Most important element of a song

[Miz_ai]

i tend to chose based on composers and singers first ^^;;
then melody and beat, whether they both fit together or not, then the lyric ^^

that " it ain't worth a thing if it ain't got that swing" actually really a legend song of swing jazz!! XD love swing genre! i think swing's the best genre to accompany in good mood

[SecondBass]

It depends!

It depends on the song:

If the song is highly lyrical then the lyrics matter most - Elvis Costello and Squeeze the lyrics tended to have it;

If the song is melodic then the melody;

If the song is rhythmic then the beat;

If there is a great bass-line, it's the bass;

It depends on the Singer;
It depends on the musicianship;
It depends on my mood;
It depends on what I'm doing;

It depends!

[ArtsWom]

The music will always catch my attention first, but for a song to become a true fave of mine it will always depend on the lyrics.

[wtwt5237]

I prefer the melody. It's the most important part of a song, which contains much more information than lyrics. Lyrics is kind of a very lowly form of literature.

[ses]

If we are talking pop/rock music – the first thing I notice is – do they like what they play and sing? If I think so I began to listen, and for me the singer is quite important. Take Emmelou Harris, every song she sings, she makes her own song, so even this small country songs I can enjoy.
Ella Fitzgerald is a fantastic singer, I enjoy much of her interprets. But is she a singer? In a way she is the best saxophone singer/player I know, so she is more a member of the band. Ellington called her, when he need this sound in his orchestra, and he get what he wanted.
You remember the 3 tenors in Rome? Well great songs and music, but with no joy - at least for me. It was money in the pocket, no more than that.
Music matters and need love and affection, as the wonderful Joan Armatrading sing. So for me the statement “Love and Affection” is important in every music making.

[wtwt5237]

Do you believe a prolific pop song writer can give love and affection to every one of his/her songs. Of course some of the songs are just for fun and no more than that. For the others,IMO if a song writer's affection and skill are distributed among too many songs, their values are consequently small.

[Contratrombone64]

I hate that the word SONG has been stolen by those ignoramuses at Apple and is being used as a generic term for a piece of music. How many songs are you my iPod ... not many, but thousands of pieces of music.

But ... in answer to the original question ... for me a song is a whole package: words, lyrics and tempo; so if they all work for me then I'll generally enjoy the song.

[toejamfootball]

Melody.. Usually the Bass... I dont really like Rock music if the Bass isnt melodic.

[chriscento]

Hi,

I will see first lyrics and then melody.

Regards,
Honey

[Crash2991]

I usually go for the instrumentation first. Sometimes, or at least how I see it, the music itself can tell the meaning rather than the lyrics.

Matters how you see it.

[LYMster]

It depends... if its a song... then it has to be the lyrics... because many great songs are ruined by lousy lyrics..

if its a score... it has to be flow and pace. Its sad when the intro says one thing and the chorus becomes the most popular and the ending has absolutely no conncetion with the piece... The story flow must feel right...

IMHO

[methodistgirl]

I will have to say that the most element of a song has to have soul and
a good tempo. That's rare it seems in today's music. If I was to compose
a song even though I don't have that talent, I would have to put my heart
and soul in the music and lyrics. I have had tunes to pop into my head
now and then where I just had to write it down guitar music style with
lyrics. Take the one I just did. The tune popped into my head along with
the Lord's Prayer and I had to write it down before I could go to sleep or
I would have been up all night thinking about it with a strong urge to
write it down or stay awake. Right now that is my comment.
judy tooley

[lyrica]

Obviously the artists voice and the songs beat both play a massive part....but strong, moving lyrics really make a song for me.
If you hear soemthing that you can really relate to or are moved by then then sometimes weak vocals can be forgiven or gto unnoticed....