Do you think there’s a difference between a hook and a chorus? If so, does it matter? I think there is, and I think it does.
Here’s why. Chances are good what I mean when I say chorus. It’s the part everyone sings along to.
It’s where the lighters come out. Maybe the song title’s in there. And so what about the hook?
The hook could be the chorus, but to my thinking, the hook is anything that’s memorable about this song. It’s a part that pulls you in. Maybe it’s an unusual instrument.
Or maybe it’s a distinctive bass line. Yeah, that’s right. Grandma got run over by a reindeer.
But the memorable part of this song isn’t so much the chorus as it is the gag. So who cares, and why should it matter? Language is what language becomes.
If we co-opt the word hook to mean chorus, we no longer have a word for something that’s really useful for music producers to talk about. Music and music production, it’s an evolving language. And if you or someone wants to be part of that dialogue, share this with someone who belongs in a beat-kitchen class.
