1. The Verses

The verses of a song are basically the plot of a story. Most songs have 3-4 verses and each verse should progress what your song is about. For example, In What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction, the first verse is,

“You're insecure, don't know what for

You're turning heads when you walk through the do-o-or

Don't need make-up to cover-up

Being the way that you are is enou-ou-ough”

This verse introduces the characters of the story and hints at the theme of the song.

2. The Pre-Chorus

The pre-chorus helps you to transition from the verses to the chorus. They are usually only a line or two, and not every song has them.

“Everyone else in the room can see it

Everyone else, but you, ooh”

That is the pre-chorus for What Makes You Beautiful and it builds the excitement for the chorus.

3. The Chorus

Now for the key element of a song, the chorus! The chorus of a song is usually very catchy and simpler than the verse. It expresses the main theme that the verses are centered around and is usually very repetitive. The chorus also often contains the title of the song in some way. Usually, they are about the same length or a little longer than a verse. In What Makes You Beautiful, the chorus is pretty lengthy.

“Baby, you light up my world like nobody else

The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed

But when you smile at the ground, it ain't hard to tell

You don't know, oh-oh

You don't know you're beautiful

If only you saw what I can see

You'll understand why I want you so desperately

Right now I'm lookin' at you, and I can't believe

You don't know, oh-oh

You don't know you're beautiful, oh-oh

That's what makes you beautiful”

Typically, the chorus is played after every verse or every other verse. The last chorus of a song may contain a few changes in the lyrics, but nothing major.

4. The Bridge

The bridge is similar to a verse, but it is sung with different chords to give the song a change of pace. The tempo of the song may slow or swell dramatically. The bridge may also be very repetitive such as in What Makes You Beautiful.

“Na-na-na, na-na-na, na, na, na

Na-na-na, na-na-na

Na-na-na, na-na-na, na, na, na

Na-na-na, na-na-na”

The bridge is often my favorite part of the song because the highest notes and longest riffs can be found there, aka the most fun parts to sing (Most bridges are more complex than the one above XD). It greatly contributes to the emotion of a song and prepares the listener for one last round of the chorus.

The most common structure for a song is basically in the order I explained the parts of a song: Verse 1, Pre-Chorus (optional), Chorus, Verse 2, Pre Chorus (optional), Chorus, Bridge, Chorus, Repeated Chorus (optional). Sometimes the chorus can come first in a song, and sometimes there are multiple verses in a row before the chorus plays. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a bridge except after around the third verse, but the verses and chorus can be mixed up, however you like.

The Word of the Week is: Leporidae

Pronunciation (Romanized): Le·​por·​i·​dae

Definition: Leporidae is the family of rabbits and hares, containing over 60 species of extant mammals in all. The Latin word Leporidae means "those that resemble lepus". Together with the pikas (A pika is a small, mountain-dwelling mammal found in Asia and North America.), the Leporidae constitute the mammalian order Lagomorpha.

Example: Every Easter, members of the Leporidae family can be found everywhere!

Have a blessed Easter, Readers, and I’ll see you soon! <3