Posts Tagged song structure
[repost] The Pre-Chorus
Oh shit. You know what? I’m gonna repost something from my old blog. You could’ve guessed that one from the title.
But you know what else?
When I offhandendly responded to people’s offhand comparisons of PSY’s Gangnam Style to LMFAO’s Party Rock Anthem, I said PSY was a better singer and that LMFAO’s chorus was, in comparison, “weak”. I think I went too far.
In my mind, it was this:
vs. this:
No contest, right? But that ain’t the chorus. This is:
Ehhh…that’s like maybe a tie. Maybe not even. If we’re strictly comparing choruses, LMFAO’s contains more of a melody, even if they aren’t belting it out.
But it reminded me….do you have any idea what I’m talking about? I’ll get to that. Because I got to it before, of course:
I mentioned a couple times my love for the pre-chorus in J-pop. Maybe nobody else thinks about it or is sure what I mean. Maybe there’s nothing that special about J-pop’s use of the pre-chorus, I just haven’t noticed it as much in other music. But I have a theory Japan is onto something with the pre-chorus. Creating and following an opposite trend than that of Western pop, where the chorus has become the only significant melody, J-pop sometimes de-emphasizes the chorus. Along with preserving melodic verses, the pre-chorus is strengthened, possibly becoming the most memorable part of the composition.
Or maybe it’s series of interesting flukes, whatever. Let’s pick apart some songs.
。。。。。
This is probably the first song I really noticed for the pre-chorus:
GAM | LU LU LU
[single]
INTRO: 0:00~0:17
VERSE: 0:18~0:47
PRE-CHORUS: 0:48~1:05
CHORUS: 1:06~1:41
BREAK: 1:41~1:54
VERSE: 1:54~2:24
PRE-CHORUS: 2:24~2:42
CHORUS: 2:43~3:23
BREAK/SOLO: 3:23~3:36
CHORUS: 3:37~4:17
OUTRO: 4:18~4:41
BoA makes things more interesting with a pre-chorus longer than the verse:
BoA | Bad Drive
[b-side to Sweet Impact]
INTRO: 0:00~0:10
CHORUS: 0:10~0:25
VERSE: 0:26~0:40
PRE-CHORUS: 0:40~0:57
CHORUS: 0:58~1:14
BREAK: 1:14~1:17
VERSE: 1:18~1:32
PRE-CHORUS: 1:32~1:49
CHORUS: 1:50~2:05
BREAK/SOLO: 2:05~2:19
PRE-CHORUS: 2:20~2:39
CHORUSx2: 2:40~3:11
OUTRO: 3:11~3:31
H&MC complicates things with multiple bridges here, but the difference is clear:*
[EDIT: There are 2 bridges and 2 choruses.]
HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR | EARTH
[from ROCK PIT]
INTRO: 0:00~0:17
CHORUS1: 0:18~0:38
VERSE: 0:38~1:15
PRE-CHORUS: 1:16~1:37
CHORUS2pt1: 1:37~1:57
CHORUS1: 1:56~2:06
VERSE: 2:07~2:24
PRE-CHORUS: 2:24~2:45
CHORUSpt1: 2:45~3:06
CHORUSpt2: 3:07~3:14
BRIDGE: 3:14~3:25
BRIDGE2/SOLO: 3:25~3:44
CHORUSpt1: 3:45~4:04
CHORUSpt2: 4:05~4:22
CHORUS1/OUTRO: 4:22~4:48
*not really this one was tricky.
。。。。。
Finally, Momusu gets down with some GODZILLA PRE-CHORUS, ohmygoddamn:
[This is how I used to write apparently. There are also 2 bridges in this song that are only slightly different, but the first bridge is almost like a pre-pre-chorus (but it only happens like that the first time—the bridge is also two distinct parts, but the parts are never separated so there’s no need to label it that way.) It’s undeniable the pre-chorus is the most important part of the song.]
Morning Musume | Resonant Blue
[from Platinum 9]
INTRO: 0:00~0:08
CHORUS: 0:08~0:16
BREAK: 0:17~0:19
VERSE: 0:20~0:36
CHORUS: 0:36~0:45
BREAK: 0:44~0:46
VERSE: 0:46~1:01
BRIDGE1: 1:01~1:28
PRE-CHORUS: 1:28~2:04
CHORUS: 2:04~2:13
BREAK: 2:13~2:16
VERSE: 2:16~2:32
CHORUS: 2:32~2:40
BREAK: 2:41~2:42
VERSE: 2:42~2:58
BRIDGE2: 2:58~3:22
BREAK/SOLO: 3:22~3:46
PRE-CHORUS: 3:46~4:22
CHORUSx2: 4:23~4:38
OUTRO: 4:39~4:52
。。。。。
Here’s a newer song I found with another kind of structure. There’s a pre-chorus but it’s not the catchiest or most important part of the song, it’s just a drama builder. The chorus is most important, but there’s a fake-out, what I’m going to call a “false chorus”.
Morning Musume | Aisare Sugiru Koto wa Nai no Yo
[b-side to Onna to Otoko no Lullaby Game]
INTRO: 0:00~0:03
FALSE CHORUS: 0:03~0:16
BREAK: 0:17~-0:30
VERSE: 0:31~0:54
FALSE CHORUS: 0:55~1:08
PRE-CHORUS: 1:08~1:23
CHORUS: 1:24~1:51
BREAK: 1:51~1:53
FALSE CHORUS: 1:54~2:07
BREAK: 2:07~2:21
VERSE: 2:22~2:45
FALSE CHORUS: 2:45~2:58
PRE-CHORUS: 2:59~3:14
CHORUS: 3:14~3:42
BREAK/SOLO: 3:42~3:58
CHORUS: 3:59~4:27
OUTRO: 4:28~4:49
Man, that is so great when that comes around again after the first chorus. “Remember when you thought this was the chorus? Innocent times, two minutes ago, wasn’t it?” That would be great if that was the lyrics, in theory. This could be the last great MM b-side, but let’s not get into that. I thought about breaking down the LMFAO song but listening to it just now by itself, it just sounds like the soundtrack to the video. Its hard to imagine the video not being made first. The song seems to have a complex structure, but it more like they threw as many parts of songs together as possible however they would fit. Which is entertaining overall, and if you’re a DJ in a dance club, it gives you a lot of options to cut to, but it’s not a great pop song, structure-wise.
Maybe I should do a post of other Western pop songs with complex structures that aren’t immediately apparent. Usually the most innovative structures I hear are in Hip-hop and Metal. And indie post-rock whatever, but that’s being self-consciously weird most of the time. I don’t wanna look like some kind of nerd. %
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