Chorus first...

Actually, few Beatles songs did to begin with. It was often in the studio that George Martin would suggest starting with the chorus so the hook was the first thing heard.
It's a good tool but use it too much and it becomes stylized.
 
You can arrange a song any way you like. I've started songs with breakdowns or bridgdes - I did a song a couple years ago that was two choruses right off the bat, a verse and then an outro. BE CREATIVE. That's what music is all about.
 
i always tend to start with 16bar intro verse,chorus,verse,bridge,verse outro,but theres no right or wrong
 
It depends what type of music you write. If it's uptempo, fun rock/pop, then the odd song where the chorus comes first is very welcome. Alot of people write songs with decent choruses, but you have to listen through an intro, a verse and a bridge to get to them.

Alternatively, starting a song off with an instrumental version of the chorus (maybe with a solo/licks on top) is a good way to start out and "tease" the listener.
 
Alternatively, starting a song off with an instrumental version of the chorus (maybe with a solo/licks on top) is a good way to start out and "tease" the listener.
I did exactly this in my song "The Blue Horizon".

It starts off with the chorus's chords with a slide solo played over top, then after that, straight to the chorus...only then comes Verse 1 !!

...Mike
 
Everything is good if it works.
The latest piece I'm working on has a more flowing structure with INtro as A (which is just the 1st half of the chorus reversed) the 1st part verse as B then 2nd part verse as C then what I take to be the chorus (but the vocalist/melodicist may see it other wise) as D then B B D B C D D & E as outro because it's the chorus but with a change
so that makes my song:
A B C D B B D B C D D E
though it sounds much simpler than that to the extent that it's hard to tell where the changes come in.
Oh, on a pedantic note (yep that's me) one either tends to or always does but not both simultaneously for the same thing. It's a bit like nearly always, or the popular one at present with New South Welsh children: sometimes always.
 
It's all about the chorus.

The song "Takin' Care Of Business" was used in an episode of The Simpsons, "Saddlesore Galactica". Homer Simpson is shown at a B.T.O. concert, demanding that the band play the song. The band starts the song and Homer then yells, "Get to the 'workin' overtime' part!" The band obliges, skipping straight to the chorus. Later, just after finishing 'You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet', Homer requests that they sing it: when Bachman claims that they just did, Homer replies with a drawn-out 'What-everrr!'
 
I usually don't have a chorus - i write some lyrics then make something up to the chorus part when were recording :p
 
Back
Top