![]() Chorus 1: 8 bars (“I can’t feel my face…”)Īt first blush, this song seems pretty standard in its use of the pop song structure.Pre-chorus: 8 bars (“She told me don’t worry…”).Once again, The Weeknd uses the typical pop song structure with a few small twists: Now let’s look at a more recent pop song, Can’t Feel My Face by The Weeknd. The end result is the perfect blend of both familiarity and surprise.īillie Jean is such a well-arranged and written song that the genius of this song structure can often be overlooked, but it’s undoubtedly part of what makes it so great. Sometimes Michael will sing just part of a chorus, repeat the entire chorus, or come in with a certain phrase (like he does in Chorus 3 after the guitar vamp). Outro: 16 bars (fade out with various scatting and vamping)Īt its core, this is the pop song structure, just highly embellished each chorus is unique from the last.Chorus 3: 4 bars (“she says I am the one…”).Chorus 1: 12 bars (“Billie Jean is not my lover…”).Pre-chorus: 8 bars (“People always told me…”).He arranges the song in the following way: Michael Jackson uses a variation of this form in Billie Jean while constantly evolving the arrangement and length of each chorus. Now, this doesn’t mean the song needs to be formulaic. Pop songs may also include an intro or an outro as well. The verse and chorus are usually eight bars each, and the bridge is typically eight or 16 bars. Verse – Chorus – Verse – Chorus – Bridge – Chorus Pop songs typically follow some variation of this very simple song structure: Now that we’ve looked at the “ingredients” of song structure, let’s take a look at some real-life examples in particular genres. Let’s get into some real-world forms from popular genres, as well as song structure analysis. ![]() Understanding the specific song elements and song structures of your favorite genres will help you arrange music that evokes the attributes of those genres. If you want to evoke a particular style, your best course of action is to become a student of that particular genre.ĭo a song structure analysis by breaking down each form, either in your DAW with section markers or simply on a piece of paper. Vamp: A repeated chord progression that’s usually played at the end of the song while the soloist improvisesĪs you can see, song structure varies greatly from genre to genre.Middle chorus: A section that’s similar to the song’s regular chorus, but with a different (potentially improvised or embellished) melody line.Head: The main melody of the song, which is usually played at the beginning and end of the song.Jazz, on the other hand, typically features the following unique song elements: These terms and forms are rarely found outside Classical music. (Feel free to click the links to go to the Wikipedia article for each form and learn more.) Sonata Form: Exposition-Development-Recapitulation. ![]() For example, Classical music is often organized in the following forms: Many genres feature song structures and song elements that are exclusive to that genre. Listen to how each solo enhances the song and takes it to new places. The intro of Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen introduces that ubiquitous piano riff before Freddie Mercury’s voice tears into the powerful first verse. Some intros are instrumental or lyrical, and some songs have no intro whatsoever and go straight into the “meat” of the song.įor example, A Hard Day’s Night by the Beatles starts with a single, ambiguous chord ringing out. Intros can be as long as 16 or 32 bars (or longer in some cases), or as brief as a single beat. The goal of the introduction is to get your listener’s attention as quickly as possible. Here are the most common song structure elements that you’ll find in popular songs: Intro The individual building blocks of song structure This is one of the keys to keeping listeners hooked to the very end of your tune. ![]() Without song structure, a song may meander and feel aimless.Ī great song structure will strike that all-important balance of repetition and new material. Song structure is incredibly important to the songwriting process because it gives the song direction and a sense of purpose. Song structure may also be referred to as the “form” of the song, especially in classical music. These parts are typically labeled as verse, chorus, bridge, pre-chorus, etc. It is usually sectional, which means it is divided up into parts. Song structure is the “horizontal” arrangement of a song and is a key part of the songwriting process. The individual building blocks of song structure.
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