How to Write Frenchcore Lyrics

You want to scream into a stadium at 220 beats per minute and have people sing it back like a secret handshake. Frenchcore is raw, fast, and proudly ridiculous. The lyrics live in the same adrenaline lane as the kicks. They are short, punchy, loud, and sometimes poetic enough to offend your high school English teacher. This guide gives you the tools to write Frenchcore lyrics that hit the club like a punch and stick like a meme.

Everything here is written for artists who want quick practical results. We will cover the genre basics, lyrical themes, language choice, vocal delivery, prosody, rhyme strategies, processing tricks for vocals, legal notes on samples, performance tips for MCs, and fast exercises that get words on a page. Acronyms and terms are explained with real life examples so you do not need to be a gear nerd to use the ideas.

What Is Frenchcore and Why Lyrics Matter

Frenchcore is a subgenre of hardcore techno. Expect very fast BPM which usually sits between 180 and 240 beats per minute. The drums are typically a distorted kick drum with heavy compression and saturated distortion. The energy is hectic and literal. In that environment, lyrics are a different animal than in pop or hip hop. You need words that can be understood when a hundred people are shouting over a tsunami of low end.

Lyrics in Frenchcore serve three jobs

• Rallying cry that the crowd can chant back
• Identity marker that tells the audience what the track stands for
• Texture when the voice itself is used as a rhythmic or melodic instrument

If you want a reality check, imagine your lyric as a T shirt slogan. Short, readable, and impossible to misinterpret in the dark.

Language Choice and Authenticity

Frenchcore has strong roots in European scenes that include the Netherlands, Belgium, France, and Germany. That means French lyrics can feel authentic. English works perfectly too. Some producers mix languages for effect. Whatever you choose, aim for authenticity instead of mimicry. If you are not fluent in French, do not write a line that sounds like it came from a Google translate horror show unless your goal is comedy. If you want to use French phrases make sure they actually mean what you think they mean. Ask a native speaker. Do not trust lyric suggestions from a drunk online comment chain.

Real life scenario

• You grew up speaking English and like the way French sounds when shouted. Pick one or two French phrases that actually mean something aggressive or playful and put them in the hook. Test with a friend who is fluent. If they laugh, you are either hilarious or in trouble. Decide quickly.

Core Themes That Work in Frenchcore Lyrics

The fast tempo demands focus. Long narratives are fine as short monologues between DJ sets. For hooks and vocal motifs, use a single strong idea. Here are themes that work and why they land in the pit.

• Rage and release Classic and effective. Short lines about letting go, breaking things, or losing control match the sonic intensity.
• Party and unity Collective chants like we own the night or this is ours build crowd participation.
• Anti system or rebel rhetoric Simple slogans about freedom, no rules, or wake up can become ritual chants. Be careful with politics. Punchy is fine. Complex politics are not.
• Body and movement Lines that tell people what to do like jump, clap, run, or stomp are great. They guide the crowd and create choreography without permission.
• Absurd imagery Hilarious surreal lines land hard. People love that mix of savage and stupid.

Hook Writing for Frenchcore

Your hook needs to be built for the club. It must survive distortion, bass rumble, and a sea of backpacks. Keep it short and repeatable. Think one to four words or a single short sentence. Rhythm matters more than grammar. Use strong consonants and open vowels so the chant travels over the mix.

Why vowels matter

• Open vowels like ah oh and ay cut through the mix and are easier to sing loudly.
• Closed vowels like ee can sound thin at high volume and may disappear under distortion.

Hook formula you can steal

1. Pick the emotional verb or command. Examples: Break, Jump, Burn, Run, Fight, Unite.
2. Add a one word identity or place. Examples: City, Night, Pit, Crew, Stage.
3. Repeat the phrase twice for a ring phrase effect so the crowd can echo it back.

Example hooks

• Burn the Night
• Jump the Pit
• Faster Again
• La Nuit Est Vive which in French means The Night Is Alive

Prosody and Delivery at 200 BPM

Prosody means matching the natural stress of words to the beat. When your track is terrifyingly fast you need to make every syllable count. Sing or shout the line at normal conversational speed then find how it fits into the bars. Shorten words. Use contractions. Use reduced syllables. The crowd will not hear a slow phrase stretched across several kicks.

Practical prosody checklist

• Speak the line out loud and mark stressed syllables. They should land on strong beats.
• Short words are your friends. Use them for percussive impact.
• Breathe. Plan where you will take a breath if you are delivering long lines. If you cannot breathe, do not write it unless you want a coughing solo.

Example prosody fix

Before: I have to give up everything that is holding me back

After: Give it up now

The after version uses two strong beats and a clear command. It is singable at high tempo and easy for the crowd to echo.

Rhyme, Repetition, and Mnemonic Tricks

Rhyme is useful but not required. In Frenchcore, repetition is king. Repetition creates memory and a sense of ritual. Pair a short rhyme with repeated hooks to create tiny earworms that survive heavy processing. Internal rhyme and consonance can give the line a groove even without perfect end rhyme.

Mnemonic ideas

• Alliteration uses the same consonant sound at the start of words. Example: Kick, Crash, Count. It reads like a beat.
• Consonance repeats consonant sounds inside words. Example: Dark park spark. That creates texture.
• Short call and response. A leader shouts a phrase and the crowd replies. Example leader says We run and crowd replies We run.

Writing in French Without Being Fake

If you want to use French lines because the genre name includes French, do it with respect. Few French words are magical. Use strong verbs and short phrases. Avoid idioms you cannot pronounce fast enough. If you are not fluent hire a translator or a co writer who is fluent. This is not optional if you care about sounding real. A single wrong conjugation will be noticed by fluent listeners and turned into a meme faster than your last release.

French starter phrases that work as hooks

• La nuit est à nous which means The night is ours
• Plus vite which means Faster
• Rage maintenant which means Rage now
• On brûle tout which means We burn everything

Vocal Styles and Performance Techniques

There are three common vocal approaches in Frenchcore

• Shout style Raw shouting with grit and presence. Think live MC energy. This works when the vocal is more rhythmic than melodic.
• Spoken chant Rhythmically spoken lines with tight timing. This sits like percussion and can be heavily processed.
• Sung topline Melodic lines that are short and might be pitch corrected for effect. Less common but very effective when paired with a hooky synth.

Performance tips

• Warm your voice before a studio session with simple hums. You will hate yourself if you try to scream cold.
• Use chest voice for power and mix voice for higher notes that need sustain.
• Record multiple takes. The best shout usually happens on take two through five when your throat remembers the correct amount of rage.

Vocal Processing and Production Terms Explained

DAW stands for Digital Audio Workstation. This is the software you use to record and arrange your music. Examples include Ableton Live, FL Studio, Logic Pro, and Cubase. You do not need to buy every option. Pick one and learn it.

EQ is equalization. It allows you to remove or boost frequencies. For vocals in Frenchcore, you will often cut mud around the low mid frequencies and boost presence around 2 to 5 kilohertz so the voice cuts through the distortion.

Compression makes dynamic range tighter. It helps a shout sit steady in a mix where the kick is massive. Use fast attack for dense material but do not squash the life out of the performance.

Distortion and saturation add harmonic content. Distortion is common for kicks and can also be used on vocals for an aggressive texture. Saturation is a milder form that warms the voice without making it mechanical.

Autotune is a pitch correction effect. In this genre you can use it for subtle tuning or for robotic effect. It is not cheating if you use it intentionally and creatively.

Delay and reverb add space. Short delays can create slapback that thickens the vocal. Long reverb is dangerous in Frenchcore because it muddies fast rhythms. Use gated reverb or sidechain the reverb to the kick to keep clarity.

Sidechain is a common mixing technique where the level of one signal is reduced whenever another signal plays. Producers sidechain pads and reverb to the kick to create rhythmic pumping. You can also sidechain vocals to the kick so the vocal is always clear when the kick hits.

Recording and Layering Vocals for Impact

Layering is the practice of recording multiple takes of the same line and stacking them. It creates a huge wall of sound. For a hook you might record three to five doubles and pan them slightly. Keep the center vocal strong. Use one clear center take and stack the rest as thickening layers.

Ad lib layers are short spontaneous shouts or breaths that sit behind the main line. They add energy and human chaos. Record a few of those on separate tracks so you can place them in the mix where they help the drum groove.

Harmonies can be used, but sparingly. A one or two note harmony behind the main hook can make the line feel epic. Keep harmonies simple because complex chords do not survive heavy distortion.

Legal and Sample Use

Sampling is when you use a snippet of someone else’s recording. Many Frenchcore tracks use famous vocal samples. Legally you should clear samples if you plan to release commercially. Clearing means getting permission and possibly paying the owner. If you cannot clear a sample, recreate the idea with your own lyrics or use royalty free vocal packs. The last thing you want is a legal letter in the middle of your tour.

Real Life Scenarios and How to React

The crowd does not get the hook

If your hook is not being chanted on the first run try these fixes next set. Make the phrase shorter. Give the crowd a call and response. Lower the instrument level for the second loop so the vocal is naked for one bar then bring everything back in. People learn faster when you force feed them the phrase.

Your foreign language line gets roasted online

If you use another language and it becomes meme material do not delete it immediately. Laugh at the jokes, fix the mistake in the next release, and if possible release an alternate version that shows you did your homework. Fans love humility and effort when it is authentic.

You want a lyric that works in festivals and in niche raves

Write two layers. A simple hook that anyone can chant at a festival and a second verse that is more specific to your scene. Use the verse for your diehard fans and the hook for wider adoption. This gives you both street cred and radio friendly moments if radio ever meets 220 BPM.

Exercises to Write Frenchcore Lyrics Fast

One word obsession

Pick one strong word like burn, crush, run, or nuit which means night. Write ten short phrases using that word. Pick the best two and repeat them as the hook. Time: 10 minutes.

Vowel pass

Sing nonsense vowels over your loop for two minutes and record it. Then listen back and identify one syllable or vowel that has a natural rhythmic shape. Write a short phrase that uses that vowel. The vowel will help the phrase cut through distortion. Time: 15 minutes.

Command and response

Write a leader line and a crowd response. Keep both lines short and clear. Practice them out loud at room volume to test singability. Time: 10 minutes.

Lyric Templates You Can Steal

Template 1

• Hook: [Verb] the [Noun]
• Verse: One sensory detail that supports the hook and one short line of consequence
• Bridge: One repetition of a foreign phrase or chant

Example

• Hook: Burn the Night
• Verse: Smoke in my mouth. We give it back in noise.
• Bridge: Plus vite now plus vite now which blends French and English for extra spice

Template 2

• Hook: [Short command] x2
• Verse: Two short lines, one action, one consequence
• Break: A one word scream or sample

Example

• Hook: Jump the Pit. Jump the Pit.
• Verse: Feet meet floor. Hearts meet fist.
• Break: Now

Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them

• Too much detail The crowd will not process long lines at high speed. Fix by trimming to the essential image.
• Trying to be deep in the chorus Save complexity for the verse or a break. The chorus must land fast.
• Using soft vowels in the hook Replace them with open vowels or consonant heavy words that punch through.
• Overproduced vocal chains In Frenchcore rawness is a feature. Do not overly polish performances that need to sound human and immediate.
• Forgetting the crowd The audience is part of the instrument. Write phrases that invite participation.

How to Practice Writing Every Week

1. Set a 20 minute writing block once a week. Use the vowel pass exercise for five minutes. Use the one word obsession for ten minutes. Spend the last five minutes picking the best line and recording it into your DAW.
2. Perform live once in a while at small venues or open decks. Test chant ideas and watch which lines get repeated back.
3. Listen to classic Frenchcore tracks and note the hook shapes. Do not copy. Use them to understand what a crowd sings easily.

Examples and Before After Edits

Before: I feel like we should be louder tonight but I am not sure if anyone cares

After: Be loud tonight

Before: The city is burning in the way that only our youth could make it burn and I think that is beautiful

After: City burns for us

Before: We run faster than the thought of leaving

After: Run faster now

Distribution and Pitching Tips

When you pitch a Frenchcore track send a short one line description of the hook and its chant potential. Mention language and any notable samples. DJs want to know if a track has a hook that will glue their set together. Include a clean short edit and a full length version so they can choose what fits their set length. If you have a visual like a lyric video with the hook on screen, include it. That helps the booking person imagine the crowd moment.

Action Plan You Can Use Today

1. Pick a central word that will be your hook. Keep it to one to three words.
2. Write five variations on that phrase focusing on rhythm and vowel sounds. Choose the best one.
3. Record a vocal demo in your DAW. Do a clear center take and two doubles. Keep it raw.
4. Apply a simple EQ cut around 300 to 500 hertz if the vocal feels muddy and boost presence around 3 kilohertz so the shout cuts through the kick.
5. Test it on a small sound system or headphones at club volume and watch how the vocal sits with the kick. Adjust presence and saturation until the line is intelligible when the kick hits.
6. Play it live or send it to two trusted DJs. Ask which line they would shout back to a crowd and why. Use that feedback to refine the hook.

Frenchcore Lyric FAQ

What BPM should I write lyrics for

Frenchcore commonly ranges from 180 to 240 beats per minute. Write short, punchy lines that match the tempo. Test your vocal lines over the final tempo early so you know if they are singable at speed.

Should I write in French or English

Either works. Use French for authenticity if you can do it well. Use English for wider reach. Mixing languages can be powerful if done with intent. Always verify translations with a fluent speaker.

How long should a hook be

One to four words works best for stadium impact. Short phrases stick and are easier for the crowd to repeat under heavy bass and distortion.

Can I use profanity

Yes if that matches your brand and the event. Profanity can be cathartic on the dance floor. Be mindful of venues with strict policies or erasable marketing plans.

How do I make a chant that a crowd will actually sing

Make it short, repetitive, and rhythmically obvious. Teach the crowd the line by stripping back instruments for one bar and leaving the vocal exposed. Repeat twice before sealing it with a heavy drop.

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