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Glite Dictionary
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topline

topline

6.7
The main tune and words sung in a pop song
  • noun
  • /ˈtɑːpˌlaɪn/
  • Jargon
translation icon : melodía principal
  • Many successful pop songs feature a strong topline that resonates with audiences.

Examples

  • She spent hours refining the topline to capture the emotional essence of the lyrics.

  • She also survived a few abortive attempts as a topline writer for wannabe pop-star mannequins.

    Blog text (23)

  • The producer emphasized the importance of a catchy topline to make the song memorable.

Synonyms

line
vstopline
  • Specialized
179 7.2

A single musical tune or clear sound frequency

focuses on the sung melody plus lyrics especially for pop tracks
melodic line
vstopline
  • Specialized
1 4.5

A line of musical notes that forms the main tune

focuses on a sung tune that includes words in pop production

Surface Forms

topline singular
toplines plural

Morphology

topline = top + line (semi-transparent) = top + line

The musical sense ('main vocal melody') is literally 'top' + 'line' (highest melodic line) but is specialized music-production jargon and may not be immediately clear to general learners.

Etymology

Topline is formed from top and line, meaning the 'top' or main tune in a song — the sung melody and words. So in music a topline is the lead vocal tune that people remember.