Verse–chorus form
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Verse–chorus form is a musical form going back to the 1840s, in such songs as "Oh! Susanna", "The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze", and many others.[1][2] It became passé in the early 1900s, with advent of the AABA (with verse) form in the Tin Pan Alley days.[3][4] It became commonly used in blues and rock and roll in the 1950s,[5] and predominant in rock music since the 1960s. In contrast to 32-bar form, which is focused on the refrain (contrasted and prepared by the B section), in verse–chorus form the chorus is highlighted (prepared and contrasted with the verse).[6]
The chorus often sharply contrasts the verse melodically, rhythmically, and harmonically, and assumes a higher level of dynamics and activity, often with added instrumentation. This is referred to as a "breakout chorus".[7] See: arrangement.
Contrasting verse–chorus form
[edit]Songs that use different music for the verse and chorus are in contrasting verse–chorus form. Examples include:
- "That'll Be the Day" by Buddy Holly (1957)[8]
- "Be My Baby" by The Ronettes (1963)[8]
- "California Girls" by The Beach Boys (1965)[8]
- "Penny Lane" and "All You Need Is Love" by The Beatles (1967)[8]
- "Foxy Lady" by Jimi Hendrix (1967)[8]
- "Smoke on the Water" by Deep Purple (1973)[8]
- "Can't Get Enough" by Bad Company (1974)[8]
- "Biology" and "Sexy! No No No..." by Girls Aloud (2005 and 2007)
- "Prayer of the Refugee" by Rise Against (2006)
Simple verse–chorus form
[edit]Songs that use the same harmony (chords) for the verse and chorus, such as the twelve bar blues, though the melody is different and the lyrics feature different verses and a repeated chorus, are in simple verse–chorus form. Examples include:
- "Shake, Rattle, and Roll" by Big Joe Turner (1954)[8]
- "Louie, Louie" by The Kingsmen (1963 cover), example not using blues form[8]
- "La Bamba" by Ritchie Valens (1959)[8]
Simple verse form
[edit]Songs which feature only a repeated verse are in simple verse form (verse–chorus form without the chorus). Examples include:
- "Evil Ways" by Santana (1969)[8]
- Blues-based songs which are not simple verse–chorus form (above), such as "Heartbreak Hotel", "Jailhouse Rock", "Hound Dog", and "Lucille"[8]
and with a contrasting bridge:
- "Eight Miles High" by The Byrds (1966)[8]
- "Tomorrow Never Knows" by The Beatles (1966)[8]
- "Purple Haze" by Jimi Hendrix (1967).[8]
Both simple verse–chorus form and simple verse form are strophic forms.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ RMS 1 Census-Catalogue of Manuscript Sources of Polyphonic Music, 1400-1550, edited by Herbert Kellman and Charles Hamm in 5 Volumes. Vol. I A-J (Volume 1), American Institute of Musicology, Inc. (1 January 1979), ISBN 1595513116
- ^ Ralf von Appen; Markus Frei-Hauenschild. "Aaba, Refrain, Chorus, Bridge, Prechorus — Song Forms and Their Historical Development" (PDF). www.gfpm-samples.de. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
- ^ The Life and Death of Tin Pan Alley, David Ewen, Funk & Wagnalls; First Edition (1 January 1964) ASIN B000B8LYVU
- ^ "Tin Pan Alley | musical history | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
- ^ Michael Campbell & James Brody (2007), Rock and Roll: An Introduction, page 117
- ^ Covach, John. "Form in Rock Music: A Primer", p.71, in Stein, Deborah (2005). Engaging Music: Essays in Music Analysis. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-517010-5.
- ^ Doll, Christopher. "Rockin' Out: Expressive Modulation in Verse–Chorus Form", Music Theory Online 17/3 (2011), § 2.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Covach (2005), p.71–72
