One of the most effective ways to improve your song production is to have a killer chorus. Forget plugins - they'll only get you so far. Read on for some sure-fire tips on how to create that killer chorus that will take your song to the next level.
The Quest
No doubt, you’ve spent hours fussing over different elements in a mix, trying to make it sound big and pro. We all do it. It doesn’t matter if you’re a songwriter, producer, or a mixing engineer; the quest for a great-sounding song is the ultimate goal. And we all crave that end result: the one that gets the record company on the phone, or the Spotify and YouTube plays spinning into the millions. But here’s the clincher: mix engineers often focus on tweaking the sonics and miss the fact that the very foundation - the song - might not be up to spec.
Your average listener won’t notice the snap in your snare or your big phat low end. While shaving, tweaking, and adjusting those plugin parameters can improve your song's sonics, the entire production is likely to be a flop if your song doesn’t have a great chorus. The fact is that most of your listeners won’t know a great snare from a killer guitar tone, but they will remember a catchy, memorable chorus hook. They’ll be whistling it in the shower, humming it on the way to work (and hopefully) sending you frustrated texts about how they can’t get to sleep at night ‘coz your darn song is spinning around their head.
These days, the typical home studio engineer (who is also very often the songwriter too) needs to ask this important yet simple question: does this song have a killer chorus? Because if it doesn't, it's likely to be another production release that disappears like a droplet into the ocean of obscurity. Here's the thing: having a great chorus will give your song 'legs.' It will make your song catchy, shareable, and worth listening to.
So, what can we do about getting a killer chorus?
So, what can we do about getting a killer chorus?
Wearing the Right Hat
Here’s a thing that I find useful as part of the mixing process - it helps me shift my focus from the technical knob-twiddling to thinking about the song. I imagine myself wearing a different hat depending on what stage of the music production I’m working on. If I’m producing, then I’m wearing my 'producer hat'. When I’m in songwriting mode I wear my 'songwriter’s hat', and so on. The hat signifies a sphere of thinking and helps me to focus on just one area (if this psychology interests you, then check out Stephen Covey's, "7 Habits of Highly Effective People").
For example, when I mentally remove my ‘mix engineer’ hat, I stop thinking about gain-staging, EQing, setting compressors, and all that stuff. Then I put on my producer hat and I start interrogating the song from a producer’s perspective. In other words, I’m thinking about the song’s groove, how catchy it is, the TTC (time to chorus), contrast, builds, transitions and so on. But mostly, I’m thinking about how to make sure I’ve got a killer chorus because I know that nobody cares about the song unless it grabs them in some way. The chorus is like the icing on the cake or the climax of a story. You need great icing and you need a great climax. So let's talk about some of the things that make a killer chorus.
For example, when I mentally remove my ‘mix engineer’ hat, I stop thinking about gain-staging, EQing, setting compressors, and all that stuff. Then I put on my producer hat and I start interrogating the song from a producer’s perspective. In other words, I’m thinking about the song’s groove, how catchy it is, the TTC (time to chorus), contrast, builds, transitions and so on. But mostly, I’m thinking about how to make sure I’ve got a killer chorus because I know that nobody cares about the song unless it grabs them in some way. The chorus is like the icing on the cake or the climax of a story. You need great icing and you need a great climax. So let's talk about some of the things that make a killer chorus.
If you’re mixing somebody else’s song and you don’t think the chorus is vibing, then you’re in a prime position (some would say it’s your duty as a mixing engineer) to go back to the artist and give them your professional recommendations so that, together, you can create something great. Remember, that you and the artist/songwriter are in the project together and your end goals are the same: to create a great song.
So, it doesn’t matter whether you’re the songwriter, recording engineer, mixer, producer, or artist. If you can get your head around the following techniques and purposefully and dutifully include them as part of your workflow, you will have improved your skill set, creativity, and the quality of service you can offer to your clients.
7 Techniques for a Killer Chorus
1. Keep the Melody Simple
Great melodic lines don’t need to be complex. A simple melodic line makes it easier to remember and stick in the heads of your listeners, making it powerful and memorable. Aim for simplicity over complexity. Here are some examples:
Song 2, Blur:
The main hook in this chorus is so simple it’s almost a joke. ‘Woohoo,’ is repeated over and over with a powerful bed of heavy guitars and drums. Simple, hooky, and memorable, this song is a party! The song, released in 1997, still gets airplay today. At the 1998 Brit Awards, it was nominated as best British single. It reached number two on the UK singles chart and number six on US Billboard Alternative Songs.
The main hook in this chorus is so simple it’s almost a joke. ‘Woohoo,’ is repeated over and over with a powerful bed of heavy guitars and drums. Simple, hooky, and memorable, this song is a party! The song, released in 1997, still gets airplay today. At the 1998 Brit Awards, it was nominated as best British single. It reached number two on the UK singles chart and number six on US Billboard Alternative Songs.
ABC, Jackson 5:
Another simple and repetitive chorus melody line. If you hum the main chorus melody you’ll understand the simplicity and effectiveness of this simple hook, which is based around a simple and repetitive three-note melody, "A B C, as easy as 1 2 3."
Another simple and repetitive chorus melody line. If you hum the main chorus melody you’ll understand the simplicity and effectiveness of this simple hook, which is based around a simple and repetitive three-note melody, "A B C, as easy as 1 2 3."
2. Support the Melody with Great Chords
In simple terms, the chords that are under the main melody line have a significant effect on the success of the melody. For example, having major chords under a melody can give a more upbeat vibe than minor chords. Alternatively, using chords that are the same as the main root note of the melody give a very different flavour compared to using chords that are on the second, third, fourth, or fifth note of the fundamental scale. In short, you can enhance or demolish a melody by the choice of chords that underpin the melody. Additionally, the bass line is another varying factor, but for the sake of clarity, we’ll ignore this aspect for the moment.
Check out the chorus example in the sound clip below. It demonstrates an identical chorus melody with three different chords underneath, as follows:
Part 1: C G Am C
Part 2: D C G Am
Part 3: G E G C
Check out the chorus example in the sound clip below. It demonstrates an identical chorus melody with three different chords underneath, as follows:
Part 1: C G Am C
Part 2: D C G Am
Part 3: G E G C
Socialite, Amos Clarke:
In this example, each set of chord variations gives a very different character to the lead vocal melody. This chorus is from a song I have recently written, and I'm using the first option. Which do you prefer?
In this example, each set of chord variations gives a very different character to the lead vocal melody. This chorus is from a song I have recently written, and I'm using the first option. Which do you prefer?
3. Increase the Vocal Register of your Chorus Melody
When chorus lead vocals are sung in a higher register than the verse, they will stand out and give the chorus a lift. High-pitched singing tends to attract the ear and can offer huge contrast if they follow a verse with softer-sung, low-register singing. Higher register vocals often come with more intensity, making the stand out from their softer-sung counterparts. In other words, if your verse and chorus vocal melody are in the same range, there’s little contrast between the two song sections and you’ll need to work harder to have a chorus that stands out.
Since You’ve Been Gone, Kelly Clarkson:
This song is a perfect demonstration of high contrast between the verse and chorus. Take note of how the drums, guitar, and vocals all take on a massive energy increase when the chorus arrives.
Daughtry's song has the same contrast technique used in Kelly Clarkson's song, where both the instrumentation and the lead vocal, take a big step up in the chorus. Note how the lead vocal has both a big increase in register and intensity.
4. Beat-phrasing
‘Beat-phrasing’ is a term I use to describe the rhythm of the sung words in a song. It doesn't matter whether the words are spoken, rapped or sung; all vocal delivery has a phrasing component that forms a critical part of the lead vocal delivery. To get great beat-phrasing, you need to choose words with syllables that will create their own rhythm when sung, and the phrasing needs to work in harmony with the melody and the word syllables. Strong beat-phrasing will reinforce the melody and help the hook stick in the listener’s mind. Well-constructed beat-phrasing creates incredible synergy with the melody. The masters of great beat-phrasing are artists such as Eminem, Bruno Mars, Michael Jackson, Rage Against the Machine (and so many more).
The message, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious 5:
Take note of the beat-phrasing in the chorus: "It's like a jungle sometimes it makes me wonder how I keep from going under..." In this example, the main hook of the song is purely based around beat-phrasing with no melody.
5. Instrumental Contrast
Creating contrast is one of THE most effective ways to put some 'kick-butt' into your chorus, and most of the techniques in this blog are variations on this theme. Another effective method is by altering the instrumentation between the chorus and the adjoining song sections. One very common and highly effective method is popular production is to create sparse verses and full choruses. This might mean a verse with only a lead vocal, kick drum, and guitar. When the chorus arrives there's the full range of instruments: drums, bass, lead vocal, guitars, keyboards, backing vocals. These big change-ups really bring a chorus to life and create a huge lift in energy.
Another method which creates further impact with this technique is to use warmer (duller) sounds in verses and brighter, fuller sounds in the choruses. If you refer back to Kelly Clarkson's, "Since You've Been Gone", her song uses both of these methods perfectly.
Another method which creates further impact with this technique is to use warmer (duller) sounds in verses and brighter, fuller sounds in the choruses. If you refer back to Kelly Clarkson's, "Since You've Been Gone", her song uses both of these methods perfectly.
This song exemplifies the technique of super sparse verses that explode into bigger, more dynamic and lush choruses.
6. TTC (Time To Chorus)
If you’re writing pop music, it’s a fairly common rule that your song should get to the chorus in around 40 - 50 seconds of the song starting. This ‘rule’ seems to have developed over time with radio because it significantly improves audience engagement by getting to fun part sooner rather than later, and keeping listeners listening. In other words, moving to the chorus relatively quickly increases the likelihood that the listener won’t change channels or click away from the song. And it works for all popular genres. The unsavoury alternative is a song that meanders like a kid kicking a can down the street. Getting to the chorus isn’t a race, it just means that you don’t dilly-dally around. If you’ve ever heard the term, ‘don’t bore us, get to the chorus,’ then you’ll understand that getting to the chorus in a timely manner is a critical part of having a successful, radio-friendly song. Here are some examples of the TTC for some popular tunes:
Katy Perry: Hot ‘n’ Cold – TTC = 32 seconds
Kira Isabella: Quarterback – TTC = 47 seconds
5 Seconds of Summer: She Looks So Perfect – TTC = 45 seconds
Daughtry: Feels Like Tonight – TTC = 36 seconds
Nirvana: Smells Like Teen Spirit = 58 seconds
Red Hot Chilli Peppers: Give It Away Now = 50 seconds
Edie Brickell and the New Bohemiams: What I Am = 54 seconds
Queen: Another One Bites The Dust = 49 seconds
Pharrell Williams: Happy = 39 seconds
Red Hot Chilli Peppers: Give It Away Now = 50 seconds
Edie Brickell and the New Bohemiams: What I Am = 54 seconds
Queen: Another One Bites The Dust = 49 seconds
Pharrell Williams: Happy = 39 seconds
7. Repeat, then Repeat Again
The more times you repeat the chorus’s melodic line, the more it will stick in the minds of your listeners. But watch out for saturation (over-repetition) because it can get boring. If you're worried about saturation, then keep melody the same but make small variations to the instrumentation. This could mean adding a keyboard or backing vocals, or maybe the drummer starts laying into the cymbals. My go-to method is to make a couple of variations to the instrumentation in each successive chorus while keeping the lead melody/hook the same. This way, you get melodic repetition and variation as the song develops. One of my favourite techniques is to have lead vocal ad-libs (in addition to the main melody) in the chorus/outro section because it adds this great loose-energy vibe.
When considering the overall format of the song, your aim is to create tension in the verses, pre-choruses and bridges so that the listener is waiting for the chorus, but it doesn’t work to leave the listener hanging for too long. So what's the optimum wait time? An effective method is to use a proven format. For example, the format: A B C A B C D C C works well, where A is the verse, B is a pre-chorus, C is a chorus, and D is a bridge. Verse and chorus sections are commonly eight bars in duration (pre-choruses usually range from one to four bars). Building a song structure around these simple guidelines will usually result in a song with optimum time between choruses, while still keeping your audience engaged. And if that doesn't work for you, burn a mix and play it for a few days (out of the studio) and you should start to feel if the song is sitting right.
Takeaways
If you boil all of these techniques down, it’s pretty clear that contrast and repetition are two key factors in creating killer choruses. Contrast ensures that your chorus stands out from the surrounding song sections, while repetition ensures that the key melodic hook is repeated regularly. Similarly, aiming for a simple and memorable melodic hook with great beat-phrasing is a must.
If you want to look deeper into this and related topics, I suggest researching your favourite radio hits and check out the TTC, tempo, the number of choruses, the time duration between choruses, bar count for each chorus, and so on. Compare the hits and look for patterns. Use your findings to create your own rules for a killer chorus. If you put in the time and effort you will definitely be rewarded and it could be a game-changer for you as a mixing engineer, producer, or songwriter.
If you’re interested in exploring these ideas further, check out my book, Song Arrangement for the Small Recording Studio from Amazon (print and eBook). It covers these techniques and much more, complete with examples, graphics, and more.
Amos Clarke
