How to Write a Chorus in 4 Steps

Songs may be delightfully more magical than the essays we were obligated to write in high school, but there are some similarities that can demystify the task of finishing a song. In that high school essay, we’re accustomed to knowing our main point before we begin, and the supporting arguments we’ll use leading up to it. Songs may not have paragraphs, but they do have verses, and that’s just where the supporting detail tends to fall. When it comes to the chorus, however, sometimes we struggle to build the section out from the main point, or even identify a good title. Once we’ve got a bead on the big message, laying down the lines in a way that feels strong musically and lyrically can hold many of us verse-heavy writers from tying a bow on a tune. But there are some great tools for drumming up chorus lines that summarize our message well, and making sure they stick with the listener longer than their morning breakfast cereal. Try a few of the techniques below, and experiment with the chorus sections that begin to develop from them.

Step 1: Free-write about your thoughts and feelings.

Sometimes the task of writing actual lyrics is enough to plug up the flow of words in our brains. To take the pressure off, aim to just express your thoughts and feelings without writing lyric. For at least 3 minutes, write feverishly about the main idea. If you’re not sure, write as if you were dancing around the main idea and couldn’t get it wrong. If you’re more verbal, feel free to dictate into your phone or computer with your eyes closed. Just let the language pour out of your mouth as if you were exploring what the chorus ‘could be,’ instead of what it surely ‘is.’

Step 2: Parenthesize chorus phrases, and list potential titles.

Next, reread the free-writing and underline any phrases that resonate with you. They don’t have to be unique or reach any particular bar. They just need to feel true to you. Consider these phrases and even single words as possible titles. Hold them in your mind as the first line of the chorus, and try repeating the line or word again so that it takes on greater significance as the main message.

Step 3: Look for rhyme pairs.

Just as you might do with your verses, look for rhymes between the phrases you like from your free-writing. Many times we see our writing is loaded with rhymes, if not at the ends of the sentences, in the middle where you can re-phrase to break the line and use the rhyme. Remember to look for common vowel sounds. Just the vowel sound alone is enough to create the rhyme between words.

Step 4: Stack the lines to create a rhyme scheme

Start with the title and repeat the title immediately. This helps us writers see the title as the main message, avoiding tangents that can make the lyric feel difficult to coral. If you need a lyric line to move where your new musical ideas are going, feel free to generate new lines as your inspiration brings them. But don’t feel you need more than what your initial free-writing offered. Remember that those were the thoughts that felt true to you when you weren’t trying to write lyric. They’ve got honesty and power behind them because they’re all content without regard for rhythm or rhyme.

Practice creating different chorus structures, using the title at the front, at the back, or both. Be open to new title emerging from the writing as you stack lines. Try a four-line chorus, then expand it to six lines. Add a seventh line to a six-line chorus and listen to how it sounds. Flexibility is the key, as you experiment with your phrases. 

I believe we’ve all got choruses in us because we’ve all got the ability to move flexibly within a conversation with others, sometimes drawing out to talk about the bigger picture, and sometimes zooming in to tell detail. To find our choruses, sometimes all we need is a practice of following the steps over and over again until they become routine. 

Stay creative,