FOUNDATION SONGWRITING LESSON 5

LYRIC WRITING 3: THE CHORUS

In this video, Martin Sutton gives some really good advice on writing choruses. The main point of a chorus is to create a strong melodic hook, that people can sing along to. When writing lyrics for a chorus, it's a good idea to keep these things in mind:

1) Make one single point as clearly as possible

2) Try to Include the title of your song

3)Make  your message as strong as possible

Effective choruses are usually one of three things:

A Call to Action eg "Let's Rock" "Stand by Me"

A Statement - "You're Beautiful"

A Question - "What becomes of the broken hearted?"

Make sure that your chorus stands on it's own. Does it still make sense without the verses to contextualise it?

SOME EXAMPLES OF STRONG CHORUSES....

Since You've been gone

KELLY CLARKSON

WRECKING BALL

MILEY CYRUS

TEENAGE DREAM

KATY PERRY

Do Ya Think I'm Sexy? 

ROD STEWART

Mr Brightside

THE KILLERS

Call Me Maybe

CARLY RAE JEPSON

SINCE YOU'VE BEEN GONE

But since you been gone

I can breathe for the first time

I'm so movin' on, yeah, yeah

Thanks to you

Now I get what I want

Since you been gone

WRECKING BALL

I came in like a wrecking ball

I never hit so hard in love

All I wanted was to break your walls

All you ever did was wreck me

Yeah, you, you wreck me

TEENAGE DREAM

You make me feel like I'm living a 

teenage dream

The way you turn me on

I can't sleep

Let's runaway

And don't ever look back

Don't ever look back

DO YA THINK I'M SEXY?

If you want my body and you think I'm sexy

Come on, sugar, tell me so

If you really need me, just reach out and touch me

Come on, honey, tell me so

MR BRIGHTSIDE

Jealousy, turning saints into the sea

Swimming through sick lullabies

Choking on your alibis

But it's just the price I pay

Destiny is calling me

Open up my eager eyes

'Cause I'm Mr. Brightside

CALL ME MAYBE

Hey, I just met you and this is crazy

But here's my number, so call me maybe

It's hard to look right at you baby

But here's my number, so call me maybe

CHORUS WRITING EXERCISE 1


Look at the paragraphs from your 'destination write' in the previous lesson, and the verse that you've written so far. 

Identify the main thought or feeling that the narrator of your song is experiencing. 

Write several different catchy single-line phrases that best capture this idea, and then pick the best one to be the title of your song. (It is also going to be the line that you either start or finish your chorus with.)

Write another 3 lines to help reinforce this central idea. You have just completed your chorus.

Once you've finished your chorus, it's time to write the second verse and the bridge.