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Popular Song Structures

This article explores various popular song structures, including strophic, verse-refrain, contrasting verse-chorus, and through-composed. Examples from well-known songs are provided, highlighting the different sections and their musical and lyrical variations.

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Popular Song Structures

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  1. Popular Song Structures

  2. Section A Verse 1 While Shepherds watched their flocks by night All seated on the ground The Angel of the Lord came down And glory shone around Section A Verse 2 “Fear not”, said he, for mighty dread Had seized their troubled minds “Glad tidings of great joy I bring To you, and all mankind” Same music, different words Section A Verse 3 “To you, in David’s town this day, Is born of David’s line A Saviour, who is Christ the Lord And this shall be the sign” Same music, different words Section A Verse 4 “The heavenly babe you there shall find To human view displayed All meanly wrapping in swaddling clothes And in a manger laid” Same music, different words Strophic (Verse form)

  3. Section A Verse 1 We wish you a Merry Christmas We wish you a Merry Christmas We wish you a Merry Christmas And a Happy New Year Section B Refrain Good tidings we bring to you and your kin We wish you a Merry Christmas and a happy new year Shorter section Section A Verse 2 Same music, different words Now bring us so figgy pudding Now bring us so figgy pudding Now bring us so figgy pudding And bring some out here Verse - Refrain Structure Section B Refrain Good tidings we bring to you and your kin We wish you a Merry Christmas and a happy new year Same music, same words Section A Verse 3 And we won’t go until we’ve got some And we won’t go until we’ve got some And we won’t go until we’ve got some So bring some out here Same music, different words Section B Refrain Good tidings we bring to you and your kin We wish you a Merry Christmas and a happy new year Same music, same words

  4. Contrasting Verse - Chorus Structure The night we met I knew I needed you so And if I had the chance I'd never let you go So won't you say you love me? I'll make you so proud of me We'll make 'em turn their heads every place we go Verse You can add an introduction, bridges between the sections and a coda to this structure. So won't you, please? (Be my, be my baby) Be my little baby (My one and only baby) Say you'll be my darlin’ (Be my, be my baby) Be my baby now (My one and only baby) Whoa oh oh oh Chorus New music I'll make you happy, baby, just wait and see For every kiss you give me, I'll give you three Oh, since the day I saw you, I have been waiting for you You know I will adore you 'til eternity Verse Same music Different words So won't you, please? (Be my, be my baby) Be my little baby (My one and only baby) Say you'll be my darlin’ (Be my, be my baby) Be my baby now (My one and only baby) Whoa oh oh oh Chorus Same as before Often repeated

  5. 12 Bar Blues Form This is essentially in strophic structure but each verse follows this AAB pattern Did you ever sit thinking with a thousand things on your mind? Line 1 I I I I7 A Did you ever sit thinking with a thousand things on your mind? Line 2 IV IV I I A Thinking about someone who’s treated you so nice and kind Line 3 V IV I V7 B

  6. When all the world is a hopeless jumble and the raindrops tumble all around Heaven opens a magic lane When all the clouds darken up the skyway there's a rainbow highway to be found Leading from your windowpane, to a place behind the sun, just a step beyond the rain Intro * Somewhere over the rainbow Way up high, There's a land that I heard of Once in a lullaby. Section A 8 Bars 32 Bar Song Somewhere over the rainbow Skies are blue, And the dreams that you dare to dream Really do come true. Section A 8 Bars Someday I'll wish upon a star And wake up where the clouds are far behind me. Where troubles melt like lemon drops, away above the chimney tops That's where you'll find me. Section B 8 Bars Somewhere over the rainbow Bluebirds fly. Birds fly over the rainbow. Why then, oh why can't I? Section A 8 Bars * These don’t count as part of the 32 bar structure. In fact, they are not even in all the recordings of this song! If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow. Why then, oh why can't I? Coda *

  7. Through-Composed Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? … … Any way the wind blows doesn't really matter to me, to me Section 1 A Mama, I just killed a man… … I sometimes wish I’d never been born at all Section 2 B Section 3 C Guitar solo 1 I see a little silhouetto of a man, Scaramouche! Scaramouche! Will you do the Fandango?! … … Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me, for me, for me! Section 4 D New music in each section. It may be thematically linked. So you think you can stop me and spit in my eye?!?! So you think you can love me and leave me to die?!?! Oh, baby, can't do this to me, baby, Just gotta get out, just gotta get right outta here! Section 5 E Section 6 F Guitar solo 2 Nothing really matters, Anyone can see, Nothing really matters, Nothing really matters to me. Anyway the wind blows... Section 7 G

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