The pop songs you love might feel so catchy they’re magic, but their ability to get stuck in your head isn’t fairy dust and sparkles: it’s melodic math. Music researchers use melodic math to refer to a set of songwriting tools that prolific producer Max Martin has been implementing since the late 1990s. (You know, peak pop: Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, NSYNC.)
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While Martin might not use this specific term himself, he’s certainly mastered the tenets that go along with it. The Swedish record producer beat John Lennon and Beatles producer George Martin for most No. 1 singles, coming in second only to Paul McCartney for the world record.
Even if you don’t know the name Max Martin, you’ve definitely heard his music. Let’s break down the mathematics behind this hit-making machinery.
The Melodic Math Approach To Pop Songs
Max Martin began collaborating with pop giants in the 1990s while working with Cheiron Studios in Stockholm. He helped produce the Backstreet Boys’ eponymous 1996 album before moving on to other musical giants like Celine Dion and fast-rising pop star Britney Spears. Since the start of the new millennium, Martin has worked with chart-topping pop artists like Pink, Avril Lavigne, Katy Perry, Usher, Jessie J, Taylor Swift, and Ariana Grande. One need not be a massive pop fan to find at least one song in these artists’ discographies that you would tap your feet to. And the ones that make you tap your toes more than likely have Martin’s hands on them.
Pop music researcher Asaf Peres analyzed Martin’s extensive list of hits to create the Top40 Theory, which helps quantify what makes a pop hit, well, a hit. Despite what the name “melodic math” implies, these quantifiers cover melody, arrangement, instrumentation, and lyrical content.
First, the melody: Martin prioritizes symmetry and cohesion with the lyrics. Syllables in the lyrics should counter the number of notes in the melody, and that melody should mirror the lyrical content if possible. “I think he cares the most about how the different melodies in the song interact with each other and with other elements of the song,” Peres explained to Music Business Worldwide. “How do I give my strongest hook the most real estate without overdoing it and boring the listener? How do I make it easy for the listener to memorize these melodies, and how do I create strong contrasts?”
Peres found that Martin also likes to use a “glue hook, which is the lyrical counterpart of the melodic preview. He will use the same lyric in different sections to create a sense of familiarity and catchiness.”
These Songs Never Keep You Waiting
Pop music is a lot like a bag of your favorite chips. The food is fast, easy, and offers quick satisfaction. This no-wait-time quality can make these foods even more addicting, and pop music is no different. A great pop song won’t leave you waiting or make you work for it, per Max Martin’s “melodic math” principles. That leaves a listener itching to start the song over and hear it again. According to Martin, his technique of placing a chorus, the catchiest part of a song, within the first 50 seconds of a song comes from dance clubs.
In a 2022 interview, Martin described working with producer Denniz Pop after Pop cut his teeth as a club DJ. Pop noticed that if people didn’t instantly know what the next song playing was, those few seconds of hesitation might deter them from the dance floor as they look for another drink, the bathroom, etc. “The whole thing,” Martin explained, “was to keep them on the floor.” Thus, most of Martin’s pop hits get to their first chorus before the first-minute mark. The song doesn’t leave you waiting, which is incredibly gratifying as a listener.
Similarly to how the “glue hook” helps ease the listener through the musical journey, Martin has perfected his technique of incorporating one new musical element at a time to introduce it to the audience before moving on. All these little tips and tricks don’t guarantee a hit, but with Martin at the helm, there’s a significantly higher chance a song will become one.
Don’t believe us? Just try not to sing the opening notes to “…Baby One More Time.” Martin wrote that decades ago, but that melodic math keeps the melody rattling in your head years later.
Photo by Jim Smeal/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
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