Songwriting Basics – Elements of a Hit Song

Writing songs takes so much time and effort that many give up before they have the chance to complete a song. Many people focus too much on the finished project before looking at all of the components of songwriting, but the truth is, you need to learn about songwriting basics before you can create a song of your own. Let’s take a moment to review the elements of songs that construct the basic song structure of today, and how each section or element of your song will vary lyrically and melodically.

The first section that the listener will hear is called the verse. The verse is basically the story book of a song. This is where the listener will gain all the details about the situation or emotional tone of the song they are listening to. The first verse is very important because it has to grab the listener’s attention and make them want to listen to your song in completion. It does this by using unique imagery and details instead of stating facts or feeling about the situation in the song. This makes the listening experience a more fulfilling one by making the listener imagine the situation.

Melodically, the verse keeps a natural, conversational flow. Every verse will keep the same melody, allowing for small changes to accommodate the lyric.

Depending on the song structure, the listener will then be lead to the chorus. The chorus is the emotional high point of the song. It is a section that is repeated after every verse, about three, four, or maybe more times during the whole song. The chorus sums up the entire theme of the song, and contains one of the most important lines in any contemporary song: the hook. The hook is where most songwriter’s start their process because it communicates the entire point of the song. It is a lot easier to generate ideas around the main idea than to try and complete a song from beginning to end.

Melodically, the chorus differs from the verse, and every chorus will be the same. Different songs require different melodic action from the chorus. Some choruses end up in a higher note range than the verse, sometimes they remain in the same note range. The main focus for the melody of the chorus is to create a bit of contrast between the verse and the chorus. This will give the listeners something to look forward too, but also will give them a sense of tension and release. Some songwriters use a prechorus to build tension when leading to the chorus.

A relatively uncommon song element is a refrain. The refrain is only used in the Basic Song Structure, which looks like this:

verse/verse/bridge/verse.

The refrain is a lyric line which repeats and contains the same words, and is contained within the verse. It is usually the first or last line of the verse. It keeps the job of the chorus by summing up the theme and giving the verse something to fall back upon. This line gives the listener something to expect. Melodically, the refrain will usually stay the same as the rest of the verse.

Last, but certainly not least, is the bridge. The bridge creates contrast and emotional impact for the listener, as well as a break from the expected. You can use the lyrics of the bridge to reveal a secret about the situation or characters of your song, or you can use it to make a twist in your storyline.

Melodically, the bridge varies a lot from the rest of the song. Songwriters typically will take it to a new note range to provide plenty of contrast.

To get a better grip of the basic song elements, listen to some of today’s hit songs. Listen for all the different sections, and pay attention to how the songwriter uses each of the elements to create emotional tension and release and contrast. Listening is a great way to learn the aspects of song writing and even generate a couple of new ideas.