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Songs without choruses


marvin

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This topic was broached on another list that I belong to: Songs without choruses.

Most hit songs follow the old verse-chorus-verse-bridge-verse-chorus formula, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a 'hit song' that didn't have a chorus in it. On the Beach Boys list, a number of non-hits BB songs (stuff off of SMiLE), as well as a bunch of Zeppelin songs were brought up (e.g. "Stairway to Heaven"). Can you think of any 'hit songs' that strayed from the conventional? How about any 'berries songs? I've got my list, let's see yours.

Marvin

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Can you think of any 'hit songs' that strayed from the conventional? How about any 'berries songs?

Most of these "folk" songs work on a stream-like sense... and even though there's a hook-line, there's not really a chorus per se...early r&r may just be one long chorus (i.e. 'heartbreak hotel' 'peggy sue') some are just a verse and refrain ("hard days night/'eleanore rigby')--there's loads of instrumental hits songs and soul songs that "stray" too, but i tried to keep it to pop/rock stuff....

"By The Time i Get To Phoenix"- Glen Campbell

"Elusive Butterfly"- Bob Linde

"Everybody's Talkin'"- Nilsson

"I Guess The Lord Must Be in New York City"- Nilsson

"Subterranean Homesick Blues"- Dylan

"Mrs Robinson"- Simon & Garfunkel

"The Dangling Conversation"- Simon & Garfunkel

"For Emily Whenever I May Find Her"- Simon & Garfunkel

"Family Affair"- Sly & The Family Stone

"Shaft"- Isaac Hayes

"Wild Thing"- Troggs

"Ode To Billy Joe"- Bobby Gentry

"Riders On The Storm"- Doors

"Heroes"- Bowie

"7 & 7 Is"- Love

"Little Girl"- Syndicate Of SOund

"Daydream"- Lovin Spoonful

"Creque Alley"- Mamas & Papas

"I'm A Man"- Yardbirds/Bo Diddley

"Bo Diddley"- Bo Diddley

"Heartbreak Hotel"- Elvis Presley

"Be-Bop-A-Lula"- Gene Vincent

"Peggy Sue"- Buddy Holly

'Trouble Man"- Marvin Gaye (& others)

"Lady Madonna"- The Beatles

"Hard Day's Night" (?)

"Eleanor Rigby" (?)

"Shattered"- Rolling Stones

"Happy Jack"- The Who

"My Generation"- The Who

etc.

RaspBerries

"Cry"

"Waiting"

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Originally posted by Carmen Smalley:

[QB] Recolution9-Beatles

Knots-Gentle Giant

Her Majesty-Beatles

AND THESE WEREN'T HITS OR EMPHASIS TRACKS...

others w/out chorsuses...

Maybe I'm Amazed- Paul McCartney

So You Want To Be A R&R Star- Byrds

8 Miles High- Byrds

Gentle On My Mind- Glen Campbell

I'm Sorry- Brenda Lee

House Of The Rising Sun- Animals

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