Oftentimes, the musical hook for a song, or the money hook — the one that sells the song — is not technically an element of the songwriting itself, but a part of the song's arrangement. A musical hook can be a riff (like the guitar figure at the beginning of "Satisfaction" by the Rolling Stones), a rhythmic hook (like the manic tom-tom drums that open "Wipe Out" by the Surfaris), or a sound effect hook (like the revving motorcycle engine at the beginning of "Born to Be Wild" by Steppenwolf).

Many disagreements have occurred through the years between musicians and songwriters about where the songwriting ends and the arranging begins. If a musical hook helps identify the song so well that it's used as an indispensable part in countless versions, many in the songwriting profession would consider it an element of the song itself.