A song is a short poem or other set of words that are put to music and meant to be sung or rapped. It is a form of expression and has been used by many different species, from dolphins to humans. It is a powerful tool for storytelling and conveying emotion. It has even been used to heal!
Music is pervasive in our daily lives and serves many functions: it can relieve boredom, fill uncomfortable silences, facilitate communication, and even help regulate our emotions.1
When people ask what makes a song good or bad, they often point to the lyrics and melody of a tune, but there is much more to the song than that. A song is also the context in which it is created, experienced, and produced, as well as all the technological infrastructure that allows us to create, experience, and share these songs.
Many creators are wary of learning how songwriting works, as if understanding the structural components of a piece of music will make it less genuine or “real”. We’d like to challenge this notion today; knowing why a song sounds the way it does can be very valuable in the writing process, and a helpful tool for communicating with collaborators.
For example, most popular songs from the classic rock period forward are written in AB Song Form, which has one musical section — usually called the verse — that alternates with a second, often more melodic, musical section — the chorus. The chorus contains the song’s main message and title and is generally similar each time it appears.