As mentioned previously, a prominent feature of many of today’s hit songs is the frequent repetition of key melodic phrases. Certain musical themes and lyrics (especially the ‘hook’ and title line) are deliberately repeated throughout the song to make it sound instantly familiar to listeners, and therefore much easier to remember.
While new writers may understand the importance of establishing melodic hooks, some of them fail to grasp that ‘repetition’ means their verse melody has to be exactly the same in every verse, and their chorus and pre-chorus melodies should also be consistent throughout the song.
Repetition is a powerful way of firmly planting your song in listeners’ heads, but if you include too many melody changes (no matter how subtle) from verse to verse and chorus to chorus, you will make it harder for listeners to remember them all so that they can easily sing along.
# # # #