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Written by Bruce Ellis
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Sunday, 23 November 2008 |
Songwriting instructor Bruce Ellis brings professional tips on the craft of songwriting.
In the ongoing pursuit of writing accessible worship songs there is possibly no more effective tool than a great hook - but hooks are elusive at best. Sometimes they can be a heavily contrived sonic event that is by design infectious and lethal to the unsuspecting listener. At other times, a quirky little interval, rhythm or phase that innocently rises to the surface can be the song’s calling card.
I like to think of a hook in this way. It’s the part of the song that you walk away with and the part that brings you back. In other words you find yourself almost involuntarily humming it after hearing the song and then you want to hear it again. It becomes the trigger point for instant recall and accessibility.
We don’t have to look far to find examples of hooks that have assaulted our unsuspecting ears and taken up long-term residence. In fact, the funny thing about hooks is that you hardly have to look for them at all. They have a way of finding you. Who hasn’t found themselves asking the proverbial question, “Who let the dogs out” or declared, “We will rock you” at a rousing cricket match? All simple and repetitious, hooks can be broken down into three general categories;
1) Lyrical Hooks,
2) Melodic Hooks and
3) Rhythmic or Groove Hooks.
Lyrical Hooks
Examples of lyrical hooks would include the runaway dog example mentioned above, the highly touted marketing vehicle, “Zoom, Zoom, Zoom” and the Police standby, “Da Do, Do,Do, Da, Da, Da, Da”. Tip of tongue marks go to Smashmouth’s ever-so-clever, “Might As Well Be Walking On The Sun” and their vibey remake of the classic Neil Diamond penned, “I’m a Believer”. On the worship front, David Ruis’s , “Every Move I Make”, Matt Redman’s anthemic, “Once Again” and Martin Smith’s, “I Could Sing of Your Love Forever” are fine examples of lyric based hooks. As you can tell, a well-targeted lyrical hook is able to almost completely distill the song vision and in many cases, often shows up as the title.
Melodic Hooks
Strong lyrical hooks are able to ride effortlessly on equally strong melodic hooks. Take “Somewhere over the Rainbow” as an example. The word, “somewhere” would probably not have had half the potency if it had not jumped the octave over its two syllables. This interval leap is one of the best examples of a simple, well-integrated melodic hook. The somewhat triadic motif of “Lord I lift Your Name On High” would fall into this category as well. Clear examples of a purely melodic hook would be the dramatic minor third interval in Beethoven’s Fifth or the frantic chromatic line in the “Sabre Dance” or perish the thought, even the music store classic, “Smoke on the Water” riff.
Rhythmic Hooks
Rhythmic or groove hooks often appear in intros to songs or as a starting motif for further experimentation. The “dun, dun, crack… dun, dun, crack” of “We will Rock You” probably best illustrates this type of hook.
But you say, “Surely two or three words or a few notes jumbled together can’t be all that pivotal to how well a song is embraced.” The answer is, “yes they can be and more.” Consider many segments of the music industry itself. In some genres, financial success practically revolves around the existence of well-crafted hooks. For instance, commercial radio play lists are designed to pepper the listener with a repetitive barrage of hook-infested ditties. Why is this so important? It’s not pretty, but it’s quite simple.
Catchy, accessible rotations help to establish and satisfy fickle consumer expectations and in the process, cement station loyalty. With scores of listeners firmly in place the station is able to, you guessed it, increase their advertising rates. Simultaneously the increased airtime a song receives sells records and the labels themselves are able to profit significantly. The cycle continues.
What About Worship?
Now the point I’m raising here is not about the perpetuation of some bottom-line exploitation, but rather about the significance and the advantages of a well-placed hook.
For the worship songwriter who is a true facilitator and predisposed to serving the Body of Christ through memorable and accessible songs, having a firm grasp on the importance and techniques of hook writing is imperative. As mentioned, hooks are simply access points for the song and ultimately encounters with the Living God.
Our purpose, remember is to provide the church with a vocabulary with which to encounter God on a daily basis. To illustrate, I like to imagine a person going about their day to day who is simply at the end of their rope. Their strength is depleted, they’ve lost will to go on and no matter how hard they try, they can’t seem to connect with the heart of the Father. Suddenly a hook appears before them and they are somehow able to grab a hold of it.
Quietly, they begin to utter they only words they can recall, “Faithful One…so unchanging”. The words begin to tumble forth. Sure they begin to remember the song, but more importantly, they begin to touch the Father.
Thanks for the hooks.
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