Though listeners may experience a song as one long progression of pleasing sounds, each song is actually a series of various parts, some of which repeat at different points in the song.
The Five Main Parts of a Song
The five main parts of a song are the verse, chorus, prechorus, bridge, and solo. Though all songs don’t necessarily contain all five of these parts, every song must contain at least one verse. Most generally contain, at the very least, a series of verses and choruses.
Verse
Verses are the primary building blocks of songs. Each verse should contain:
- The same melody and harmony
- A different set of lyrics
Songwriters use verses to tell a song’s story or convey its main message. For example, take the following verse from “America the Beautiful”:
- O beautiful, for spacious skies,
- For amber waves of grain,
- For purple mountain majesties
- Above the fruited plain!
Chorus
The chorus is the “sing-along” part of a song that tends to stick in the listener’s mind. A catchy song has a chorus that’s easy to sing or hum, hard to forget, and repeated throughout the song. Each chorus should contain:
- The same melody and harmony
- The same set of lyrics
The chorus’s lyrics serve as the anchor, or main focus, of a song. They usually have the most memorable and emotional impact on the listener. For example, take the following chorus from “America the Beautiful”:
- America! America! God shed his grace on thee,
- And crown thy good with brotherhood,
- From sea to shining sea.
Prechorus
The prechorus, also known as the setup, climb, build, or B section, is the last few lines of the verse that immediately precede the chorus. Each prechorus should contain:
- The same melody and harmony
- Either the same or a different set of lyrics each time
Not all verses contain a prechorus. When a verse does contain a prechorus, it’s used to build tension that the chorus then releases, or relieves. This tension can arise from the music, lyrics, or a combination of both. A well-known prechorus is the one from Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean,” which begins:
- People always told me be careful of what you do . . .
Bridge
A bridge occurs just once in a song. Its music and lyrics are unique compared to those elsewhere in the song. Lyrically, bridges are used for several purposes, such as to:
- Sum up a song’s message
- Provide a different perspective on the song’s message
- Add a surprise lyrical twist to the song
The main purpose of the bridge is to provide a pause from, or contrast to, the other parts of the song. The following set of lyrics is an example of a bridge from the Elvis Presley song “Suspicious Minds,” which begins:
- Oh let our love survive . . .
Solo (Instrumental Break)
The solo section, also known as the instrumental break (or just the break), features music without any lyrics. Most instrumental breaks focus on one instrument, such as the guitar or piano. The solo is often played over the same chords that make up the verse.
Songwriters use instrumental breaks to provide pause between verses or to lead up to a final, climactic chorus. The piano solo at the end of Eric Clapton’s “Layla” is among the best-known instrumental breaks in pop music.
Hooks, Intros, and Outros
Hooks, intros, and outros are three other important, though less fundamental, parts of songs:
- Intro: A musical introduction that starts off the song, the intro often contains half a verse’s worth of music with no lyrics. Sometimes it’s composed of music that doesn’t repeat elsewhere in the song, as in Led Zeppelin’s instantly recognizable intro to “Stairway to Heaven.” The intro often contains a hook (see below).
- Outro: A conclusion or fade-out that occurs at the very end of the song, the outro most often consists of the song’s chorus played one or more times, with or without vocals, as the music fades out.
- Hook: The hook is a catchy musical or lyrical refrain that “hooks” the listener’s ear. A hook usually repeats at least once during the song. Unlike choruses, though, a hook has no set place: it can be the first or last line of the verse, the last line of the chorus, or just a few wordless bars of music that occur between verses or choruses in the song. Some songs have more than one hook. The intro guitar riff of Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze” is a popular hook.
