Page 72
gives a pleasing feeling of suspension, of stopping somewhere new but not unrelated. 'When You're Gone' is in C but
ends on an F, chord IV, leaving you with the feeling that it has changed key.
Approaching chord I via the minor form of IV is fine for slushy, romantic finishes. You can hear this in the weeping
melodrama at the end of 'The Kick Inside', where Kate Bush implies the singer's suicide by ending with IV to IVm.
It is also at the end of 'I Got The Blues' by the Stones. Use Fm7 to Cmaj7 voicings for more slush than a New York
winter. There is a centuries-old tradition of ending a minor-key song on the tonic major for a redemptive gesture,
technically known as a tierce de picardie. The opposite – ending a major song on a minor chord – is disconcerting.
'From Me To You' is in C but ends on Am. Does the lyric justify the minor chord? The penultimate chord of 'The
One I Love' (E Bb D# G B E, which can be called Em/maj7/addb5) is certainly notable before the final Em.
In 1990s UK chart music, it became fashionable to end with a solo vocal. 'A Design For Life' had the unusual ending
of drums only.
STRUCTURES
Having looked at the individual bits of songs, it is time to consider different ways of piecing them together.
The Groove Song
Dance music has given us the groove song. It does not even have a chord sequence, because for long stretches it
stays on one chord. James Brown tracks such as 'Sex Machine' are a good example, as are some of John Lee
Hooker's blues tunes. This approach can also be used just for the verse, as in 'Erotica'.
The Loop
The simplest song structures are no more than four- or eight-bar loops that simply repeat. Boredom is regulated to
acceptable (ie, non-psychotic hi-fi/radio smashing) levels by the manipulation of the arrangement to make it sound
as though the sections are different. 'I Will Survive' is an eight-bar sequence of eight chords (I IV bVII IIImaj7
bVImaj7 IIm7b5 Vsus4 V) that spins round memorably until Ms Gaynor disappears down the hole in the middle.
'With Or Without You' is a I V VI IV turnaround that gradually gathers in intensity thanks to a highly dynamic
arrangement. 'Justify My Love' is essentially a four-bar loop with breaks created by pulling out everything except
voice and drums.
Rarely, a lyric will justify this type of structure. 'I Was Made To Love Her' is little more than a four-bar five-chord
turnaround, with only a brief four-bar break to interrupt the flow. The simplicity of structure expresses the theme of
unchanging truth. He's loved this girl from childhood and nothing will change their love. Any risk of tedium is
avoided through the sheer quality of the musicianship, whether it be Stevie Wonder's exhilarated vocal, the lovely
guitar fills or James Jamerson's astonishing bassline.
Standard Structures
1 Verse Verse Verse Verse
Strophic form common in old ballads, blues and folk music. The hook may be a short refrain tacked on at the end of
each verse. The intro might be no more than a few bars on the key chord. 'Simple Twist Of Fate' is a good modern
example.
2 Intro Verse Verse Bridge Verse Bridge Verse
This form was favoured by The Beatles in the early years of their career. Again, the hook is part of the verse itself.
One of the bridges or Verse 3 could be