The 6 Song Structures in Popular Music

1. Song Form 1 = verse – chorus – verse – chorus – bridge – chorus – end
   • This is the most common song structure.
   • The bridge should express the “what if?” or the opportunity of the song’s story
2. Song Form 2 = verse – chorus – verse – chorus – music – chorus – end
   • common in rock, dance and country but lacks a bridge or “middle 8″
3. Song Form 3 = verse – lift/pre-chorus – chorus – bridge – lift/pre-chorus or chorus
   • this is the song structure that has the most #1 hits
   • the pre-chorus should be 2-6 lines that precede the title line
   • the pre-chorus expresses the “and, if, but, maybe” of the song
   • bridge should be just about 2 lines but not much more
4. Song Form 4 = (a) beginning – (b) now – (c) what if? – (d) down the road
   • no chorus
   • 1st or last line or each section is the title line many times
   • sense of passage of time is usually essential with this song structure
5. Song Form 5 = chorus – verse – chorus – music – bridge – chorus – end
   • this song structure is called a rondo… or at least is similar to a rondo
   • great for dance record songs
   • lots of Western Swing songs are written in this song form
6. Song Form 6 = preamble – followed by song in various structures
   • the preamble sets up the premise for the song or introduces the song
   • think Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer

 Adapted from http://www.theguitarsuite.com/the-6-song-structures-in-popular-music/