How do chord progressions and time signatures affect a song?
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The time signature tells the performer how the beats are going to be arranged (groups of 4, groups of 3, etc).
The chord progression is simply the order in which a the chords are played. To go a touch deeper, there are some general patterns based on the interval (distance) between the root notes of chords in a progression that sound “correct” to the ear, so the chord progression kind of draws the listener along with expectation and either fulfilling or subverting those expectations as the composer sees fit.
This is a much bigger and broader question than fits ELI5, but there are mathematical connections between different chords and we find certain chord progressions pleasing (or haunting, or whatever). Time signature breaks music into predictable little bits, and we find the predictable repetition particularly pleasing.
You could also vary tempo for a different sound.
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