How to Write a Catchy Song

In order to write a catchy song, you'll need a good melody, solid chords and memorable lyrics. Unless you have a natural gift for writing hooky tunes, the easiest songs to remember are often the hardest ones to write. Follow these steps to give your composition a boost and make it stick in your listeners' minds.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Learn basic pop-rock chord progressions. You don't need an extensive knowledge of music theory to write catchy songs, but you do need to know enough to create accessible harmonies that support your melodies.
2. Brainstorm melodic ideas. If one hook doesn't quite seem to work, start from scratch and create another one. Don't allow your creativity to become bogged down in the difficulties of the song-writing process.
3. Study the lyrical structure of your favorite songs. There are many different ways to compose your songs, so you'll need to make a concerted effort to learn a certain form or style before proceeding.
4. Decide which element of the song's most important to you and write it first. Even great songwriters like Michael Jackson key in on one element during the writing process--he wrote Billy Jean, for example, just to create a song with a catchy bass line.
5. Use tasteful repetition to solidify your melodies and lyrical motifs. Pop songs, which by their nature are designed to be catchy, always feature a memorable riff or hook that stays in your head for hours after hearing them.
6. Do your best to connect the music to the lyrics. Catchy songs almost always capture the mood and themes of the lyrics.
7. Embrace mistakes during the writing process. Unintended improvisations often lead to exciting and refreshing musical ideas.