“You must find an emotional moment in a song. A film can only go for about seven minutes before it must have an emotional moment on the screen. With songs it’s the same, except you have three minutes—not 90 minutes—to make everything happen”
—Ray Davies
New songwriters often tend to overlook the importance of building a melodic ‘high point’ into their songs. This powerful climactic moment is usually the result of several elements of the song coming together at the same time—producing an emotional high that provides an important focal point for the listener.
This special moment causes an increase in momentum, tension and intensity which, in turn, creates a sense of excitement that helps to make the song more memorable to the listener.
Finding the ideal location for a song’s melodic high point is an important part of the craft of songwriting. There is no golden rule, only that it should ideally happen closer to the end of the song—typically in the final third—so that the song can build up to it.
That’s why the melodic peak is usually heard in the chorus rather than in the verse—although verses can also have an explosion of emotion (as long as the climax in the chorus is higher up the scale than in the verse).
Many established writers place the climactic moment in the second half of their chorus, often on the third line of a four-line chorus. It can coincide with the song’s title, or be placed just before the title line at the end of the chorus. Other writers position a special high point just before the last chorus, sometimes in the bridge.
“There is a basic part of the song that flowers and you can hear it,” said the Bee Gees’ Robin Gibb. “I don’t think a lot of new songwriters are getting to grips with it. Knowing where the flowering is, where the song blossoms, where the emotional highs and lows of the song should be is so important.”
He added: “There is a skill in getting to the heart of the song and not letting it get too long before getting to that feeling.”
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