First: What is it a Hollywood song?
It's that cliché type songs that are put down on typical hollywood movies so the main carachter can sing them. Examples are Moon River to Audrey Hepburn, or Somewhere over the rainbow in the wizard of oz. I give Here the link to that last one so we can analyse the score.
http://pennycook.music.utexas.edu/lisbo ... ainbow.pdf
The song has a very simple and main structure.
Melody Text
M. 1-8 A A
M. 9-16 A B
M. 17-24 B C
M. 24-32 A A
So basically all you have to do is write 8 measures of a theme and a lyric to it. The SAME 8 measures with a second verse.
Then 8 measures in a contrasting tonality and climax to be a bridge, with a 3rd lyric.
Finally we repeat the first 8 measures.
Total: 2 different 8 measures theme. 3 different lyrics. Sounds easy.
Some of these "hollywood songs" sometimes have very simples intros and outros. It's just adding 2 or 3 measures in the beggining or end.
The main Challenge here seems to be:
1. How to get good and catchy melodies that really work and remain unforgetable?
2. How to harmonize them in an effective way?
This 2nd step is what concerns me most. Analysing somewhere over the rainbow I would never remember to put those chords there!!
It's an Eb song, howcome I end up with A07 and Db7(b9) right in the beggining instead of simply having Eb? How can I work out this chords out of nowhere having only a simple melody? Strategies?
Let's see what we can get here. I'll try to make an hollywood song (without lyrics) this weekend and then post it here. I would like you to give hints and try to do the same, It should be fun to see what results we get and discuss them over time. Maybe we end up with great songs!
