Nothing grabs a person’s attention as much as a fist coming at them. Luring a fish means putting something tasty on the hook. A song writer must do the same thing for listeners, provide the tidbit line or two that will stay with them long after the song is over and bring them back for another listen.
The Why
What is that one thing that will get you up on your feet and moving to the music? That’s also a hook. It is the bugle call first thing in the morning for reveille. It’s an order that you can’t ignore. It’s the feeling of blood pumping from a wound. There has to be a reason to grab or not to grab a tourniquet.
“I Feel You.”
Empathy gives us a connection to the theme and makes it relatable. People need to recognize what the song writer is sharing and feel a connection to the joy, pain and fear. For example, public speaking scores high on the list of fears. What is it about public speaking that feels so painful? That we are going to bare our souls and nobody is going to care. Or maybe that people might think we are a freak, because we feel that we may be a freak.
Anthem or Theme
There has to be a message in the song. That is the hook. Meaningless hookups need not apply for the reason behind the song. And if the song is about meaningless hookups, there had better be meaning. Is it that if I don’t care, then neither should anyone else.
This would be the moment to string ideas together.
Is it possible to focus on a complete sentence?
Now simplify - one liners rule in the music hook.
Does it provide a focus for the verses and chorus?
Finally - Where Might that Hook Live?
As the Title
The title is one of the first places to look. Whether it is one word or a complete sentence. At least one word from the title will be repeated throughout the song. If I heard a song titled, “Whiskey,” I might expect to smell wood smoke, have the sensation of holding a lowball glass, or seek a little extra courage. While the lyrics and the instruments would be specific to the genre, the tone has been set and it can range from outdoorsy energy to silky sheets with a penthouse view of a city.
In the Action or Being
Successfully doing nothing is also action, but the listener doesn’t really want to wait five minutes to learn what the song is about. In all fairness, some songs have been written that even those who wrote the song have little to share about its origins. Other songs seem to just flow out and write themselves. Those are the moments when the songwriter and the end result are one. And that oneness is also relatable to others and the universe. This might also be the location of the hook entwined with drama.
The Universal Answer
While fiction writers create a hook that makes the reader ask questions, a hook in a song provides the reason. The hook provides an essence that is both transcendent of time, place or person, and also gritty with realism that could happen at any time, anywhere or to any person. This is why at any given point in a person’s life, a certain song will resonate and they will play it again and again. It’s part of the healing or part of the celebration of human experience.
Keep it short
Infuse it with feeling
Make it relatable.
The next step will be to add instruments and play with how the song will sound, especially the chorus and maybe the pre-chorus and post-chorus.
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