Some of you have asked, so here are my thoughts on the essentials for a great song:

1. The Hook – The hook, handle or title should all be one in the same and be the central idea of the song. It should be the strongest and most focused concept – what the song is about. It should also be accompanied by the strongest and most memorable (sticky) musical phrase. It’s the essence of the song and usually it’s found at the beginning or the end of the chorus.
2. The Rhymes Rhyme – Let’s not let the beauty of this lyrical technique slide into oblivion. I recommend Clement Wood’s The Complete Rhyming Dictionary: Including The Poet’s Craft Book for all you lyricists out there. It’s the one all the pros use. “Beat” rhymes with “Feet”. “Beat does not rhyme with “sweets”. When you rhyme with perfect rhymes, you do not disappoint the ear. When you don’t, you do.
3. The Scans Scan – One of the most important ingredients of a great song is the power of repetition. Songs are “sticky” if the melodies are first good ones, but also come atcha with exactly the same melody each time you hear it repeated in the song.When the composer changes his melody even slightly to fit in the lyric that does not scan (match perfectly in beats, syllables and pentameter each time you hear it), then you again disappoint and even confuse the ear of the listener and make the song less “sticky”.I see more and more good writers making this mistake today and sabotaging their own great melodies by not properly scanning. It’s hard work, but make your verses scan – perfectly.
4. The Melody Is Inspired – Some people are just born with melody, but I believe that it can be developed. Just not mathematically or technically. Otherwise computers would write great songs.An inspired melody comes from a complete inner understanding of the emotional moment. It is not something “lucky”, not something one just trips upon when doodling with the chords. It comes from the soul, from the spirit of the composer, from the committed presence to the emotional moment and central idea of the song.The composer has to be living the experience of the song in order to have the original inspiration of the great melody. It’s magical, but not really. Melody is born of experience. Experience the true moment of the song fully and the “right” melody will pop out.
5. The Lyric Runs Deep – Ya’ gotta have a concept. I never start a song unless I have a title first. Otherwise, what are you writing about? Button down the concept. Even if its just another “I want you; I need you; I love you” song, find out what is your original thought on the subject.Why does the world need to consider this new and original idea that you have? What particular and extra-special light are you throwing on to the subject? Can you speak deeply from either your own true experience or from your own wild imagination? What particular corner do you have on this new idea that needs to be born.Make sure it’s vitally important to the world or to a particular individual. Otherwise, don’t write it.

For more inspirational music, thoughts and ideas from Peter Link,
please visit Watchfire Music.