Month: July 2019

“Great melody over great riffs is, to me, the secret of it all.” —Steven Tyler  

If your ambition is to write hit singles for today’s pop market, it is important to build as many different types of hooks into your songs as possible to keep listeners interested. 

While a chorus-based hook is the most common and most effective device for making your song easy to remember, you can also grab the ear of the listener by including several secondary hooks, or ‘sub-hooks’. They usually take the form of short instrumental phrases or riffs that are placed in the intro, between lyric lines, between verses, or after each chorus. 

These infectious ‘riff hooks’ can be repeated several times throughout the song to reinforce the all-important lyrical and melodic hook in the chorus. Hit songs that have used this approach include Jay-Z’s ‘Can I Get A…’, ‘Beat It’ by Michael Jack- son, Stevie Wonder’s ‘Superstition’, and ‘Something’ by The Beatles, amongst many others. 

Sub-hooks can also take the form of rhythmic chord movements or a catchy extra chord change. 

You can also create mini-hooks for the singer by repeating short melodic phrases within the verse melody. 

Lyrics can also be used to create a sub-hook. For example, the repetition of sounds within the same line can make a lyric catchy, memorable and pleasing on the ear – and listeners will be waiting for it when the next verse comes around. 

Alliteration—the repetition of a particular sound in the stressed syllables at the beginning of adjacent words or phrases (such as “Mary, marry me in the morning”) —is a highly effective device that can make a lyric line stand out as a memorable hook in its own right.

Other tools that can help to catch the listener’s attention include assonance (the repetition of vowel sounds to create internal rhyming within phrases—e.g. “without you I’m blue”), and consonance (the repetition of the same consonant two or more times in short succession—such as “pitter patter”).

While lyrical and melodic hooks are your responsibility, don’t make the mistake of leaving it to the musicians or the producer to create instrumental, rhythmic or other sound hooks. You should try out ideas for secondary hooks yourself while you’re writing the song. It will save valuable time at the demo stage. 

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These days, the introduction (or ‘intro’) is usually a short instrumental phrase or riff that opens a song. It’s a kind of catchy melodic hook that is meant to have an immediate impact and is usually about four bars long. Its purpose is to get people interested in the song—like a sign in a shop window saying: “Come inside, we’ve got just what you’re looking for”. 

However, many new writers waste this golden opportunity to invite listeners to step inside their song. They create self-indulgent intros that are way too long and much too complicated to make listeners sit up and take notice. 

Music publishers, A&R reps and record producers don’t have the time or patience to sit through long boring intros. They may give up before your song even gets to the first verse. What they want to hear is a dynamic, memorable intro that quickly establishes the vibe, tempo and home key of the song and prepares them for the first verse. 

An intro can be based on an important musical phrase from the main body of the song. Or it can be a catchy, stand-alone riff, written especially for the intro. Either way, listeners should be able to recognize it within the first couple of seconds after the song starts. 

Not all songs have instrumental intros, of course. Some songs may open with the chorus, a solo vocal, or go straight into the first verse. But if you feel your song needs an intro, you must approach it as if you were writing a melodic hook for the chorus. In other words, try to create a short intro hook with ‘stick ability’. 

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Inexperienced writers often feel that the perfect way to set the stage for their first verse is to tease the listener with a long, intricate instrumental section designed to create a feeling of anticipation. 

WRONG! 

If you’re trying to write a song with commercial potential, it’s important to under- stand how little time you have to attract the listener’s attention at the beginning of the song. A short dynamic intro that leads quickly into the first verse is the key to pulling the listener in. 

An intro that is too long will simply take up valuable time and slow down the listener’s journey to the all-important first chorus. Remember, for maximum impact, you need to take the listener through the first verse and into the first chorus within 45-60 seconds. 

So how long should an intro be? 

An analysis of today’s hit songs shows that introductions are usually either four bars or eight bars long, and, on average, last for about 10 seconds. That’s only fractionally shorter than the intros of many chart hits in the 1970’s. So the intro element of pop song structure has barely changed in over 40 years. 

Of course, some intros are longer than 10 seconds, but few last for more than 17-20 seconds and most songs reach the first verse before the 15-second mark. 

If you’re a singer-songwriter, or writing for your own band, you will be able to get away with much longer intros when playing your songs live on stage. But when submitting songs to music publishers, A&R reps or record producers, it is best to limit the intros on your demo to 10 seconds or less—so that those who are judging your talent can get to the substance of each song as quickly as possible. 

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“If after two weeks you still can’t write your middle-eight, the best course of action is to see a psychiatrist” ―Ray Davies  

Not including a bridge (or ‘middle-eight’) is another common mistake often made by new songwriters. The bridge can be an effective device for adding extra contrast to a song and giving listeners a temporary release from the heavily repeated phrases in the verse, chorus and hook. 

The bridge can provide a whole different perspective—‘the view from the bridge’— by allowing you to introduce chord progressions, melodic phrases and lyrics that aren’t heard anywhere else in the song. 

The bridge section is usually limited to four or eight bars of music and two or four lines of lyrics. It is commonly used only once—replacing what listeners might expect to be a third verse—before leading the listener into the repeated choruses at the end of the song. 

The bridge itself can be repeated (especially in the verse-refrain format), but it rarely appears more than twice.

The standard formats for songs that use a bridge are: 

1. Verse, Chorus, Verse, Chorus, BRIDGE, Chorus, Chorus.

2. Verse, Pre-Chorus, Chorus, Verse, Pre-Chorus, Chorus, BRIDGE, Chorus, Chorus.

3. Verse, Refrain, Verse, Refrain, BRIDGE, Verse, Refrain, Refrain.

Some hit songwriters make their bridge section melodically different by changing the length of the notes and making them either higher or lower in the scale than those in the chorus or verse. Other writers even include a slight key change in the bridge before leading listeners back to the chorus repeats. 

You can surprise the listener by changing the lyrical cadence and even the rhyme pattern in the bridge. 

This section can also be used to set things up lyrically for the end of the song, perhaps by adding a new dimension to your story line (such as a twist or a new revelation in the lyrics). However, unlike the chorus, the bridge should only be used to provide new information and not just re-state something that has already been said. 

For example, the bridge should not include the song’s title. Keep the title line in the hook in the chorus. 

And if you find your song is too short, a bridge is a great way to stretch it by an extra 20-30 seconds—whilst strengthening the song melodically and lyrically at the same time. 

Of course, not all songs have a bridge section. There are many hit songs that are bridge-less. But if you’re heavily repeating certain musical phrases and lyrics to make your song catchy and easier to remember, you can prevent it from becoming too repetitive by shaking things up with a bridge. 

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“On a bridge, if you can surprise the listener it’s going to stay with him longer and it won’t just be a point in the song when the listener’s ear is vamping waiting to get back to the song’s main melody” 

—Roger Nichols  

Some writers make the mistake of treating the bridge as a throwaway section that is simply there to give listeners a brief release from the verses and the chorus. In fact, a good bridge has a number of very important functions. 

An effective bridge can add extra impact and sustain the listener’s interest by building on the energy and drama created in the verse and chorus. 

The bridge can surprise the listener by taking the song in a completely different direction both melodically and lyrically. In effect, it’s a mini-song within the main song. It should use a four or eight bar melody and chord progression that is not heard anywhere else in the song, and it must add new information to the song’s story line (perhaps an unexpected twist). 

Many successful writers give their songs a lift, and achieve an element of surprise, by starting their bridge section on a minor chord when writing in a major key (for example, starting the bridge on A minor if the song is in the key of C). 

If it is constructed correctly, the bridge melody should then lead the listener back to the all-important chorus and hook. When you analyze current hit songs that have a bridge, you’ll find that, in many cases, the bridge ends on the dominant chord (e.g. G in the key of C) which paves the way for an emotional return to the ‘home’ chord (C) at the start of the chorus repeats. 

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The role of the bridge section is to surprise listeners by suddenly (and briefly) taking the song in a completely different direction, both melodically and lyrically. As in any ambush, therefore, the bridge has to be positioned strategically at the point where it will have the greatest impact. ‘

When using a song structure that includes verses and repeated choruses, the optimum location for the bridge is about two-thirds of the way into the song—usually between the second and third choruses. This is the point at which listeners may start to get bored by the repetition of the verses and chorus. 

For example: 

1. Verse, Chorus, Verse, Chorus, BRIDGE, Chorus, Chorus. 

2. Verse, Pre-Chorus, Chorus, Verse, Pre-Chorus, Chorus, BRIDGE, Chorus, Chorus. 

As you can see, the chorus after the bridge is usually the first of the chorus repeats at the end of the song. 

If your song doesn’t include a separate chorus, the bridge should ideally be placed between the second and third verses (for example: Verse, Verse, BRIDGE, Verse). With the verse-only structure, if you find your song is too short, you can stretch it by 20-30 seconds by repeating the bridge like a mini-chorus (e.g. Verse, Verse, BRIDGE, Verse, BRIDGE, Verse). 

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Some writers make the mistake of using a pre-chorus purely as a way of linking the last line of the verse and the first line of the chorus. A pre-chorus is optional, of course, but if you’re going to use this device, you have to make sure it’s much more than just a short melodic bridge between the verse and the main chorus. 

Although a pre-chorus is usually a two or four-line section that is rarely more than four bars long, it should be used to create a powerful melodic tension at the end of the verse that is only resolved when the chorus kicks in. 

Like the bridge section later in the song, the pre-chorus melody should be distinctive and different from the preceding lines of the verse. It is meant to provide a musical ladder that enables the lower notes of the verse melody to climb up to the higher and more powerful pitches used in the all-important chorus and hook. The pre-chorus melody should be the same every time, although the lyrics may change as the story builds. 

Hit songwriters use this technique to add a burst of extra energy. It can increase excitement and tension, and create a feeling of anticipation before propelling the listener into the chorus. 

That’s why the pre-chorus is also referred to as a ‘build’, ‘lift’, ‘climb’, ‘set up’, ‘channel’ or ‘pre-hook’. Each of these terms accurately describes its important role as a means of building momentum and drawing the listener’s attention to the start of the chorus. 

If you analyze the pre-chorus section of some of today’s biggest hits, you’ll find it often sounds like you’ve already reached the chorus—then the real chorus suddenly bursts in and hits you between the eyes. The tension and subsequent sense of release that this creates helps to make the hook even more impactful. 

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“The chorus to me is the gist of the song; that’s where the idea is delivered … If I don’t get the chorus right, it’s no use in me writing the song” —Toby Keith  

The chorus is the section that is meant to really sell a song. But one of the most common traps that new songwriters fall into is creating a chorus that sounds too much like the verse and therefore isn’t distinctive enough to stand out from the rest of the song. 

If your chorus doesn’t contain the most memorable melody and lyrics in the whole song, it is unlikely to get stuck in the listener’s head and won’t sustain his or her interest. 

A chorus that is based on the same set of four or five notes as the verse may lack a unique shape. This can result in a song that resembles a flat, boring landscape with no dramatic peaks that stand out and fill the listener with awe. 

So how do you create a standout chorus that lifts the energy level and keeps the song memorable? 

Firstly, there has to be a significant difference between the verse melody and the chorus melody. One of the most effective ways of achieving this is to build a ‘lift’ into the chorus melody by placing the chorus higher in the scale than the verse. Many hit songwriters even change to a higher key at the chorus to make it stand out and give the hook extra potency. 

Using the same chord progression in the verse and chorus can also make both sections sound too similar, even if you write the verse in a lower melodic range. So surprise the listener.

 —Use a different chord sequence that involves more (or fewer) chord changes than in the verse. 

—Make the first chord of your chorus different from the first chord of the verse. 

—Make the number of lines in the chorus different from the number of lines in the verse. 

—Make sure the last chord of the chorus is different from the first chord of the verse. 

— Make the rhyming pattern of the chorus lyrics and the cadence of the syllables different from the verse. 

— Make the information conveyed in the chorus simple enough for people to remember the words easily. 

The chorus should also contain a big ‘pay-off’ line in order to give the listener a sense of satisfaction and completion. The pay-off is usually the hook or title line and can come at the beginning or the end of the chorus. It should pack a big punch to add extra emotional impact. 

You can also make the chorus stand out—and really drive it home—by repeating it several times throughout the song. If you analyze some of today’s hit songs, you’ll find that the chorus is often repeated at least four times … and even more frequently in many dance-oriented pop songs. 

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When writing in the verse-chorus format, some new writers weaken the overall structure of their songs by not achieving the right balance between their verse lyrics and chorus lyrics. 

The lyrics in your verses should be mostly descriptive (describing people, places and events), while the chorus lyrics should be mainly emotional (delivering a strong emotional reaction to what has just been described in the verse). 

Each verse should move the song’s story line forward like a new chapter in a book, introducing fresh information and images that will captivate the listener. The chorus, meanwhile, is meant to really drive home the whole point of your song—for example, by frequently repeating the title line like a catchphrase. It’s the section where your message should become clear and memorable. 

You can also help to emphasize the chorus by making the rhyming pattern of the lyrics—and even the cadence of the syllables—substantially different from those in the verse. The verse may be filled with abundant and meaningful words (with more notes per beat), but the chorus lyrics should be lighter and less crowded. 

To achieve the greatest impact, the chorus needs a simpler meter, fewer syllables, and longer notes to help more emotional lyrics register with listeners.

All of this means the information conveyed in the chorus can be much more general and philosophical, making it easier for people to remember the words. Moving back and forth between these two different types of lyrics can help to create an extra level of contrast between the verse and chorus in addition to the differences that you are already creating melodically. 

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“Lyrics have elements that could be shared with poetry. But they’re not poems … They’re meant to be sung. They come out of the rhythm of the music, as opposed to creating your own rhythm of the words”

—Paul Simon  

Many new songwriters don’t realize that poetry and lyrics are not the same thing. However great you or your collaborators may be at creating beautiful poetry, writing effective lyrics for hit songs is a completely different art and craft. 

Of course, good poetry and great lyrics do share the same ability to use well- chosen words to reach people on an emotional level. And they can both create powerful imagery through the potent use of devices such as metaphor, simile and personification. 

But the skilful use of language, rhyme and descriptive imagery in a poem does not necessarily make it a good song lyric. Sometimes it can just end up sounding pre-tentious and clichéd. 

Lyricists have to work their magic under much tighter constraints than poets. A poet can pour out his or her feelings on page after page of dense and structurally complex text; the lyricist has to be more concise and work within the confines of a clearly defined song structure and rhythm. 

“Lyrics are an unforgivingly compact form”, the lyricist Stephen Sondheim wrote in his book Finishing the Hat. 

It is also important to remember that a poem is primarily visual. It is created to stand alone and connect with people by being read on the page. A lyric is aural and is designed to be sung and heard in conjunction with music. 

As Bob Dylan told American Songwriter magazine: “You don’t write a song to sit there on a page. You write it to sing it.”

When people are listening to a song, the music moves quickly so they can’t dwell on a particular word or line. Unlike a poem—which is usually read at a much slower pace—they can’t go back and re-read it. 

While some song lyrics may be deliberately obscure and ambiguous and still succeed (such as the early works of Bob Dylan), the majority of hit songs today contain lyrical images and descriptive phrases that are easily understood and can therefore connect with the listener’s ears immediately. 

Lyrical language is simpler, more down to earth and gets to the point quickly. In a 3½ to 4 minute pop song, every word counts. So it’s vital to use as few words as possible yet still express yourself clearly, set the scene, and evoke a feeling in the listener. 

Poems can feature rhymed or unrhymed verse, but most lyrics have lines that rhyme because it makes it easier for listeners to follow the song. As mentioned previously in this book, rhyme helps to meet the listener’s subconscious desire for symmetry. Rhyming patterns create a sense of predictability that is reassuring for the listener. 

A poet can focus on the creative use of free-flowing language, but a good lyricist must learn to use the key structural devices of the craft of songwriting (including lyrical repetition). Lyricists must also understand how verses, pre-choruses, choruses and bridges work together to hold the listener’s interest. 

In addition, if you aspire to be the wordsmith in a songwriting team, you have to make sure you use word sounds and phrases that are not difficult or awkward to sing. If you’re writing the lyrics first—rather than coming up with words to fit an existing melody—get into the habit of reading the lyrics out loud rhythmically as if you were singing them. If they flow well, your collaborative music composer should be able to set them to music successfully. 

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