In the last Murphy's Law, I discussed assembling your demo for presentation; however, before you dress up your song and walk it out in public, take a long, hard look to make sure you've given it the full benefit of your craft. Here is a limited checklist:
Check your Checklist:
Have you kept your pronouns consistent? If it's "she" in the verse, it should not be "you" in the chorus (unless you left "she" for "you").
Have you varied your rhyme scheme from the verse to the chorus to subtly alert the listeners that something (the hook) is coming their way?
Is there a significant change in the melody from the verse to the chorus?
Do the opening couple of lines of the first verse set the stage for the story that follows?
Is the hook in the right place? With rare exceptions, the title/hook is placed at the end of the chorus, not somewhere in the verse or the backyard.
Is the language you use to tell your story contemporary, i.e. would you hear it in normal day-to-day conversation?
Don't Forget:
There are several more items on the checklist, but because of restricting space here, I leave you with what I consider the most important point:
Is the song satisfying?
Does it have a beginning, a middle and a end?
If the answer to all of the above is yes, demo on.
Write a hit!
Ralph Murphy is a Canadian Songwriter, Producer, ASCAP Vice President International & Domestic Membership.
Some of the highlights of his writing career have been recordings by Brotherhood of Man, Crystal Gayle, Little Texas, Ronnie Milsap, Dionne Warwick, Leslie Uggams, Kathy Mattea, Randy Travis, Don Williams, Mickey Gilley, Jeannie C. Riley, Shania Twain, etc.