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What's the EXACT difference between HOOK and CHORUS (in R&B/Pop songs)?


2FLY

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Yo,

 

Question:

 

This is what I use.

 

Verse (obvious)

Pre-Chorus (what happens everytime before the hook)

Hook (the catchy part of the record)

 

If there are different types of hooks I'll call that 'Hook 1' and 'Hook 2' etc. Note that with me a hook can also only happen once in the song..

 

But I read some songlyrics online from Lloyd (check his album 'Southside' out... he got LYRICS.. he can really write damn!) and I read 'hook' for what I call pre-chorus and chorus for what I call hook.

 

I think these tools are essential.. can anyone give me some more clarity?

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Originally posted by 2FLY

Note that with me a hook can also only happen once in the song..

 

 

Actually, just the opposite is true. A hook should appear as many times as possible in a song. If it only happens once it is not a hook.

 

The chorus is the part of the song that tells what the song is about, as opposed to the verses, which tell the story. On the other hand, a "hook" is simply a musical or lyrical line that gets repeated enough to be remembered, and it can occur anywhere within a song.

 

Usually the title line (which is in the chorus) is part of a hook, but it certainly should not be the only hook in a song. A good song is full of hooks from beginning to end. Some are lyrical hooks, some are musical hooks, some can even be "production" hooks.

 

At its most basic (and boring), a hook is simply something that gets repeated enough times in a song to be remembered. A good hook, on the other hand, is a surprise that ambushes the listener and makes them take notice and say "Hey! Something is different here!" It can be a surprise musical note or a sudden change in rhythm, a pause in the song, an interesting instrumental break or sound effect. THen, everytime that secion of the song is repeated (e.g. the chorus, the verse, etc...) the hook gets repeated, and the listener gets to hear it again, anticipate it, and remember it.

 

To sum up: the chorus is the part of the song that tells what the song is about. A hook is a memorable passage that can appear any place within the song. A good song is chock-full of hooks.

 

A

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Originally posted by Aaron Cheney



Actually, just the opposite is true. A hook should appear as many times as possible in a song. If it only happens once it is not a hook.


The chorus is the part of the song that tells what the
song is about
, as opposed to the verses, which
tell the story
. On the other hand, a "hook" is simply a musical or lyrical line that gets repeated enough to be remembered, and it can occur anywhere within a song.


Usually the title line (which is in the chorus) is part of a hook, but it certainly should not be the only hook in a song. A good song is full of hooks from beginning to end. Some are lyrical hooks, some are musical hooks, some can even be "production" hooks.


At its most basic (and boring), a hook is simply something that gets repeated enough times in a song to be remembered. A
good
hook, on the other hand, is a surprise that ambushes the listener and makes them take notice and say "Hey! Something is different here!" It can be a surprise musical note or a sudden change in rhythm, a pause in the song, an interesting instrumental break or sound effect. THen, everytime that secion of the song is repeated (e.g. the chorus, the verse, etc...) the hook gets repeated, and the listener gets to hear it again, anticipate it, and remember it.


To sum up: the chorus is the part of the song that tells what the song is about. A hook is a memorable passage that can appear any place within the song. A good song is chock-full of hooks.


A

 

 

Damn. Now I'm confused.

 

This is a typical arrangement of one of our songs:

 

Intro -> verse 1 -> hook -> chorus -> verse 2 -> hook -> chorus -> bridge -> chorus -> hook 2 -> outro

 

But r u saying that 'hook' is usually not even party of a song OFFICIALLY as in it's something you have written in your arrangement??? Cuz if I have something that happens be4 every hook (what is actually chorus as I've just learned) isn't that like a hook or pre-chorus?

 

And my focus now is hip-hop/rnb/pop. Is there any different names these different genres use for the same thing. I've seen 'Hook' in Missy Elliot lyrics....

 

 

Thanx homie!

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I think Cheney had it right, but I'll try to say it in a different way.

 

A hook is ANY element of a song that is catchy and repeated, used to draw people into a song and make them remember it.

 

What could you consider a hook? A catchy bass riff that is played every 4th measure could be a hook. A guitar melody that is repeated constantly throughout the song could be considered a hook. If you repeat a certain line at the beginning or end of every verse, that line would be a hook. A chorus is a hook.

 

It is kind of deceptive when people talk about "The Hook" in a song, because most songs have quite a few. A chorus is a TYPE of hook, so you might often find peopple using the terms interchangeably.

 

"Chorus" usually refers to a lyrical hook placed at certain intervals in a song with a certain type of structure.

 

For example, consider a song with the structure ACACBA

 

A is a verse which may contain multiple hooks

C is a chorus which is itself a hook and may contain mutiple hooks

B is a bridge which may contain multiple hooks or even different takes on hooks used elsewhere in the song

And there may be hooks used throughout all of the sections

 

So your song diagram isn't correct, as it mixes categories.

 

try:

intro -> verse 1 -> prechorus -> chorus -> verse 2 -> prechorus -> bridge -> chorus -> bridge 2 -> outro

 

"hook" was replaced with "prechorus" (not a technical term) which is A hook, as is the chorus. "Hook 2" was changed to "bridge 2" because its not really a hook if it only appears once.

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Originally posted by A_Str8


A hook is ANY element of a song that is catchy and repeated, used to draw people into a song and make them remember it.

 

 

Exactly. 2Fly, I think you're confusing "hook" with "chorus".

 

These are the parts of a song:

 

Verse

Chorus

Bridge

 

Sometimes people use other names for parts of a song that are not quite as common. These include:

 

Intro

Outro

Pre-chorus

Lift

Middle-eight

Instrumental break

 

All these names have to do with song-form. For example you might refer to a song as being:

 

Verse

Verse

Chorus

Verse

Chorus

Bridge

Chorus

 

That is a VERY standard song form in modern music. It is also commonly called AACACBC form.

 

"Hooks" on the other hand are NOT part of a song's form. They carry on a strange, simbiotic relationship with all the parts of a song. The can live in the verses, in the choruses, the instrumental breaks, and just about everywhere you can name. The more you can cram into a song, the better.

 

A

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On No Doubt's Hella Good the chorus is the part that goes: "You've got me feelling hella good so lets just keep on dancing......."

The hook would be the bass/synth part you hear throughout the song that goes : bomb bomp ba da bomp ..ba da bomp bomp ba da bomp. This is the part you find yourself humming all day.

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