Songs can be an expression of a person’s soul, whether it’s the ecstatic, raucous celebration of a rock star on stage or the refined stringency of a classical symphony that’s designed to calm and soothe. They can be written and sung by humans or animals. They can be a simple folk song for a single vocalist, a part-song for a group of singers, or a aria or air for a solo singer. Regardless of its form, it’s clear that the song is a deeply powerful and universal human art.
A song is a complex composition that combines music and lyrics to tell a story. Lyrical content can be poetic, displaying metaphors and repetition, and is often delivered in verse form. Because of these characteristics, songs are sometimes compared to literature8. In fact, Bob Dylan won a Nobel Prize in Literature for his work.
As researchers have worked to understand the complexities and functions of songs, they’ve discovered that many genres of music demonstrate a systematic Arc of Narrative9. For example, lyrics frequently give context at the start of a song by explaining people, places, and relationships, then progress the plot by developing tension or problems, peaking in the middle.
Then the chorus, the big payoff and climax, comes along. The chorus is often short and simple, with a repeated sentiment, such as the Beatles’ “Let It Be.” It’s followed by the pre-chorus, which is usually a bit longer and more involved than the verse but still doesn’t diverge much from the chorus musically. And finally, the outro, or coda, is a brief section that takes us out of the emotional landscape with something new and different.