Goals For Your CHORUS | What Your Song's Chorus Should Accomplish

Eloquently Deliver Your Song’s Main Theme or Idea

There’s no doubt that the chorus is the most important part of a song.

Usually the verses and bridge cover the story. 

The verses often get into specific details. Specificity can give a sense of reality, but often at the cost of relatability.

The chorus is meant to be the part that talks more about universal human ideas and experiences that we can all relate to. 

Maybe your verses get into the specific details of your breakup with the brunette, blue-eyed girl that broke up with you at the Barnes & Noble Starbucks coffee shop.

The chorus is when you talk about more universal feelings of the agony of watching someone deciding to no longer be with you.

But the chorus isn’t usually long, so we should focus on lyrical precision and efficiency.

Deliver an Emotional Highpoint 

In the vast majority of music, the Chorus is the emotional and energy high point of a song. 

How does a chorus achieve this?

There are 2 simple ways that will go a long way towards being the emotional high point:

• Epic Vocal Melody: More leaps, higher notes
• Bigger Arrangement: More instruments or at least instruments playing “bigger parts” (like guitar playing power chords instead of a hook or simple lead part)

Create a section that the listener will look forward to hearing again in 30 seconds or so and won’t wear out its welcome over 3-4 repetitions

Some TV shows have characters that are meant to be small parts or even one-offs. 

But then they’re so beloved that they can’t help but keep bringing them back. Because it would be criminal to have someone so great be wildly underutilized.

You want your chorus to be like that. The character that, once they leave the screen, you’re basically counting the moments until you can see them again. 

Overall, your chorus needs to be something awesome enough for people to not get sick of hearing it 3-5 times in 4 minutes.