Songwriting discoveries

Great demos are secondary to great songs.  I'll be talking about things I've discovered as a songwriter because this is really where it's all at.  I've got one cut with Blake Shelton and I've taken several courses through NSAI.  I've talked to great songwriters about my songs and listened to them talk about other's songs.  One thing they all say is it's a good idea to study other great songs and figure out what makes them work.  I always try to include something new I've learned in my next song.  Don Henry's "Where've You Been" is one I recently studied.  Kathy Mattea cut it a long time ago.  It's still played today.  This is a sweet story about the evolution of a couple, Claire and Edwin.  Until I studied it I never even knew the characters had names.  There's a lot to learn about this song but I want to look at the chorus right now.  "Where've you been?  I've looked for you forever and a day.  Where've you been?  I'm just not myself when you're away."   It's a short chorus and it says the title of the song twice... but doesn't end with the title.  The only rhyme it has is perfect.  This chorus works well in part because you can come at it from several angles.  It works coming out of the first verse where they've been dating for awhile and realize how much they love each other.  It works after they've been married and he's late coming home from work one night and she worries.  It works when they are old and in a hospital and Claire regains her memory for a moment when she sees Edwin again.  So, my tip of the week is to make sure your chorus can work in several ways... not just one.  Then you can build a better song.  Each time you hear the chorus, it should mean more.