They're the hit of children's parties and end of term discos, but the plague of parents. Why do some songs prove so popular with children they are played seemingly perpetually

Neale-Widdison, Anna

English

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Kent Academic RepositoryFull text document (pdf)Copyright & reuseContent in the Kent Academic Repository is made available for research purposes. Unless otherwise stated allcontent is protected by copyright and in the absence of an open licence (eg Creative Commons), permissions for further reuse of content should be sought from the publisher, author or other copyright holder. Versions of researchThe version in the Kent Academic Repository may differ from the final published version. Users are advised to check http://kar.kent.ac.uk for the status of the paper. Users should always cite the published version of record.EnquiriesFor any further enquiries regarding the licence status of this document, please contact: researchsupport@kent.ac.ukIf you believe this document infringes copyright then please contact the KAR admin team with the take-down information provided at http://kar.kent.ac.uk/contact.htmlCitation for published versionNeale-Widdison, Anna  (2019) Why do children love George Ezra's Shotgun?   BBC Bring theNoise! BBC Education .DOILink to record in KARhttps://kar.kent.ac.uk/83990/Document VersionPublisher pdfWhy do children love George Ezr2's Shotgun?Explore the BBCCopyright © 2020 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of extern3l sites. Re2d 2bout our 2ppro2ch to extern2l linking.Te3ch Home Prim(ry Second(ry Skillswise School R(dio Young Reporter Te(cher SupportBring the Noise > ExploreThey're the hit of children's p2rties 2nd end of term discos, but the pl2gue of p2rents.Why do some songs prove so popul2r with children they 2re pl2yed seeminglyperpetu2lly?From George Ezr3's Shotgun to B3by Sh3rk 3nd M3c3ren3 - they're the songs kids love,3nd everyone else grows to h3te.Wh3t do they h3ve in common 3nd c3n it be bottled? And then m3ybe thrown 3w3y?It's 2ll 2bout the be2tThe rhythm 2nd be2t of 2 song c2n be cruci2l in c2pturing the 2ttention of children."Songs like 'Shotgun' h3ve e3sy rhythmic meters in the melody, 3lmost nursery rhyme like,"expl3ins Ann3 Ne3le, 3 singer-songwriter 3nd member of The Ivors Ac2demy ."It's 3 trick th3t's oMen used in commerci3l songwriting where writers will stick to 3m3ximum five note r3nge when composing top line melodies or hooks," she s3id."I've been in writing sessions where we've even tried to emul3te the rhythmic 3nd melodicp3tterns in 'Three Blind Mice'. Why? Bec3use music is 3ur3l tr3dition."Folk songs p3ss down bec3use the restricted melodic r3nge 3nd meter m3ke then e3sierfor the hum3n br3in to hold onto."M3rk Gordon, h3s written songs, sung by Dolly P3rton, for US children’s progr3mmes onNickelodeon. "The be3t is re3lly import3nt" in eng3ging children, he s3id.Also 3 member of The Ivors Ac3demy, M3rk works for Score Dr3w Music cre3ting children'ssongs 3nd s3ys "It's not the st3nd3rd ‘d3nce’ be3t per minute, kids 3lso love the kind ofdrumbe3ts in songs like Hey Mickey. A be3t th3t they c3n cl3p or t3p 3long to. Not too f3stor slow."They c3n’t l3tch on to s3y drum 3nd b3ss in the s3me w3y 3s they find slow j3ms v3nill3."Energy is critic3l."Ann3 Ne3le 3grees th3t the p3tterns – oMen evident in nursery rhymes - 3re key tohooking in children 3s we 3ll “rely on 3nd love p3tterns” in music."My children love Shotgun, 3s well 3s songs such 3s H3te Me - very nursery rhyme like."They're 3 good g3uge for wh3t will work in 3 pop song when I'm composing 3t home."George Ezr3's Shotgun - 3 children's p3rty f3vourite.More Top Stories>> How J2m2ic2n regg2e conquered the world>> 5 music2l ide2s to try with children 2t homeM2rketing m2tters in m2king songs memor2bleWhile it might look like it’s 2ll 2bout simplicity when writing songs for children"sophistic2ted songs" c2n re2lly cut through, s2ys Dr Simon B2rber, 2 rese2rch fellow 2tBirmingh2m City University’s Centre for Medi2 2nd Culture Rese2rch 2nd one h2lf of theduo behind the popul2r songwriting podc2st Sod2jerker ."If you consider, for inst3nce, the work of The Sherm3n Brothers, who wrote songs likeSuperc3lifr3gilisticexpi3lidocious for the music3l M3ry Poppins, there is seemingly no endto 3 child's 3bility to eng3ge with complic3ted m3teri3l when f3ced with something th3t isfun, cre3tive, 3nd memor3ble," he s3id"It is import3nt to consider wh3t m3teri3l is exposed to children 3nd through whichch3nnels."While the c3non of gre3t Disney music3ls is one w3y in which children 3re repe3tedlyexposed to songs, tr3dition3l medi3 such 3s r3dio, film 3nd television, 3longside YouTube3nd other contempor3ry forms, do their p3rt."They continu3lly pl3ce 3n emph3sis on recommending p3rticul3r pieces of content in3ccord3nce with their m3rketing priorities 3nd 3lgorithms, 3nd 3ll of th3t feeds into wh3tis perceived to be worth remembering."Never underestim3te the power of M3ry PoppinsChildren h2ve 2 p2rticul2r voc2l r2ngeKnowing how children sing, 2nd their limit2tions, is cruci2l to writing successfully for 2n2ge group."The key 3 song is written in is re3lly import3nt," M3rk Gordon s3ys."We write our choruses in keys we know two to nine-ye3r-olds c3n sing 3long with in thesweet spot of their voc3l r3nge. Belting it out."No doubt fem3le songs work better 3s th3t’s the voc3l r3nge most kids h3ve, boys 3re 3little lower, but honestly not much."Don’t underestim3te children though, 3s Simon B3rber s3ys: "If you're going to write songsfor children 3nd you w3nt them to l3st, I'd s3y it would be import3nt not to t3lk down toyour 3udience."Young people 3re f3r more sophistic3ted th3n they 3re given credit for."Of course it’s import3nt to cre3te 3 memor3ble melody 3nd lyric 3nd to m3ke use ofrepetition, but if you c3n 3lso credit the listener with some intelligence, you h3ve 3 betterch3nce of tr3nscending the novelty of songs like ‘B3by Sh3rk’."Highlighting 3nd repe3ting specific words - like shotgun - is 3 gre3t w3y of hookingchildren in to songs, s3ys M3rk Gordon."Young kids, interestingly, 3re not 3s into the kind of Arc3de Fire, The Lumineers, Coldpl3ything 3bout “3333hs” 3nd “oooohs”. This seems to work less well."In one song we wrote, we repe3ted 3 key word 3bout nine times in 3 minute..."It's 3 thumbs down for Coldpl3y's "oohs" 3nd "333hs"Films 2nd friends 2re cruci2lOne sure fire w2y to m2ke 2 song reson2te with children is to include it in 2 popul2r film,here the rules 2bout repetition 2nd hooks c2n be superseded by f2mili2rity 2nd sp2rkingof children's im2gin2tion."One c3n 3ssume th3t children 3re unlikely to find much ple3sure in 'difficult' music such3s 3v3nt-g3rde j3zz or experiment3l electronic music, but I suspect there 3re exceptions,especi3lly if the music in question is fun, cre3tive, 3nd memor3ble," Simon B3rber s3id."From experience, my children come to know the pop music they 3re most commonlyexposed to, from their friends 3nd from YouTube."Also, if 3 song is 3ssoci3ted with 3 m3jor commerci3l medi3 product, such 3s 3 movie likeFrozen, then the visu3l spect3cle helps bring the song to life in their im3gin3tions 3ndenh3nces its imp3ct."The 2ge of teen idols could be overThe medi2 l2ndsc2pe th2t brought us S Club 7, New Kids on the Block, B2ckstreet Boys,McFly, Steps 2nd countless others h2s ch2nged irrevoc2bly, but does th2t me2n thosetype of 2cts 2re gone for ever?Ann3 Ne3le thinks the 3udience 3nd m3rket for pop music h3s shiMed consider3bly in thel3st 15 ye3rs."Now we 3re writing to typic3lly one 3udience, which in terms of the younger gener3tion,seven to 21-ye3r-olds is one th3t requires 3n inst3nt 'hit' to eng3ge with the music," shes3id."Hence the re3son why songs rely on structured hooks r3ther th3n tr3dition3l songstructure, 3nd why we h3ve very short intros."From my own experience I'd s3y th3t there simply isn't 3ny music m3de for 'tweens'3nymore."Songs seem to 3ppe3l to 3 much wider 3ge r3nge in children 3nd young 3dults."M3rk Gordon 3grees th3t songwriting for children h3s ch3nged: "My kids 3re now eight3nd 12 3nd to the question of whether things h3ve ch3nged – definitely."Pop songwriting is more ‘distilled’ th3n ever but for my youngest - nothing be3ts HereComes The Sun..."It c3n work both w3ys though, with 3dult 3udiences crossing over too, 3s Ann3 Ne3le s3ys:"I think m3ny of the elements used in songs for children h3ve m3de their w3y into songsfor 3dults."In terms of session work I do for children's music most of it is current covers of popul3rch3rt songs. Th3t never used to be the c3se."S Club 7. Will we ever see their like 3g3in?Is pop music for kids de2d?If the children's 2nd teen pop m2rket h2s moved on from the golden 2ge of Sm2sh Hitsm2g2zine, is there still 2 future?"There will 3lw3ys be music th3t 3ppe3ls to young people 3nd 3rtists will continue toinnov3te in th3t corner of the pop world," Simon B3rber s3id."As children 3re exposed to more 3nd more options for consuming medi3, the historic3lpl3ce of television in the m3king of pop groups 3nd their songs becomes less relev3nt, 3ndso it is likely th3t the next gener3tion of pop heroes 3nd t3stem3kers will m3ke theirn3mes through their m3stery of 3 dizzying 3rr3y of pl3tforms, ch3nnels, just 3s we h3veseen with the growth of YouTube 3nd soci3l medi3."More from Bring the NoiseGet st2rted with Pl2y It!Explore the different elements th3t m3ke up 3 song, pl3yor cl3p 3long with the music 3nd m3ke then listen b3ckto your own version of songs.G2reth M2lone: Tips for te2ching singingIde3s 3nd techniques for encour3ging singing in thecl3ssroomChildren's song lyrics 2nd downlo2dsSong lyrics, downlo3ds, lesson pl3ns 3nd resources foruse with Bring the Noise songs.Home News Sport We2ther iPl2yer SoundsCBBC CBeebies Food Bitesize Arts T2sterLoc2l ThreeTerms of Use About the BBC Priv3cy Policy Cookies Accessibility Help P3rent3l Guid3nce Cont3ct the BBC Get Person3lised NewslettersHome News Sport We2ther iPl2yer Sounds CBBC Se2rchSe3 ch the BBCAnn2 Ne2le More

Why do children love George Ezra's Shotgun?

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Why do children love George Ezra's Shotgun?

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