What about a song captivates you the most?

[AHXtreme42]

So, I've been involved with music for a while - either playing it or listening to it, and I guess I want to do a mini experiment on the RB.com forums, regarding the attraction of certain songs and how it varies with different people.

So, the question is:
What about a song captivates you the most?
What about a song catches your ear? What about a song will make you like it? I'll provide some options, as well as 'Other' if Other, speak for a bit about what exactly it is that grabs your attention! I tried hard to avoid "cop-out" answers like "a bit of everything" or "the music". Essentially, if multiple factors influence you (and this is probably the case for everyone) try to focus on what has the most weight in your decision process. Likewise, this treats all songs as equal. So options such as "artist loyalty" or "genre" aren't included. Here are the created options:

1.) The Intro - When you like a song, you know it from the start. It could be a cool intro, the first note or chord, or a great beat from a cool kit. When the song starts well, you know you're gonna like it.

2.) The End - The last note of a song is how people will remember your performance, a theory goes. If a song ends with style, it seals the deal for you and it makes it to your favorites.

3.) The Chorus - Love catchy songs? You can probably thank a great chorus for that. Since the chorus gets repeated multiple times in most cases, a great chorus will result in a catchy song that you're gonna love and remember for a long time.

4.) The Message - For you, a song isn't great unless it delivers a powerful message through its lyrics. When you truly 'listen' to the song, and hear and comprehend what someone is singing or rapping about, it can strike a chord with you and become a song you love.

5.) The Vocals - Not the same as the lyrics. With the voice, you might not care what someone is saying, but it's how they can sing! If a song has great instrument performance, but has a terrible singer - the song still isn't for you. Likewise, if a song has iffy instrument parts, but the singer can really belt out some fantastic stuff in a 2 part harmony, it still has potential to be one of your favorites!

6.) Advanced Musicality - Opposite of the lyrics. You might not even care what the message is. You also might not care if there are vocals at all! But if a group or artist can showoff their advanced musical talents. Crazy guitar solos, advanced drum patterns in 7/8 or 5/4, use of dissonance and resolution, accelerandos, decrescendos. The more musical terms used, and less "mainstream" a song is, the more you like it. Think along the lines of Progressive Rock bands like Rush, Yes, Liquid Tension Experiment/Dream Theater, etc.

7.) The Beat - The bassist and drummer are the glue that holds a band together. When applied to other genres, a beat created by a drum kit, turntable, or composing software is the foundation of a song. If the beat rocks, the song rocks. Catch yourself saying "this beat is SICK!"? This might be the option for you!

8.) Popularity - Although not itself a musical element, a songs popularity does in fact have weight on people. Songs you know by heart, that you can sing to in the car easily, that get played at parties or clubs all the time. The "hot" songs, those are the ones you like. You combine the social elements of popularity with the musical elements of a song to determine if it's hot, or not.

9.) Other - Have something different than what's listed? Make a post and tell us what!

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So fill out your vote, and feel free to discuss your reasoning and some examples! Enjoy!

[MrFruitLord]

Everything save Number 8.

[Runesmith]

Interesting songwriting.

Everything else is secondary.

[thedoorsdk]

I enjoy different things from different bands, so it's hard to pick just one or two from that category. I guess as long as a band does a few of those things really well I'll be interested in them.
For example, I really don't care what the 'message' in a Yes song is. More important to me in Yes' work is the instrumentation and the vocals (the lyrics come into this, since they're written and sung more for the sound than the actual meaning). And come to think of it, just about every Yes song has an amazing intro and ending.
When I'm listening to Rush I'm a little more concerned with the message, a little less so about the vocals, and about the same in instrumentation. I also tend to pay more attention to the choruses and the beat, though I feel that fits in more with instrumentation.
For a more song-focused band like, say, Drive-By Truckers, I'm mostly focusing on the 'message' or story of the lyrics. How these lyrics are sung is important, but honesty and feeling is more important than technical quality (same with instrumentation).

That was a very long-winded way of saying: It depends.

[neckermanncj]

Everything save Number 8.

yeah

[Evilbottom]

I voted for The Intro just because some of my favorite songs have really catchy and memorable riffs for the intro, but beyond that it does matter about pretty much a combination of everything, minus the popularity.

[synthesizedpiano]

Musicality is a big part of it for me, but I care more if a song is unique or interesting and complex. Lyrics and Popularity never affect me though, because I don't pay attention to lyrics.

[afterstasis]

songwriting, atmosphere, originality, and emotional resonance.

[Oscar-Rio]

atmosphere, uniqueness, originality and emotion.

[Fragory123]

It's usually the emotion expressed through the music for me. Although, skilled instrumentation always plays a big part,