The following are 7 reasons I could think of off the top of my head, why music is pretty much universally loved. As we think about music at Illuminate, we've got to see and be 
convinced that music can be powerful whether it is in the service of God or not. We didn't want to jump straight into the "Why 'Humble Thyself" is a great song...but only if it starts in D minor and moves intensely into E minor for emotional effect" conversation. Music is powerful outside of religion. Here are my reasons why.
What did I miss? Am I right? Where am I overstating?
1) Hook – This is where the music just sounds right. This could also be called the "Mmmm Bop effect." This happens when you find your unable to get a song out of your head because the chorus is so catchy. If this is done right...if a "hook" is used well, you've got an objectively good song on your hands.
convinced that music can be powerful whether it is in the service of God or not. We didn't want to jump straight into the "Why 'Humble Thyself" is a great song...but only if it starts in D minor and moves intensely into E minor for emotional effect" conversation. Music is powerful outside of religion. Here are my reasons why.What did I miss? Am I right? Where am I overstating?
1) Hook – This is where the music just sounds right. This could also be called the "Mmmm Bop effect." This happens when you find your unable to get a song out of your head because the chorus is so catchy. If this is done right...if a "hook" is used well, you've got an objectively good song on your hands.
2) Musical Acumen - Just talented, difficult music. This was me listening to Dave Matthew's drummer in college. He's just better than everybody else! That music is good because that music is complex and difficult to play.
3) Sentimentality – This is when music just puts you back “there.” Music has an "Oprah-Spirituality" way of sort of transporting you to another time and another place.
4) Lyrics – When the meaning of words just stand alone...so full of meaning. Sometimes the lyrics alone can carry a whole song into the light. Separate Bob Dylan from his lyrics and you just have a bad vocal and mediocre vocals. But wait,....Bob Dylan is amazing. Why's that?
5) Musicians personality – (How else can you explain In Sync?). Sometimes I can't distinguish between my love for U2 and my love for Bono.
6) Word-Picture – When I try to decipher the meaning of a song that seems to be trying to throw me off the path, I usually try to pay attention to the visual imagery of a song and usually it comes more into focus. Good pictures usually mean good songs.
7) The Perfect Storm – If a song has achieved uber-fame, it has probably combined several of the above-listed categories. All the important songs I know have most or all of these categories. I've listed some below.
Chad Miller’s Celebrity Play List
(My point below, is that ALL the songs listed are good songs. I'm being systematic about why I think so. Some are good because of the hook or the lyrics or the musical acumen. Some are good for all of the above. Here's the list of songs we listened to as examples of each on Sunday. Enjoy.)
A/C D/C – Back in Black (Hook)
Cardigans – Lovefool (Hook)
Aerosmith – Walk this Way (Hook)
Augustana – Boston (Hook)
A/C D/C – You Shook Me All Night Long (Hook)
Aerosmith – Sweet Emotion (Hook)
U2 – Mysterious Ways (Hook)
Beatles – I Want To Hold Your Hand (Hook)
James Taylor – You’ve Got a Friend (Sentimentality)
Guns n’ Roses – Welcome To The Jungle (Sentimentality)
Thomas Newman – American Beauty – Arose (Sentimentality)
Journey – Don’t Stop Believing (Sentimentality)
Beatles – Yesterday (#1 single of all time) (Sentimentality)
(Lyrics)Led Zeppelin – Good Times Bad Times (Musical Acumen)S
Sigur Ros – Svefn-G-Englar (Sentimentality)
Elton John – Tiny Dancer (Sentimentality)
Lynyrd Skynard - Free Bird (Music/Sentimentality)
Bob Dylan – Forever Young (Lyrics)
David Wilcox – Show the Way (Lyrics)
Damien Rice – Cannonball (Word Picture)
Coldplay – Swallowed by the Sea (Word Picture)
U2 – One Step Closer to Knowing (Word Picture)
Nada Surf – Inside of Love (Word Picture)
David Wilcox – How Did You Find Me Here (Word Picture)
Coldplay – A Message (Word Picture)
U2 – Grace (Word Picture)
Coldplay – Till Kingdom Come (Perfect Storm)
Coldplay – Fix You (Perfect Storm)
Beatles – All You Need is Love (Perfect Storm)
John Lennon – Imagine (Perfect Storm)
U2 – With or Without You (Perfect Storm)
U2 – I Still Haven’t Found What I'm Looking For (Perfect Storm)
U2 – Walk On (Perfect Storm)
