What Is A Chorus In Songwriting?
Catchy, repetitive and memorable – all these words demonstrate how a chorus functions in a song.
Turn on the radio, or put on your favorite song, and listen for the part that is repeated several times throughout – this is a chorus.
In today’s post we’ll be looking at choruses in songwriting. We’ll be looking at the definition of a chorus, along with how it can be used and some examples.
What is the definition of a chorus?
A chorus is the heart and soul of your song, it portrays the main purpose or idea of the lyrics or instrumental.
Choruses are usually easy to spot in music, they’re repeated throughout the song and are catchy and memorable. A chorus appears after a verse or pre-chorus depending on the song structure.
A typical song structure is:
Each time the chorus occurs it’ll have the same lyrics and melody, reiterating to the listener the main purpose of the song.
How are choruses used in songs?
A verse provides detail, whereas the chorus is more broad about the topic subject allowing all other sections to tie into it easily.
An example would be verse 1 focusing on the first time you fell in love with someone, including details such as when and where you were, who it was and how they made you feel. Your chorus would then focus on the topic of feeling on top of the World being in love.
The chorus keeps the song grounded and focused, like the roots of a tree – the branches may wander to the sky however they’re all tied to the roots keeping it in position.
A common song structure songwriter’s use is:
- Scenario 1 – acts as your first verse
- Scenario 2 – acts as your second verse
- Main idea or purpose – acts as your chorus
- Revelation or change – acts as your bridge