The chorus comes first

When I write a loud song, I start with the chorus. I don't mean the verse comes later in the notebook. I mean the chorus is the first thing I find, and everything else gets built to carry people up to it.

A good chorus is simple enough that a stranger can sing it on the second time through. It sits in a comfortable spot in the voice, so nobody has to strain. And it says something you'd actually want to shout with a friend, even if it's only a few words long.

Then the verses become the climb. They set the scene, they let you settle in, and they leave just enough room that when the chorus arrives it feels like a wide-open window.

I think of it like a front door. Somebody can have a great house, but if the door sticks, they're going to stand outside in the heat. So I work on the door first. Make it swing. Make it easy to walk through.

Then I put the best furniture inside and invite everyone in.

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