So you put the finishing touches on a new tune but it’s missing one key component- the title.

The most popular method of giving your song a name is to use the lyric of the chorus. This is the standard in pop music, which makes for good marketing. Radio listeners who know the hook of a song can find it in iTunes quite easily. But this is not just for the mainstream and there’s nothing wrong with this route.

Sometimes the chorus of the song is an extended phrase of many words. In this case it’s common to use the one or two words that grab the listener the most, or the ones that complete a metaphor.

Many times you might choose not to use any of the song’s lyrics in it’s title. Maybe the song is so mysterious that you want to the title to hint at what it’s about. Or the opposite- use the title to add a curious twist to the story of the song.

Read on to take a closer look at these ideas with lyric samples.

As a recently transplanted songwriter from Nashville to New York City, I’ve had the chance to observe, up close, the approaches to songwriting and the songwriting communities in both cities. While there are of course many similarities, there are also quite a few differences. This article breaks it all down covering finding other songwriters, cowriting, lyrics, and more.

Serve the song. It’s a saying that sums up the essence of what we do as songwriters. In a way, I see the process of writing a song as a series of small decisions which craft the direction and overall presentation of the musical idea. Stay true to your inspiration. Serve the song.