My friend Marc Blatte, a hit songwriter himself, tells me that he had conversations, individually, with Kenny Gamble (of Gamble & Huff, one of the greatest R&B/pop songwriting/producing teams of all time) and with Kenny Rogers (of many #1s).

He asked them what was the most important element of a hit song. They each gave the same answer. To me and others, a surprising answer.

That answer? The Title.

That was it. They said the most important element in a hit song was the Title.

You don’t have to agree with them. But it’s hard to argue with how important a song’s Title is. It’s easy to underestimate its value, and we do so at our peril.

(I’m not talking about the song name at the top of the lyric sheet. I’m talking about the phrase that gets repeated in the chorus that you remember most after hearing the song. This may not be the actual name of the song, which can be literally anything.)

Thinking now of Gamble & Huff – For The Love Of Money, If You Don’t Know Me By Now, Love Train, I Love Music, Me and Mrs Jones, Now That We Found Love, Break Up To Make Up, Back Stabbers… The stories are in the titles and, combined with their melodies and rhythms, are hard to forget.

How does this apply to me? I’ve written too many songs that I thought came out well but were sunk by a weak Title. I try not to do that anymore, because many songs will only go as far as their Title. If it’s what I call a Title-based song, a strong Title is mandatory.

(Remember that I’m discussing Title-based songs, not the minority of songs, some very good, where a Title, or a hook, is incidental.)

In spite of my best efforts, sometimes I still end up with a song I like in which the Title is the weakest link. Taking into account what I wrote above, there’s only one option (other than junking the whole tune): Find a new, stronger Title – a more resonant word or phrase that fits comfortably and naturally on the existing melody.

(I keep a Title notebook – or, more honestly, a box with scraps of paper containing Titles – partly for this reason.)

Since changing the Title will usually involve rewriting all or most of the lyric, it’s a real commitment.

But if the alternative is a good song strangled by a weak Title… Don’t be afraid to change the Title.

Let me know your thoughts in the Comments section below:

And please share by clicking these tabs: