Which artist makes the best melodies?

[Doug1978]

Greetings!

I'm trying to expand my knowledge of melody / melodies at the moment, in any genre.
As such, I'd be keen to hear from you astute fellows who your favourite melody makers are.

(And, if you wish, why you think they make the best melodies).


It's not an original choice, but it's a solid one: for me, ABBA make the best melodies.
Hooky, deceptively simple and sung by the two cool, sexy girls (which helps imo!).






Cheers

[fese]

As I also prefer non-trivial but memorable melodies, I suggest that you have a look at the old masters from the so-called "American Songbook": Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Henry Mancini and so on. One can learn a lot from them, they really knew what they were doing.
On the pop side, I am still constantly amazed by the Beatles and the Beach Boys, not only melody, but also harmony- and arrangement-wise and also because they went from relatively simple pop songs at the beginning of their career to most complex but still catchy tunes never heard before in contemporary pop music. And this before they were even 25 years old. An obvious choice, I know, but still the benchmark all successors must be measured against (IMHO).

[ariston]

ABBA's a good choice. Then there's Paul McCartney, who was at his best when his saccharine was offset by Lennon's vitriol.

I think it's a difficult question, though. Some people define a "good" melody as something they can sing along to immediately without knowing the song. Others tend to be dismissive of these, wary of instant gratification because it stinks of commercialism.

Anyway, here's a short list of some of my favourites:

- Frank Zappa. He had an extraordinary command of different styles, and was able to precisely nail what made a melody good and memorable, even when he made fun of it.

- Fran Healy of Travis: like McCartney, he sometimes takes the easy, lazy route, but he's got a great gift for natural melody.

- Peter Gabriel: his melodies have always been very hook-y, even back in Genesis, and usually free of clichés. They are very interesting hybrids, merging soul, vaudeville, African, outright pop and rock into something highly unique (albeit very British). There's always blues in there, but a very stylized, refracted form of blues.

- Eddie Vedder/Pearl Jam: moving into the rock context, these guys are frikkin amazing. While other bands who change their formula tend to resort to big changes in sound and style, Pearl Jam have kept their roots while branching out musically. Their songs are often as complex as the best prog music, but they remain catchy and down-to-earth. A lot of this is due to Vedder, who could sing the phone book and make it interesting, but his (and the other guys') melodies draw from the rich background of 60s and 70s rock and punk music and they never, ever lose sight of that. And while other bands just copy the original formulas, Pearl Jam are definitely Pearl Jam.

- Thom Yorke: he can make difficult material work, by planting his melodies on very solid, highly emotional ground. I'm always like: "how on earth did he find this one note?".

- Carole King. Nuff said.

- Mike Patton: here's another guy who, like Zappa, commands an impressive range. It may not make for the most emotionally satisfying music you'll ever hear, but it is highly impressive.

- Sting: as hard as I find it to like Sting, you gotta admit that the man can write a song. Or rather, he could, once upon a long ago.

- Kate Bush: another case of "where did her gift go?". Her newer albums are painful to listen to for me, because it always feels like I can see the construction instead of the art. The seams, the nuts and bolts of her songwriting are visible, and it wasn't like that back when she churned out effortlessly original melodies like "Running up that Hill" or "Sat in your Lap."

I could go on, but won't, this is too long already. Be interested to hear others' preferences.

[Spiritos]

If you're really serious about exploring melodies and especially modulation you might want to listen to some good old 'Bach'. As someone who takes an interest in Jazz it's practically manditory.

On the more contemporary side I've always felt Tom Waits has an eclectic approach of melodies from blues, jazz, folk, polka to experimental.

[Turello]

Dire Straits - On Every Streets

Genesis - Firth Of Fifth

Radiohead - Paranoid Android

Tool - Schism

Porcupine Tree - The Sound Of Muzak

Marillion - Afraid Of Sunlight

[murnau]

"best melodies".. sorry that is really nonsense.

i would say tchaikovsky and another would say lennon and another would say lady gaga and an.. ahh.. forget it!

ps. either i dont get the point or your topic is misleading me.

[ariston]

"best melodies".. sorry that is really nonsense.

i would say tchaikovsky and another would say lennon and another would say lady gaga and an.. ahh.. forget it!

It's the "why" that's interesting, not the "what". If it were nonsense, then we could stop communicating altogether.

So, why is Tchaikovsky your favourite?

[murnau]

the topic is misleading me.

but anyway.. tchaikovsky?

nahh.. he just created great scores. i can't say best melody because those doesn't exist. it was more an example and he's one of my favourite composers.

you can analyze it in a technical sense but that want help you to understand the inspiration. therfore you can't find the secret behind.

if it would be that easy, we would have algo apps which put out mindblasting melodys in seconds but as we all know this doesn't exist.

[Doug1978]

Thank you Fese, ariston, Spiritos and Turello for your excellent melody / artist suggestions, and also very helpful further comments and advice. I'll certainly follow those up on the internet in the coming hours


And murnau: you're over-thinking this thread. To put it more simply, what are YOUR favourite melodies? And why do you find them so appealing or memorable? I'm sure that you have some.


Cheers fellas, any more favourite melody suggestions and nominations are very welcome.

[monopoli]

Burt Bacharach!

[osiris]

Beatles are amazing. Don't forget the Eagles or Electric Light Orchestra!!
Also a solo Don Henley.

[PurpleCatfishBettie]

schubert

astrud gilberto

kimbra

[debra1rlo]

Picasso

[Sendy]

Wassily Kandinsky

[Frantz]

Typhoid Mary made the best maladies.