(Excerpt from Paul Rodericks’ book, “Creative Songwriting” – a guide to writing

lyrics and composing music.)

Section 1
“The soul never thinks without a mental picture.” – Aristotle

Basic Form or Structure of Song

Understanding the framework of a song is essential if we are to write

excellent lyrics and music and even sing or perform better, particularly
so to acquiring the ability to improvise spontaneously.

It is the familiarity with the song structure that the listener is

comfortable with when listening to new a song - its lyrics and music.
The standard structures of songs like pop, rock, country, blues, Latin
and the others, which the people have been listening for decades and
are easily able to relate to. Maybe one of the reasons why jazz and
classical music are difficult for most people to enjoy is owing to
unfamiliarity with the structure of such music.

Main Song Components

Following are the main components of a song:

1 Title or the Hook

2 Verse
3 Chorus, also called the Bridge in earlier music terminology
4 Bridge (optional)
5 Tag (optional)

Song Structure Terms

The short forms, generally made use of in songwriting to indicate a

song structure, are:

1 ‘A’ for the Verse

2 ‘B’ for the Chorus
3 ‘C’ for the Bridge
4 ‘Tag’ for a brief ending
Popular Forms of Lyrics

For depicting the popular forms of song lyrics of today, we have:

1 AABA - meaning the 1st Verse A is followed by the 2nd Verse A

and the latter by the Chorus B. In this form, you normally have
3 to 4 verses and the same Chorus is repeated twice; or as
AAB-AAB - where the first combination of AAB would be
followed by another one of AAB and may or may not end with a
Tag consisting of two or more lines taken (and repeated) from
the verse or chorus or just the Title as it is popularly known, the
Hook. This form or variation of it is sometimes favoured by the
blues and rock artists.

Example: Song Title: "She is a Zombie", Lyrics Copyright 2002,

Paul Rodericks

A (1st Verse):

No colours to her dawn

No depth to her sleep
No fears to succumb
Nor rules of ethics
A creature by necessity
She's a Zombie.

AA (2nd Verse):

No colours to her dreams

No depth to her mind
No patriotic hymns
Nor love of any kind
A creature by necessity
She's a Zombie.

B (Chorus):

She's a Zombie
From her reflections within
A wall around her senses
A creature by necessity
She's a Zombie.
Then generally follows the other combination of AAB - 3rd & 4th Verse
and the Chorus Repeat.

2. ABABAB - wherein you have the 1st Verse-Chorus-2nd Verse-

Chorus Repeat-3rd verse-Chorus Repeat or the most popular form
which is:

ABABCB - a bridge [of 4 to 8 bars] after the 2nd Chorus-Repeat.

Sometimes, though, the Bridge takes the place of the Chorus-Repeat
after the 2nd Verse (ABAC).

The variation may depend on the duration of the song and generally
the particular genre or style it is meant for, viz. pop, rock, country,
R&B and others. This is really a matter of choice for the songwriter
and finally of the performers.

* Any song that has a Chorus may or may not start with the Chorus
before the 1st Verse. Many popular songs actually do so, for a specific
effect.

Example of BABABAB Form : Song Title: "Man, When She Walks"

Copyright 2002 Paul Rodericks.

Chorus (B): Man, when she walks, oh can she swing

Heads turn, heartbeats swaying
She cuts the mood, wishing ya could
Be her dude for just one evening.

Verse 1 (A): She's a goddess on a swing, believe me

Her come-along look leaves ya guessing
Is she inviting ya or merely teasing
Man, when she walks, oh can she swing!

Chorus (B): Repeat

Verse 2 (A): She's known to have had men aplenty,

Only to love then jilt 'em - oh, really?
Just don't care even to be her plaything
Man, when she walks, oh can she swing!

Chorus (B): Repeat

The above is followed by a 3rd Verse (A), the Chorus (B) is repeated.

Example here of ABABCB Form: A Solitary Silhouette, 2006 Ester

Sterling - Paul Rodericks

Verse 1 (A)

Grey is all that she what she wore

Debonair as the moonlit glow
Amidst flaring embers of her cigarettes
A solitary silhouette
.
Chorus (B)

A solitary silhouette
Wrapped in grey
Puffing clouds of smoke at midnight
As un-caring, as her cigarettes

She has a tale, she can't re-call,

And sleep, she can't at all
Her feelings dry as a desert
A solitary silhouette.

Verse 2 (A)

For a moment in her time

Enters a shred of peace of mind
And the stirrings of forgotten desires and yet
A solitary silhouette.

Chorus (B): Repeat

Verse 3 (A)

Is she the images I cast

The reflections of my past
The life I don't know and so can't regret
A solitary silhouette
Bridge (C):

My life drifts on an outline

Past or new, have yet to find
But it is mine, only mine...
To create and design. .

Chorus (B): Repeat

3. AAA, the trade-mark of the Blues song form, where every verse
follows the other and normally lasts for 12-bars.

Verse 1:

Well now, it's three o'clock in the morning

And I can't even close my eyes.
Three o'clock in the morning
And I can't even close my eyes.
Can't find my baby
And I can't be satisfied

Verse 2 and 3 follow in the same above format.

Some Blues songs last for 16-bars and modern blues songs can extend
beyond 24 bars.

4. AACA format has a Bridge in place of the usual Chorus after the
1st and 2nd Verse, then followed by the 3rd verse.

The following example is of the AACA song format which gives you a
general idea of the other formats as well. Song Title: “True
Confession” Copyright 2002 Paul Rodericks.

Verse 1:

True Confession
The song as you sing
Your heart pleads silently with mine
For the love you once abandoned
True confession
I mustn’t feel this way
This feeling of past obsession
No, not on my wedding day.
Verse 2:

True Confession
We have shared good times
And today you're here as the best man
We've no other obligation
True Confession
You will find someone to love
Beyond the point of no return
As long as she trusts you enough.

Bridge:

True Confession,
I cannot be your partner
Any more in love nor share your pain
Our distant feelings of love will always remain
As silent whispers of our hearts.

Verse 3:

True Confession
The man I marry today
Is the one who will share my life
No reasons for temptation
True Confession
Maybe you’ll know this someday
When your heart whispers again
To another on your wedding day.

5. ABC format meaning A - the Verse, B - the Pre-Chorus and C -

the main Chorus. In this form, the pre-chorus section is a shorter
interesting version, which attracts the listener’s attention, leading into
the main chorus of the song. Lyrically you make an interesting point
here before going into the chorus, and for a musical appeal a contrast
by way of a short riff or chord-change, viz.
Song Title (probably) “If She’d Only Give Me A choice”

Following the Verse comes the …

Pre-Chorus or Bridge:

I would never think of leaving her

If she’d only give me a choice
We would never be in this situation
If she’d only give me a choice

Chorus:

If she’d only give me a choice

I would not be in this situation
With the kind of person she is
Past caring and so selfish
I’ve simply lost the will to rejoice
If she’d only give me a choice.

** *

Musical Embellishments to Song Form

Instrumental :
(at times with vocal back-up)

(a) As Intro before the 1st Verse or Chorus

(b) Lead Ins and Exits of Choruses
(c) Mid-Solo over the Chorus, or after the Bridge, if any.

All popular styles of songs such as rock, pop, R&B, blues, country,
bluegrass, jazz, Latin or Reggae have their own distinct form structure.
Hence, it is best to study the song form/s including the lyrics of a few
songs of the particular genre/styles you are aiming for.

The song structure also regulates the duration of your song. Popular
styles of Western recorded songs don’t normally exceed the
3.50/4.00 minutes accepted norm which is enough time to
accommodate the ABABAB format including a 4-bar intro, a mid-solo
and the usual 2-bar ending. Of course, there are songs which have
more soloing, instrumental riffs back-up and other vocal and
instrumental embellishments. Generally, jazz and classical music styles
exceed this time-frame.

For an overview of this section remember that, in any kind of a song

form - the verse, chorus, bridge and tag, and the instrumental and
vocal backups, mid-soloing and endings all serve the purpose of
creating an overall contract including that of tension and resolution -
of cause and effect brought about to a successful conclusion through
the performance of lyrics, melody and rhythm - by the singer/s and
accompanying musicians in a spirit of team-work.

There is a variety of techniques that can be applied to make your lyrics

outstanding besides the song structure. Such as, the choice of
emotive and graphic words, stressed & unstressed syllables, the
rhyme and the rhyming scheme, the rhythmic value of short and long
sentences and not in the least the composition of a reasonably good
melody. We will be covering these areas in the latter chapters of this
book and including also the study of simple examples to acquire some
level of expertise in composing simple melodies to transform your
efforts into productive songwriting as quickly as possible.

General Song Form Questionnaire

1. Does your song form suit the story and the genre/style of song?
2. Have you made the Title or Hook-line catchy enough and original?
3. Does your song title convey meaningfully and strongly the essence
of your theme or story-line?
4. Does your title or hook line repeat at least once in the verse and
twice or more in the chorus and the bridge, if any?
5. Is the first line of your Verse A or Chorus B appealing enough, i.e.
attention grabbing?
6. Is there a flow or continuity in the story narrative from verse to
verse?
7. Does the ending( substance) of each verse connect smoothly with
the beginning of the Chorus – which would probably be the Title
or Hook line?
8. Is the summary of your chorus content consistent with the story-l
line as developed in the verse sections.
7. For the bridge, have you added a new look, concept or twist, i.e.
rather a different feature of the story narrative?

Copyright 2006, Paul Rodericks.