Song structure

"[2] Both are essential elements, with the verse usually played first (exceptions include "She Loves You" by The Beatles, an early example in the rock music genre).

During the solo section, one or more instruments play a melodic line which may be the melody used by the singer, or, in blues or jazz improvised.

Verse–chorus form consists of two main sections – a verse and chorus – that often contrast melodically, rhythmically, harmonically and dynamically.

It usually builds up suspense for the listener so when the downbeat drops in, it creates a pleasing sense of release.

In some cases, an introduction contains only drums or percussion parts that set the rhythm and "groove" for the song.

With this type of intro, the goal is to create interest in the listener and make them unsure of what will happen.

This type of intro could consist of a series of loud, accented chords, punctuated by cymbal, with a bassline beginning near the end, to act as a pitch reference point for the singer.

"[6] A verse of a song, is a repeated sung melody where the words change from use to use (though not necessarily a great deal).

"Often, a two-phrase verse containing basic chords is followed by a passage, often harmonically probing, that leads to the full chorus.

"The chorus, which gets its name from a usual thickening of texture from the addition of backing vocals, is always a discrete section that nearly always prolongs the tonic and carries an unvaried poetic text.

[13] The concept of a post-chorus has been particularly popularized and analyzed by music theorist Asaf Peres, who is followed in this section.

[13] A bridge may be a transition, but in popular music, it more often is "...a section that contrasts with the verse...[,] usually ends on the dominant...[,] [and] often culminates in a strong re-transitional.

The reason for having an outro is that if a song just ended at the last bar of a section, such as on the last verse or the last chorus, this might feel too abrupt for listeners.

Generally, the outro is a section where the energy of the song, broadly defined, dissipates.

Both the fade-out and the ritardando are ways of decreasing the intensity of a song and signalling that it is nearing its conclusion.

For an outro that fades out, the arranger or songwriter typically repeats a short section of the music over and over.

An audio engineer then uses the fader on the mixing board to gradually decrease the volume of the recording.

With an instrumental tag, the vocalist no longer sings, and the band's rhythm section takes over the music to finish off the song.

With an instrumental and vocal tag, the band and vocalist typically repeat a section of the song, such as the chorus, to give emphasis to its message.

Songwriters use elision to keep the song from losing its energy during cadences, the points at which the music comes to rest on, typically on a tonic or dominant chord.

An ad lib section of a song (usually in the coda or outro) occurs when the main lead vocal or a second lead vocal breaks away from the already established lyric and/or melody to add melodic interest and intensity to the end of the song.

During live performances, singers sometimes include ad libs not originally in the song, such as making a reference to the town of the audience or customizing the lyrics to the current events of the era.

Ad lib as a general term can be applied to any free interpretation of the musical material.

As such, at the minimum, the composer or arranger often modifies the harmony of the end of the different A sections to guide the listener through the key changes.

In that way the modern popular song structure can be viewed as a AABA form, where the B is the bridge.

AAA format may be found in Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are a-Changin'", and songs like "The House of the Rising Sun", and "Clementine".

[21] Also "Old MacDonald", "Amazing Grace", "The Thrill Is Gone", and Gordon Lightfoot's "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald".

[22] AABA may be found in Crystal Gayle's "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue", Billy Joel's "Just the Way You Are", and The Beatles' "Yesterday".

[24] ABABCB format may be found in John Cougar Mellencamp's "Hurts So Good", Tina Turner's "What's Love Got to Do with It?

[24] Variations include Smokey Robinson's "My Guy", The Beatles's "Ticket to Ride",[21] The Pretenders' "Back on the Chain Gang" (ABABCAB), Poison's "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" (ABABCBAB), and Billy Joel's "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me" (ABABCABCAB).