Viral song
Overview
A viral song is built for a use: people dance to it, edit to it, or lip-sync one line of it.
Pick the use first, then write a 10–20 s clip unit that does that use, then build the song
around the clip. The numbers come from 340 hits (2010+); they are what hits share, not a
formula that makes a hit. Say so to the user.
Workflow
- Pick a lane from the brief (details in
references/lanes.md):
- A. Dance challenge, the default and first choice: launches, debuts, group acts, party themes.
- B. Edit sound: moody, cinematic, transition/montage use.
- C. Lip-sync line: one confessional or quotable line; the least certain lane.
- Don't aim for "streaming megahit" (needs label/radio muscle) or "meme sound" (someone else
invents the meme). If the brief asks for those, choose A, B or C and say why. - Write the clip unit before anything else. Name the use in one sentence (the move,
the cut, the line). Write the hook: 2 short lines, the title in line 1, plus one
repeated chant word or syllable a viewer can do the move on. It must make sense with
nothing before it. - Place the clip early. It goes in the first 15 s and at the first chorus. Don't open
with a verse. For songs under 90 s, the order is: hook/chant 0–8 s → short verse → chorus
by about 25 s → post-chorus chant → end on the hook so the file loops. No bridge, no fade, no
long intro. - Fill the base spec (lane values override): sung melodic hook, steady high energy (or a
build into a drop for lane B), 100–128 BPM written as a number, pop or dance-pop, one clear
lead voice or unison group, clean lyrics, a love/party/confidence theme. Keep the brief's
language; if it isn't English, put the title and chant in words anyone can sing. - Translate to the generator with
references/generators.md. Never name real artists or
imitate a real voice. - Run
references/checklist.md. Fix every "no" before you spend credits. - Generate, then deliver: the audio, the exact prompt, the lane, the clip-unit timestamps,
and a one-line "how to use it on day one" (the dance, the edit, the line). For lane B, also
make sped-up (about 1.25×) and slowed (about 0.85×) versions.
Common mistakes
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|---|
| Verse → pre-chorus → chorus in a 60 s song (hook at about 20 s) | Hook first; the chorus comes back by about 25 s |
| 15+ genre tags of "flavour" | 6–10 tags: genre, BPM, vocal, energy, 2–3 signature sounds, "catchy chant hook" |
| A clever hook nobody can do anything with | Name the use; the chant word is where the move lands |
| Ending on a fragment or a fade | End on the full hook, on the beat, so it loops |
| Promising virality | "This matches what hits share; release and measure it" |
