"Dancing In The Flames," the lead single from The Weeknd’s sixth studio album, Hurry Up Now, was co-written by The Weeknd, Oscar Holter, and Max Martin. This trio of A-list writers also collaborated on several of The Weeknd's Hot 100 top 10 hits, including “Save Your Tears,” “Take My Breath,” and the record-setting “Blinding Lights.”
At the heart of the song is its captivating chorus, embodying all the hallmarks of a hit you'd expect from such a distinguished group of songwriters. However, as is typical with Max Martin’s work, there’s much more beneath the surface.
“Dancing In The Flames’” Melodic Patterns
Like most pop hits, the chorus of “Dancing in the Flames” adheres closely to the K.I.S.S. ME principle (Keep It Simple, Singable, and Memorable), ensuring that listeners can easily connect with and recall the song's primary “hook center.”
Its K.I.S.S. ME qualities include:
- Limited Melodic Range: The melodies reside in a limited melodic range, mainly spanning a perfect fifth.
- Logical Melodic Patterns: The melodic patterns are easy-to-follow.
- Simplistic Motion: The melodies are mainly comprised of stepwise motion and repeated notes with moderate intervallic leaps of a fourth.
- Short lines and phrases: It features short lines consisting of six or seven syllables.
- Simple rhythms: Its rhythms are easy-to-lock-into.
While the chorus largely adheres to the K.I.S.S. ME principle, it diverges in one notable aspect: The Weeknd delivers it in a high register using his head voice. Although this stylistic choice might make the chorus a bit more challenging for the average listener to sing along to, it’s one of the The Weeknd’s signature sounds. This deviation from the K.I.S.S. ME principle serves two purposes: it gives the listener a sense of familiarity with The Weeknd’s signature style, and simultaneously sets him apart from his contemporaries.
Subscribers can dive deeper into the meticulous construction of the melodies, how they are interwoven, and the effect they achieve on the listener by logging in to your account.
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