originally published on 05/12/18, updated on 20/10/21
最初發佈於 05/12/18，更新於 20/10/21
In today's pop-driven music market, it might seem that most popular songs simply sound the same. But if you listen more closely, you’ll soon realize that there are several song structures at play that help to differentiate each recording. Song structures basically refer to how a song is organized, using a combination of different sections or parts of it.
在當今流行音樂驅動的音樂市場中，大多數流行歌曲聽起來似乎都是一樣的。但是，如果你更仔細地聽，你很快就會意識到有幾種歌曲結構在起作用，有助於區分每段錄音。歌曲結構基本上是指歌曲的組織方式，使用歌曲的不同部分或部分的組合。
Lyrics, melody, harmony and a list of other song elements are vital in every song composition. In addition to these elements, the structure of a song is also an important feature the songwriter has to think about when creating. As a songwriter, knowing the most common song structures will only help you become better at creating excellent songs and make it easier to set your music apart from what's already out there.
歌詞、旋律、和聲和其他歌曲元素的清單在每首歌曲創作中都至關重要。除了這些元素之外，歌曲的結構也是詞曲作者在創作時必須考慮的一個重要特徵。作為一名詞曲作者，瞭解最常見的歌曲結構只會説明你更好地創作優秀的歌曲，並更容易將你的音樂與已經存在的音樂區分開來。
As already mentioned, structures are formed from the arrangement and combinations of the different parts or segments that make up a song. These arrangements can be altered in plenty of varying ways depending on the creativity of the writer. But there are some very common structures that are already being used in today’s music. In one of our recent articles, we discussed extensively two of the segments of a song that are inherently consistent in every structure type created, The Intro and The Outro. With these already explained concepts in mind, here are the other sections that make up a song:
如前所述，結構是由構成歌曲的不同部分或片段的排列和組合形成的。根據作家的創造力，這些安排可以以多種不同的方式改變。但是，在今天的音樂中已經使用了一些非常常見的結構。在我們最近的一篇文章中，我們廣泛討論了一首歌的兩個片段，它們在創建的每種結構類型中都是內在一致的，即前奏和結尾。牢記這些已經解釋過的概念，以下是構成歌曲的其他部分：
- Intro: Whenever used, the intro sets the tone and sets the listener up for what comes next. It usually lasts a few seconds, sometimes repeated – think Gaga’s “Bad Romance” with the repeated intro "Oh-oh-oh-oh-ooh, Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh/ Caught in a bad romance" – or it can be a bit of vocalization – the intro for En Vogue’s “Don’t Let Go,” for example.
-介紹：無論何時使用，前奏都會定下基調，讓聽眾為接下來的內容做好準備。它通常持續幾秒鐘，有時還會重複——想想 Gaga 的“Bad Romance”，重複的前奏“哦-哦-哦/陷入糟糕的浪漫”——或者它可以是一點發聲——例如，En Vogue 的“Don't Let Go”的前奏。
- Verse: The verses are where most of the song’s story is told. Since they are usually wordier, they are often the parts the listener has to take time getting to know because they are not as catchy as the hook/chorus. However, if a verse is well written or contains a refrain (repeated section), it can be just as "hook-y."
-詩句：這些詩句是講述這首歌大部分故事的地方。由於它們通常更冗長，因此它們通常是聽眾必須花時間瞭解的部分，因為它們不像鉤子/副歌那樣吸引人。但是，如果一節經文寫得很好或包含副歌（重複部分），它可以像“鉤子一樣”。
- Pre-chorus: When used, the pre-chorus helps to keep the listener interested as the song transitions from the verse to the chorus. It can also be seen as a teaser, setting the listener up for the climax of the chorus.
- 前合唱：使用時，前副歌有助於在歌曲從詩句過渡到副歌時保持聽眾的興趣。它也可以看作是一個預告片，讓聽眾為合唱的高潮做好準備。
- Chorus: The catchiest part of any song, the chorus is also often the most dramatic segment. It is sometimes more repetitive than the rest of the song, driving home the point or message of the song, allowing it to remain in the listener's head long after the music has ended.
-合唱：作為任何歌曲中最吸引人的部分，副歌也往往是最具戲劇性的部分。它有時比歌曲的其餘部分更具重複性，將歌曲的要點或資訊帶回家，使其在音樂結束后很長一段時間內仍留在聽眾的腦海中。
- Bridge: The bridge is another transitionary element of a song that is often used to provide an unexpected change of direction to keep the listener engaged before going into the final chorus or back to the first verse. It can be at a slower or faster tempo and is often sung in a different key/melody from the rest of the song. It can be a totally new set of lyrics or can be a revamping or reusing of the refrain or intro, such as in “…Baby One More Time” by Britney Spears or “Here With Me” by Dido.
-橋：橋接是歌曲的另一個過渡元素，通常用於提供意想不到的方向改變，以保持聽眾在進入最後的副歌或回到第一節之前保持參與。它可以以較慢或較快的速度演唱，並且通常以與歌曲其餘部分不同的鍵/旋律演唱。它可以是一組全新的歌詞，也可以是對副歌或前奏的修改或重用，例如在「......布蘭妮·斯皮爾斯（Britney Spears）的《寶貝再來一次》（Baby One More Time）或迪多（Dido）的《與我同在》。
- Outro: This is basically how you end the song and can have a varying number of approaches. Some songs end on a high, immediately after the last bar of the final chorus, while others fade out with the chorus still being sung or a set of words (like the title) being repeated. Some may even have the singer saying or humming something that leads into the end of the song.
- 片尾：這基本上是你結束這首歌的方式，可以有不同數量的方法。有些歌曲在最後一副歌的最後一個小節之後立即以高音結束，而另一些歌曲則隨著副歌仍在唱或一組詞（如標題）重複而淡出。有些甚至可能讓歌手說或哼唱一些東西，導致歌曲的結尾。
- Hook: Not necessarily a song part, the hook is often a repetitive phrase or set of words that are meant to get stuck in the listener's head. For that reason, the chorus sometimes becomes the hook of a song by default but the hook can be in the opening lines of a verse, in the pre-chorus or in the refrain. A song can have more than one hook.
-鉤：不一定是歌曲部分，鉤子通常是一個重複的短語或一組單詞，旨在卡在聽眾的腦海中。出於這個原因，副歌有時會默認成為歌曲的鉤子，但鉤子可以在詩句的開頭行、前副歌或副歌中。一首歌可以有多個鉤子。
Now that you know the different parts that make up a song, let’s look at the most common song structures:
This is the most commonly used song structure in today's popular music and appears widely in the mainstream genres of pop, rock, R&B, and country music. The structure translates to verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus where the verses are often different but the choruses remain the same. A common variation on this song structure is the addition of a pre-chorus (verse/pre-chorus/chorus/verse/pre-chorus/chorus/bridge/chorus). There are tons of popular songs across different genres that use this song form, including "Ain't Nobody" by Chaka Khan, "Beneath Your Beautiful" by Labrinth featuring Emeli Sandé, and "Blame" by Calvin Harris featuring John Newman.
Unlike its longer cousin, the ABAB song structure doesn’t include a bridge. It’s a standard verse-chorus-verse-chorus format, which keeps things simple. However, it doesn’t necessarily mean songs with this structure are always basic. There are many groovy songs, such as “Nightshift” by Commodores and slower-themed anthems such as "Angels" by Robbie Williams that use this format. The use of a pre-chorus in songs with the ABAB structure can sometimes add to the song's dynamism. “Smooth” by Carlos Santana featuring Rob Thomas with the section “And if you said, ‘This life ain't good enough….’” is one such example, as well as Michael Jackson’s “Bad” which has a pre-chorus starting with “Well they say the sky’s the limit…”
In the AABA song structure, the 'B' becomes a bridge instead of a chorus and translates to verse-verse-bridge-verse. As a result, songs with this make-up have no chorus. However, the verses often have a refrain, which is one or two repeated lines at the beginning or end. The words of the refrain are often (but not always) the title of the song. In order to keep songs with this structure from getting boring (since there is no chorus), the singer will often use melody variations and key changes in the verses. Popular examples of songs that use the AABA form are “What A Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong, with the refrain being “And I think to myself/What a wonderful world” and Led Zepellin’s “Rock And Roll” where the refrain is “It’s been a long time, been a long time/Been a long, lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely time.”
Like the AABA song structure, there is no chorus involved in this format, and neither is there a bridge. A refrain is what is used as a hook. Also, like the AABA format, melody variations and key changes are required to keep songs with this structure from becoming monotonous. The AAA song structure is not used much in popular music but many children songs, hymns, and folk songs bear its signature, including “Kumbaya” and “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” As it relates to popular songs that use the AAA format, they include Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are a-Changin'” and “Bridge Over Troubled Water” by Simon and Garfunkel.
Other lesser used song structures include the ABAC (also called a Rondo), where the A part keeps recurring throughout the song. Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" is a popular example. There are also some songs that start with a chorus instead of a verse, such as "Time of My Life" by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes or, more recently, "Animals" by Maroon 5, both of which result in a song structure that is the reverse of the ABABCB.
Another thing to bear in mind is that some songs throw total caution to the wind by not following any particular structure. "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen consists only of several verses strung together while Police's "Every Breath You Take" seems to start off as an AABA format before ditching the script. "Summer" by Calvin Harris is also nothing more than two verses that are repeated without any real chorus.
With that in mind, while it's good to know all the different song structures as a songwriter, don't be afraid to go outside of the box and try different things.
