Hook Authority | Make Your Chorus Stick
Gary WhittakerLyric Engineering Deep Dive #7 (Free Edition)
Hook Authority — Make It Stick
This is not poetry class. This is repeat value. You’re building a chorus hook someone can repeat after one listen—and that AI can perform cleanly.
Outcome: Turn one weak chorus into a stronger, more repeatable hook in under 20 minutes.
Objective
- • Spot an overloaded chorus
- • Find your anchor phrase
- • Simplify your hook
- • Increase repetition on purpose
- • Improve clarity for AI generation
1) What Makes a Hook Stick
A hook is the line people remember. Not the most technical line. Not the most poetic line.
Strong hooks usually have:
- One clear idea
- One emotional anchor
- One repeated phrase
If your chorus has multiple ideas fighting for attention, it won’t stick.
2) The Overload Filter
Your chorus should answer one main question:
- How do I feel?
- OR Who am I?
- OR What am I declaring?
Overload example (tap to expand)
Overloaded: I’m rising above my pain while chasing dreams and proving I’m unstoppable. Simplified: I’m unstoppable.
Hooks are statements, not essays.
3) The 3-Line Test
Take your chorus and shrink it. Can it survive in 3 lines?
Simple 3-line hook structure:
- Line 1 — Core phrase
- Line 2 — Slight variation
- Line 3 — Core phrase repeated
Example structure (tap to expand)
I’m still rising Still rising higher I’m still rising
If your hook needs 8 lines to work, it’s probably hiding a weak core idea.
4) The Anchor Phrase Test
Circle the most important phrase in your chorus.
Test: Can that phrase exist alone as a caption?
If yes → strong anchor. If no → unclear.
If someone hears the song once and can repeat that phrase, your hook is working.
5) AI Hook Cleanliness Rules
For AI music generation, clean hooks perform better:
- Separate lines clearly
- Keep lines short
- Avoid long compound sentences
- Make repetition visible
Do not paste paragraph-style choruses.
Quick Hook Simplification Exercise
Do this in order:
- Remove 25–30% of the words.
- Repeat the anchor phrase one more time.
- Shorten one line.
This alone usually improves repeat value without changing meaning.
Free Hook Optimization Prompt
TASK: Strengthen my chorus for repeat value. RULES: - Identify the main idea. - Identify the anchor phrase. - Remove unnecessary words. - Increase repetition slightly. - Keep meaning intact. - Do not overcomplicate. INPUT: [Paste chorus] OUTPUT: 1) Anchor phrase identified 2) Simplified version 3) One repetition improvement
Quick Workstation (HTML-only)
Paste your chorus and run the filters.
Paste workspace
Hook filters (tap to expand)
- Overload filter: does the chorus answer more than one main question?
- 3-line test: can the hook survive in 3 lines?
- Anchor phrase: what is the single caption-worthy phrase?
- AI cleanliness: are lines short, separated, and repetition visible?
FAQ
Why doesn’t my chorus stick even if it rhymes?
Rhyme helps, but it doesn’t guarantee memorability. Hooks usually fail because they have too many ideas and not enough repetition.
How long should a hook be?
Try the 3-line test first. If you can’t make it work in 3 lines, simplify the idea before you add more lines.
What’s the fastest way to make a hook stronger?
Pick one anchor phrase, remove extra words, and repeat the anchor phrase one more time.
How does this help AI music generation?
Clean formatting and visible repetition help AI perform choruses more clearly, with less “paragraph delivery” and less confusion.
Want the VIP Hook Engineering System?
VIP adds measurable hook tools (compression differential, density scoring), hook stress tests, call-and-response layering, and mixtape-level hook differentiation.
Access VIP Deep Dive #7VIP access requires purchase of Bee Righteous Suno V5 Complete Training Bundle.
Back to: Beginner Hub | Series Hub
Navigate: Previous Deep Dive | Next Deep Dive