The Double-Edged Sword Called a Song Hook

A hook is only one part of what makes music successful, and a small part at that. The world’s greatest songwriters are known for their songs, not their hooks. You need to be a complete songwriter if you want to be remembered. “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6 eBook Bundle shows you every aspect of how to be a top-notch songwriter. Read more..

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For practically any landscape painting you look at, even if (or you might say, especially if) there is a lot to look at, there is usually one point of focus, one thing that draws the eye. That point of focus works hand-in-hand with all the other elements in the painting to give you a complete work of art, one that’s pleasing to look at, and makes you want to hang it on your wall so that you can keep looking at it.

Music works in a similar way. Good songs have many elements that work together and contribute to its success. But there is often one element within that song that draws the attention of the listener, that serves as a point of focus. In music, it’s called the hook.

All works of music, whether a Classical symphony or pop song, have something that pulls the listener in and keeps them wanting to listen. In Classical music, especially long works like symphonies, the listener gets pulled in by the epic journey. When you’ve listened to a complete symphony, you’ve been a captivated traveler for the past hour or so, and the journey can be wonderful.

In pop and rock music, you only get 4 minutes to present a complete musical journey. That’s not much time. So giving the listener the feeling that they’ve been on an epic musical travelog is a lot tougher. That’s why the hook is so important: if you can’t provide an epic journey, you provide the next best thing – a hook that’s short, catchy, memorable, singable, something the listener wants to keep coming back to experience.

Not every song has a clearly identifiable hook, and there’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, a hook can be seen as a double-edged sword. While there’s something attractive about that short 1- or 2-bar idea that’s so catchy and memorable, it can sometimes dumb-down other elements in the song.

But that caution aside, you should be able to look at a song you’ve written, once it’s finished, and be able to do the following:

1. Point to a moment that you believe has the ability to pull listeners in. Something – either a lyrical turn of phrase, a melodic shape, or some other moment – that sets your song apart from others;
2. See how several song elements work together to form that hook. For a chorus hook, for example (one that typically includes the title of the song), you should be able to identify how rhythm and melody, possibly chords and lyrics, work together to provide that catchy moment.
3. See that the other song elements are strong, the design of the song is good, and the song works on its own even without considering the hook. In other words, there’s no feeling that the hook is trying to save a bad song.

In that 3rd point above, there is a bit of song mythology, particularly among new songwriters, that as long as you’ve got a good hook, you’ve got everything. No, you don’t. A hook only really works well if all other elements have been created and partnered such that the entire song is strong and well-structured.

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Written by Gary Ewer. Follow on Twitter.

“The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6-eBook Bundle looks at songwriting from every angle, and has been used by thousands of songwriters. How to use chords, write melodies, and craft winning lyrics. $95.70 $37.00 (and you’ll receive a FREE copy of “From Amateur to Ace: Writing Songs Like a Pro.“)