Disappointing chorus

[wrec]

Maiden played this recent one live a lot. Decent opening riff, lyrical tales of aerial wartime derring-do for boys of all ages, strong verse melody, strong pre-chorus melody, then an unmelodic mess over the most generic riff imaginable for the chorus.

[LordMorgan]

I've always thought that about the erasure song chorus. As the verses are so fucking good. It definitely falls flat when it should soar
Ditto one love by the roses and hell yeah now and then too

My nomination would be Suedehead by Morrissey, the chorus pales to the verses

[kalowski]

Another Beatles nomination: Baby You're a Rich Man.

Starts out all nice and spacey, a blissful, rubbery psychedelic groove, then John just shouts a repetitive half-arsed chorus. It really does sound like he came up with the first bit, the good bit, before giving up.

That's a combination of two separate pieces, Paul's and mine, put together and forced into one song. One half was all mine. [Sings] 'How does it feel to be one of the beautiful people, now that you know who you are, da da da da.' Then Paul comes in with [sings] 'Baby, you're a rich man,' which was a lick he had around.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Ah! I did not know that. Sorry, John. I like your verses. Paul's chorus is crap.

[Sean Ymphs]

The chorus for Enjoy The Silence always sounded like a pre-chorus to me, like it should lead into something else. Maybe because the verses are so short, the chorus seems like an extension of the verse.

[Critcho]

Now & Then.

[LordMorgan]

Go let it out

[Video Game Fan 2000]

The chorus for Enjoy The Silence always sounded like a pre-chorus to me, like it should lead into something else. Maybe because the verses are so short, the chorus seems like an extension of the verse.

i used to think this and dislike the song a bit as a result then i realised what a huge release the "they can only do harm" part is and how appropriate the release there is cut short

im still not the biggest fan of Violator but ive acquired a bit of an appreciation for it

[Key]

Another vote for Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds - the verse is so evocative and eerie and you expect to get some sort of modulating, emotionally rich release for the chorus but instead you get a big lumpen obvious thing. I'd say Bungalow Bill has the same problem for me (but at least that resolves weirdly for some interest.) Sorry Beatles.

We Can Work It Out is a good chorus but it has one of the greatest middle eights ever which makes it slightly pale by comparison.

[Chicory]

'Walking With Thee' by Clinic is either a piss take or demented genius depending on how you listen to it.

[jamiefairlie]

Choruses are overrated. They often disappoint and pad out songs with repetition. They also tend to trap writers into conventional song structures.

[non capisco]

Having a 90s music magazine letters page correspondent style reaction to the slagging of Erasure's 'Chorus' chorus. Are...are...are you guys even listening to the same song as me?!!!!!
 
:- Andy Bell's arseless chaps
Penge

[Chicory]

I can't help thinking that if they'd named the song 'Birds' or something, nobody's reaction would've been "alright then lads, give us the most barnstorming CHORUS ever or I'm calling trades descriptions".

[tolecnal]

'Walking With Thee' by Clinic is either a piss take or demented genius depending on how you listen to it.

I think it's demented genius.

[Video Game Fan 2000]

i really disliked Clinic's second album because of things like that

The Equaliser bangs but nearly ever song has some sub-Wire piss take or gimmick to it that spoils it. for a band so dedicated to self sabotage its surprising they went on for longer than a decade

[tolecnal]

Their last couple are pretty good.

[Menu]

Another Beatles nomination: Baby You're a Rich Man.

Starts out all nice and spacey, a blissful, rubbery psychedelic groove, then John just shouts a repetitive half-arsed chorus. It really does sound like he came up with the first bit, the good bit, before giving up.

In the Ian MacDonald book it says you can hear Lennon in the fade out sing "Baby You're a Rich Fag Jew" - a reference to Brian Epstein - but I've never been able to hear that. Has anyone isolated it?

Not sure why I want to hear it but it's niggled me for years.

[Video Game Fan 2000]

 i hear "rich fat jew" not fag jew

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Choruses are overrated. They often disappoint and pad out songs with repetition. They also tend to trap writers into conventional song structures.

Roxette consider greatest hits album title rewrite.

[Kankurette]

Does it even have much of a chorus?

[DrGreggles]

Yep. It goes "Ready or not... etc".

[lazyhour]

It takes a weird kind of audacity to mention the word 'chorus' in a song, and I'm not sure why. Maybe we don't normally like the nuts and bolts of pop music being presented to us by the artists themselves?

Here's two examples that I think get away with it:

[copa]

Choruses are overrated. They often disappoint and pad out songs with repetition. They also tend to trap writers into conventional song structures.

I think so too. When I look at the music that I listen to most, it's mainly stuff that doesn't have a verse-chorus structure. A lot of electronica and African music that just creates a nice vibe. And where the vocals are treated as just another instrument.

[markburgle]

Wind Of Change - I like the chorus and everything, but the verse is beautiful

Galway Girl - now, I obviously despise this Ed Sheeran song from top to tail, but he's put more effort into the verse while the chorus is just the title sung on one note while a borderline racist parody of an irish jig does all the heavy lifting

And there's others too, as I'm sure we can all agree

[PaulTMA]

The chorus of Chorus by Erasure is a good chorus.  The song is not about a massive chorus anyway, he mentions the 'dawn chorus' during the bridge obvz.  Cunt don't know they are born.

[idunnosomename]

It takes a weird kind of audacity to mention the word 'chorus' in a song, and I'm not sure why. Maybe we don't normally like the nuts and bolts of pop music being presented to us by the artists themselves?

King Crimson - Happy With What You Have To Be Happy With

And when I have some words
This is the way I'll sing
Through a distortion box
To make them menacing

Yeah, then I'm gonna have to write a chorus
We're gonna need to have a chorus
And this would seem to be as good as any other place to sing it till I'm blue in the face
Yes, I'm gonna have to write a chorus
I'm gonna need to have a chorus
And this would seem to be as good as any other place to sing it till I'm blue in the face

Happy with what you have to be happy with
You have to be happy with what you have
To be happy with what you have
Happy with what you have to be happy with
You have to be happy with what you have
To be happy with what you have
You have to be happy with what you have to happy with

And for a second verse
Of terse economy
I'll brew another pot
Of ambiguity

Then I'm gonna have to write a chorus
We're gonna need to have a chorus
And this would seem to be as good as any other place to sing it till I'm blue in the face
Yes, we're gonna need to have a chorus
I'm gonna have to write a chorus
And this would seem to be as good as any other place to sing it till I'm blue in the face

Happy with what you have to be happy with
You have to be happy with what you have
To be happy with what you have
Happy with what you have to be happy with
You have to be happy with what you have
To be happy with what you have
You have to be happy with what you have to happy with

Then I guess I'll repeat the chorus
We're gonna repeat the chorus
I guess I'll repeat the chorus
We're gonna repeat the chorus
Then I guess I'll repeat the chorus
We're gonna repeat the chorus
I guess I'll repeat the chorus
We're gonna repeat the chorus

Happy with what you have to be happy with
You have to be happy with what you have
To be happy with what you have
Happy with what you have to be happy with
You have to be happy with what you have
To be happy with what you have
You have to be happy with what you have to happy with

Very droll. Although arguably the way it's structured the "chorus" lyrics are the pre. The titular refrain is in switching bars of 11 and 12/8, about as undanceable as you can get. Hence the joke

[pigamus]

Air That I Breathe. The chorus is alright, it just can't match the verses, which are sublime.

[markburgle]

Ashes to Ashes. "Funk to funky", sorry, that's just lame

[prelektric]

This might be controversial (who knows?) - but Livin' Thing, by ELO. (I should add here that I adore it)

The verses are majestic - a beautiful descending chord progression, and every verse improves on it with other choral and instrumental elements. The chorus itself is a bit... well... it's only there to be a statement that quickly gets back to the verse. Which is where the meat of it is.

Of course this all depends on if you decide that a chorus is somehow the fulcrum of a song. It doesn't have to be.

[Video Game Fan 2000]

King Crimson - Happy With What You Have To Be Happy With

Very droll. Although arguably the way it's structured the "chorus" lyrics are the pre. The titular refrain is in switching bars of 11 and 12/8, about as undanceable as you can get. Hence the joke

prefer this