png

 

I released it during the pandemic. It wasn't a release like my earlier ones that was studio produced & worked on for months & years. It was an acoustic ballad with subtle strings & piano that I recorded with my dying Macbook Pro 2012 before it actually did. Funny how that happens. 

 

 

Sleep (unreleased, partially released, 2016)

 

This is the most popular song as far as my career is concerned and the most consequential in terms of what it meant for my career's growth. In 2015/16, I performed a lullaby I'd recently written called Sleep in a friend's gathering. Someone recorded the video of it and it went locally viral on Facebook. This opened up great opportunities & connections that has allowed me to sustain myself as a full time professional indie musician today. Funnily enough, it wasn't even an actual release but a random recording captured on a phone. 

 

 

 

I have released multiple versions of the song since then but haven't yet settled on an official version. :D 

 

This one's a live version on Sofar Sounds  

 

 

 

 

This is an early version of it with string arrangements: 

 

 

 

No surprises to me that this song is also the most collaborated on. I've performed this song with over 15 guest artists in different forms over the time of its existence. From fellow band members to once in a life time opportunity with Jazz legends - this song has seen many things with me. Cuz of which I'm grateful and also why I think it is worthy of being included here.

 

Interesting topic John! 

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 6/22/2022 at 6:48 AM, Reginald Bigsby said:

'Keep That Monkey Tied Up'

 

A really slick/professional sound 👍

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On 6/24/2022 at 2:49 AM, Mahesh said:

Fading Colours (2020)

 

A lovely song in your signature style that explains the large number of streams.

 

PS. I'll have whatever THIS guy is having ...

image.png.75c760c164fc2d0fb908f335ba477660.png   :) 

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On 5/22/2022 at 1:18 AM, john said:

Which song would you say is your most successful song

 

Hi John.  You didn't supply any answer to your own question?

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My tie for most 'listens' are ...

 

image.png.de1693fe36a6965a5b32c33d48f947df.png

 

... but I'm highly sceptical as these are both instrumentals and both had their highest numbers via Tik-Tok. So, even if real, I take no satisfaction for 'success' as I don't regard Tik-Tok as a platform for music lovers!

 

By comparison, with less than 2000 streams/views, "Old Love" is the one for which I've received the most 'appreciation' from family, friends and strangers alike.  Oddly, it was my least try-hard in every aspect of writing, structure, performance and production.

 

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  • 1 month later...
On 7/9/2022 at 11:56 PM, GregB said:

My tie for most 'listens' are ...

 

image.png.de1693fe36a6965a5b32c33d48f947df.png

 

... but I'm highly sceptical as these are both instrumentals and both had their highest numbers via Tik-Tok. So, even if real, I take no satisfaction for 'success' as I don't regard Tik-Tok as a platform for music lovers!

 

By comparison, with less than 2000 streams/views, "Old Love" is the one for which I've received the most 'appreciation' from family, friends and strangers alike.  Oddly, it was my least try-hard in every aspect of writing, structure, performance and production.

 

 


If that's your "least try-hard effort", then I suggest you're trying too hard most of the time. 😁  It's a beautiful song with a wonderful melody and chord progression, and one that in no way sounds like it was just an afterthought or throwaway. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Of the songs I wrote, an instrumental ditty called Manic (Funky Dory, Fists of Funk, 2007) was selected as a title/ID track for a CBC radio show, which lasted a couple of years.  That's the most I've ever received in royalties.  I was the trumpet player in the band at that time too. I wrote two tracks on that album.  The album itself wasn't a great seller, or award winning.

 

More popular, but I was just a side musician, would be something by a band called Hey Rosetta!.  I played on one of their albums as a trumpet player, and the album was popular in Canada. I wouldn't know what track that I played on would be most successful, but it would certainly be more successful than any other album I've had a part in.

 

I have played on other albums which have had some local popularity.

 

I did produce (not write), a track for the Newfoundland and Labrador Summer Games, which would have been heard by quite a lot of people. It was never released as a single or anything, but did get some air play on radio and was used at the start of each session of the games.

 

I also produced (not write) a title track for a locally produced news/arts TV show that airs three times a week.  That particular track was used for around 2 years as the opening/closing music.

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  • 2 months later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Well, I don't have any stats, but since we can define a song's "success" for ourselves, I'll define it being personally and/or artistically satisfying/gratifying for me.  I have two songs that stand out for me under that definition.

 

I'm not sure if it's the lyric, or my remembering the funny thing that happened when I was recording the vocals for it -  or some combination of those two things - but no matter how old this song is for me, no matter how many times I have listened to it or what sour mood I may be in when I do listen to it, to this day, when I listen to it again, it always makes me smile, and that's very personally gratifying.  :) 

 

https://www.hobosage.com/psychobitch  WARNING: This one is fairly loud. 

 

 

 

This next song is especially artistically satisfying for me because it is the only song I have ever written in moment while the inspiration for the song was in progress - actually happening.  I happened to have my acoustic guitar with me at the time, and this song came out pretty much complete in short order.  Musically, for me it's also a pretty cool minimalistic, yet fully produced, arrangement.

 

https://www.hobosage.com/go-on-single

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by HoboSage
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I’ve always only posted lyrics and songs here on Songstuff.  My measurement of success has pretty much been how well they were received here and as a lyric writer, whether a lyric ever moved a musician to collaborate with me.   If I measure success by the gratitude I feel, I’d have to say all those collaborations were the most successful.

 

I did go look at my topics to see which had the most views and was a bit surprised to find my lyric collection came in first place.  I haven’t posted to it for a couple of years tho, so it may be time to get it up to date.

 

But what really surprised me was what came in second.  If I Were A Ship, one of my first songs.  I bought a guitar and started playing, I bought pro tools, a mic, and an interface.  I used to sit out back on the patio at night strumming and putting my fingers who knows where to string together chords, if that’s what they were, and i started singing.  One night, after playing enough to have the song down, I managed to get through the whole thing without mistakes, a neighbor I didn’t know and couldn’t see started clapping.  That was it.  My biggest success.  Hearing the applause of a single, impromptu, unknown audience of a stranger coming out of the darkness.  I’ve never wanted to be a performer, and wouldn’t have been if I had known they were listening.

 

In a way, that experience is similar to getting views and responses to posted topics.  I don’t know who reads them, but they took the time to do it.  Some would reply, most didn’t.  I’ll bet none knew they were helping me measure my success.

Edited by McnaughtonPark
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