I’ve noticed that many big-budget bands - and I’m specifically talking about rock/pop bands that generally write their own songs - have arrangements and so on that seem just a little too impressive or out of their league - riffs that are a little too mannered and creative for what are otherwise bar bands, killer bridges that hit like the Beatles coming from the latest pop-emo signing, and so on. It’s a general level of songwriting sophistication that you only really see from established and practiced professional songwriters.
So when this week’s Fall Out Boy or Plain White T’s enters the studio to make their big budget major label debut, are there “song doctors” that polish up their I-IV-V songs? You never really see “arrangers” credited on their records or anything like that, but I’m more inclined to believe that these bands enter the studio with merely rudimentary chord progressions and a decent hook and come out with counterpoint, a good bridge, contrasting instrumental parts, etc.
I have noticed this phenomenon, as well, and just kind of filed it under “overproduction”, but that does bring up an interesting question.
Traditionally, with rock bands, the producer would suggest things and the band would come up with it. The bleedover of the songwriting/production/svengali function from the R&B world might be happening here, but those guys are usually all about the credit. Perhaps major studios have staff arrangers they don’t have to shout out in the credits or something.
I’d also like to know exactly what that “this is going to be a hit whether you like it or not” trowel-ed on commercial whitewash thingy is. It always seems to be in the wrong hands.
It’s not just pop/rock bands or groups with I-IV-V, it’s everybody. Get Dylan’s book (whether you like him or not), and read about his recording sessions with Daniel Lanois. Lanois produces albums the way he feels they should be produced. You come up with chords and lyrics, he’ll come up with the sound, the arrangement, extra band members, the backing vocals, etc.
Everybody? Somehow I just can’t picture Frank Zappa letting a producer come up with his sound, arrangement, extra band members, backing vocals, or really anything.
When I saw the Thread title I assumed this was in reference to songs by rock bands that have orchestral elements on the studio recordings- who arranged the parts for the orchestra? Or a guitar band that has horns on one song- who’s idea was it to have horns? Who gave the horn players their parts???
But you’re wondering about riffs and bridges? Do you really think it takes decades of study to come up with these? The riffs are why the guitar player made the band getting the original lead guitar player fired.
A bridge? A decent bridge is basic songwriting- exactly the third thing you learn after choruses and verses. I was writing bridges when I was 14 years old. The guys in these bands are music fans themselves. They listen to the Beatles. They know what a bridge is and they write bridges into their own songs- the better songwriters write better bridges.
I get the feeling from the tone of your OP that you’re referring to bands you consider mediocre and uninspired. For the sake of discussion, let’s take that as a given: these bands are mediocre and uninspired. However, there are millions of mediocre uninspired bands out there. If a record label is going to sign one particular mediocre uninspired band giving a pass to all the other mediocre uninspired bands, then the mediocre uninspired band they are going to sign is the mediocre uninspired band that knows what riffs and bridges are.
Applying your question to elements beyond riffs and bridges, additional “color” is added to the songs by the producer. A good producer should be creatively involved, if s/he’s doing nothing other than recording what the band had been doing anyway then s/he’s really not much more than an engineer, not really earning that producer credit. Of course, a decent band should be working in close collaboration with the producer voicing their own ideas and opinions- though there are certainly cases where an album turns out good because of the talented producer, and despite the uninspired band.
For a producer to spoonfeed riffs to the guitar player isn’t really such a big deal here and there, although at a certain point the guitar player should be fired and replaced by someone more capable.
Bridges? In my opinion, anytime a bridge is written by the producer the producer should get a writing credit. If the label wants the producer to refuse a writing credit so as not to compromise the band’s “cred”, that’s definitely ghostwriting that goes way beyond “arranging”.