Song Structure Variations

The domineering pop song structure has long been verse-chorus-verse-bridge-chorus. The chokehold this song structure has had has lasted during the majority of recorded music history. Icons like The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Britney Spears, and Taylor Swift have massive catalogues that largely employ this structure. Its de facto such that a lot of us don’t question whether or not there’s even another way to do things. 

That said, in the past year I’ve seen some exciting artists and songs breaking away from this structure. Other ways of doing things are becoming more pronounced. 

I was thinking about this as I was listening to a song called “Leonad Cohen” on Boygenius’ new record. The song unfolds like a letter. There is nearly no repetition and a chorus is non-existent. And yet, it is easily something you can listen to on repeat.

Such freeform movements show up in Caroline Polacheck’s recent release “Billions” as well. While there is the repetition of a phrase “say something to me” there is no discernible chorus. The verse repeats over and over again with new and exciting words and then an outro with a children’s choir keeps us captivated in the latter part of the song. Caroline’s phrasing is the dominating force in this art pop masterclass. 

What types of songs do we open ourselves up to writing when we cast aside the defacto pop song structure? Do we get closer or further away from an authentic expression? I encourage you all to experiment with new forms and see where it leads.