Exercise

Step 1: Write a title based on one of these seven hook archetypes:

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1. A NAME, PLACE, OR ABSTRACT CONCEPT 

"You’ve unified your song by making it about one thing (or person), and the rest of the lyric is formed of the singer’s perspective on or description of that thing (or person)" (Bell, 2015). Examples: 'Roxanne' by the Police, 'Amsterdam' by Nothing But Thieves.

 

2. AN EMOTION OR STATE OF BEING

You wrote a song about an emotion or state of being, and the rest of the lyric is formed of the singer’s perspective on or description of that emotion or state of being. Examples: 'Happy' by Pharell Williams, 'Crazy in Love' by Beyonce, ‘Sick and Tired’ by Anastacia. (Bell, 2015).

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3. A PHYSICAL STATE OR 'WHEN' STATEMENT

You wrote a song about a physical state or ‘when’ statement, describing in the song what it’s like when a particular thing happens. Example: This happens when waking up in Amsterdam and when grow up all these things will happen. More examples: 'Waking Up In Vegas’ by Katy Perry, ‘When I Grow Up’ by the Pussycat Dolls, ‘Als Ik Met De Wind Kon Dansen’ by Bente (Bell, 2015).

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4. A STATEMENT OF TIME

"Your song’s focus becomes a period of time – past, future or present – and thus everything that happens in that period of time has a common thread" (Bell, 2015). Example: what happened yesterday? Examples: ‘Yesterday’ by the Beatles, ‘Last Christmas’ by Wham!, ‘De Ergste Dag’ van S10 & Mula B (Bell, 2015).  

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5. A STATEMENT

"Perhaps a statement which just expresses the singer’s unique viewpoint, something the singer desires or even a singer trying to convince someone of something. The rest of the lyric is the reasons, background and any other information that might back up their particular thesis" (Bell, 2015). Examples: ‘Can’t Take Me Eyes off You’ by Ms.Lauren Hill, ‘Ik Wil Dansen’ van Froukje.

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6. A QUESTION

This hook archetype has a "similar effect as a statement, but the emotional stakes are usually higher. Not least because the song is usually a direct address to someone else, and not just a soliloquy"(Bell, 2015). Examples: ‘Are You Even Real’ by James Blake, ‘What Can I Do’ by Reneé Rapp (Bell, 2015).

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7. A CONVERSATION PHRASE WITH NO PARTICULAR MEANING OF ITS OWN

"Certain phrases don’t mean much in themselves but can say a lot about the situation they relate to. Think about how expressive the hook of Jay Z’s ‘Excuse Me, Miss’ is, and how it would have been a totally different song if the title was ‘Pardon me, madam’ even though the meaning is essentially the same. A key benefit of this kind of hook is the flexibility it gives you in the words that sit around your hook: it’s possible to say a variety of different things and yet unify them all by having them contain this phrase" (Bell, 2015). Example: ‘Excuse Me, Miss’ by Jay Z (Bell, 2015).

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Source

Bell, E. (2015) How to Choose a Great Lyrical Hook. Available at https://thesongfoundry.com/choose-a-great-lyrical-hook/ (Accessed: 25 November 2025).​​​​​​​​