The Chorus

Songwriting Infobox

Song Model
Songwriting
Lyrics - Melody - Harmony - Rhythm - Form
Song Form
Title - Chorus - Verse - Prechorus - Bridge
v • d • e

A chorus is the part of the song that keeps coming back. This part of the song usually includes the song title and summarizes the main idea of the lyric. It is also usually the emotional high point—the most intense part of the lyric.

Why is it called a "chorus?" Because the audience is supposed to sing along.

Choruses are usually made up of two alternating types of lines:

Title Line

T represents the title

Swing Line

A swing line is a lyric that is different from the title. The dash “-” represents the swing line.

The title line and the swing line can contrast both lyrically and melodically.

Six Basic Chorus Forms

The most common chorus types are:

T T T T

• Give Me Everything, Pitbull
• Just Can't Get Enough, The Black Eyed Peas
• What's My Name?, Rihanna & Drake
• Good Life, One Republic
• Blow, Ke$ha
• I'm On One, DJ Khaled
• You Make Me Feel..., Cobra Starship
• Roll Up, Wiz Khalifa
• For The First Time, The Script
• We Found Love, Rihanna
• Pretty Girl Rock, Keri Hilson
• Country Girl (Shake It for Me), Luke Bryan
• Headlines, Drake
• Rhiannon, Fleetwood Mac
• Power To The People, John Lennon
• Born in the USA, Bruce Springsteen
• Spirits in a Material World, The Police

- T - T

• Fuck You, Cee Lo Green
• Super Bass, Nicki Minaj
• Moves Like Jagger, Maroon 5
• On the Floor, Jennifer Lopez
• Just the Way You Are, Bruno Mars
• Tonight (I'm Lovin' You), Enrique Iglesias
• F**kin', Perfect P!nk
• Till the World Ends, Britney Spears
• We R Who We R, Ke$ha
• Black and Yellow, Wiz Khalifa
• Just a Dream, Nelly
• Hold It Against Me, Britney Spears
• Back to December, Taylor Swift
• Remind Me, Brad Paisley
• In the Dark, Dev
• Don't Wanna Go Home, Jason Derülo
• Price Tag, Jessie J
• She Will, Lil Wayne
• Material Girl, Madonna
• Best of My Love, Eagles
• Time After Time, Cindy Lauper

T - - T

• Raise Your Glass, P!nk
• The Lazy Song, Bruno Mars
• The Show Goes On, Lupe Fiasco
• Stereo Hearts, Gym Class Heroes
• Coming Home, Diddy - Dirty Money & Skylar Grey
• Only Girl (In the World), Rihanna
• Just a Kiss, Lady Antebellum
• More, Usher
• What The Hell, Avril Lavigne
• Don't You Wanna Stay, Jason Aldean
• Crazy Girl, Eli Young Band
• Take a Back Road, Rodney Atkins
• Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not, Thompson Square
• How Can We Be Lovers, Michael Bolton

- - - T

• E.T., Katy Perry
• S&M, Rihanna
• Born This Way, Lady GaGa
• Down On Me, Jeremih & 50 Cent
• Lighters, Bad Meets Evil
• Dynamite, Taio Cruz
• I Need a Doctor, Dr. Dre
• Rocketeer, Far East Movement & Ryan Tedder
• Hold It Against Me, Britney Spears
• Honey Bee, Blake Shelton
• Barefoot Blue Jean Night, Jake Owen
• Animal, Neon Trees
• Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers
• The End Of The Innocence, Don Henley
• I Shall Be Released, Bob Dylan
• Don't Think Twice, It's All Right, Bob Dylan
• Separate Lives, Phil Collins
• King of Pain, The Police

T - - -

• Party Rock Anthem, LMFAO
• Firework, Katy Perry
• Grenade, Bruno Mars
• Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.), Katy Perry
• Someone Like You, Adele
• The Time (Dirty Bit), The Black Eyed Peas
• Hey Baby (Drop It to the Floor), Pitbull
• Dirt Road Anthem, Jason Aldean
• Written In The Stars, Tinie Tempah
• Knee Deep, Zac Brown Band
• You and Tequila, Kenny Chesney
• Fortress around Your Heart, Sting
• Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic, The Police
• Acadian Driftwood, The Band
• Stage Fright, The Band
• Good Times, Bad Times, Led Zeppelin
• Sweet Caroline, Neil Diamond
• I Will Remember You, Sarah McLachlan
• Fire and Rain, James Taylor

T - T -

• Pumped Up Kicks, Foster the People
• The Edge of Glory, Lady GaGa
• Tonight Tonight, Hot Chelle Rae
• I Wanna Go, Britney Spears
• Moment 4 Life, Nicki Minaj
• Motivation, Kelly Rowland
• All Of The Lights, Kanye West
• Bottoms Up, Trey Songz
• Life Is A Carnival, The Band
• Genie In a Bottle, Christina Aguilera
• I Knew I Loved You, Savage Garden
• I Wanna Dance With Somebody, Whitney Houston
• Hello Old Friend, Eric Clapton
• Victim of Love, Eagles
• Rock & Roll Hoochie Koo, Rick Derringer

Qualities of a Successful Chorus

• The title has emphasis.
• It stands out.
• The chorus lyric summarizes or comments on the main idea of the verse/prechorus lyric.
• It is the emotional high point of the song.
• It is the most intense part of the song.
• It is the climax of the song.
• It feels like it lifts.
• It is easy to sing.
• It is easy to remember.
• It either fulfills audience expectations or surprises audience expectations.
• It contrasts the other song sections (Verse, Prechorus, Bridge; if they exist)
• It feels different from the other song sections.
• It has a different idea than verse—Lyrically, melodically, harmonically, rhythmically.
• It is developed differently—Lyrically, melodically, harmonically, rhythmically.
• It is the arrival point of the song = "This is what I'm talking about", "This is why I'm telling this story."
• It gains meaning and interest every time it is repeated.
• Big ideas in the chorus, small details in the verse.

You will know you have written a good chorus when:

• I hear the title stand out from everything else.
• I understand the meaning of the lyric and it resonates with my life experience.
• It feels more intense than the other sections.
• The listener is singing or humming along (not always out loud).
• The listener remembers the melody and the lyric long after the song is over.

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