Thought we were talking about something else for a second

I mean, it's in the name. It's a song used to fill in space into an unfinished album to pad it out. Ultimately, only really an artist or label is gonna know when a song is truly a filler. And it probably happens a lot less often these days; it's mainly something that artists will have talked about more in like the 90s or so.

by looking at this picture

Any song that's obviously just meant to fill space on an album. They're almost always badly written, have mediocre production, and/or lack a hook or any semblance of catchiness, and you can also usually tell that the artist doesn't care for the song.

A song that is of lower quality than the majority of an album

Just listen to Joanne if you want an answer sis

Mostly, choice 3.

When the album lacks a narrative overall but is a collection of quality bops, then a mix of 1,4.

Edited March 2Mar 2 by Démodé

Just now, Erreur2 La Nature said:

Just listen to Joanne if you want an answer sis

but wasn't it underrated?

My dictionary is saying this

I fear it might be correct

A throwaway track that somehow made it onto the final cut. i.e. Imagine by Doja Cat, Don't Call Tonight by Gaga, Taylor's last few albums, etc.

It's really not that hard, filler is a song you don't want to listen, be it for its quality or irrelevance within the album. But quality is what comes first, if the song is of use to the album narratively but sucks it remains filler.

I often use Gaga songs to define filler. (Because she has many). So for example low quality, rushed songs that don't bring anything to the overall album

44 minutes ago, Kern said:

I often use Gaga songs to define filler. (Because she has many). So for example low quality, rushed songs that don't bring anything to the overall album

Half of Born this way is

Americano

Hair

Black Jesus

Bad kids

Fashion of his love

Highway unicorn

Electric Chapel

The Queen

All of them are filler and doesn't have the quality of the rest of the songs

11 hours ago, rebeltwat said:

I try to distinguish between filler vs songs I don't like but that still have a purpose. I think option 3 would be the closest

A song that doesn't add to an album's overall narrative

mte

13 hours ago, kabronsita4eva said:

Every time I see starstruck mentioned I only think in this

People were just saying and doing anything back then on social media A simpler time

OT: options three and four are the closest to an correct answer but I wouldn't say every case of these situations mean the song is automatically filler

To me filler songs have all four characteristics listed in the OP, it's there to boost streaming numbers and it has had minimal effort out into it

13 hours ago, NEX said:

Uninteresting, non-risqué song with weak melodies and the lyrics that are leaning towards the generic. Basically something very forgettable that doesn't' add anything meaningful to the album.

☝🏼

song that isn't a bad or good. it just is there, very basic and I keep forgetting its existence. it doesn't make me feel anything, I just listen to it if it comes on shuffle or skip it if I have my hands free.

song that doesn't add much substance to the overall album.

Basically every Rihanna track that wasn't a single

2 hours ago, Unusualyou said:

Half of Born this way is

Americano

Hair

Black Jesus

Bad kids

Fashion of his love

Highway unicorn

Electric Chapel

The Queen

All of them are filler and doesn't have the quality of the rest of the songs

Lies

I don't mind filler songs but I guess in definition, to me, it would be songs that are lower quality than the rest of the album.

A combination of the last two. I'd also say it's material to which the artist has absolutely zero connection.

all of the above!