When it comes to writing catchy pop songs with unusual song structures, no other artist can hold a candle to Roy Orbison. In this post we’ll discuss two of them: Roy Orbison and Kendrick Lamar. There are a few artists who have had hit-making careers with structurally subversive songs. These kinds of songs keep listeners on edge, can add an extra sense of drama, and make even a short song seem like an epic. In the immortal words of Beach Boys’ singer Mike Love: “Don’t fuck with the formula.”īut messing around with the formula can be a great way to stand apart from your peers. The verses set up the chorus and expand on the lyrical and musical themes, and the bridge gives the listener some relief.
The part of the song artists really want listeners to grab on to is the chorus. On the one hand, this adherence to conventional structure makes sense.
(Prog great Genesis decided in 1981 to write in a more pop-friendly style, and cheekily called their album Abacab. Certain alternative genres like prog purposefully toss conventional structure out the window, but those artists are choosing to veer away from commercial music, and many of those artists eventually make their way toward pop music structure. But for popular music in country, rock, hip hop, R&B, jazz… you’re looking at some form of A-B-A-B-C-A-B.Įven artistically adventurous groups like the Beatles, who regularly pushed boundaries with regards to harmony, instrumentation, lyrics, recording techniques, etc., rarely fussed too much with their song structures. Maybe they’ll add an intro and/or an outro. Sometimes an artist will mix it up a little and start with the chorus. Ninety percent of most songs go something like this: Verse-Chorus-Verse-Chorus-Bridge-Verse-Chorus, or, if we replace each section with a letter, A-B-A-B-C-A-B. Song structures in popular music are pretty boring.
Taking liberties with traditional song structures can be a great way to stand apart from your peers, keep listeners on edge, add a sense of drama, and make a short song seem like an epic.
0 kommentar(er)
