Writing lyrics that don’t support the form of a song in the verse-chorus format is one of the most common songwriting errors. New writers often don’t realize that the verse and the chorus have different responsibilities and that the lyrics in each section need to reflect this.
If you listen closely to the lyrics of today’s most successful songs, you will find that the verses mostly use descriptive words (telling a story, describing people and situations, or showing the singer’s state of mind), while the chorus lyrics mainly express emotions. They provide an emotional response to what has just been described in the verse.
Look on the verse-chorus song structure as a road map, with the verse as a scenic highway and the chorus as the ‘big city-bright lights’ destination.
Your main focus in the verse, therefore, should be to use descriptive words in a linear and conversational way to set the scene and then move the song’s story line for- ward. Balance your lyrics by saving strong emotions for the chorus.
As you drive toward the chorus, you can introduce fresh information and images in each line to attract and hold the listener’s interest. First verses usually provide the broad strokes necessary to set the stage for the rest of the song, while the subsequent verses can be more specific.
The chorus, meanwhile, is the section where the whole point of your song should become clear and memorable. You should be able to use simpler and more emotional words because the verse has already built a firm foundation and filled in all the details—allowing the chorus to focus on hammering home the title and the all- important hook.
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