In part 3 of 5 we will discuss song structure. There are really only a few basic song structures in pop music, but there is no limit to song structure outside of pop music. When looking at today’s pop hits the first most popular structure is:
1) verse / chorus/verse/chorus/bridge/ chorus
In this particular song structure the verse typically has the same melody but changes for both the course and the bridge. The verses function to tell your story and the most memorable line is the chorus which contains the title and hooks people in. In the bridge we typically will see our emotional high point, where we capture attention with a twist to our lyrics. This bridge could also function as part of the story. For more clarification just click on the chart below for structures 1-3. Keep in mind: in the chart A, B & C only represent the order in which each section occurs alphabetically.
Okay it’s time to do a quick little exercise. Pull up iTunes and play any pop song. 1st just chart out the song structure as we did above. Next, replace the lyrics with your own even if they suck! Remember, you’re not writing a song here you’re just getting the hang of telling a story in a song structure. Once you really go through this exercise you’ll start to understand how the story builds and releases into the chorus, then peaks at the bridge and releases again into the chorus.
the next most popular song structure and pop music ads in what we call a pre-chorus or a B section, Which looks like this:
2) Verse/pre-chorus or B section/chorus/verse/pre-chorus or B section/chorus/bridge/chorus
The only difference in this song structure is that we have an additional melody in our pre-course or B section. This section can also be used to build tension even further so when we get to the chorus we really want that release. Can you name any songs with this song structure? Go ahead and enter your own lyrics in a popular song with this structure and let us know in the comments below what song you chose.
Our third most popular song structure uses the chorus to start the song out. This can be a powerful hook to bring people immediately into your song and has been used successfully by many including Bob Marley in his songs “Could You Be Loved,” and “Jammin.” This particular song structure looks like this:
3) Chorus/verse/chorus/bridge/verse/ chorus / chorus
Another less popular song structure used in pop music comes from the 50s and 60s and 70s. Songs like Eric Clapton’s ”wonderful tonight” or Billy Joel’s “just the way you are” are great examples of the song form, Which is:
4) Verse/verse/bridge/verse
In each verse we find a similar melody and lyrics that tell a story. At the end of each verse we typically find what is called a refrain or one line chorus Like “just the way you are”, “wonderful tonight”. The bridge functions similarly to our previous example and brings a new high point to the song.
Time for action… go ahead and find a song that uses this song song structure and replace the lyrics with your own. This may take a little work to find a song, or you can just use one of the examples above. Make sure you do the exercise as once again it will lead you to your own conclusions about which song structures are more powerful or more appropriate to the material you’re writing. Keep in mind our 2nd song structure here is much less popular in today’s mega hits.
Lastly, as mentioned at the beginning of this post, there are no limits to song structure. When writing an entire album you may want to consider writing 2 or 3 songs with the structures above and perhaps the rest in completely different song structures. If you listen to Marvin Gaye’s sexual healing, you’ll notice there is no song structure that matches pop charts, Yet it was a huge hit. There really are no rules to music, if it feels good in the ears, roll with it! Or more examples… how about Pink Floyd, one of the largest selling bands of all times Who wrote multiple songs that told stories but really had not much structure.
See you on the next blog in our series where we’ll be talking about the most important part of a pop song… the hook or chorus. – Chad Scott
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