Anatomy of a Pop Song: Pre-chorus

Many pop songs, if not most, are structured such that each verse leads to the chorus. Sometimes, however, there is an additional part that gets sandwiched between the verse and the chorus. This is the “pre-chorus,” and not every song will have one. Songs that do have a pre-chorus need not have one before every chorus. The pre-chorus can play two roles in the structure of a song.

First, it can be an addendum to the verse. It will have a different chord progression and vocal melody than the verse, but many pre-choruses will not have quite the memorability or thematic lyrical content as the chorus. In this case, a pre-chorus can be perceived as something like the “second half” of the verse. Second, the pre-chorus can serve as an introduction to the chorus. Not all verses are equally good at setting up the chorus. This is where structural creativity can save an otherwise poorly-written song. In this case, the pre-chorus can give the verse closure and do a better job preparing the listener for the chorus.

A pre-chorus can be loud or soft, but most tend to be shorter in length than both the verse and the chorus. This brevity allows the pre-chorus to bridge the two parts without becoming too prominent in the song’s structure, in which case it would have the potential to overshadow the verse and/or the chorus, which are arguably more important parts.

One of my favorite compositional tricks is to insert a pre-chorus after only the second verse. This serves to break up the verse/chorus structure without the risk of too much repetition. It also changes the relationship between the verse and the chorus, which can aid in advancing the song’s narrative.

I have not had much trouble in my time as a songwriter pairing verses and choruses, so very few of my songs include a pre-chorus. Nevertheless, it remains an important part of any songwriter’s toolkit.