September 2021 Assignment

The suggested songwriting assignment for the next meeting, Wed., Sept 1, is to write a song that starts with the chorus.

The main reason choruses have been put at the beginning of songs is to hit the listener with the hook before he or she has a chance to change the radio channel. What about now, when scoring downloads is less incumbent upon radio play? What about for songwriters who don’t write for commerce? Hooking your listener with a memorable repeated musical and lyrical line series is always a good idea. Doing it at the top works particularly well in uptempo tunes or when you have a really, really good chorus. If you’re Bob Dylan it works in a slower song with a hook that’s nothing special, except that you’re Bob Dylan: “Lay Lady Lay.” In fact, I can’t think of a genre in which a song wouldn’t benefit from a catchy chorus at the top.  15 brilliant songs that start with the chorus