What Is Song Structure?

Most of today’s hit song structures are made up of of three different sections: Verse, Chorus, and Bridge.

CHORUS: The chorus has the same melody AND the same lyric each time we hear it. The lyrics sums up the emotional heart of the song. It’s the section that listeners will  remember and want to hear again and again. Be sure to include your title in your chorus so listeners know what to call your song. The title is often in the first or last line, sometimes both.

VERSE: The verses all have the same melody but different lyrics. A verse takes us deeper into the feelings or situation that created the feelings in the chorus. Because the chorus is repeated three or more times, you can keep it interesting by giving listeners more information in each verse – something that reveals more about the chorus and deepens our feelings or understanding of it.

Create a Song Path

by Robin Frederick
Does this ever happen to you? In a flash of inspiration, you write a monster first verse. Then you work for hours or days on a chorus until you have something you think might work. Then… nothing. You’re stuck; you have no idea what to write in your second verse or bridge! And now you notice there’s a disconnect between your first verse and the chorus you worked so hard on. Even these two sections aren’t working together.

This happens to every songwriter at one time or another. Sometimes it happens A LOT! So here’s a simple song craft technique that will keep your song on track and ideas flowing: Create a “song path.”

Bring Your Lyric Theme to Life

Every successful song has a theme; it’s the emotional message at the heart of the song. The majority of hit songs are built around love relationship themes: I love you. You don’t love me. Your love saved me. You cheated and I’m jealous. I don’t love you anymore. We’re soulmates. You take me for granted. I miss you.

These are a few of the themes that songwriters visit over and over again. For instance, many songs has been written on the theme, “I’m grateful that I have your love.” Because listeners have heard this theme so often, they tend to tune it out, especially if the lyric uses the same images and phrases they’ve heard before.  So, if you want to write about this idea, you’ll need to find a way to bring it to life, make it compelling, intriguing, fresh, and exciting.