Hook (music): Difference between revisions

While some melodic hooks include skips of an [[octave]] or more to make the line more interesting, a hook can be equally catchy by employing rhythmic [[syncopation]] or other devices. A hook may also garner attention from listeners from other factors, such as the vocal timbre or instrumentation, as in the case of the [[Beach Boys]]' use of an [[Electro-Theremin]] in "[[Good Vibrations]]". Some hooks become popular without using any unusual elements. For example, in the song "[[Be My Baby]]", performed by [[The Ronettes]], the hook consists of the words "be my baby" over the conventional [[I–vi–IV–V]] [[chord progression]] of the [[refrain|chorus]].<ref name="Burns" /> Hooks in hip hop almost always refer to the chorus between verses; as in the lyrics to "[[Ice Ice Baby]]", "check out the hook, while my DJ revolves it", that leads into the chorus itself.

 

The hooks of a song may be used in [[market research]] to assist in gauging the popularity of a song based on the listener's ability to recognize the song's hook. Often radio stations conduct "call out" either on the Internet, via telephone, or a music test (either online or in an in-person setting) to conduct surveys. Stations may use the services of a professional "hook service" or prepare the materials themselves. In some studies, radio stations play the hook, typically 8–12 bars long,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vicfirth.com/education/articles/understanding_song_form.html |title=Understanding Song Form |last=Steinkoler |first=Jeremy |access-date=21 May 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140429183234/http://www.vicfirth.com/education/articles/understanding_song_form.html |archive-date=29 April 2014 }}</ref> for audiences of up to 150 participants. The participants are then asked to rate the song on a scale from "dislike very much" to "like very much". Top 40 stations typically can't wait that long for results and have participants "call out" directly, by listening and rating different hooks.<ref>Cobo, Leila. "Radio Research: How Much does it Determine what Gets Played how often? Programmers Insist its Role is Valuable - and Misunderstood." Billboard: The International Newsweekly of Music, Video and Home Entertainment, vol. 114, no. 50, 2002.</ref> Studies such as these inform the radio station how popular current songs are or if the audience is "burned out" of a certain song. Market research based on hooks gives radio stations of all genres awareness of what their audience demographic wants to listen to, and is even used to test the musical boundaries of the audience.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Dann-Beardsley|first=Cynthia|title=Eight Seconds to Hook an Audience|journal=Words and Music|volume=7|id={{ProQuest|757538142}}}}</ref> Some groups even release these research hooks on a single's CD release.