How to write a catchy song title
The song’s title, “You Can’t Take That From Me,” immediately begs the question, “What can’t you take that from me?” It prompts the reader to want to investigate further and find out what the letter is saying. It increases our interest and arouses our curiosity.
A “catchy” song title will pique interest and lead listeners to seek more information about the song’s topic.
When selecting a song title, one must ask, “What is the song about?” Is it about winning love, losing love, rival love or unrequited love? The theme of the song must be very clear in the mind of the composer and this central idea must be conveyed to the listener.
1. What makes a good title?
The title of a song should summarize the essence of the song and should be used in a prominent place in the song, such as the first line “Night and Day”, at the end of each verse “New York State of Mind”, or at the end of each stanza. the end of the song “You’ll Never Walk Alone”.
Some of the best and strongest titles contain language that paints a verbal picture or suggests an image in the listener’s mind. “A boy named Sue” or belongs to a color “Blue suede shoes”. or mentions a place “Chicago”, or represents a name “Michelle”, or suggests a date “April Showers”.
2. Can I use a title that already exists?
It is fascinating to know that song titles, book titles, movie titles are not copyrighted and therefore can be freely used by anyone without cost or royalty payment. There are hundreds of songs with the title “I Love You” and this title could be classified as a cliché (an overused and worn phrase). Without a doubt, “I Love You” is a vitally important phrase to express oneself particularly in love songs or ballads, but one must cleverly find another way to present the clichés…offering a fresh and unique way of doing it. The word “love” only rhymes with five other words, “glove”, “of”, “up”, “dove” and “push”. and therefore you are very limited with rhyming couplings.
3. What’s wrong with the title “I love you”?
It’s a good idea to find new and fresh ways to say the same old and tried phrases like “I love you.” Such a title is “I can’t smile without you”. or “You light up my life.” or “Sometimes when we touch.” Saying “I love you” using different words with a fresh approach is catchy and refreshing.
4, Where can I find “catchy” titles?
Where does one go to find fresh and “catchy” song titles? Titles will appear practically anywhere, such as: book titles, telephone conversations, newspapers, television, radio, advertisements, movies, conversations heard in restaurants, etc.
The title can be considered the “hub” of a wheel and all the lyrical lines are the spokes that connect to the hub or title. Each line of the lyrics should reflect the title and help develop the story.
Some writers start with the title and then build a story around that title. The title should be unique and should bring to mind a clear image like “The first time I saw your face.”
It is interesting to note that the three most used words in song titles are “Heart”, “Night” and “Si”.
Here are some ideas from which to get song titles:
- Color
Purple Rain, Deep Purple, Little Green Apples, Blue Suede Shoes, The Lady in Red, It’s not easy being green.
- Square
New York State of Mind, When I Get to Phoenix, St. Louis Blues, April In Paris, Stairway to Heaven, New York New York.
- Numbers
Two for the Road, Three Coins in a Fountain, Sixteen Tons, 76 Trombones, Three Times Lady, One Samba Note.
- Weather
Saturday Night Fever, Monday and Rainy Days, April Showers, Ruby Tuesday, Sunday Love Kind, September in the Rain, The Longest Time.
- Night
Night and day, Strangers in the night, Night fever, Blues in the night, Show me tonight, White satin nights.
- Feminine
Michelle, Laura, Hello Dolly, Lucille, hard-hearted Hannah, sweet Georgia Brown, Billie Jean.
- Yew
If I had you, if I loved you, if I had a brain, if I ever left you, if I were a rich man, if I ever lost faith in you, if you asked me to.
- everyday speech
Day after day, here and now, for once in my life, too close for comfort, opposites attract, no one does it better.Question
- That’s all there is? Who can I contact? Guess who I saw today?
“What kind of fool am I? Can you read my mind? How am I supposed to live without you? How deep is your love? Will you love me tomorrow? What have you done for me lately?
- break
You don’t buy me flowers, I can’t smile without you, hurting each other, breaking up is hard to do, the end of a love story, after love is gone, it’s almost over you, you don’t know how it feels, missing you now.
- Love
Our love is here to stay, you are the sun of my life, if I loved you, people will say that we are in love, I just called to tell you that I love you.
- Request
Let’s go crazy, hit it!
Repetition
Fly, robin, fly; Bad, Bad Leroy Brown; I want you, I need you, I love you; Enough is enough; And again.
- Alliteration (the repetition of initial consonant sounds)
Seasons in the sun, The way we were, My boyfriend’s back, Touch me in the morning, You light up my life, I’ve done someone wrong Song.
- Similary (a comparison of two different things in which I “like”, “like” or “what”)
Bridge over troubled waters, younger than spring, the song is you, a pretty girl is like a melody.
- Metaphor (a comparison of two different things in which the words “as” or “like” are not used)
You win the round, you boost the economy, what’s the bottom line?
- need to escape
Up, up and away; Slow ship to China; Let’s get away from all that; Over the rainbow; By the time I get to Phoenix, take me to the moon.
- inspiring
The impossible dream, climb every mountain, I believe, it’s a wonderful world, you will never walk alone.
- family expressions
The best is yet to come; Easy Come Easy Go; Wait and see; Signed, Sealed and Delivered, Beginner’s Luck. It’s too late!
- oxymoron(a single sentence that juxtaposes opposite terms)
Serious Fun, The Tender Trap, Cruel Kindness, Hurry Slowly, My Happiest Mistake, The Sound of Silence, Kill Me Softly.
- visual images
Peel me a grape, A walk in the spring rain, That goodbye look, Knocking on heaven’s door, Living on a prayer, Strawberry fields forever, Walking on broken glass.
- Antonym…opposite
Another Mr. Just to the left, Everyone has the right to be wrong, If I could remember to forget, The high cost of living low, My future just passed.
- Pun
Full moon and empty arms, Every heart should have one, New looks from an old lover, The night we call it day, Come rain or shine, Love at second sight, The high cost of loving.
- book titles
Gone with the wind, from here to eternity, games that people play.
- Personification= attribute human characteristics to inanimate objects.
Ol Man River, summer knows,
Writing a “catchy” song title requires careful thought and imagination from the composer. Using the above suggestions, one can find inspiration for the best headline, the right headline, your headline.