I was wondering, what do you think about choruses in music? I'm really confused by them. They can be the heart of a song, and they can totally ruin it as well. I'm still not sure whether it's an advantage for a song to have one. I mean, it probably isn't, but I can't help but think a track with a strong chorus already has a part of my approval, whatever the rest of the song is. On the other hand, I get the impression that I grow tired of songs with choruses faster. Sometimes they're not even important at all (e.g. Sweet Child O' Mine has awesome riffs, verses and solos, but I think its chorus is actually pretty lame and forgettable). Finally, I have the feeling the genre they're most important to is hip-hop, as (if I generalize) it's a genre with basically no melodies, so a hook seems even more crucial to me. Then again, some rapping parts truly are memorable, and it's even truer for the beats. Typing that I'm not even sure anymore about hooks being more important for hip-hop.
Just rambling a bit and trying to gather opinions, as I don't recall any discussion about that. I'm sure some of you have interesting things to say. Or is there anything to say at all? Also I wanted to ask a kind of existential-musical-Puncture-Repairesque question, because I really like when he does that haha.
Also, don't hesitate to post your favorite choruses, I love me some good anthemic hooks Mine would be Bowie's "Oh! You Pretty Things", Chance's "Cocoa Butter Kisses", Mobb Deep's "Shook Ones Pt. II", and many Springsteen tracks (most notably "Out In The Street" and "Born To Run").
Continuing my rambling after that list, because I'm realizing many of my favorite tracks' appeals do not necessarily lie in the chorus (The The's "This Is The Day", The Replacement's "Androgynous", Antony's "Fistful Of Love", etc). Yet said choruses is often what brought me to like the songs so much, and they're still an important part of the reasons I do. I'm a bit lost haha, hope it makes sense xD
They can be the heart of a song, and they can totally ruin it as well. I'm still not sure whether it's an advantage for a song to have one. I mean, it probably isn't, but I can't help but think a track with a strong chorus already has a part of my approval, whatever the rest of the song is. On the other hand, I get the impression that I grow tired of songs with choruses faster. Sometimes they're not even important at all (e.g. Sweet Child O' Mine has awesome riffs, verses and solos, but I think its chorus is actually pretty lame and forgettable).
Mostly agree.
Oasis tend to pen great choruses; being an anthem band and all that I suppose it's their speciality.
Don Henley Boys Of Summer is brilliant.
I'm probably more of a fan of bridges and middle -8s.
Chorus is the moment you raise your fist in the air with your drunk friends holding them over the shoulder and then sing it ("and weill alll float ommm again... and wellla all float on hahaha... and we will all flostsat on alrufhgt) I noted some things, that some of the chorus and even the songs that I've been listening to recently ,aren't as catchy as some old songs used to be. Pop music have great choruses and catchy, pop choruses are one of my favs, but there is also a lot of way to construct a chorus, sometimes you don't need lyrics in it (seven nation army, Only shallow,war pigs, and anothers) or sometimes they need some magic and surprise or something that can make the chorus shinny, like... I love "you can't always get what you want" chorus because of that voices that sound behind jagger, and Gimme shelter also, or "peacebone" because of "you're just a" screams that add some madness to the song, well the full songs get it, I think it's hard to explain why are chorus so catchy, maybe because we listen to it all the time in the song, I like them. And how you said some chorsu can ruin the song like, I don't like the chorus in "lithium" because how can you construc something so beautifull and then "YEAHHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" so yeah choruses can be good or bad they are the best part of the songs (that has it) of course, and even without chorus songs can b e great, see many examples out there, so I like choruses, they are my fav part of the song, and you shouldn't worry about them just enjoy them drak!! _________________ Top 100 Hits you must hear before the u... of beauty
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Ha-ha! Thought that the Residents take on this might be appropriate...
"POINT ONE: Pop music is mostly a repetition of two types of musical and lyrical phrases: the verse and the chorus.
POINT TWO: These elements repeat an average of three times in a "top-40" radio hit.
POINT THREE: Cut out the fat and a pop song is only one minute long.
POINT FOUR: One minute is also the length of most commercials, and therefore, their corresponding jingles.
POINT FIVE: Jingles are the music of America.
CONCLUSION: This compact disc is terrific in shuffle play. To convert the jingles to pop music, program each song to repeat three times."
Liner notes from:
Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.
The Commercial Album by The Residents _________________ "And can’t you see you’re in on it?
You were born though you need not
And is that not some cause
For worship, being born among these trees?"
As much as I enjoy choruses, perhaps people should stop being too worried about having one. Some music just doesn't work well with choruses (from personal experience, most of the music I create would not work well with a chorus). I can't think of any songs that have done an injustice with a chorus off the top of my head so it isn't a pressing issue to me, but people might do better with music if they move away from this "we gotta have a chorus" idea. An easy example of a song that could have been cooler without this whole chorus mindset is Crash test Dummies' "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm". Some songs (like the one mention) would do better with a more progressive approach.
"I get the impression that I grow tired of songs with choruses faster."
Is this particularly in regards to songs where the chorus is exactly the same each time it's played? Generally there's more variation in verses, but I definitely prefer having choruses that develop throughout the song.
"I have the feeling the genre they're most important to is hip-hop, as (if I generalize) it's a genre with basically no melodies, so a hook seems even more crucial to me."
A hook isn't necessarily the same thing as a chorus though. I don't really see how hip-hop is in particular need of choruses. Unless you don't find rap interesting at all and just think of it as downtime between hooks. Also, what about instrumental hip-hop? There aren't usually any choruses there.
Some thoughts on choruses (not necessarily a direct response to your questions)...
I think it's easier for a song to get away with having a weak verse or bridge than a weak chorus. Pop songs often have a variation in dynamics that looks something like this:
I tend to think this structure works best when your emotional intensity fluctuates in step with the musician; in other words, when they get really excited, you do too. Also, if the chorus is weak, that means the song will have a weak ending (usually), and that's not a good way to impress the listener.
Compare it to the intensity curve for a typical movie:
The up-and-down motion is actually very similar to the verse-chorus-verse dynamics in music, but films tend to have a slow build superposed on the up-and-down motion. Seems like some musicians are catching on to this too... (*cougharcadefirecough*)
Anyway, there are no hard-and-fast rules for dynamics. Personally, I don't think a chorus is necessary for a good song, but I certainly enjoy them when they're done well.
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Mine would be Bowie's "Oh! You Pretty Things", Chance's "Cocoa Butter Kisses", Mobb Deep's "Shook Ones Pt. II", and many Springsteen tracks (most notably "Out In The Street" and "Born To Run").
