One way to test ideas is to systematically develop a number of options. For example, you may wish to experiment with different configurations of the title line, represented by a "T" in the variations below. The "-" represents a non-title line, what Pat Pattison calls a "swing" line.
Here are some common variations:
T T
How Sweet It Is - Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Eddie Holland (James Taylor)
T T T T
T - T - T
I've Forgotten You - Rhonda Vincent
T - - T
Beat It - Michael Jackson
T - T -
Drive My Car - John Lennon and Paul McCartney (The Beatles)
What's Love Got To Do With It - Terry Britten and Graham Lyle (Tina Turner)
- - - T
King of Pain - Sting (The Police)
Shake It Off - Taylor Swift
When you're working on a chorus try out a number of variations systematically and see which one you like best. Try the title line in different places and repeat it, or not, a different numbers of times:
Who made you the boss of me? (T)
I just want to play (-)
Who made you the boss of me? (T)
I want my own way (-)
I just want to play (-)
Who made you the boss of me? (T)
I want my own way (-)
Who made you the boss of me? (T)
Who made you the boss of me? (T)
I just want to play (-)
Why can't you just let me be? (-)
I want my own way (-)
I just want to play (-)
Why can't you just let me be? (-)
I want my own way (-)
Who made you the boss of me? (T)
Who made you the boss of me? (T)
I just want to play (-)
I want my own way (-)
Who made you the boss of me? (T)
Some songs use what can be a clever technique of gradually extending the length of a line. It can be an appelaling way to emphasize the line without repeating it over and over.
Example:
Don't Stand So Close To Me - Sting (The Police)
Don't stand
Don't stand so
Don't stand so close to me
Look at the lyrics from the chorus of one of your favorite songs. On the "Favorite Song Chorus Pattern" discussion board, provide the URL for a recording of it on YouTube and then post the lyrics for the chorus. At the end of each line add either "T" if it is the title line or "-" if if is a swing (non-title) line. Next try rewriting the chorus a couple of different ways. For example, if the original was - - - T try T - - T or - T - T. Find another song that was originally T T T T and come up with a swing line that you could insert so that it becomes T T - T.
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