SongwritingHooks

"Cross My Heart and Hope to Die," Marianas Trench: Hook-y Summer Jam

If I were younger, I could see "Cross My Heart and Hope to Die" being a favorite summer jam. Wicked fun tune, with some beautiful hooks.

(Image swiped from MuchMusic; I hope they don't mind too much.)

The hook device used most dominantly, and it's used a lot, is the breakdown, by which I mean: the song is clicking along until a particular spot where some or most of the instruments drop out (except drums, which usually stick around in a breakdown).There are a lot of breakdowns in "Cross My Heart," though somehow it doesn't feel over used. Here's a selection:

Drum Week, Part 3: Everybody Bo Diddley on the Count of 4

First, work out this rhythm, emphasizing the bolded hits:

ONE and two AND three and FOUR and

one and TWO and THREE and four and...¹

Got it? That's the hook of the day. Now let's work our way back on the pop charts to see it in action, starting at 1982:

Hear the hook: I Want Candy MP3 (Bow Wow Wow version), Bo Diddley beat #3             Copyright info

Now let's try 1957:

We Interrupt Drum Week for a Special Announcement

It's drum week at songwritinghooks.com, but I wanted to do a non-drum-related shout out about a podcast that you should hear. 

I'm not a huge Dylan fan. Never really felt connected to his music. But I am a big Paul Simon fan, because I think the man farts more genius than most songwriters can muster with a lifetime of straining. (That was too graphic, wasn't it?)

Drum Week, Part 2: The Unstoppable Beat

There are some drum hooks that are absolutely simple, and are powerful because of one thing: they just don't stop. Here are two examples from the 80s (which is as good a time as any to point new visitors to the FAQs -- especially the part about why the music at songwritinghooks.com tends not to be the current Top 40).

Hear the hook: Icicle Works, Whisper to a Scream MP3, driving drum beat             Copyright info

Hear the hook: Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Relax MP3, the unstoppable pounding             Copyright info