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By Mary Dawson

This is the second in a series of articles called Build-A-Song which present a step-by-step method for creating a song. By no means is this "the only" method for writing songs. In fact, the approaches to songwriting are as many as the writers themselves. But our Build-A-Song series will offer a sequential template for covering the basics of successful songwriting. I hope you will follow along and perhaps even try this method as you create your own. If you missed Part 1 of the series, you may find it in the archived issues.

Part 2 -- From the Idea to the Hook

O.K. -- Let's play a little Handyman's Jeopardy -- I'll be Alex Trabeck. The category is Tools. Here's the answer:

An implement that catches something....holds something......sustains it and .... pulls it along.

And, of course, the question is......What is a Hook?

Now, unlike Alex Trabeck, I can't offer you any high dollar prizes, but I can tell you that if you were sharp enough to get that one, you already have the definition for one of the most essential components in the songwriter's toolkit as well. In my first article in the Build-A-Song Series, we examined the importance of having a worthy idea as the solid substructure for any song. But inextricably interwoven with the idea -- like the RNA and the DNA of a cell -- there must also be a great hook. While the idea gives the song substance and something to say, the hook gives it focus and communicates the idea to the listener. The idea and the hook are basically "two sides of the same coin" and must work together to create a song that listeners understand and remember.

What exactly is a hook? And why is it so important? Like the tool described in our

Handyman's Jeopardy question above, the hook of a song is that one line of music and lyric that is designed to catch the listener's interest, to hold and sustain that interest as the song continues, and to pull the listener into that "worthy idea" that gave rise to the song in the first place.

While the term, hook, is a relatively contemporary term, the concept behind it has been around for centuries. George Frederic Handel, for example, may have used the word motif or theme or some other composer's terminology, but the Hallelujah Chorus alone demonstrates that George definitely knew how to write a hook. Centuries after it was written, people old and young -- from every country and background -- students of Baroque Music as well as Pop and Country music fans -- still can whistle or hum the "Hal-le-lu-jah!" THAT is an effective hook!

The hook is the song's thesis statement. Just as every essay has a thesis that encapsulates its central idea in one statement, an effective song must have a hook that expresses in just a few words and notes what the song is about. The hook is ALWAYS repeated (if it is not repeated, you just "thought" it was the hook). It is usually also the title of the song and is that one line the listener will keep whistling or humming long after the song is over.

A very visual description of a hook was given to me my one of my early mentors in songwriting. He described the hook as a diamond, and the rest of the song as the black velvet backdrop jewelers use to display gems. He explained that if you have a beautiful 10-carat diamond on a background of broken glass, it will not show up at all. If, on the other hand, you display it on a draped background of black velvet, the diamond will stand out and shine in all its splendor. Just as each velvet backdrop only displays one stone, so each song must have one main hook. The entire rest of the song must be designed to display that one shining "ten-carat" hook in its best possible light.

Song ideas and song hooks are so interwoven that they often appear at almost the same time in the writer's mind. Sometimes the idea comes first and then the writer finds that perfect phrase that will summarize it. But sometimes the hook comes first and gives rise to a great idea behind it. Great hooks are all around us -- floating in the air. As we begin to train ourselves to think like songwriters, we will develop antennae that will pick up the transmissions of these hooks as they sail past us every day.

Personally, I pay special attention to billboards, T-shirts with slogans, headlines, TV and news stories. I look for any colloquialisms or turns of phrase that might become a great idea. And this brings up still one more attribute of a great hook.....just like with the toolshed instrument, a lyrical hook is extremely effective when it has a slight * twist *. Country songwriters are extremely creative when it comes to writing these little "word-play" hooks that have a double entendre or double meaning. How could anyone not be curious about a song with a title like Pouring Whiskey on the Wound, or how about..... I'm Cryin' on the Shoulder of the Road .