Guide · Songwriting

Song title ideas: how to find a great title

The best song titles are short, easy to say and hint at a story. To find one, look for a phrase from the song itself, something you overheard, a striking image, or a line you keep coming back to. Write ten and keep the one you can imagine hearing repeated.

Updated 20 Oct 2026

Where song titles come from

• The hook line. Many songs are named after the line sung in the chorus. If you have a chorus, the title is often already in it. See what a hook is.
• An image. A concrete thing from the song: a place, an object, a time of day.
• A phrase you overheard. Things people say are often better than things writers invent. Keep a note on your phone.
• A feeling, named. One or two plain words for what the song is about.
• A contrast. Two ideas that do not belong together make people curious.

Ten prompts to find a title

1. Finish the sentence: "The last time I..."
2. Pick an object in the room and ask what it has seen.
3. Name a place and add a time: a street and a month.
4. Write the first line someone says after a break-up, a reunion or a goodbye.
5. Take a common phrase and change one word.
6. Name a person and one thing they always did.
7. Use a question you cannot answer.
8. Pick two opposite words and put them together.
9. Write what you would say if the other person was in the room.
10. Take a line from your own lyrics notes and make it the title.

What makes a title work

• It is short. A few words are easier to remember and to type into a search box.
• It is easy to say. If people cannot say it out loud, they cannot ask for it.
• It makes you want to hear it. A good title raises a question the song answers.
• It is not already taken. Song titles generally cannot be copyrighted (this is not legal advice, and a name can still run into trademark rules), but a name shared with a famous song is harder to find. Search for it before you commit.

If the song has no name yet

Do not let a missing title stop you. Name it after a line, a chord, the place you wrote it or the date. A working title like "Kitchen song" is fine, and a better one often shows up once the chorus is written. Rename it later, once you know what the song is about.

Common questions

How do I come up with a song title?

Look in the song first: a hook line, an image or a phrase you keep returning to. If there is none, use the prompts above.

Should I write the title or the song first?

Either. Many writers start with a title and write toward it, others find the title in the song afterwards.

Can two songs have the same title?

Yes. Song titles generally cannot be copyrighted, so plenty of songs share a title. A distinctive one is easier for listeners to find.

How long should a song title be?

Short. A few words is common, but a long title that sounds right is fine.

Does the title have to be in the song?

No, but it usually is, often in the chorus.