Max Martin Interview

March 1, 2017 1:23 PM

Some of the most beloved hit-songs the world has listened to för the past 20 years were written by a swede – Martin Sandberg. He is better known as Max Martin, but few out of the music-business knows who he is. Until now. For the first time Max Martin tells his story in a world exclusive interview.
posted by josher71 (23 comments total)

Max Martin, previously.
posted by ApathyGirl at 1:36 PM on March 1, 2017

That said, his pop songs are delicious, perfect pop confections and I can't get enough of 'em.
posted by ApathyGirl at 1:42 PM on March 1, 2017

How lucky that the terrorism in Sweden hasn't scarred him.
posted by bearwife at 2:04 PM on March 1, 2017 [5 favorites]

If I ever get a time machine, my first act will be to go back and convince Trump not to run. My second act will be to go back to 1990-something and stop this guy.

Associated acts: Backstreet Boys Britney Spears Kelly Clarkson P!nk Katy Perry Adam Lambert Dr. Luke Taylor Swift Ariana Grande Justin Timberlake The Weeknd

Actually, my first time travel mission will be to prevent this guy from flooding the charts with his blerpy pop dreck. Everything else can wait!
posted by Ursula Hitler at 3:25 PM on March 1, 2017 [5 favorites]

I love Sweden so much. This guy is one of the reasons why.
posted by Bella Donna at 3:27 PM on March 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

Actually, terrorists killed max martin for the third time this year. I've only been murdered once this year which still sucks #fallenSweden
posted by Foci for Analysis at 3:30 PM on March 1, 2017 [4 favorites]

This guy's talent seems to not only be in song writing, but also in his ability as a manager and a coach. I wonder if that says anything about art in modernity, that one of the most successful musical talents is essentially a businessperson who uses artists and brands as instruments.
posted by codacorolla at 3:32 PM on March 1, 2017 [4 favorites]

All the bosses I've had with two exceptions have always used my talents as a crude instrument. I'm no musician but what a joy it is when you do get to work with people who are good managers and great collaborators.
posted by Bella Donna at 3:51 PM on March 1, 2017 [2 favorites]

I love thinking about how it's just one big pop machine for the whole globe and therefore you get a handful of guys like him. Sure it's weaponised, the songs designed to addict you into wanting to hear them again etc. and that globalised idiocy has been erasing local musical diversity since forever. But that huge machine and that cuddly dude. Damn.
posted by yoHighness at 4:07 PM on March 1, 2017 [2 favorites]

This guy is why I don't eat pizza at lunch.
posted by bonobothegreat at 4:44 PM on March 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

That was really interesting for his breakdowns of the theory behind pop music composition, but I had to bail eventually over the annoying habit the writer had of always referring to 'Max Martin' by his full name.
posted by mannequito at 5:28 PM on March 1, 2017

Some of the most beloved hit-songs the world has listened to för the past 20 years were written by a swede

I see whåt yöu did there.
posted by scalefree at 6:23 PM on March 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

Hagiography, sure, but fascinating. Shame the article wasn't even proofread. I mean, sheesh.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 6:41 PM on March 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

I think he has the job a lot of song writers I know secretly fantasize about, not being tied down to one genre or band or vocalist. Not having to deal with other people much. Being able to basically tell singers how to sing his songs.... But you won't find too many cool young rock star wannabes as unashamedly enjoying making pop music or working with whoever as this guy so I say good for him. He seems happy. And smart about how to stay happy.
posted by fshgrl at 7:59 PM on March 1, 2017 [3 favorites]

I used to intellectualise my base pop music preference by saying that I'm a fan of Max Martin and comparing him to a composer and conductor. For whom the actual singer is just a pretty dancing monkey.
I guess one of the reasons I turn out to like the songs he's behind is that he being a singer the vocals in his songs are often interesting.
posted by jouke at 9:38 PM on March 1, 2017

He made "I Want it That Way." He's forever gold in my book.
posted by yueliang at 10:37 PM on March 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

Actually, my first time travel mission will be to prevent this guy...
posted by Ursula Hitler...

Meta-eponymy
posted by rdr at 11:02 PM on March 1, 2017 [2 favorites]

Max Martin produces and writes music that I have no interest in listening to and outside of the one time every three years that I go to a mall, never hear. That having been said, I don’t think that an outright dismissal of him is really fair or reasonable. First off, he clearly understands something about popular music on a pretty fundamental level: not only to be so wildly successful for so long but also to cross over several genres and artists in various ages and stages of their career is something really incredible. I am clearly not the target audience for any of this music but that’s also completely fine—teenage girls need music, too. It would be an exaggeration to say that music saved my life as a teen but it definitely enhanced it a lot and this guy has written the soundtrack to a generation’s first kisses and breakups and high school graduations. For me, that was R.E.M. and I would definitely argue that their music is superior on a variety of metrics but it’s not like this guy is churning out sheer garbage and God knows that there is a lot of extremely lazy, pretentious, and terrible music that is a lot worse than the stuff he’s made. I don’t think it’s much of an exaggeration to say that some of us here will smile and hum along to “Shake It Off” 25 years from now when it comes on the radio (or whatever equivalent we have then).
posted by koavf at 12:11 AM on March 2, 2017 [3 favorites]

Switched On Pop has done a breakdown of what makes Max Martin's music work on a music theory level.
posted by pxe2000 at 3:54 AM on March 2, 2017 [2 favorites]

Any "artist" who shits on Max Martin would give a pinkie or two to have written even one of his minor hits, or else they're interested neither in the songwriting craft nor truckloads of hundred-dollar bills.

This is a wonderful article. The songwriting nitty-gritty is really nice. He says, "It’s about understanding and learning, putting a toolbox together." Which is exactly the thing. There's no secret formula, no magic. But the more tools you have in your box -- and the better you understand how they're used -- the stronger your songs will be.

And from what little we know of Max, he's always seemed like an okay guy. Finding out that he doesn't "agree with [Gene Simmons'] world views" is really, really comforting.
posted by uncleozzy at 5:10 AM on March 2, 2017 [7 favorites]

I'm reminded of this post on MetaFilter about how Maps by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs inspired songs by the Black Eyed Peas, and Beyonce... and Since U Been Gone.

The article linked from that FPP describes how the last one came about:

In his fascinating book The Song Machine: Inside The Hit Factory, New Yorker writer John Seabrook explains how Max Martin and ‘Dr’ Luke Gottwald had been listening to an indie song on the radio which they thought had all the makings of a massive pop hit – except for one vital thing. A big chorus.

“We were listening to alternative and indie music,” Dr Luke says, “and talking about some song – I don’t remember what it was. I said, ‘Ah, I love this song,’ and Max was like, ‘If they would just write a damn pop chorus on it!’ It was driving him nuts, because that indie song was sort of on six, going to seven, going to eight, the chorus comes … and it goes back down to five. It drove him crazy. And when he said that, it was like, light bulb. ‘Why don’t we do that, but put a big chorus on it?’

So they decided that they would take it upon themselves to correct that mistake. They sat down and wrote the song that they so desperately wanted Maps to be.

posted by ZipRibbons at 11:55 AM on March 2, 2017 [2 favorites]

Laleh is a genius.

QFT.
posted by effbot at 4:58 PM on March 2, 2017

I'll quote a friend: "Thanks for the link. Max is cool af"
posted by josher71 at 8:21 AM on March 3, 2017