Pardon the oversimplification, but people tend to respond to songs three ways – emotionally, intellectually, physically.  Or, to put it another way, with their Heart, Head, and Body.  All connected, of course.  But I notice that songwriters can tend to focus more on the heart (feeling) and head (lyrics, musical twists) and sometimes forget about the body (rhythm).  But listeners often respond most strongly from the areas below the chest!

What would it mean to better balance this equation, to give more weight to the ‘physical’ side of things?

I’m not saying every song needs to have a big beat, but most songs that work (and certainly most hit songs) have a strong and steady rhythm.  This comes in two parts.

First, the rhythmic feel is ‘baked-in’ – it’s in the writing.  Even played at its simplest, in a good song you usually feel a rhythmic pull – the way the melody moves against the chord pattern or bass line embodies it and moves the listener.

(For example, if you’ve ever heard a good solo performance of Billie Jean or Smells Like Teen Spirit or You Can’t Take That Away From Me, you’ll know what I mean.  The groove is there, written into the song, even without the production or the band.)

Secondly it’s in the performance – or recording, as the case may be.  A canny songwriter recognizes the importance of a steady rhythm, with or without drums, in the performance of most songs (sometimes this is even more important without drums or percussion).  Giving the listener a steady rhythmic undercurrent that pulls them in usually goes a long way towards putting a song across.

Too often this gets neglected in a performance, because of technical shortcomings or in favor of ‘excitement’ or ‘being in the moment’.  But few things are more exciting than letting a good song build at a steady tempo, without rushing or dragging the tempo.  Try this, if I you haven’t already!  It may seem weird and counter-intuitive at first… but it really works.

Most recordings, particularly successful ones (both commercially and artistically), utilize this steadiness.  Although it may not be the first thing you think of, paying more attention to creating a solid rhythmic groove at a steady tempo when performing or recording your songs could be one of the best investments you’ll ever make.