What defines a great song?

I've been thinking this for a while now. What defines a great song? Is it something in the lyrics or something in the music itself (Count in the instrumental stuff too)? I'm just curious, so feel free to share your thoughts .


To me the song has to have something in which I really can identify with. Something, that speaks to my heart. It's sometimes hard to point my finger to the one certain thing, because most of the time it's a combination of things.

On the lyrical side it's usually like this: The song really sticks to me when I realize that the lyrics are basically talking about the same kind of a situation that I'm going through myself.  And of course I want the lyrics to be hopeful and uplifting .

Musical side is another thing. Sometimes it's the melody that speaks to me. Sometimes it's about the raw energy. But there must be some kind of a hook to grab on, whether it's in the melody or in the riffs (especially in metal).

But, like I said, it does seems to be a combination of things .

At a minimum, it has to be memorable.

The vast majority of songs fail on this basic qualification alone.