Verse–chorus form is amusical form going back to the 1840s, in such songs as "Oh! Susanna", "The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze", and many others.[1] It became passé in the early 1900s, with advent of theAABA (with verse) form in theTin Pan Alley days.[2][3] It became commonly used inblues androck and roll in the 1950s,[4] and predominant inrock music since the 1960s. In contrast to32-bar form, which is focused on the refrain (contrasted and prepared by theB section), in verse–chorus form the chorus is highlighted (prepared and contrasted with the verse).[5]
The chorus often sharply contrasts the versemelodically,rhythmically, andharmonically, and assumes a higher level ofdynamics and activity, often with added instrumentation. This is referred to as a "breakout chorus".[6] See:arrangement.
Songs that use different music for the verse and chorus are incontrasting verse–chorus form. Examples include:
Songs that use the same harmony (chords) for the verse and chorus, such as thetwelve bar blues, though the melody is different and the lyrics feature different verses and a repeated chorus, are insimple verse–chorus form. Examples include:
Songs which feature only a repeated verse are insimple verse form (verse–chorus form without the chorus). Examples include:
and with a contrasting bridge:
Both simple verse–chorus form and simple verse form arestrophic forms.
