In a previous workshop, Really Focus On Your First Verse, we talked about the importance of creating an idea or story before writing a song in order to focus on the song’s idea to make the song clear for your listeners.

Let’s take the lyrics we used as an example for that article, and use it for the concept I’m about to explain:

My eyes have been locked into yours all night
Now tell me it isn’t so
Your smile has found me more than once or twice
Enough to tell me all I need to know

The particular verse lyrics example above sounds like the start of a country tune to me, so I’ll keep using that country flavor as I go.  Keep in mind you can use the following tips for any genre in music effectively!

Let’s introduce the technique; we want to place a shorter line after a longer one to call attention to the lyrics and melody of the short line.  Using the above lyrics, I’ll continue writing the verse using this example (the song is called, “Don’t Get Carried Away“):

(1st Verse)
Your eyes have been locked into mine all night
Now tell me it isn’t so
Your smile has found me more than once or twice
Enough to tell me all I need to know

But I’m holding back I don’t trust myself
I usually go after what I can get
It’s gettin’ pretty hot in this happenin’ place
And your “hello” hasn’t found me yet

(Prechorus)
In my head
A little voice says
Don’t get carried away
Don’t get carried away

followed by the (Chorus)……………………………………l.

What I’ve done is:

(1). I shortened the phrases in the prechorus by a few syllables to place emphasis on those lines, and

(2). I’ve included the song title in the prechorus, which leaves me the option of using the song title again in the chorus to drive my message home! 

A recent pop/r&b song that used this technique effectively was Ne-Yo’s “Closer,” where right before the Chorus, there’s a short prechorus containing the title:

Come closer
Come closer

In “Closer” the song title is never used in the actual chorus and the song was still powerful because it used the technique explained in this article effectively!  As you can see and hear, knowing how to write great songs involves experimenting, even if it means not including the song title in the chorus in certain songs.