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The song ‘Up on the Roof’ by Goffin and King is one with a strong opening line. It’s a well-crafted song from the first line on.

The first line is, “When this old world starts getting you down”

Here’s James Taylor singing his version. Give it a listen by clicking HERE.

So let’s talk about the opening line “When this all world starts getting you down”. A line like this asks a lot of questions. “Why is the world getting you down?” and “What can you do about it?”

In his book, “Songsmith”, Jimmy Webb also talks about the importance of the ‘story’ in songs. He doesn’t mean necessarily that there’s a narrative story to tell in every song, but there’s certainly an emotional one.

He discusses the technique of using a ‘hammer’ or a ‘twist’ at the end of the song like he did in “By the Time I Get to Phoenix”. The hammer, also called the ‘message’, can be an effective tool. It can have a lot of impact on the listener making the song much more memorable than any with out it.

You can hear the song clicking HERE.

Another song with an even more dramatic hammer was “Big Bad John” written by Jimmy Dean and Roy Acuff. It went to #1 in the Country charts back in 1961, and it tells the dramatic story of a huge miner who gave his life to save his fellow miners.

You can hear it by clicking HERE.

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