There’s a reason they call it a “hook.”
Your song’s central theme – your “one big idea” – must be found in your song often enough to “hook” your listener like a fish on a line in order to keep them interested and engaged.
If your hook is your title all the better.
But how can you make sure your hook is really strong? And what if you struggle to find and develop great ones to get more engagement?
Here are three easy steps to power up your song hooks and get the maximum number of listeners loving your songs:
Amy Grant’s early “Baby Baby” falls in a long line of song titles that repeat the same word.
2. Use rhyme. Like alliteration, the brain loves and remembers rhyme instantaneously. Think about these titles, for instance: Rock Around the Clock, Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, Me and You and a Dog Named Boo, Hocus Pocus, Good Golly Miss Molly, Helter Skelter, and Only the Lonely. Not only are they highly alliterative, but the rhyme locks them in the brain forever. Chris Tomlin’s “I Will Rise” rhymes, as does his “Resurrection Power,” though not as obviously. Use rhyme in your title and hook more ears.
3. Use repetition. Amy Grant’s early “Baby Baby” falls in a long line of song titles that repeat the same word. Think about Mony Mony, Dance Dance, Tonight Tonight, Cmon Cmon, Liar Liar, Jenny Jenny, Monday Monday and many more. While there seem to be fewer Christian songs with repetitive titles it doesn’t mean there can’t be. “Good Good Father” anyone?
Use these three things to make your next song hook that much more interesting, engaging, memorable, and useful to your audience. Remember: your song is for them and not for you, anyway.
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