Hit Songs Deconstructed - Powerful Analytical Tools for the Music Industry

HSD in the News:

Unparalleled insight into the craft and trends behind today's hit songs.

Utilized by songwriters, producers, publishers, labels, and other music industry professionals, our proprietary data and analysis help subscribers hone their craft, make strategic songwriting and production decisions, spot trends, benchmark songs, and stay ahead of the curve in a fast-changing musical landscape.

The Hit Song Deconstructed Report:
The Inner-Workings of Hit Songs

Our flagship report, The Hit Song Deconstructed Report provides unparalleled insight into the inner-workings of a current chart-topping hit. Leaving no stone unturned, you will learn what makes the song so effective and come away with an array of tools and techniques to help you channel your unique creativity for success.

Each report includes a combination of commentary, charts, graphs, and notation. Among the many areas covered are song structure, energy, genres and influences, instruments and accompaniment, harmony, vocal production and melody, lyrics, rhymes, narrative, Top 10 benchmarking and more.

Each report also features a companion downloadable Logic PRO X Project with the correct meter, tempo and song arrangement displayed as empty MIDI regions for each instrument.

Watch a video overview >>

The IMMERSION Searchable Database:
Analytics You Won't Find Anywhere Else

Updated weekly as songs enter the Billboard Hot 100 Top 10, this robust, fully interactive database houses proprietary data for the compositional characteristics of those songs, as well as related industry data for songwriters, artists, producers and record labels.

Searches include the ability to search for compositional and industry trends, find songs with very specific compositional characteristics, and compare compositional characteristics across songs, songwriters, artists, producers, and record labels.

Every song in the database includes a dedicated page detailing its key compositional characteristics related to genres and influences, lead vocal, lyrics and song structure, as well as other useful information such chart position, links to lyrics, the official video and more.

Watch a video overview >>

Hit Song Deconstructed Videos:
Narrated and Visualized in Logic Pro X

These videos take you on a section-by-section walkthrough – from intro to outro – of the songwriting and production techniques used to craft a chart-topping hit.

Videos are led by Hit Songs Deconstructed co-founder, David Penn, they are approximately one hour long, and each section is visualized with its arrangement in Logic Pro X.

Watch a video overview >>

The Quarterly Trend Report:
A snapshot of Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 Trends

Published on a quarterly basis, this report delivers a concise, data-driven snapshot of Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 compositional and industry trends.

Among the many topics covered are compositional trends such as genres, influences, instruments, tempo, key and song structure characteristics. On the industry side, we cover an array of artist, writer and label trends such as chart performance (staying power, placement, and prominence), single artist vs. featured artists, songwriter/artist collaborations and more.

Watch a video overview >>

What People Are Saying About Hit Songs Deconstructed

“Whether you want to work with the current trends or against them, HSD is a powerful tool in music production strategy.”

Dean Nelson
Director of Music Production, Ontario Institute of Audio Recording Technology

“A new report on hit songwriting trends was published last week and some of its findings are fascinating!”

The Hollywood Reporter

“My entire thought process as a producer, an engineer, a musician, and a songwriter are flushed out in the pages of the HSD reports.”

Prince Charles Alexander
Grammy Award winning producer, audio engineer, recording artist and professor, Music Production and Engineering, Berklee College of Music

“I highly recommend Hit Songs Deconstructed. It is an insightful and detailed description of the craft of writing hit music for today’s music markets. I read it every month to keep sharp, and ahead of the curve.”

David Trotter
Co-Founder, Creative Director, and Producer, Studio 51 Music

“As a Creative Director for a large music publisher, I find the site VERY valuable. I’m a fan.”

Eric Hurt
Creative Director, Universal Music Publishing Group / Brentwood Benson

“You have given songwriters a great new tool, the beauty of which is that it reflects current trends.”

John Braheny
Author of The Craft and Business of Songwriting

“Great work in technically breaking down this song in a way that will help aspiring writers and producers! Keep up the great service!”

James R. Leach Jr.
Vice President, Writer/Publisher Relations/West Coast Operations, SESAC, Inc.

“I love the in-depth charts and explanations. I’m looking to incorporate some of your questions in my A&R style.”

Shalik Berry
Vice President of A&R, Epic Records

“It’s an amazing tool – and one I highly recommend to my students and collaborators throughout the world.”

Jason Blume
Songwriter w/50 million album sales and top-selling author, Billboard Books

“I am honestly blown away by the amount of information you provide on each of these songs, practically like a thesis deserving of a degree. From a songwriting standpoint, so much of this information is so helpful, and the time saving benefits are enormous.”

KC Porter
Grammy winning producer/songwriter/recording artist Carlos Santana, Ricky Martin, Ozomatli, Boyz II Men, Selena

Songwriters, composers, engineers, and producers are utilizing Hit Songs Deconstructed to:

Hone their craft by studying proven current hits.
Continually update their toolbox with the latest writing and production techniques being used in today’s hits as they become available.
Understand WHY today’s hits connect with such a wide audience.
Gain insight into how to successfully channel unique creativity into commercially viable songs.
Develop an instinctual approach to writing songs for mainstream success.
Make more targeted pitches to music libraries and production houses who are looking for current sounding music and/or sound-alike’s for spots.
Give themselves an edge in a very competitive music industry.

Music industry professionals, such as publishers, labels, music libraries, production houses are using Hit Songs Deconstructed to:

Make informed decisions in a fast-paced musical landscape.
Stay ahead of the curve by spotting current, evolving, and waning trends.
Supplement sales, streaming, engagement, and radio airplay data with insight into the compositional trends behind those numbers.
Gain insight into what current hit songs have in common – and what is setting them apart.
Identify the key ingredients that are making current chart-topping songs “tick.”
Improve communication between creative executives / A&R’s and writers.
Quantify gut feelings for hit songwriting trends with factual data.
Benchmark new songs and artists against those with a proven track record.