Also "Where Have All The Flowers Gone" and "Scarborough Fair". I'm not sure about "Paint It Black" though...what category is that song? It's pretty repetitive...
@Absolute Zero as a rock producer, I fully agree!! But some mastering engineers truly go overboard. I don’t think Jesus of Suburbia suffers from this tho
@@KursedEarth79 same. im not even lying that song is why i thought this video was in my recomended lmao. the build up to the guitar solo outro is all the energy it needs to stay interesting
I saw it live, we initially had rafters seats, but we snuck down to the mosh pit and this song started playing the second we got down there, it was truly amazing
@@LRM12o8 From about 2000 much rock music released heavily used level compression so the dynamic range was maxed out throughout despite quieter sections being in the raw recording. Thankfully I think that production trend has abated somewhat since then
House Of The Rising Sun. A really brilliant song but it just goes round and round. A song that only has one part, repeated over and over. In The Animals version Eric Burdon lifts the vocals now and then but it doesn't have a chorus
Watch out for the 2nd inversion F7. I've only ever heard it in the Animals' cover, and never in pub bands'. Alan Price was master of his Vox continental Mk 2.
I am not a professional but really do love and aim to understand music. I watched this and was completely blown away. You are brilliant at picking songs apart and teaching how they are constructed and developed. AMAZING thank you.
Time by Pink Floyd is a solid one, and I think it really contributes to feeling and message, the sense that you can never go back and time keeps moving on without you.
@@castrucciocastracani0 I'm not sure I agree. Californication and By the Way are veeery bad in that regard (which is frustrating because the music itself is amazing), you can really hear the clipping all over the place. Stadium Arcadium sounds *much* better and BSSM is an absolute masterpiece production-wise. The rest of their catalogue I don't really listen to tbh, but I can't imagine that the first couple of records were that heavily compressed, since they still came out in the 80s.
@@Howitchewstofeel5gum It wasn't until they started working with Rick Rubin on Blood Sugar Sex Magik. I don't know what changed with Stadium Arcadium but it definitely has the beset production
If I remember correctly, Innuendo has a relatively normal AABA structure, A being a verse and a chorus; and B being the bridge, except it is very long and has a Spanish guitar solo
Queen has a lot of example but Prophet's song starts with the actual chorus and repeat it several times. All instances has little variations but it sounds like a chorus.
A little over a year ago I went to a public toilet and while washing my hands I saw some text on the mirror: wash your hands as long as the chorus of bohemian rhapsody. Seven minutes later I left completely confused.
Technically considered Chorus Chorus Bridge Chorus, because the Verse is actually “when all the world...” that you usually don’t hear performed outside the musical
I believe (and I could be wrong) that the line “Somewhere over the rainbow” is actually considered a “refrain” which is a word or phrase that is repeated but not in a way of a chorus since the following lines are changed. “Somewhere over the rainbow Way up high” “Somewhere over the rainbow Bluebirds fly” It’s debatable though
@@sean_mccadden Yeah, refrains are typically short phrases and such like in blues songs, so your calling the phrase a refrain I'm tempted to agree. But the whole 8-bar sections would be the choruses
@@the_most_ever_company Listen to The Decline by NOFX. 18 freakin minutes long. no chorus, episodic narrative style. Not quite prog rock... (but as progressive as punk gets i guess).
Arctic Monkeys - The Ultracheese Thundercat - Them Changes Radiohead - Weird Fishes Paul Mcartney - Backseat Of My Car David Bowie - Lazarus Some more examples for you people looking for chorus-less songs
I always thought of stairway having two semi-choruses, being: "and she's buying a stairway to heaven" and "and it makes me wonder" because these two phrases are repeatet that often.
@@nr1229 I think that would be classified as more of a bridge. I’m not very knowledgeable of music but that’s what I believe it would be called, because it is written to lead into a chorus, which is what a bridge does, but instead continues the song instead of hitting a chorus
My favorite Elton John song is probably Tiny Dancer. Yeah, it has a chorus, but I like the long buildup before it gets to the chorus. I think it's a fantastic trick that gets the listener on a relatively longer state of tension for a more satisfying release.
Not exactly the same extent, but Got to Get You Into My Life by the Beatles always makes me think they’re gonna scream “GOT TO GET YOU INTO MY LIFE” after that first verse, and that makes that line hit so much harder
Handlebars by the Flobots is a good one. The song builds on the main idea from the beginning without replacing the first verse until the very end of the song.
When I was a teenager one thing that really attracted me to the Smashing Pumpkins music was the fact they'd often completely change the lyrics in each chorus
I've made quite a few songs without a chorus (or any repeating section) and most of them dont have one because they are meant to be played on a rhythm game, and having a chorus or a repeating section doesnt make a lot of sense in that context.
@@abbeybelanger8118 i love this song, but it's hard to seperate it from the entire medley, "mean mr mustard" and polethene pam" are also two quircky gems
I’m curious about REM’s Losing My Religion. Certain parts kind of sound like they could be a chorus, “That’s me in the corner” or “Oh no, I said too much,” but they never resolve into a defined ending. If a chorus creates a sense of release, you never get that with this song. There’s a feeling of tension throughout the song, almost like you wish he would finally break into a chorus but he never does.
Weve played that in our school band recently and i know what you mean. Though both lyrically and musically there is a chorus, i doesnt feel much like one
I love REM and I've noticed quite a few songs of theirs that don't have a clear-cut chorus. Some of my favourites are Find The River, We Walk and Tongue.
@Dustin Void I think it's because the non-verse parts are so short and there's no dynamic/chord shift between them and the verse, so it feels like one continuous verse looping back on itself that just happens to end with the same lines.
Losing My Religion does something really cool to obscure its structure. The verse is broken into two sections. The second verse puts the two seconds in reverse order. Then there's a mini-post-chorus, half a verse, the chorus, and the mini-post-chours.
Stairway to Heaven by Zeppelin is certainly one of the most famous examples of a huge rock song that has no chorus. I was actually expecting you to use that song as your leading example....but Bohemian Rhapsody is a bloody good choice too....
I'm pretty sure led zepplin are notorious for blocking videos, probably why they weren't featured. I would agree it is arguably the most famous song ever without a chorus
A remarkable example not yet mentioned is Nena's most famous song, 99 Red Balloons. This is not only without a chorus but with long instrumental parts between them. Instrumental parts that long are common in German rock and German electronica.
Dear David, I have realized through some other music RUclipsrs, that the role of the chorus in contemporaneous pop or trap changed completely (e. G. Billie Eillish). The old funcion of the chorus, that used to be more melodically or more energetic, is in current music more often a drop in intensity, melodic movement or even tempo. It'd be great if you can do a video about it! 😊Keep the great content
I would consider "Cars" by Gary Numan to be yet another song with an instrumental chorus. When the key changes from A to D, that serves as the "chorus".
@@XxNoMErcY99xX Yes. This distinction of having lyrics or not is silly. What if a completely instrumental chorus just has a "yeah!" at the end? Is that NOW a different type of section of song? No. Choruses do NOT need lyrics.
A Day In The Life is a good example for an AABA and Instrumental Chorus Song; First two sections is John singing about the Car and the War, then there is the build up and Paul's part, again the instrumental, then it returns to John's Part with the Holes, build up again, the final release is the 30 Sec.- 1 minute long Piano chord.
I knew there was a reason I subscribed to you. You are the best music analyist and teacher. You include music of all genres, including electro... wow! Finally! I'm starting to produce music. I'm watching you constantly to get pointers. Thank you, thank you! RUclips is the best!
Great song and great example! I often think that song is over way too quick! The "When the men on the chessboard ..." section could have easily been a chorus if the song had a longer structure! 😀
Muse - Starlight Intro - Verse - B section/Elaborated intro ("hold you in my arms...") - Half verse - "Pre-chorus"/C section ("I'll never let you go...") - D section ("Our hopes and expectations", serves as a kind of anti-chorus) - B section - Half verse - C section - D section but more climactic - Slightly altered B section/Outro
@@heelbradley7407 Yeah I guess you could say that, but to be honest he only uses the phrase "Sultans of Swing" once if I recall correctly. The other times he says "they play creole" and "London town". But in any case, I would say it is more or less instrumental since it just a phrase of 2 syllables between the pre chorus and chorus
Every Breath You Take is a great chorusless one. It's got that three-level AABA structure, where each A section is a mini AABA structure, and then each main AABA part is nested inside an larger AABA format. It's a really fun song to pick apart.
Wow I had to look up if Every Breath You Take really didn’t have any choruses. Mind blowing actually, it seems like the song has a repetitive chorus in my head haha
Tbh, though I understand the mechanics that make up the AABA format, as long as it repeats itself, I often just consider the B section the chorus. Like "Oh can't you see / You belong to me..." or in Yesterday "Why she had to go? / I don't know, she wouldn't say". They repeat itself, but aren't considered choruses because they don't have the catchy lyric people remember, like the "I'll be watching you" repeating itself at the end. The only other distinction I can find between a repeating B section and a chorus is that while verses feel like they're leading up to a chorus, B sections often feel more like bridges, working as a counteract to the verse, rather than its payoff. Also, AABA songs often have the hook be in the first line of the verse. Every Breath You Take, Yesterday, Somewhere Over the Rainbow and Blue Skies all have the title of the song be the first line of each of their A sections. Lastly, though it does contain a chorus, the structure of Oh-bla-Di Oh-bla-da reminds me of the AABA songs listed. We got an obvious verse and chorus, but the "In a couple of years they have built a home, sweet home" feels like a repeating bridge (or, consequently, like the B sections in the AABA songs).
Other examples of episodic/story songs are ELO's Mr Blue Sky (although there are a few lines that return), Queen's Somebody to Love and New Order's Blue Monday. Queen's Hammer to Fall and Crazy Little Thing Called Love are strophic, just with a solo in the middle.
@@10thdoctor15 I mean there's plenty of songs with a chorus that's just one line that repeats, often being the title. We Will Rock You by Queen is the first one that comes to my mind.
@@jorgito93700 That chorus is the line twice, which is sung three times; I'm talking about a line that just appears more than once in the song, not a whole chorus.
I know nothing about music but this is brilliant! Bohemian Rhapsody and Jesus of Suburbia are two songs that once they start playing I have to listen to them all, I can't pause them, it just doesn't feel right. This explains a lot! Mindblown. Thank you! Greetings from Argentina
The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald by Gordon Lightfoot is another really good example of a song with no chorus. The lyrics and the story is what makes it such a great song.
Good example! Also, it is in danger of falling victim to the same issue as Squeeze's "Up The Junction" (another story song that David points out in the video) - that being the repetition of the same bars over and over again becoming boring. I grew to appreciate TWOTEF over the years, but as a kid I'd turn the dial whenever it came on the radio, bc I got sick of that same cadence in every lyric.
Roundabout by Yes is a strange one because the "I'll be the roundabout" does sort of count as the chorus which is mostly the only line repeated however the song always keeps you interested by changing up how the instruments sound and by the middle point, changed the instrumental altogether
I don't think it's really fair to include prog rock bands on this list, because the purpose of this genre is basically exploring all of the unusual music structures and technics. Progressive music would deserve an entire video for itself.
I was searching through my ABBA songs for songs written in AABA form, so that I could point out the irony here, and instead I seemed to have found quite a few ABBA songs in AAAA form. P.S. Thanks for the information.
I’ve seen many examples in the comment section that I thought of, but one band that I’d like to highlight would be The Doors. On their first album, “The Crystal Ship” and “The End” are without choruses and differ immensely in structure and length of the song. “The Crystal Ship” is less than three minutes long while “The End” is close to 12 minutes and can easily keep your attention throughout
Somewhere Over the Rainbow IS a chorus. The verse starts with "When all world is a hopeless jumble..." the part we all know is called the chorus in the 32 bar form.
It's got three or four hard driving verses and the more contemplative sections "When I get home to you..." that provide relief from the rest of the song. You might call them anti-choruses.
I’m surprised that Bjork was not mentioned in this episode. She has numerous songs with atypical structures, both with and without choruses. You’ve Been Flirting Again, Bachelorette, All Neon Like, Pluto, All Is Full of Love, 107 Steps, An Echo A Stain, Show Me Forgiveness, Oll Birtan, Submarine, Sonnets / Unrealities XI, Ancestors, Midvikudags, Vertebrae by Vertebrae, Pneumonia, My Juvenile, Moon, Dark Matter, Hollow, Sacrifice, Mutual Core, Solstice, History of Touches, Black Lake, etc the list goes on and on. She deserves a mention in a topic such as this.
My favorite example would be "Human Sadness" by the voidz... each section feels like a stage of emotional progression through some catastrophic event! whether that's an apocalypse in the literal sense, or just a personal "end of the world"/descent into madness, it's almost like the stages of grief. No chorus to speak of
it definitely has a chorus. The chorus lyrics are, "Beyond all ideas of right and wrong, there is a field I will be meeting you there," repeated twice. The chorus comes three time after the first, third, and sixth verse. The first two even have a very similar backing melody, only the first is cut off near its end. The final chorus is much bigger than the first two, but definitely still a chorus.
Everything in its right place/ Radiohead has no real chorus or even pre- chorus. Instrumental choruses: Do you think I’m sexy/ Rod Stewart. Rapture/ Blondie. Jump/ Van Halen. Really like your channel, btw!
"A Day In The Life" certainly has an erratic structure and, although it has got some repeating sections, I don't think we ever get anything close to a typical chorus! 😁
@@noahford9605 Did you watch the video or are you just stupid? The youtuber himself said choruses can lack lyrics. Jesus christ. Stop spreading bullshit.
A boy named sue is a good example, being a song telling a story. It also has the factor of the constant repetition of the verse "life ain't easy for a boy named sue" during the first half. But the song isn't Johnny's, it's actualy a cover. Don't remember who did the original, though.
Not since I minored in music - 20yrs ago, has Music Theory has been so detailed, yet captivating, and dare I say entertaining. This has to be on of the best YT Channels/Contact Providers. Thanks DBP!
Knights of Cydonia by Muse is one of the greatest chorusless songs! It goes like this: Intro Instrumental verse (melody played on guitar) Instrumental verse 2 (key has now changed discreetly by +4 semitones) Verse with lyrics (key now changed by +8) Intro section again (key has changed by +12 thus going back to 0) B acapella section (builds up...) B climax section with both vocals and instruments
Metallica was criticized for going "mainstream" on the Ride The Lightning album because of the song Fade To Black. Ironically it was the only song with no lyrical chorus (besides The Call Of Ktulu, which is an instrumental) you know, when having a chorus automatically made you sell out
When You Sleep by My Bloody Valentine has always been my favorite example of an "instrumental chorus." The ascending guitars, melodic synth and wonderful release are instantly recognizable and equally as beautiful.
I'm pretty sure The End. by MCR doesn't actually have a chorus, but still a lot of buildup that never gets any release until the song that plays right after it on the album. They blend into each other perfectly, I think that's pretty neat!
@@buttercup0747 Oh yeah, I think you’re right, though he does repeat the “I’m coming back from the dead…” lines, it doesn’t seem like an actual chorus- also whatever the fuck Demolition Lovers’s song structure is lmao
I thought you would mention Stairway to Heaven. You can maybe call the last part a chorus but it never repeats itself, it’s just a continuous way up in energy. Just like climbing a stairway
@@DavidBennettPiano Thanks, David! "Makes me wonder" is not as catchy as choruses normally are, but it's definitely "part B", and repeated more than once, so yes it qualifies as chorus. Thank for another great video!
@@GGNotes Yeah, it's not an obvious chorus at all! I actually made an entire graphic for Stairway because I was going to include it in the video until I realised that it did technically have a chorus!
I think this channel is teaching me how to experiment with song structures (songs with only verses, songs with only 2 chords etc.) but at the same time I don't want to become lazy with just writing lazy songs with 1 chord. These videos explain how to add spice to them so they do not become boring
A song with only 1 chord can't be lazy. Because it takes much more effort to make it sound good. You can't just climb and fall to build and release tension.
Limitations breed creativity. I got good at picking cos I was such a clumsy strummer. Learn what you can then go back to jazz or whatever and apply it. Boom, your non musical friends will be well impressed.
@@HappyBeezerStudios "lazy people aren't lazy because it takes more effort to be a good person" Bruh, lazy people are just lazy. They're not trying to be anything, that's why they're lazy. That's the whole thing. Lmao.
Listen to Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) by sly and the family stone. It uses a single E7(#9) chord “the Hendrix chord” and single groove for 4:48 without ever getting boring.
@@ultrakool yeah, you aren't the first to point that out to me. In retrospect, it's definitely not actually AAAA, but it isn't what I'd call a chorus either, and I thought the comment was funny
One of my favourite songs ever is a combination of the AABA and an instrumental chorus: Year of the Cat by Al Stewart. One of the reasons I love that song so much.
When you gave Clarity as an example, I thought for sure you were wrong about it not having a chorus. So I listened, and of course you are correct. Clarity gives a lot of clarity as to what constitutes a chorus versus a refrain. It's a very structurally complicated song--which is why I think it so fascinated me when it came out. The three sections of the song, as you laid out (verse, build-up, drop) can be broken down further, and then it becomes clearer that the refrain is used both as the latter part of the build-up, and then again as the latter part of the drop. Plus, the drop has a build-up within it. Whew! Verse Build-up: pre-refrain, refrain Drop: instrumental, instrumental build-up, refrain Verse Build-up: pre-refrain, refrain Drop: instrumental, instrumental build-up, hybrid instrumental/refrain, refrain
I really love I Know the End by Phoebe Bridgers, epic chorus-less song. I also know that with 42 coldplay tried to write a song without a chorus and it's a pretty good song.
It’s pretty strophic too - the music is fairly similar across each verse, though sung a bit differently (much like some recordings of House of the Rising Sun)
There are two really famous brazilian songs from "Legião Urbana" that are both episodic and story telling songs. They are named "Eduardo e Mônica" e "Faroeste Caboclo", and both tell really long life stories. The most amazing part is that if you are somewhere in Brazilia, home town of the old band, and start playing any of these songs, lots of people will stop by and sing along, even though they are a 6 minute and 9 minutes song, respetcively.
-Car Seat Headrest are like legendary for long songwriting but also great episodic songwriting. Beach Life In Death is like the major one, but also High to Death, The Ballad of the Costa Concordia, and The End of Dramamine -I've only listened to The Microphones in 2020 a few times now, but I think it counts. As the entire album is one song, it's sort of in a realm of its own, but I think it fits as like a story telling song with like a musical A and B section. -Handcuffs by The Front Bottoms is a story telling song that also has an instrumental chorus. -Cloud Cult has several. A few I can think of are When the Water Comes to Life (which I think manages to hold attention through just building the atmosphere and tension), You'll Be Bright (which is sort of episodic), A Good God and Alien Christ are also sort of instrumental chorus in a way -A lot of 22, a Million by Bon Iver is an interesting approach to songwriting in a lot of ways, but a lot of songs on that album don't really have a chorus exactly.
John Miles "Music": Changes between vocal and instrumental sections. One could see it as only the chorus being vocal (being repeated three times in variations and different moods but with the same lyrics) with highly contrasting instrumental sections in between. So actually it does have a chorus ... nothing but a chorus if you just focus on the singing. Vocal (relatively slow and relaxed) Instrumental (rocky, gradually building up energy, then relaxing) Vocal (more subdued than the intro) Instrumental (broad and epic, building up again to a symphonic climax) Instrumental (faster and distinctly rhythmic) Vocal (grand finale)
Over The Hills And Far Away was the song that got me interested in irregular structures. Doesn't really fall into any of these categories, it's almost a through-composition, but not really because it kind of has short verses that repeat. Kind of an A-A-A-B-B-B-C-B-A reprisal... Kind of. It's always fascinated me and it freed me up early on to play around with song structures in ways that my peers weren't.
I would personally consider the "maaamaaa" section of Rhapsody to be a strong chorus, but i consider that song more like a medley with a reprise. Paranoid Androids "whats this" is a great chorus too but once again the song structure takes you on a journey where the chorus is gotten out of the way halfway through. Great song. Great vid.
mgmt has a lot of chorus-less songs: Siberian breaks, flash delirium, the handshake, in the afternoon, metanoia...like half of their songs have interesting structures with no chorus. also 'this must be the place' by talking heads, and 'cause' by Rodriguez are great ones
In Dreams by Roy Orbison is a brilliant and classic through-composed song. Seven none-repeated sections, building and building to the crescendo. Fantastic!
Roy Orbison was a brilliant song writer. and of course one of the greatest singers of all time. Fred Foster of Monument records described the song. as having a verse that built all the way to the end of the song with a huge climax. Foster said that was one of the first times that a song had written. with that unconventional style of song writing.
@Zbigniew G When he said, "perhaps the most famous example of a through-composed song is," I immediately started to say _Stairway to Heaven._ Was kind of left with a Spock raised eyebrow. I always heard Stairway more than Bohemian Rhapsody on the radio.
I hope someone has already pointed out that Yesterday does, in fact, have a chorus. It just only repeats it after verses 2 and 3. “Why she had to go I don't know, she wouldn't say I said something wrong Now I long for yesterday” Sung twice.
it's a Middle 8. It's exactly eight bars. Lennon and McCartney specifically referred to these parts as the Middle 8. The song structure is AABABA (outro). Lennon McCartney repeat the Middle 8 often. The Middle 8 has been largely abandoned recently in Pop music. They are more likely to do breakdowns, rapped out portions, distracting interludes.
@@louieo.blevinsmusic4197 Middle 8 is the British term for bridge; they mean the same thing. And it doesn't have to be exactly 8 bars. Anyway, whether the B section in 'Yesterday' is called a chorus or middle 8, I think the point is, it's not straight-up AABA structure, as suggested in the video.
It it wasn't for its length, I'm sure Billy Joel would be remembered for that song, and not Piano man. I wonder whether its complexity also made it less memorable than Piano man. It is a much better song, IMO.
"Change" by Alex G is a song that stood out to me recently because it is literally the same four chords and melody (more or less) throughout; yet changes in ornamentation and dynamic make it really hypnotic and beautiful, definitely not boring.
You can find some examples in Iron Maiden songs too. In example "The trooper" has an instrumental chorus made by the guitar riff that is also the hook of the song. Or in "Hallowed by thy name", again the hook is the guitar riff and I think it can be considered as through-composed because it can be split in 4 sections where the differences are in the tempo. Every time the song goes to the next section, it doubles the tempo that is what gives the song the dynamics, till the very last part where the tempo goes back to the one in the first part.
@@wombi04 Good song... anyway that is an example of a storytelling song.... but most Iron Maiden songs are storytelling songs even the ones that have choruses.
el paso by marty robins is my favorite example of this, i feel like by telling a story it holds your attention a lot more than a different song with a heavy chorus
"The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" by Gordon Lightfoot (possibly an instrumental chorus between verses but definitely a story telling song in the folk tradition).
The Cure really seemed to go out of their way to avoid choruses in their songs, yet they always managed to keep things varied and interesting. It makes their songs harder to grasp, but also that much more intriguing and replayable.
@@ChasMusic There is a melodic refrain between verse 2 and 3 that's breifly reprised at the end, but it hardly counts as a chorus. Also, he says "You, just like heaven" just once at the end of the song.
@@jackvalentino2125 True, but lovesong clearly had that intrumental one, and that's the only track I would consider a "pop song". Just Like Heaven is very pop and accessible despite being without a chorus, a testament to Smith that he wrote such an engaging pop song without the classic device. There's a lot of music in the more post punk or Gothic scene without hooks, but the style of Just Like Heaven compared to that makes it more impressive as a chorus-less song. (not that it's my favorite cure song or anything.)
I came here to say this one too. Although I heard it the other day, and I felt that builds up a lot of energy, but it doesn't go anywhere! To be clear I love Dylan and it is still a great track I just always feel I want it to move on to a chorus or something.
One of my guilty pleasures is "Do you believe in Magic" by The Lovin' Spoonful. Its a no chorus song without an obvious structure, but once you learn the verses, its so fun to sing along to.
Bob Dylan is a master of this. You mentioned “To Make You Feel My Love” and a few in the “folk song” list. Here are some more great ones: “Gates of Eden”, “Shelter from the Storm”, “Tangled up in Blue”, “Simple Twist of Fate”, “It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)”, “Highway 61 Revisited”, and “You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go”, to name a few. In fact, maybe you should do a Bob Dylan video…Great job, as usual. Thanks!
An AABA song that got me into Queen as a kid A: I want to break free A: I'm falling in love B: It's strange, but it's true A: But life still goes on. Another chorusless song might well be "House of the Rising Sun". Now the version by The Animals (the most famous version) has an instrumental bridge, but I don't know about other versions.
What is described at 4:32 could be called VVBV (verse verse bridge verse), and the form VVBVB also exist, for example is Yesterday, a song mentioned in this video. This helps distinguish it from the rhyming scheme AABA. The song 'Up the junction' seems to be basically VVVVVVBVVVVVV. I should also note that a lot of songs that only use one chord are, in fact, strophic form songs.
Gary Numan's Cars is a chorusless song that I'm surprised nobody's mentioning. It blows my mind how big that song became despite its lack of chorus; I guess the instrumental hook is just that memorable.
@@atomiccritter6492 Well, Part 2 has a chorus. Shine You Crazy Diamond and Echoes too. And some others. Not every Floyd`s song is without a chorus. That would be boring.
@@lesalabs i dont think echoes has a chorus tbh, and based on the vid shine on you crazy diamond is best defined as a strophic song, which according to him doesnt have a chorus
@@lesalabs set the controls for the heart of the sun has what i consider a chorus, arnold layne has a chorus (i think), see emily play, bike, matilda mother (but like set the controls its only a single line), corporal clegg, welcome to the machine, probably more but its still easier to label the ones with a chorus than without
![Noob To Max With DRAGON REWORK In Blox Fruits [FULL MOVIE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LnBMOinoOvA/mqdefault.jpg)
Bohemian Rhapsody is a smart song, because instead of having one part stuck in your head, you've got all of it stuck in your head at once
HEEL YEAH! BY THE END OF THE YEAR NOBODY WILL KNOW THE NAME "QUEEN"
@@andregalvao5739?
@@andregalvao5739 YOU WILL FOREVER BE KNOWN AS THE MAN WHO LOST QUEEN
@@Ronythethird I love it nontheless
@@Ronythethird because it’s not the most overrated song of all time
The Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel is a great example of a strophic piece. It just ends every verse with the title of the song.
I usually thought the last line of each verse was a Chorus.
@@42069TV No, that's called a Refrain
@@malimusimu5641 oh okay.
Also "Where Have All The Flowers Gone" and "Scarborough Fair". I'm not sure about "Paint It Black" though...what category is that song? It's pretty repetitive...
Megadeth's "In My Darkest Hour" doesn't have a chorus either, 5 verses, not even a single repeated vocal part ever
Tbh I burst out laughing when Jesus of suburbia sound waves were just a block
Several decades of compression technology and dynamic Standards later...
That's funny, I almost burst into tears, it's so sad to see the dynamic range just destroyed like that
@Absolute Zero as a rock producer, I fully agree!! But some mastering engineers truly go overboard. I don’t think Jesus of Suburbia suffers from this tho
@Absolute Zero I agree I think it goes well with the genre :)
Me too 😂
Perfect example: Nutshell by Alice In Chains.
Intro - Verse 1 - Verse 2 - Outro solo
Despite being so simple, it's so powerful at the same time
In a nutshell that's what nutshell is
Good example , I thought about nutshell when I first clicked this video
I would say that this "ooh" part could be classified as chorus
@@KursedEarth79 same. im not even lying that song is why i thought this video was in my recomended lmao. the build up to the guitar solo outro is all the energy it needs to stay interesting
Interstate Love Song - STP
This is what „rhapsody“ actually means: an episodic piece of music.
According to my music dictionary, rhapsody means: a free-style composition usually in one movement, often based on folk melodies
@@kaimcmanus9608 isnt that the same
Dematotic shuttupp
@@kaimcmanus9608 so technically, Bohemian Rhapsody isnt even a rhapsody at all.
@@kitsune630 Every Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody has at least 3 movements with the second one repeating once. Isn’t that cool
I love how Jesus of Suburbia is just a solid block of sound
🟨🟥🟩🟪🟦
That really surprised me. Neither the song nor the album sound flat or distorted imo, but it looks like a deafening wall of sound here!
I saw it live, we initially had rafters seats, but we snuck down to the mosh pit and this song started playing the second we got down there, it was truly amazing
@@LRM12o8 From about 2000 much rock music released heavily used level compression so the dynamic range was maxed out throughout despite quieter sections being in the raw recording. Thankfully I think that production trend has abated somewhat since then
@@nicktreleaven4119 think anything by Metallica post-2000
House Of The Rising Sun. A really brilliant song but it just goes round and round. A song that only has one part, repeated over and over. In The Animals version Eric Burdon lifts the vocals now and then but it doesn't have a chorus
I always thought that the first lines were the chorus and also when that part repeats later on
Yeah, lots of other folk songs are like that.
Watch out for the 2nd inversion F7. I've only ever heard it in the Animals' cover, and never in pub bands'. Alan Price was master of his Vox continental Mk 2.
Why so popular, why still rememberd after so many years…… it is soooooo ggggod…
This was in his list of folk songs.
I am not a professional but really do love and aim to understand music. I watched this and was completely blown away. You are brilliant at picking songs apart and teaching how they are constructed and developed. AMAZING thank you.
Time by Pink Floyd is a solid one, and I think it really contributes to feeling and message, the sense that you can never go back and time keeps moving on without you.
Most Pink Floyd songs
@@ikenshnikenable yeah they don't give a shit
I would say that one arguably does have a chorus, although the lyrics of the choruses are different.
Sheep
God would I love him to analyze the 37 different parts of Dogs! Or Shine On [full 25 minutes].
That Jesus of Suburbia waveform is the thing of nightmares. Compressed to hell and back again
the contrast with bohemian rhapsody's waveform is so harsh its funny
Still not as bad as Californication
@@Howitchewstofeel5gum every RHCP is compressed as f**k, I don't understand it
@@castrucciocastracani0 I'm not sure I agree. Californication and By the Way are veeery bad in that regard (which is frustrating because the music itself is amazing), you can really hear the clipping all over the place. Stadium Arcadium sounds *much* better and BSSM is an absolute masterpiece production-wise. The rest of their catalogue I don't really listen to tbh, but I can't imagine that the first couple of records were that heavily compressed, since they still came out in the 80s.
@@Howitchewstofeel5gum It wasn't until they started working with Rick Rubin on Blood Sugar Sex Magik. I don't know what changed with Stadium Arcadium but it definitely has the beset production
Queen has many songs with atypical structures, not just Bohemian Rhapsody. March of the Black Queen, Prophet's Song, Innuendo etc are great examples.
You could also add Somebody to Love and Love of my Life to that list of chorusless Queen songs, but there’s also probably more I haven’t hear yet.
If I remember correctly, Innuendo has a relatively normal AABA structure, A being a verse and a chorus; and B being the bridge, except it is very long and has a Spanish guitar solo
Queen has a lot of example but Prophet's song starts with the actual chorus and repeat it several times. All instances has little variations but it sounds like a chorus.
My Fairy King is another example (and one of their finest moments).
@@SnowghostFilmsYou can say the “somebody, ooh somebody, could anybody find me somebody to love” is the chorus
Always thought the structure of Baba O'Riley was unlike any other song I've heard. Weird but brilliant.
I agree; I think the tension is released with "teenage wastland" at the end, but I don't think that's a chorus either
A little over a year ago I went to a public toilet and while washing my hands I saw some text on the mirror: wash your hands as long as the chorus of bohemian rhapsody. Seven minutes later I left completely confused.
This feels like illegal information
The most confusing part is that it's a six-minute song...
@@nigeldepledge3790 A minute spent trying to figure it out.
Me personally I read the graffiti on the bathroom stall like the Holy Scripture of the shopping mall
You left confused and with REALLY clean hands
For some reason, Over The Rainbow has always felt like Chorus, Chorus, Verse, Chorus to me. And I've never even questioned that interpretation.
Me too. I almost think the A section in these songs would work as a traditional chorus.
Me too, and I like your first name
Technically considered Chorus Chorus Bridge Chorus, because the Verse is actually “when all the world...” that you usually don’t hear performed outside the musical
I believe (and I could be wrong) that the line “Somewhere over the rainbow” is actually considered a “refrain” which is a word or phrase that is repeated but not in a way of a chorus since the following lines are changed.
“Somewhere over the rainbow
Way up high”
“Somewhere over the rainbow
Bluebirds fly”
It’s debatable though
@@sean_mccadden Yeah, refrains are typically short phrases and such like in blues songs, so your calling the phrase a refrain I'm tempted to agree. But the whole 8-bar sections would be the choruses
I love how "episodic" generally means "songs that are at least 6 minutes long."
It has nothing to with the length of the song.
@@nobodyqwertyu It was a joke.
what "episodic" really means is "songs that will probably be accused of being progressive rock"
@@the_most_ever_company Listen to The Decline by NOFX. 18 freakin minutes long. no chorus, episodic narrative style. Not quite prog rock... (but as progressive as punk gets i guess).
@@TheChrisSimpson Listen to Bring The Sun by Swans
Arctic Monkeys - The Ultracheese
Thundercat - Them Changes
Radiohead - Weird Fishes
Paul Mcartney - Backseat Of My Car
David Bowie - Lazarus
Some more examples for you people looking for chorus-less songs
Hotel & Casino is amazing
You never give me your money
them changes kind of has a chorus
Parquet Courts - Black and White
Parquet Courts - Sunbathing Animal
Parquet Courts - Instant Disassembly
Parquet Courts - Raw Milk
Parquet Courts - Stoned and Starving
Dream Sweet In Sea Major
Led Zeppelin - Stairway To Heaven
Marty Robbins - Big Iron
Roger Waters - almost any song from his solo albums
I always thought of stairway having two semi-choruses, being: "and she's buying a stairway to heaven" and "and it makes me wonder" because these two phrases are repeatet that often.
Marty robbins also had el paso
@@nr1229 I think that would be classified as more of a bridge. I’m not very knowledgeable of music but that’s what I believe it would be called, because it is written to lead into a chorus, which is what a bridge does, but instead continues the song instead of hitting a chorus
"Tomorrow Never Knows" & "A Day in the Life."
"After the Gold Rush" & "White Moon."
My favorite Elton John song is probably Tiny Dancer. Yeah, it has a chorus, but I like the long buildup before it gets to the chorus. I think it's a fantastic trick that gets the listener on a relatively longer state of tension for a more satisfying release.
David happened to make a video on this
Five Years by David Bowie also takes a while to build up to the chorus.
Not exactly the same extent, but Got to Get You Into My Life by the Beatles always makes me think they’re gonna scream “GOT TO GET YOU INTO MY LIFE” after that first verse, and that makes that line hit so much harder
Replace everytime he says 'tiny dancer' with 'Tony Danza'
@@moneywiz9470 ok Pheobe
Handlebars by the Flobots is a good one. The song builds on the main idea from the beginning without replacing the first verse until the very end of the song.
When I was a teenager one thing that really attracted me to the Smashing Pumpkins music was the fact they'd often completely change the lyrics in each chorus
What do you mean like they keep the same rhyme skeme and just change the words or completely change the chorus
@@ROOSEVELTPARK-r9ti guess the person said they change just the words but i may be wrong
@@lele-qr4cy Yes, mostly only the lyics change
can you give song titles that are examples of this?
@@inktvisje575today
the waveform of the greenday song is a meme in itself
Yeah, I was quite surprised by that! Product of the "loudness wars" I imagine! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loudness_war
Hah. I was about to comment, HOLY HYPER COMPRESSION BATMAN! and see it's been dutifully noticed. Good job, internet.
First thing to spring in my mind as well!! How am I to know where one section ends and the other begins!!
I didn't expect paranoid android to have so many over compressed moments
That's 2005 baby!
I LOVE songs without a chorus because they feel more like a story, more interesting, and less like the composer is just filling time.
One of my favorite songs is "You Never Give Me Your Money" from the Beatles and its the wierdest but coolest song ever!
You can still tell a story with a chorus, it can be foreshadowing then later explained, it can change meaning after every verse, stuff like that
I've made quite a few songs without a chorus (or any repeating section) and most of them dont have one because they are meant to be played on a rhythm game, and having a chorus or a repeating section doesnt make a lot of sense in that context.
@@CoingamerFL That's really awesome dude. I've only just started songwriting but I'd love to create a song like this. Any tips maybe?
@@abbeybelanger8118 i love this song, but it's hard to seperate it from the entire medley, "mean mr mustard" and polethene pam" are also two quircky gems
Ice Cubes today was a good day is a great example of an instrumental chorus
I’m curious about REM’s Losing My Religion. Certain parts kind of sound like they could be a chorus, “That’s me in the corner” or “Oh no, I said too much,” but they never resolve into a defined ending. If a chorus creates a sense of release, you never get that with this song. There’s a feeling of tension throughout the song, almost like you wish he would finally break into a chorus but he never does.
"I thought that I heard you laughing" is probably the "chorus"
Weve played that in our school band recently and i know what you mean. Though both lyrically and musically there is a chorus, i doesnt feel much like one
I love REM and I've noticed quite a few songs of theirs that don't have a clear-cut chorus. Some of my favourites are Find The River, We Walk and Tongue.
@Dustin Void I think it's because the non-verse parts are so short and there's no dynamic/chord shift between them and the verse, so it feels like one continuous verse looping back on itself that just happens to end with the same lines.
Losing My Religion does something really cool to obscure its structure. The verse is broken into two sections. The second verse puts the two seconds in reverse order. Then there's a mini-post-chorus, half a verse, the chorus, and the mini-post-chours.
Stairway to Heaven by Zeppelin is certainly one of the most famous examples of a huge rock song that has no chorus. I was actually expecting you to use that song as your leading example....but Bohemian Rhapsody is a bloody good choice too....
I'm pretty sure led zepplin are notorious for blocking videos, probably why they weren't featured. I would agree it is arguably the most famous song ever without a chorus
@@Arrica101 They wouldn't block him, but demonetize him
@@Arrica101 Whereas Queen typically let stuff go all the time. I will always love that about them
A lot of led zeppelin songs don't have a chorus..
@@edwardcardona717 I worked translating songs, and I agree completely with this. Queen even let you use their offical videos!
A remarkable example not yet mentioned is Nena's most famous song, 99 Red Balloons. This is not only without a chorus but with long instrumental parts between them. Instrumental parts that long are common in German rock and German electronica.
It has that instrumental chorus
Dear David, I have realized through some other music RUclipsrs, that the role of the chorus in contemporaneous pop or trap changed completely (e. G. Billie Eillish). The old funcion of the chorus, that used to be more melodically or more energetic, is in current music more often a drop in intensity, melodic movement or even tempo. It'd be great if you can do a video about it! 😊Keep the great content
i love sultans of swing having an instrumental chorus in the iconic riff, perfectly creating a chorus in a chorus-less song
Yeah! It’s a fantastic tune, I was about to mention it too! :D
But it kinda has a chorus, doesn't it? It's really short but the "we are the sultans, we are the sultans of swing" is pretty much a chorus, isn't it?
@@XxNoMErcY99xX u right
I would consider "Cars" by Gary Numan to be yet another song with an instrumental chorus. When the key changes from A to D, that serves as the "chorus".
@@XxNoMErcY99xX Yes. This distinction of having lyrics or not is silly. What if a completely instrumental chorus just has a "yeah!" at the end? Is that NOW a different type of section of song? No. Choruses do NOT need lyrics.
A Day In The Life is a good example for an AABA and Instrumental Chorus Song; First two sections is John singing about the Car and the War, then there is the build up and Paul's part, again the instrumental, then it returns to John's Part with the Holes, build up again, the final release is the 30 Sec.- 1 minute long Piano chord.
John Lennon: God, I don't wanna be a soldier, crippled inside
The Doors: Riders on the storm, LA woman, The end
David Bowie: Space oddity
Riders on the Storm has a semi chorus
Space Oddity definitely has a chorus in "Here am I sitting/floating in/'round my tin can".
@@ean1245 ah you're right! Haven't heard the song in years
@@sotis1756 and I would advise you to listen to it again since this song is legitimately great
@@sotis1756 It’s more of a repeating blues-type structure and as much an instrumental song as anything, maybe with an ‘instrumental chorus’.
Songs like Dancing Queen and Does Your Mother Know have an ABBA structure.
I knew there was a reason I subscribed to you. You are the best music analyist and teacher. You include music of all genres, including electro... wow! Finally! I'm starting to produce music. I'm watching you constantly to get pointers. Thank you, thank you! RUclips is the best!
The one song without a chorus I immediately think of is Rocky Raccoon by the Beatles. Super underrated!
the piano section does kinda serve the purpose of a chorus. i love that song though
@@Croix1 oh yeah, forgot it was in there twice lol
Isn't the "Da da da da da da da da" part of Rocky Racoon the Chorus?
I think that's the instrumental chorus he's talking about. Hey Jude and Day in the Life were the first ones that I thought of.
My favourite Beatles track of all time!
A lot of Led Zeppelin's songs throughout their discography have instrumental choruses and those can be solid examples
My brain went to Kashmir and then Stairway to Heaven first
And of course they're still looking for that confounded bridge.
'Over the Hills and Far Away'?
The song that just builds monotonically - White Rabbit.
I was just going to say that Im surprised he didn't mention it.
In Dreams - Roy Orbison
Of course!
Great song and great example! I often think that song is over way too quick! The "When the men on the chessboard
..." section could have easily been a chorus if the song had a longer structure! 😀
Monotonically or maniacally?
Muse - Starlight
Intro - Verse - B section/Elaborated intro ("hold you in my arms...") - Half verse - "Pre-chorus"/C section ("I'll never let you go...") - D section ("Our hopes and expectations", serves as a kind of anti-chorus) - B section - Half verse - C section - D section but more climactic - Slightly altered B section/Outro
The Sound Of Silence is just a 5 stanza poem set to music. No intro, no outro, no chorus, no guitar solo
There it is! Thanks CJ
Definitely one of the best song ever written
Pretty much the form of a Child ballad (albeit with fewer verses)
It does have an intro and outro, and while no chorus it’s verse does have two distinct sections that adds contrast and variety
@@walrusgumboot - Please explain about the intro and outro - it just starts immediately with the singing.
Another well-known song that has an instrumental chorus is "Sultans of Swing"
Fade to Black by Metallica also has an instrumental chorus.
I feel like when they end each set of lyrics with "we are the Sultans of Swing", that is sort of a low-key chorus. I would be fine to be wrong there.
@@heelbradley7407 Yeah I guess you could say that, but to be honest he only uses the phrase "Sultans of Swing" once if I recall correctly. The other times he says "they play creole" and "London town". But in any case, I would say it is more or less instrumental since it just a phrase of 2 syllables between the pre chorus and chorus
@@jamiepacemizzi2822yeah. "way on down south, London town", "The Sultans, they play Creole", and "we are the Sultans of Swing"
Every Breath You Take is a great chorusless one. It's got that three-level AABA structure, where each A section is a mini AABA structure, and then each main AABA part is nested inside an larger AABA format. It's a really fun song to pick apart.
Wow I had to look up if Every Breath You Take really didn’t have any choruses. Mind blowing actually, it seems like the song has a repetitive chorus in my head haha
@@tiemenscholten3755 it's repetitive, but it's not really a chorus. It just has these 3 different parts that it organizes in this cool way.
Tbh, though I understand the mechanics that make up the AABA format, as long as it repeats itself, I often just consider the B section the chorus. Like "Oh can't you see / You belong to me..." or in Yesterday "Why she had to go? / I don't know, she wouldn't say". They repeat itself, but aren't considered choruses because they don't have the catchy lyric people remember, like the "I'll be watching you" repeating itself at the end. The only other distinction I can find between a repeating B section and a chorus is that while verses feel like they're leading up to a chorus, B sections often feel more like bridges, working as a counteract to the verse, rather than its payoff.
Also, AABA songs often have the hook be in the first line of the verse. Every Breath You Take, Yesterday, Somewhere Over the Rainbow and Blue Skies all have the title of the song be the first line of each of their A sections.
Lastly, though it does contain a chorus, the structure of Oh-bla-Di Oh-bla-da reminds me of the AABA songs listed. We got an obvious verse and chorus, but the "In a couple of years they have built a home, sweet home" feels like a repeating bridge (or, consequently, like the B sections in the AABA songs).
It's a fractal structure. And if you want to get really silly, the phrase “Every breath you take” is itself AABA.
No Reply by the Beatles does the same thing. An AABA for where each A section is its own AABA but with slightly different lyrics each time.
Other examples of episodic/story songs are ELO's Mr Blue Sky (although there are a few lines that return), Queen's Somebody to Love and New Order's Blue Monday.
Queen's Hammer to Fall and Crazy Little Thing Called Love are strophic, just with a solo in the middle.
Doesn't Mr Blue Sky have a clear chorus with the "Mr Blue Sky please tell us why" section?
@@jorgito93700 I don't know if a chorus can be one single line that repeats, and not in regular periods
@@10thdoctor15 I mean there's plenty of songs with a chorus that's just one line that repeats, often being the title. We Will Rock You by Queen is the first one that comes to my mind.
@@jorgito93700 That chorus is the line twice, which is sung three times; I'm talking about a line that just appears more than once in the song, not a whole chorus.
Blue Monday definitely has a chorus.
I know nothing about music but this is brilliant! Bohemian Rhapsody and Jesus of Suburbia are two songs that once they start playing I have to listen to them all, I can't pause them, it just doesn't feel right. This explains a lot! Mindblown. Thank you! Greetings from Argentina
The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald by Gordon Lightfoot is another really good example of a song with no chorus. The lyrics and the story is what makes it such a great song.
That song came to my mind too
Sad he passed away yesterday. 😭💔
The music was the chorus as it was repeated
@@steveklemetti8035 repetition isn't the only criteria for a chorus lmao
Good example! Also, it is in danger of falling victim to the same issue as Squeeze's "Up The Junction" (another story song that David points out in the video) - that being the repetition of the same bars over and over again becoming boring. I grew to appreciate TWOTEF over the years, but as a kid I'd turn the dial whenever it came on the radio, bc I got sick of that same cadence in every lyric.
man you must have like 0% chance of monetization with all these famous songs. ur a saint for it
yeah this man deserves what support he gets on patreon and so much more
He's very careful with using alternate renditions of songs and only playing them for short periods of time, so I doubt it
Roundabout by Yes is a strange one because the "I'll be the roundabout" does sort of count as the chorus which is mostly the only line repeated however the song always keeps you interested by changing up how the instruments sound and by the middle point, changed the instrumental altogether
I don't think it's really fair to include prog rock bands on this list, because the purpose of this genre is basically exploring all of the unusual music structures and technics. Progressive music would deserve an entire video for itself.
BRB, rewatching JoJo now
"mountains come out of the sky" is the chorus. It Repeats at least 2 or 3 times i think
I was searching through my ABBA songs for songs written in AABA form, so that I could point out the irony here, and instead I seemed to have found quite a few ABBA songs in AAAA form. P.S. Thanks for the information.
Did you try ACDC or MCJZ
tbh everytime I see the AABA structure it takes my brain a second to remember we're not talking about ABBA
@@neilgibbons2532 damn it, ya beat me to it hahahaa
Somebody reading these comments should be challenged to write an ABBA ABBA song.
Aaaah..!☝🏼😃
I’ve seen many examples in the comment section that I thought of, but one band that I’d like to highlight would be The Doors. On their first album, “The Crystal Ship” and “The End” are without choruses and differ immensely in structure and length of the song. “The Crystal Ship” is less than three minutes long while “The End” is close to 12 minutes and can easily keep your attention throughout
I was hoping for someone to mention The End (and the Doors)!
The Soft Parade too
Best opening song for any movie, ever (Apocalypse Now)
"Love is a losing game" by Amy Winehouse is one of my favourites without a chorus.
Such a beautiful song.
Huh
Somewhere Over the Rainbow IS a chorus. The verse starts with "When all world is a hopeless jumble..." the part we all know is called the chorus in the 32 bar form.
Great Video!
How about "A hard day's night"!? Chorus-less song, but what category would you put it in?
AABA, or maybe even BBAB.
Id say AABA maybe??
@@princessbrennyn7611 ABBA or maybe not
It's got three or four hard driving verses and the more contemplative sections "When I get home to you..." that provide relief from the rest of the song. You might call them anti-choruses.
Song structure (I think)
Chorus - Verse - Bridge - Chorus - Verse - Bridge - Chorus
I’m surprised that Bjork was not mentioned in this episode. She has numerous songs with atypical structures, both with and without choruses. You’ve Been Flirting Again, Bachelorette, All Neon Like, Pluto, All Is Full of Love, 107 Steps, An Echo A Stain, Show Me Forgiveness, Oll Birtan, Submarine, Sonnets / Unrealities XI, Ancestors, Midvikudags, Vertebrae by Vertebrae, Pneumonia, My Juvenile, Moon, Dark Matter, Hollow, Sacrifice, Mutual Core, Solstice, History of Touches, Black Lake, etc the list goes on and on. She deserves a mention in a topic such as this.
YEEES!!!!!
MY SONG DONT HAVE CHORUS ruclips.net/video/uOCeF-ls4wE/видео.html
bachelorette does have chorus
@@thalesmatheus6011 agree, it’s the “im a fountain of blood” verse?
@@LuizVitorno that’s the verse
My favorite example would be "Human Sadness" by the voidz... each section feels like a stage of emotional progression through some catastrophic event! whether that's an apocalypse in the literal sense, or just a personal "end of the world"/descent into madness, it's almost like the stages of grief. No chorus to speak of
Such a good song. Casablancas is the perfect voice for it
One of the most perfect songs ever
it does have a chorus, the da da da, da da part
human sadness does have a chorus, "...there is a field, i meet you there" part
it definitely has a chorus. The chorus lyrics are, "Beyond all ideas of right and wrong, there is a field
I will be meeting you there," repeated twice. The chorus comes three time after the first, third, and sixth verse. The first two even have a very similar backing melody, only the first is cut off near its end. The final chorus is much bigger than the first two, but definitely still a chorus.
Everything in its right place/ Radiohead has no real chorus or even pre- chorus. Instrumental choruses: Do you think I’m sexy/ Rod Stewart. Rapture/ Blondie. Jump/ Van Halen. Really like your channel, btw!
Am I really gonna be the first one to mention... “A Day in the Life”? Cheers, from Guadalajara, Mexico. Big fan, mate.
"A Day In The Life" certainly has an erratic structure and, although it has got some repeating sections, I don't think we ever get anything close to a typical chorus! 😁
@@DavidBennettPiano Revolution #9.
@@emanuellandeholm5657 you can’t really have a chorus if the song doesn’t really have lyrics other than random scatterings of noise
@@noahford9605 Infidel!
@@noahford9605 Did you watch the video or are you just stupid? The youtuber himself said choruses can lack lyrics. Jesus christ. Stop spreading bullshit.
I first noticed Johnny Cash as the guy to have many songs without a chorus. "A Boy Named Sue" being a good example.
A boy named sue is a good example, being a song telling a story. It also has the factor of the constant repetition of the verse "life ain't easy for a boy named sue" during the first half.
But the song isn't Johnny's, it's actualy a cover. Don't remember who did the original, though.
@@lucasduque8289 You are totally right. It was written by Shel Silverstein
Dylan as well
Several Harry Chapin song also are story telling songs without a chorus.
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Not since I minored in music - 20yrs ago, has Music Theory has been so detailed, yet captivating, and dare I say entertaining. This has to be on of the best YT Channels/Contact Providers. Thanks DBP!
Cool
Knights of Cydonia by Muse is one of the greatest chorusless songs! It goes like this:
Intro
Instrumental verse (melody played on guitar)
Instrumental verse 2 (key has now changed discreetly by +4 semitones)
Verse with lyrics (key now changed by +8)
Intro section again (key has changed by +12 thus going back to 0)
B acapella section (builds up...)
B climax section with both vocals and instruments
Metallica was criticized for going "mainstream" on the Ride The Lightning album because of the song Fade To Black. Ironically it was the only song with no lyrical chorus (besides The Call Of Ktulu, which is an instrumental) you know, when having a chorus automatically made you sell out
Finally someone mentions this.
When You Sleep by My Bloody Valentine has always been my favorite example of an "instrumental chorus." The ascending guitars, melodic synth and wonderful release are instantly recognizable and equally as beautiful.
I'm pretty sure The End. by MCR doesn't actually have a chorus, but still a lot of buildup that never gets any release until the song that plays right after it on the album. They blend into each other perfectly, I think that's pretty neat!
Yees mcr! They have a few like that, such as (i think) “it’s not a Fashion statement, it’s a Deathwish”
@@buttercup0747 Oh yeah, I think you’re right, though he does repeat the “I’m coming back from the dead…” lines, it doesn’t seem like an actual chorus- also whatever the fuck Demolition Lovers’s song structure is lmao
i also think welcome to the black parade doesn’t have one either but i haven’t listened to that song in a while
@@blueshrimpy i love demolition lovers
@@johnathanpumpernickel5532 The “we’ll carry on” part seems pretty chorus-y to me, could be wrong though lol
The Smiths' 'Barbarism Begins At Home' is arguably without chorus. It has repeated sections, but they aren't in the common chorus structure.
I thought you would mention Stairway to Heaven. You can maybe call the last part a chorus but it never repeats itself, it’s just a continuous way up in energy. Just like climbing a stairway
That was the first song i think of
"Makes me wonder" is the chorus.
I was actually going to include Stairway but, as another commenter has pointed out, it actually does have a chorus! The "Make me wonder" bit. 😊
@@DavidBennettPiano Thanks, David! "Makes me wonder" is not as catchy as choruses normally are, but it's definitely "part B", and repeated more than once, so yes it qualifies as chorus. Thank for another great video!
@@GGNotes Yeah, it's not an obvious chorus at all! I actually made an entire graphic for Stairway because I was going to include it in the video until I realised that it did technically have a chorus!
I think this channel is teaching me how to experiment with song structures (songs with only verses, songs with only 2 chords etc.) but at the same time I don't want to become lazy with just writing lazy songs with 1 chord. These videos explain how to add spice to them so they do not become boring
I know; I feel the same way!
A song with only 1 chord can't be lazy. Because it takes much more effort to make it sound good. You can't just climb and fall to build and release tension.
Limitations breed creativity. I got good at picking cos I was such a clumsy strummer. Learn what you can then go back to jazz or whatever and apply it. Boom, your non musical friends will be well impressed.
@@HappyBeezerStudios "lazy people aren't lazy because it takes more effort to be a good person"
Bruh, lazy people are just lazy. They're not trying to be anything, that's why they're lazy. That's the whole thing. Lmao.
Listen to Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) by sly and the family stone. It uses a single E7(#9) chord “the Hendrix chord” and single groove for 4:48 without ever getting boring.
White Rabbit by Jefferson Airplane is easily AAAA, and the A's just get progressively bigger.
Isnt it more AABA? That "when men on the chessboard" part is definitely not A
aaaaaaAAAAAAA
it has a b. don't believe me? then go ask alice. I think she'll know.
@@ultrakool yeah, you aren't the first to point that out to me. In retrospect, it's definitely not actually AAAA, but it isn't what I'd call a chorus either, and I thought the comment was funny
@@sadlytemporary4143 aabaaabaAABAAABAAABAAA
One of my favourite songs ever is a combination of the AABA and an instrumental chorus: Year of the Cat by Al Stewart. One of the reasons I love that song so much.
I was thinking of that one! Love that song!
When you gave Clarity as an example, I thought for sure you were wrong about it not having a chorus. So I listened, and of course you are correct. Clarity gives a lot of clarity as to what constitutes a chorus versus a refrain. It's a very structurally complicated song--which is why I think it so fascinated me when it came out.
The three sections of the song, as you laid out (verse, build-up, drop) can be broken down further, and then it becomes clearer that the refrain is used both as the latter part of the build-up, and then again as the latter part of the drop. Plus, the drop has a build-up within it. Whew!
Verse
Build-up: pre-refrain, refrain
Drop: instrumental, instrumental build-up, refrain
Verse
Build-up: pre-refrain, refrain
Drop: instrumental, instrumental build-up, hybrid instrumental/refrain, refrain
I really love I Know the End by Phoebe Bridgers, epic chorus-less song.
I also know that with 42 coldplay tried to write a song without a chorus and it's a pretty good song.
I Know The End is one my favorite songs ever, i immediately thought of this!
The LAs song There She Goes is basically one long chorus. Nothing but endless payoff and yet never gets boring.
Seems you have great music taste there mate! Scousers and music, heavenly combo
That’s a great song
I learned about this song from Mac DeMarco
yes!! more las appreciation!!
Just like heroin, really.
I was thinking that EDM is one of the most prominent genres that often forgoes the chorus, and then you brought out a classic !!
very infomative video
'The Wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald' is a great example of a song with an instrumental chorus
It’s pretty strophic too - the music is fairly similar across each verse, though sung a bit differently (much like some recordings of House of the Rising Sun)
There are two really famous brazilian songs from "Legião Urbana" that are both episodic and story telling songs. They are named "Eduardo e Mônica" e "Faroeste Caboclo", and both tell really long life stories. The most amazing part is that if you are somewhere in Brazilia, home town of the old band, and start playing any of these songs, lots of people will stop by and sing along, even though they are a 6 minute and 9 minutes song, respetcively.
Pensei em Faroeste Caboclo na hora rsrsrs rsrs
Faroeste Caboclo was the first I could think of. Amazing song.
""Now the chorus comes in, but nobody knows why, except Mozart - and he's dead." - Victor Borge
Nice beard
I just watched that yesterday, Victor Borge was hilarious
Santa why didnt you give me anything last Christmas
Borge thought it might be to relieve elevension.
What is this from??
i clicked on the video knowing jesus of suburbia was gonna be here
-Car Seat Headrest are like legendary for long songwriting but also great episodic songwriting. Beach Life In Death is like the major one, but also High to Death, The Ballad of the Costa Concordia, and The End of Dramamine
-I've only listened to The Microphones in 2020 a few times now, but I think it counts. As the entire album is one song, it's sort of in a realm of its own, but I think it fits as like a story telling song with like a musical A and B section.
-Handcuffs by The Front Bottoms is a story telling song that also has an instrumental chorus.
-Cloud Cult has several. A few I can think of are When the Water Comes to Life (which I think manages to hold attention through just building the atmosphere and tension), You'll Be Bright (which is sort of episodic), A Good God and Alien Christ are also sort of instrumental chorus in a way
-A lot of 22, a Million by Bon Iver is an interesting approach to songwriting in a lot of ways, but a lot of songs on that album don't really have a chorus exactly.
yes!! i came to the comments to mention car seat headrest!
John Miles "Music": Changes between vocal and instrumental sections.
One could see it as only the chorus being vocal (being repeated three times in variations and different moods but with the same lyrics) with highly contrasting instrumental sections in between.
So actually it does have a chorus ... nothing but a chorus if you just focus on the singing.
Vocal (relatively slow and relaxed)
Instrumental (rocky, gradually building up energy, then relaxing)
Vocal (more subdued than the intro)
Instrumental (broad and epic, building up again to a symphonic climax)
Instrumental (faster and distinctly rhythmic)
Vocal (grand finale)
Good shout
Over The Hills And Far Away was the song that got me interested in irregular structures. Doesn't really fall into any of these categories, it's almost a through-composition, but not really because it kind of has short verses that repeat. Kind of an A-A-A-B-B-B-C-B-A reprisal... Kind of. It's always fascinated me and it freed me up early on to play around with song structures in ways that my peers weren't.
I would personally consider the "maaamaaa" section of Rhapsody to be a strong chorus, but i consider that song more like a medley with a reprise. Paranoid Androids "whats this" is a great chorus too but once again the song structure takes you on a journey where the chorus is gotten out of the way halfway through. Great song. Great vid.
Holy Wars... The punishment due is an awsome song without a chorus. Its essentially two songs smushed together and it is a masterpiece!
Thanks for this example.
I love the concepts of his videos, but I'm really tired of these beatles/Radiohead.. examples
Agreed. It's one of the best metal songs ever made. Truly a masterpiece and very non traditional even for metal.
Wake up dead is also a good example.
Awesome tune. The lack of a space after the three dots has always annoyed the fuck out of me for some reason
holy wars: a song about the jewish war (killing for religion)
the punishment due: about the punisher (character)
mgmt has a lot of chorus-less songs: Siberian breaks, flash delirium, the handshake, in the afternoon, metanoia...like half of their songs have interesting structures with no chorus.
also 'this must be the place' by talking heads, and 'cause' by Rodriguez are great ones
Mgmt was the shit like 10 years ago. Loved that band. They still make stuff?
@@louieo.blevinsmusic4197 yeah
Stair way to Heaven has no chorus.
In Dreams by Roy Orbison is a brilliant and classic through-composed song. Seven none-repeated sections, building and building to the crescendo. Fantastic!
Running Scared & Blue Angel too!
I posted this one a moment ago but see now that you beat me to it. Great song and an excellent example. You put it perfectly.
Roy Orbison was a brilliant song writer. and of course one of the greatest singers of all time. Fred Foster of Monument records described the song. as having a verse that built all the way to the end of the song with a huge climax. Foster said that was one of the first times that a song had written. with that unconventional style of song writing.
Perfect example! 👍
The chorus is the part that everybody can belt out in between all the parts they can't.
I don’t know if im correct, but isn’t Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin a song with no chorus?
yeah, you seem to be correct, nice
Most of Zeppelin's songs didn't have choruses after Robert Plant took over the lyric writing. He just didn't like them.
Yeah
@Zbigniew G When he said, "perhaps the most famous example of a through-composed song is," I immediately started to say _Stairway to Heaven._ Was kind of left with a Spock raised eyebrow. I always heard Stairway more than Bohemian Rhapsody on the radio.
I think he might not have included it because Led Zeppelin tends to copyright claim videos that use their songs.
I hope someone has already pointed out that Yesterday does, in fact, have a chorus. It just only repeats it after verses 2 and 3.
“Why she had to go I don't know, she wouldn't say
I said something wrong Now I long for yesterday”
Sung twice.
I was thinking the same thing. I remember covering it like 10 years ago and it for sure had a chorus.
it's a Middle 8. It's exactly eight bars. Lennon and McCartney specifically referred to these parts as the Middle 8. The song structure is AABABA (outro). Lennon McCartney repeat the Middle 8 often.
The Middle 8 has been largely abandoned recently in Pop music. They are more likely to do breakdowns, rapped out portions, distracting interludes.
@@juliepigois3330 so a middle 8 is always 8 bars, hence the 8? I always thought a middle 8 was basically a bridge but purely instrumental.
@@louieo.blevinsmusic4197 I guess music theory is like the engligh language, so many rules that just get broken XD
@@louieo.blevinsmusic4197 Middle 8 is the British term for bridge; they mean the same thing. And it doesn't have to be exactly 8 bars.
Anyway, whether the B section in 'Yesterday' is called a chorus or middle 8, I think the point is, it's not straight-up AABA structure, as suggested in the video.
Scenes from an Italian Restaurant, by Billy Joel, springs to mind as a song without a "proper chorus."
Great song! 😀
It it wasn't for its length, I'm sure Billy Joel would be remembered for that song, and not Piano man. I wonder whether its complexity also made it less memorable than Piano man. It is a much better song, IMO.
Italian Restaurant is through-composed IMO
@@labscimasterPiano man isn't that much shorter
I’m a huge Billy Joel fan as was desperately scrolling through the comments to find someone to mention it 😂
Those sound waves are a perfect example of the "loudness" war. Mastering engineers crushing the dynamic range completely out of a song.
"Change" by Alex G is a song that stood out to me recently because it is literally the same four chords and melody (more or less) throughout; yet changes in ornamentation and dynamic make it really hypnotic and beautiful, definitely not boring.
You can find some examples in Iron Maiden songs too.
In example "The trooper" has an instrumental chorus made by the guitar riff that is also the hook of the song.
Or in "Hallowed by thy name", again the hook is the guitar riff and I think it can be considered as through-composed because it can be split in 4 sections where the differences are in the tempo. Every time the song goes to the next section, it doubles the tempo that is what gives the song the dynamics, till the very last part where the tempo goes back to the one in the first part.
The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner...
I count The Trooper’s “oh oh oh” as a chorus, but I agree that Hallowed be thy Name is chorus-less.
@@wombi04 Good song... anyway that is an example of a storytelling song.... but most Iron Maiden songs are storytelling songs even the ones that have choruses.
el paso by marty robins is my favorite example of this, i feel like by telling a story it holds your attention a lot more than a different song with a heavy chorus
Down in the West Texas town of El Paso, I fell in love with a Mexican girl...ICONIC!
Incredible song. One of the best story tellings in songs.
Can further recommend 'Faleena' an 8:20 story from Faleena's pov
MY SONG DONT HAVE CHORUS ruclips.net/video/uOCeF-ls4wE/видео.html
The Trapeze Swinger and White Rabbit spring immediately to mind as very different examples.
Dreams by The Cranberries has kind of an "instrumental chorus" but the instrument is Dolores' incredible voice doing its thing.
"The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" by Gordon Lightfoot (possibly an instrumental chorus between verses but definitely a story telling song in the folk tradition).
Yes!! And definitely one of Lightfoot's best songs
I think this is a classic example of a strophic format-perfect for the story-telling it does. Like an old folk song in an ancient sea-faring village!
It's amazing how that song immortalized an event that the world would have quickly forgotten about otherwise.
No joke, this was the first song where I had an epiphany and said to myself, "Hey wait a second... there's no chorus!"
Just Like Heaven amazes me with its lack of chorus, it's one of those driving songs that just moves and amps up.
I feel like a huge amount of Cure tracks follow the no chorus rules haha. Nearly every song off of Disintegration doesn’t have a chorus
You don't consider "You and me just like heaven" to be a one-line chorus?
The Cure really seemed to go out of their way to avoid choruses in their songs, yet they always managed to keep things varied and interesting. It makes their songs harder to grasp, but also that much more intriguing and replayable.
@@ChasMusic There is a melodic refrain between verse 2 and 3 that's breifly reprised at the end, but it hardly counts as a chorus.
Also, he says "You, just like heaven" just once at the end of the song.
@@jackvalentino2125 True, but lovesong clearly had that intrumental one, and that's the only track I would consider a "pop song". Just Like Heaven is very pop and accessible despite being without a chorus, a testament to Smith that he wrote such an engaging pop song without the classic device.
There's a lot of music in the more post punk or Gothic scene without hooks, but the style of Just Like Heaven compared to that makes it more impressive as a chorus-less song. (not that it's my favorite cure song or anything.)
We can consider as well rapper's "freestyles", when they publish songs that are only a long verse rapped without choruses or only one at the ending
"Positively 4th Street" by Bob Dylan: Just two melodic phrases, repeated 12 times. A top 10 hit!
The lyrics keep it fresh everytime
This is the one I had in mind.
I came here to say this one too. Although I heard it the other day, and I felt that builds up a lot of energy, but it doesn't go anywhere! To be clear I love Dylan and it is still a great track I just always feel I want it to move on to a chorus or something.
One of my guilty pleasures is "Do you believe in Magic" by The Lovin' Spoonful. Its a no chorus song without an obvious structure, but once you learn the verses, its so fun to sing along to.
Love it
Bob Dylan is a master of this. You mentioned “To Make You Feel My Love” and a few in the “folk song” list. Here are some more great ones: “Gates of Eden”, “Shelter from the Storm”, “Tangled up in Blue”, “Simple Twist of Fate”, “It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)”, “Highway 61 Revisited”, and “You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go”, to name a few. In fact, maybe you should do a Bob Dylan video…Great job, as usual. Thanks!
I was expecting Watchtower to be mentioned.
@@reggiehalstead2070 How did I forget that one? Good call!
@@reggiehalstead2070 I also forgot "My Back Pages". Another Dylan classic without a chorus.
An AABA song that got me into Queen as a kid
A: I want to break free
A: I'm falling in love
B: It's strange, but it's true
A: But life still goes on.
Another chorusless song might well be "House of the Rising Sun". Now the version by The Animals (the most famous version) has an instrumental bridge, but I don't know about other versions.
What is described at 4:32 could be called VVBV (verse verse bridge verse), and the form VVBVB also exist, for example is Yesterday, a song mentioned in this video. This helps distinguish it from the rhyming scheme AABA. The song 'Up the junction' seems to be basically VVVVVVBVVVVVV.
I should also note that a lot of songs that only use one chord are, in fact, strophic form songs.
also being for the benefit of mr kite, I realized that there are too many songs in the AABA form and I love it
Gary Numan's Cars is a chorusless song that I'm surprised nobody's mentioning. It blows my mind how big that song became despite its lack of chorus; I guess the instrumental hook is just that memorable.
It two synth hook lines function like instrumental choruses
Lack of anything as well. Horrendous tune.
@@dougieboxell6505 eh?
"The only way to live(pause) in cars" part I consider a chorus. It's not a sweeping big hook but it's a resolving line that repeats.
@@dougieboxell6505 I respectfully disagree. Fantastic tune.
Every pink Floyd's songs, a change of seasons by dream theater
even Another Brick In The Wall Part (2,3 or whatever it is)?
@@atomiccritter6492 Well, Part 2 has a chorus. Shine You Crazy Diamond and Echoes too. And some others. Not every Floyd`s song is without a chorus. That would be boring.
@@goofyblud “Changes?”
@@lesalabs i dont think echoes has a chorus tbh, and based on the vid shine on you crazy diamond is best defined as a strophic song, which according to him doesnt have a chorus
@@lesalabs set the controls for the heart of the sun has what i consider a chorus, arnold layne has a chorus (i think), see emily play, bike, matilda mother (but like set the controls its only a single line), corporal clegg, welcome to the machine, probably more but its still easier to label the ones with a chorus than without
Glad you added "up the junction ",