The hook

My friends and I often find ourselves at parties. These things happen. As students of life, we are constantly observing what happens around us. We have identified a particular component of the partying atmosphere that should shared at once, and that is the hook. Now, in songwriting jargon, a "hook" refers to the part of the song that sticks in people's heads, that brings them back to the radio hoping to hear it again. In the context of a party, a hook is whatever it is that gets people to stay. On a given Friday or Saturday night, a college campus has a party circuit. With myriad events to go to and different social groups to provide different atmospheres, it can be tricky to keep critical partying mass at your event. That's why you need a hook. Often times, the hook is the dance party mix that is being played. A party that wants people to dance needs to put some effort into their dance party mix. Establish a mood, give people an excuse to release their pelvis and start moving, then BAM hook 'em! Another form of the hook is people. Last night the presence of me and a couple buddies was demanded at a particular party. Indeed, we were to be the hook. If people arrived and saw us all having fun, they'd stay. And indeed they did until we began scattering. It's an interesting thing, party sociology. Probably be an easier field of study if we weren't ourselves the subjects...