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One technique which I think is a great little trick to keep your listeners coming back to your songs is to establish a catchy hook throughout your song, and then at the very end of the song, cut that hook short and leave them wanting it. I learned it from Jay Frank at one of the Rallies.

The best example I can think of this happens in the song, “We Are the Champions,” by Queen.
The chorus repeats three times in this song. The first two times we hear the chorus, it ends on Freddie Mercury singing the phrase “… Of the world,” after singing the line “We are the champions.” In the last chorus, at the very end of the song, that phrase “of the world” is omitted and the song ends on “We are the champions.”

I remember hearing this song when I was younger. It would get to the very last line in the song and it would end without the line “Of the world.” It would drive me crazy. I’d wonder why the song didn’t the song end on that line. It was in the previous choruses, so why wasn’t it at the end? I needed to hear that line. I couldn’t take the way it left me hanging. So what would I do? I’d play the song again. I’d get my fix at the choruses in the middle of the song, but then I’d get to the end. Again, I was left hanging. By simply omitting that line, they made me want to hear that song over and over again.

Pretty cool stuff.

I always wondered why they added the tag, "of the world" myself

Just kidding. But why not, "yes we are"? I listened to it over and over because I loved the song though, not because of the ending. Personally, if a song had a long guitar solo outro, I would lift the needle and start over,lol! So maybe for me, being as it ended on a high note and didn't have a long guitar solo if maybe if it had ended on "of the world", I wouldn't have heard it all the way to the end anyway??

Len911 wrote:I always wondered why they added the tag, "of the world" myself

Just kidding. But why not, "yes we are"? I listened to it over and over because I loved the song though, not because of the ending. Personally, if a song had a long guitar solo outro, I would lift the needle and start over,lol! So maybe for me, being as it ended on a high note and didn't have a long guitar solo if maybe if it had ended on "of the world", I wouldn't have heard it all the way to the end anyway??

Interesting point. I think a song already has to be good for this to work... but it's a subtle, more subliminal trick that can't hurt

Both your views are right guys! Really good to see your pulling songs apart for their messages. Where do great songwriters come from? They come from Great Songwriters...we watch, we listen, we learn and we do. That how the big songwriting circles rotates, in my opinion.

AdamMcCarthy wrote:Both your views are right guys! Really good to see your pulling songs apart for their messages. Where do great songwriters come from? They come from Great Songwriters...we watch, we listen, we learn and we do. That how the big songwriting circles rotates, in my opinion.

I thought I just asked questions?

Why not, "...yes we are."? That's easy, because "Yes, we are." is the answer to a question, and according to all the prior lyrics, there can simply be no question that we are indeed, the champions, even though "Yes, we are." has the same number of syllables. "...of the world" is a modifier stating exactly what we are the champions of. Hope I cleared that up.

AdamMcCarthy wrote:Both your views are right guys! Really good to see your pulling songs apart for their messages. Where do great songwriters come from? They come from Great Songwriters...we watch, we listen, we learn and we do. That how the big songwriting circles rotates, in my opinion.

Love this

mojobone wrote:Why not, "...yes we are."? That's easy, because "Yes, we are." is the answer to a question, and according to all the prior lyrics, there can simply be no question that we are indeed, the champions, even though "Yes, we are." has the same number of syllables. "...of the world" is a modifier stating exactly what we are the champions of. Hope I cleared that up.

And also because... it sounds silly I was disappointed though that it wasn't "of the universe", too many syllables I suppose, but maybe that is why they should have left it out in all the verses??