Back when I was a little bitty baby songwriter living in Nashville I was very impressionable. I use to soak up all the knowledge I could get from some of the most talented writers and music professionals known to mankind. This publisher once told me that the number one rule was “people need to remember the title”. He would tell me it was always best to have the title be the very first line in the song. This rule hampered me far more than it ever helped. Finally I had to consider that the “hook” might be in the chorus.
Now please understand that I’m not one to go breaking all the rules, but sometimes things have to be done a little differently. In some cases I think it’s best for a song to build up to the “hook”. If you choose this style of writing, the chorus is where you will eventually nail the title.
Click on Home Sweet Home below and listen to a song Ronnie Brown and I wrote. This is our example of a chorus hook.
Leading up to the chorus home is never mentioned but it’s surely implied. The latter part of the song just fills in more detail, and then it needs to lean on the chorus one more time. If you can get a listener’s attention with a good introduction they will figure out the title soon enough.
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