Song Structure Explained

Let’s have a look into the most common building blocks of a modern song.

At least 95% of all modern (post-90s) songs follow these basic structures, with some minor changes.

Introduction

The introduction or “intro” literally introduces the sounds, instruments, and elements of the song to the listener. The intro determines whether the listener will continue to listen to your song further, or just switch to the next song. Here are few approaches to intros:

Building up. The building-up -type of intro starts with only a few elements, maybe just with an instrument and the vocals performance, or without vocals just as an instrumental. An example could be a simple piano lick with a bass drum, giving the song a basic rhythm.

Straightforward. The straightforward intro starts with some or all of the key instruments of the song. For instance, the song could start with the chorus, but without the vocal performance.

Verse

The verses tell the story of the song. A complete verse consists of lyrical phrases and pairs of phrases, rhyming with one another. A good verse paints a picture, tells a story, and is open to interpretation.

Statement. A statement verse repeats a phrase or two, without holding on to a complex story. The statement underlines the idea of the song and will add a more relaxed or casual, even a party-song-like feeling.

Story. The story verse is telling the audience a story. It zooms in on the characters of the song, especially the feelings they have, and usually has a good metaphor reflecting common life. This type of verse is used to get the audience to focus on your story and your performance and forget the rest of the world for a moment.

Pre-Chorus

The pre-chorus is located between the verse and the chorus. Musically, it is somewhat a mix of the verse and the upcoming chorus, and one of its key functions is to add anticipation and also prepare the listener for the chorus. It is also a great tool to expand the storyline if the verse doesn’t feel to be enough. Here are some examples of how to write your Pre-Choruses.

Melody shift. While the Pre-Chorus is based on the structure of the verse, the melody changes and usually rises musically to a new level. 

Musical shift. The chord progression differs from the verse and reflects the upcoming chorus. While the melody might stay the same, it usually is changed being more feeble and giving room to the upcoming chorus.

Chorus

The chorus is the moment of the song that delivers and underlines the overall message. For you as a songwriter, the chorus is the part where most of your musical effort should be put in.

While the song continues, the listener anticipates more – and the chorus is the peak where the reward should be awaiting. If we would use movie terms, the chorus is always the co-star of the verse – they always work together. This is why the chorus can be used to balance the choices of the verse.

A Statement chorus. A statement chorus repeats a phrase or two, just like a verse, without holding on to a story. The statement underlines the idea of the song. Use across with the verse, so that if you chose to tell the story in the verse, you should have a clear and simple statement in the chorus, and vice versa.

A Story chorus. The story chorus is a continuum to the story the verse has started. Because the chorus is in most cases repeated as the same, it should summarize the overall story. The chorus could also introduce a new standpoint to the story, expanding it over and over again when repeated.

A combination chorus. A combination chorus is a combination of the statement and story choruses. It might start with a repeated statement and then continue with two- to four phrases.

Bridge

The bridge is the element that adds final variation to the song since it is the last element that hasn’t been introduced yet. Since it is located between the second and final chorus, it can be used to have a contrast with the peak of the song (which is the chorus).

Lyrically speaking, the bridge could be used to reveal something, or to describe a change.

Revelation to the story.  While the verses tell the story, bit by bit, the bridge will reveal a whole new way to look at the story, from a wider perspective. It can be used to introduce a new standpoint to the feeling the song is about.

A lesson learned. The bridge can also describe a situation where the main character of the song experiences a change in themselves. For instance, in a love song, the character would be in love with someone and not willing to let go. In this story, the bridge is the perfect place to describe how the character grows as a person and finally decides to move on.

Musically speaking, the bridge can correlate to the intro, the verses, or the chorus of the song.

Breakdown. If the chorus of the song has been written carefully enough, the song does not need to build up musically. In this case, the bridge should be considered to be a breakdown. In a breakdown most of the instruments are quieted, giving room to the vocal performance. Use instruments and elements of the intro or the verse to write your breakdowns. Remember, less is more.

Continuation. The bridge can also act as a continuation of the chorus if there is a feeling the second and final choruses are not building up the song enough. Usually, the tempo and the basic rhythmic structure are kept somewhat identical to the chorus. You could even use the exact chords, only changing the order, and writing a sophisticated build-up to the melody.

The Ending – Final Chorus & Outro

The Final Chorus. The final chorus could be identical to the previous ones, but, if possible, should include some extra elements to it. These elements can be a doubled instrument, vocal performance, or both. If possible, the final chorus is the place where the ultimate peak is reached. After the final chorus, the song starts to degrade and fade musically.

The Outro. Finally, the outro is the part that prepares the listener that the song is ending. Use elements from the intro, verse, or chorus to write the outro of the song. A common and useful approach to an outro is to gradually drop off instruments, one by one. Another option is to create a musical break within all instruments and leave the vocal performance to finish the song alone.

I hope this helps. Check out my previous post for two basic templates to start your songwriting with.