How to Write a Pop Song

So you've got a catchy, original tune playing in your head or you've just fallen in love (or out of love) and want to release all that pent up emotion in a song. Writing a pop song is one way to materialize all of your creativity and feeling in a way that others can enjoy. Follow these steps to write a pop song.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Start with what you've got. To start writing your pop song begin with whatever scrap or piece of the song you have. Maybe it's a melody for the chorus that you've been humming, or maybe it's a phrase or lyric about your life or romance. Take whatever you have and start working with that to write your song.

2. Get a basic melody. You should try to sing or hum the melody of your introduction or chorus. This melody can shape the rest of the song and even help you write your lyrics. If you don't write music then just sing the melody into a tape recorder for the time being and ask a musician to help you write it later.

3. Add a hook. One essential ingredient for any successful pop song is a hook. The hook is basically the combination of lyrics and music that catches people's ear and gets them singing the song long after they've stopped listening to it. Your hook can be in your introduction or your chorus, or even both. The key is that it's catchy and that others have an easy time remembering and repeating it.

4. Implement a format. Once you have your melody, some lyrics and some idea of your hook, you can start slotting all these pieces into a format. Pop song formats are pretty simple and can be learned from just listening to your favorite pop songs. One example is: introduction, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, instrumental-closing. Start working with a format to correctly arrange your pop song.