Re: Who doesn’t love a catchy chorus?

I love catchy choruses. Doesn’t really matter what genre, I just love ‘em when I hear ‘em. I’m always surprised and happy that people are still able to come up with them.

Just heard the new (to me, anyway) Snail Mail song ‘valentine’… boy when that chorus kicks in. Love it!

What are your favorite catchy choruses?

Or do catchy choruses make you want to pummel jerks like me with your Einsturzende Neubauten collection?

I agree with your headline - who doesn't love a catchy chorus?

Over the years, however, I've become very skeptical of songs that either rely on that chorus and do a half-assed job on the rest of the song, and songs that are just garbage but think they can get away with it due to having a catchy chorus. As an old grump, I've found that hooks ain't everything.

To your other point, though: I find that the Swedish band Ghost has a devilish (sorry) talent for ridiculous catchy choruses, which they often use for subversive effect. Like "Square Hammer," whose super-hooky chorus goes "Are you on the square/Are you on the level/Are you ready to swear right here right now before the devil?" So singalong it's sinful.

The British rock band the Wildhearts tends to knock out the catchy choruses with what seems like little effort. "I Wanna Go Where the People Go," "TV Tan," "My Baby is a Headfuck," "Someone That Won't Let Me Go," "Just in Lust" are some good examples. Of course, they spray hooks all over the place, chorus or no.

The chorus of "Square Hammer" seems even funnier because I needed to head to Genius.com to learn what being "on the square" and "on the level" mean.

Hmm… you’re right, Ghost does have a way with a hook. Actually, a lot of hard rock acts can punch out a good chorus (the hair metal acts were surprisingly adept at it).

Wildhearts I was totally unfamiliar with, nice recommendation. I always think of Shoes when I think of catchy choruses. Zion’s finest.

But I’ve given this some thought… I think there’s such a thing as ‘situational appreciation’. I’m hardly a beer aficionado , but once while on vacation after a long day at the beach we went out to dinner and I had a beer that on that night tasted like the greatest thing in the world. However, I’ve tried that same beer since, and it’s ‘just okay’. Unfortunately it was amazing in just that one isolated moment.

I think catchy choruses are like that sometimes. They catch you off-guard and become your best friend for an afternoon… but later the thrill just fades. OR it stays a close friend for life; you never know.