>to me, that is the test of the durability of a song, btw...
>can it be performed live, and can it sustain numerous
>different cover versions. i love cover versions... i've
>noticed that a lot of people in our generation don't like
>cover versions... i think it's because we grew up on records
>and "production" rather than live performance.

Exactly! I've been saying this for ages. Songs are basically just about the melody, the words, and the chords, and how long they last. Unlike classical music, when someone does a cover of a song, they change everything except the words and melody and basic chord structure.

It's ok for pop acts to try to put care into their arrangements etc, but at the end of the day it's not that important. Why? Because if they want to make every note important like classical music, then they have stop being so formulaic about the way they do things.