“There is a skill in getting to the heart of the song and not letting it get too long before getting to that feeling”
—Robin Gibb
The primary role of the verse is to tell the song’s story like a chapter in a book, with different words and new information in each verse to drive the story forward. But songwriters who are just starting out often don’t realize that the verse has another extremely important, strategic function.
It is also the stepping stone to the chorus.
The verses should be used to engage listeners’ minds and take them step by step through your story—with the first verse introducing and establishing the overall concept of the song. At the same time, each verse should build melodically toward the chorus and the all-important hook in the title line.
If your verse doesn’t do this effectively, it isn’t doing its job.
As previously mentioned in this book, most of today’s hit songs are written in the verse-chorus form using one of five well-established structures:
1. Verse, Chorus, Verse, Chorus, Verse, Chorus.
2. Verse, Chorus, Verse, Chorus, Bridge, Chorus.
3. Chorus, Verse, Chorus, Verse, Chorus.
4. Verse, Verse, Chorus, Verse, Chorus, Chorus.
5. Verse, Pre-Chorus, Chorus, Verse, Pre-Chorus, Chorus.
As you can see, the verse is the gateway to the chorus in each case. You need to carefully plan what you want to say in each verse and then create a melodic and lyrical pathway that sustains and builds the listener’s interest without delaying the chorus.
That’s why many top writers’ creative focus is on short lyrical imagery in their verses rather than using long explanations to tell the story. Remember, you need to reach the ‘pay-off’ in the chorus within 45-60 seconds.
As Robin Gibb of The Bee Gees once observed: “If you have a verse which goes on too long without getting to the emotional high of the song then you might be defeating the object. You don’t want to hear a song on the radio that takes a long time before getting to the point.”
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