Interesting Song Structures

[JukeboxJacob]

what are some songs that have an interesting or unique structure/layout?
These are songs that don't use the typical (Verse - Pre-Chorus - Chorus x2 - Bridge - Chorus) layout, instead doing something different/original.

Some examples: Bohemian Rhapsody, Mr. Roboto, Some Nights (Fun), Sicko Mode, Astronaut In The Ocean, etc.

[rainie]

family ties

[dremolus - solarpunk]

[irice22]

"Wannabe" opens with the pre-chorus. I always found that kinda strange.

"Sweet Escape" by Gwen Stefani repeats a part of the first verse as the bridge. In a way, the songs kind goes:

Verse
Bridge
Chorus
Verse
Verse
Chorus
Bridge
Chorus

"Not Ready To Make Nice" does not have a chorus between Verse #2 and its Bridge.

A real interesting one is "You're Still My Sugar" by Maddie Ross. She place the bridge in the middle as a tool to make the second chorus louder.

"Stay" by Lisa Loeb, if you ask me, doesn't have a true chorus. The song just kinda meanders and she repeats a few lines.

[Au$tin]

Happier Than Ever is just one long strand of changing structure. There isn't a repeated chorus, and the song itself has two distinct halves.

[back2blk]

I always enjoyed Jewel's "Don't" cause she approaches it more as a poem.

There is a chorus/verse structure, yes, but the chorus is only one line, and you don't even know you're in it when you get there.   Plus each of the versus have their own kind of melody to them.

[B-Boy]

Missy Elliott’s R&B/Hip Hop singles were always interesting. The rap section, typically performed by the guest rapper, was rarely followed by the hook. Instead spoken adlibs or the instrumental. “Sock It 2 Me” is one example. “One Minute Man” doesn’t follow this pattern but it is strange. Ludacris or Jay-Z is followed by the pre-hook/bridge and the main hook is chopped and repeated for the rest of the song. Trina’s verse replaces the latter section on the second remix.

[back2blk]

Perfect example:  Steve Wonder, I Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer 

[back2blk]

Ran into this good example over the weekend

[Private Dancer]

[trustypepper]

I Should Probably Go To Bed by Dan + Shay

[The Brazilian Guy 🇧🇷]

[.indulgecountry]

The song has a little intro part before the full production kicks in and the tempo changes, followed by a first verse, then a second verse. Then it just goes into a bridge, followed by a third verse that kinda goes into like a second bridge, before ending on a big glory note. No chorus, just a repeated hook at the end of each verse and bridge to tie it together.

[JukeboxJacob]

Escapism

[M5AGTS]

I love songs that repeat the bridge after the third chorus. Taylor seems to do this a lot. Cruel Summer, Don't Blame Me, and probably some others that I'm forgetting about.

[Relaxing Cup]

Get Outta My Way by Kylie Minogue

[🅳🅸🆂🅲🅾]

Beyonce - Haunted
Beyonce - Sorry
Billie Eilish - Bad Guy
Blondie - Atomic
Blondie - No Exit
Blondie - Rapture
Donna Summer - MacArthur Park Suite
Madonna - Mer Girl

[Steel Sponge]

This is the first thing that comes to my mind:

[NeRD]

Love Without Tragedy/Mother Mary

[thirddegree50123]

Paul McCartney has several. "Band On The Run," "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey," "Despite Repeated Warnings." Although "Band On The Run" finishes with a familiar verse/chorus structure, the song as a whole has different movements, as do the others.

[Glass Joe]

Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" has a different and interesting song structure.

Intro
Verse ("Just a small town girl" up to "on and on")
Pre-Chorus ("Strangers waitin'" up to "in the night")
Verse ("Workin' hard" up to "on and on")
Pre-Chorus ("Strangers waitin'" up to "in the night")
Guitar Solo
Chorus x 3 ("Don't stop believin'")

[jdanton2]

Dec 14, 2022 19:58:34 GMT -5 🅳🅸🆂🅲🅾 said:

Beyonce - Haunted
Beyonce - Sorry
Billie Eilish - Bad Guy
Blondie - Atomic
Blondie - No Exit
Blondie - Rapture
Donna Summer - MacArthur Park Suite
Madonna - Mer Girl

the original MacArthur Park by Richard Harris also had an interesting song structure .

[woods]

I heard this on the radio yesterday and thought of this thread


"Where Have You Been" - Rihanna

Chorus (I've been everywhere, man, looking for someone)
Post-Chorus (Where have you been? 'Cause I never see you out)
Refrain (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
Pre-Drop (Where have you been all my li-i-i-i-i-ife?)
Drop

Chorus
Post-Chorus
Refrain
Pre-Drop
Drop

Bridge (You can have me all you want)
Refrain
Chorus


The above is what Genius classifies each part as, but there isn't really a correct answer as to how to do that for this song. It's very complex either way though.

[Deleted]

Dec 18, 2022 14:23:21 GMT -5 Steel Sponge said:

This is the first thing that comes to my mind:

[Rose "Payola" Nylund]

"Death By A Thousand Cuts"

It starts off with a chorus that sounds like a verse, until you get to the actual verse, which you only realize is a verse because it doesn't exactly have a hook and then you go back to the chorus again.
Then instead of another verse, you get a bridge that guides you gently back to the chorus, only it's not obvious right away. The song lifts itself up again as a post-chorus takes you to the finish when it ends on a couple lines from the verse.

It's wild!

[🇯🇲 dollybaby 🇯🇲]

[Taiga]

We Are the People starts off with a verse, then continues into what sounds like it could be a chorus (but it's the pre-chorus), then comes a verse and... the actual chorus (with no pre-chorus!) It's quite quirky, but I think it suits the song well.

[dbhmr]

Kelly Clarkson's "Maybe" and "Irvine" come to mind--they're more poems set to music, and while there are some repeated structures (ending lines with "maybe," starting stanzas with a question in "Irvine"), they stray far from the typical pop song structure.

Lana del Rey's "Venice Bitch" is an obvious one, as well, as the structure morphs several times over its nearly 10-minute run.