No clue on how to arrange your next potential hit #song? Are you sick and tired of the same-old verse/chorus/verse/chorus/bridge/chorus standard to the point it's driving you to scream on the inside? If so, take a gander at some of the suggestions below to aid that pesky writer's block with a medley of fresh ideas guaranteed to restore a peace of mind for the weary #songwriter.
1. Elimination: trim the 'fatty' parts of a song which have zero bearing in the overall message and/or vibe. For example, if the second verse seems like a useless filler and nothing more, simply eliminate it. I know, I know, this sounds almost preposterous. Aren't two verses the bare minimum for a song? Not necessarily. As long as there is a solid leading intro, a hook then perhaps a bridge, you're safe. Even if your song turns out shorter in duration, do not fret because radio programmers are going to love you for not hogging too much airtime.
Role models: "Satellite" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJVpBrjoEsw) by Kiss Kiss (the second verse as well as the bridge are absent in the mix) and "pete davidson" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ba8CifMRZ2Y) by Ariana Grande (consists of only a single verse and a chorus, everything else is MIA).
2. Addition: extra sections, namely the pre-chorus and/or the post-chorus, assist in picking things up a notch as they glide between the verses and the chorus, adrenalizing a song to the max. Furthermore, some songs incorporate more than two or three verses to design their song into a mode of storytelling.
Role models: "Obsessed" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1Yt0xJKDY8) by Mariah Carey (includes two post-choruses) and "Saturday Night Fish Fry" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGiJ0bUzuaw) by Louis Jordan (contains about six verses).
3. Scattering: this usually involves splicing, rearranging, elimination, addition, etc. It is essentially the cornucopian goodie-bag kind of composition. Bits of the refrain may slide in-between the lines of a verse or the chorus may echo while the bride is playing, who knows. Unpredictability reigns supreme when utilizing this technique, so it is advisable to be cautious because an excess amount of scattering may cause confusion, boredom or distress for the listener. Always use your best songwriting discretion.
Role models: "Losss" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTegRQ-OC48) by Björk (holds plenty of poetic verses yet maintains a small refrain that plays periodically) and "Long Tall Sally" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFFgbc5Vcbw) by Little Richard (refrain weaves in and out of the verses).
