I find Richie's fundamental advice on song form much too limiting. Although he admits that there are many forms, he lays out only one that he finds usual.

If you want to study song form, I'd go back at least to the standards, and preferably much farther. Flavor-of-the-moment pop charts aren't likely to provide a good sample for analysis.

I wouldn't worry at all about an intro and an ending; there are plenty of instrumentalists and arrangers who can take care of those. The first line, however, as Bob Dylan and others have pointed out, can be quite important.

After capturing the key thematic, melodic, and lyric components of the song, whether or not you think in hooks, you've got your song's basis, and you'll soon know whether it's worth shaping up.