Song Structure: The Foundation
by Stanley Chris
This is the chief cornerstone of songwriting, yet it is here where many miss it. If you build a glamorous house on the wrong foundation, you will surely count your losses not too far into the future; if you lay this foundation well, you can be sure that your song, however everything else goes, will most surely come alive.
Structure is everything! Songs that don't have a definite and familiar structure appear on the music scene as strange, monstrous creatures that many cannot easily recognize, and are often terrifying, thereby attracting strong repulsion and even attacks in the form of ruthless reviews.
There are several structures that a song may take, and you will need to identify the one which will work best for whatever song you're trying to put together at any given point in time. I will here lay out the most common elements found in most structures that are used and briefly highlight what makes each tick.
1. Introduction
This is helpful when it's necessary. Musically, it is usually a unique melody that distinctly makes a song immediately identifiable. In technical terms, the melody is called a riff. However, lyrically, your song could also have an Introduction which will often take the form of a Tag. Some songs start with the Chorus or a part of the Chorus which could also kick them off as an Introduction. Nevertheless, you can create an Introduction for your song that is just that: an Introduction, and not a Tag or Chorus. As you study lyrics to different songs, you'll see how they work around the Introduction in cases where the songs have them.
2. Tag
A Tag is a line or phrase that is repeated throughout the song. It can also be applied without repetition in which cases it will appear as a single melodic hook or marker. I write often using Tags, sometimes two or three of them, because I have found them extremely useful in creating coherence for my songs. You'll most likely find yourself in situations where it feels like the flow of the song from one section to another isn't as seamless as you'd want it to be; at such times, the Tag will be your knight in shining armor!
3. Verse
The Verses are where you build the foundation for the punchline of the story which often comes in the Chorus. Try not to make the porch too big for the meeting house; by the time the Chorus kicks in, the song should naturally lift so that the listener's attention is effortlessly arrested at that point.
There is a tempting tendency to make the Verses rather simple in terms of melody because you are banking on the Chorus to make some good kicks but, it is important to remember that the Verses are part and parcel of the song, equally important, and may be even more important than the others because they could be the determining factor as to whether you win or lose an audience. A thoughtful writer will take the trouble to work out interesting and catchy melodies for the Verses so that, from the outset, the song is colorful enough to be worth spending time listening to.
4. Chorus
This is where you capture the heart of the song. It is, technically speaking, the song itself because it occupies the most space in general due to the fact that it is repeated twice or thrice or more. With this in mind, it is advisable to devote a good amount of time to ensuring it comes out in the best way possible. Some Choruses have two parts while others have only one.
Depending on the story you're telling, how much time you have to tell the story, etc, you can find many ways to go about creating the best Chorus for your song. In order to emphasize its significance, remember again that this will most likely be the part of the song that most of your audience will be most familiar with, and use that to place your bets wisely.
5. Pre-Chorus
This sets up the central idea of the Chorus. It could be as simple as a line or two, and it could be so heavily developed that it sounds like a Chorus in itself. Again, how you go about using it, if you choose to, will depend on the several factors already listed.
6. Post-Chorus
Most songs will not have this. When used, the thought captured here is usually a follow up of the idea expressed in the Chorus. It is basically a Pre-Chorus flipped the other way around, and serves as a good tool to develop a hook for the song with. The hook can also take the form of a Tag which we have already discussed. Some songs follow the Post-Chorus with a Tag which then becomes the hook. Depending on the flow of your song, any of these techniques will come in handy to help you maneuver your way.
7. Bridge
Some songs will use a Bridge from where the song goes back to the Chorus one or two more times before it ends. Some others build the Bridge to a high and end low on it, or follow it up with a Tag in order to end. Others will adopt an interlude in place of the Bridge before ending the song in any of these ways.
Again, one size never fits all when it comes to songwriting. The important thing to remember, if you choose to use a Bridge for your song, is that the Bridge continues one of the themes in the Verses or Chorus, but expresses it in a different way or using a different angle. The idea you express in the Bridge should connect with the others already put out, and the Bridge should fit the main storyline of the song as readily as the other parts of the song do. This will avoid creating conflict or tension within the song or introducing what could essentially be a second song into an existing one.
8. Outro
As stated, there are a million different ways to end the song. However, some songs have an actual Outro for the ending which will function the same way the Bridge does, following up with another idea that complements the other sections. Be careful to ensure that the Outro also fits into the main theme of the song.
Depending on how long you want your song to be, you can see that there are many tools you can employ to give it dexterity. My parting shot would be, as Michael Jackson said, "Don't write the song; let the song write itself!" Allow the spirit of the song to guide you into whatever ultimate structure you adopt. That is where the fun has mostly been for me; when the song is done and I'm sitting or standing there wondering, "Wow, how in the world did this happen!"
Find Stanley's lyrics here: https://www.premiumlyrics.com/en-eu/lyrics/artist/stanley-chris
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