The verse of your song is a necessary component for connecting much high stakes and priority parts of your song together. There’s an art on writing a good verse which is in itself memorable, but no SO memorable that it outshines the chorus. Let’s talk how to write a verse for a song.
How to Write a Verse For a Song
On the audio mixing side of things, I always harp on the importance of creating a dynamic sense of energy throughout your mix.
The verses are typically lower stakes and lower energy, and this should be reflected in how we mix the song at that point. This manifests in keeping the volume a bit lower, the width of the song a bit tighter, and the overall energy a bit more controlled.
The same rule applies to songwriting and should be applied in how to write a verse for a song – we want to vary the energy of our song through its specific parts as we’re composing it.
Let’s break how to write a verse for a song into any sections two components: music and lyrics.
How to Write Music For a Verse
Whether you begin with the verse or you begin with the chorus (or any other part of the song), having an existing part helps you to understand what you’re either coming out of or going into in the context of the song.
If you’ve already got an idea for a chorus (check out my tutorial on how to write a chorus, by the way), then you know what this verse is going to go into. You know the level of energy, the type of melody, some idea of the instrumentation, and obviously the key of that adjoining section.
With that in mind, you can imagine and create a part which will organically flow into that chorus (or a prechorus).
Personally, I typically begin by writing the chorus as this is always the most important part of the song. From my perspective, if the chorus isn’t solid and memorable, then there’s no point in writing the rest of the song, so it’s a good a place to start as any.
All this to say, if you have the chorus, then you know the kind of vocal melody you’ll be going into. In keeping with the idea of keeping the song as dynamic as the mix from a songwriting perspective, actively try to write a different kind of part for the verse.
If the chorus’ vocal melody is long, drawn out notes, then go for a more staccato verse vocal melody. If the chorus hangs on one or two chords in terms of the progression, go for a more complicated progression in the verse.
It’s also a good idea to vary the chords you use in the verse, specifically meaning using chords or root notes on the bass you’re not using in the chorus.
If the chorus is using the 4-chord-wonder as I like to refer to it as (the 1 to 5 to 6 to 4), work in the supertonic or mediant (2 or 3) in the verse:
Admittedly this is working backwards, and typically we’re thinking of notes we haven’t used yet once we get to the chorus, that’s when we work in something different.
Maybe a better way to think of and approach it is to avoid some of the chords/bass notes you’re using in the chorus.
The rule remains the same though – introducing something new to the listener once that chorus hits will subconsciously be very refreshing to their ears.
This brings us back to the energy – we’re basically just trying to keep something held back until that chorus hits.
This will vary from song to song and is up to you to determine how to essentially keep out of the way of that chorus by way of the verse, but generally we’re aiming for a lower level of energy to make that payoff when we hit the chorus that much bigger and more satisfying for the listener.
How to Write Lyrics for a Verse
I mentioned this in my complete eBook/tutorial on how to write a song, but if the chorus lyrically is for delivering your overarching message, the lyrics for your verse are there to serve to support that argument.
The best written choruses, lyrically speaking, hit so much harder for the listener BECAUSE of that groundwork established by the verse.
A lot of songs whose lyrics are based on actual events which happened to the author use the verses to recount those events in detail while the chorus is dedicated to the summation of the impact those events had on them.
The verses establish a kind of credibility to really sell the idea that the chorus is driving.
You also have the opportunity to be much wordier when it comes to the verse in most cases. This isn’t always the rule; I’d argue the rule is more deviating from what you did in the chorus.
Most songs keep the lyrics of the chorus shorter as this makes for a more memorable and as such a more impactful message. Less words and syllables also better lend themselves to shorter, simpler, and oftentimes as a result catchier melodies.
As such, you can go and are generally encouraged to go more long-form with your verse lyrics than you would for your chorus.
This is why a lot of the best lyrics from lyrically rich songs or songwriters exist outside of the context of the chorus when you have more time to create a fully formed thought.
How to Write a Verse For a Song Tips
- Writing a verse is typically easier after you’ve already got another piece of the song which you can connect to/from.
- Begin with the chorus using my tips for writing a chorus to establish the energy, lyrical message, chords, etc. which you can work from.
- Use your verse lyrics to support the central argument which is the lyrical (and musical) hook of the chorus.
- Hold back at least one chord/progression note which you feature in the chorus from the verse to make that more refreshing once it arrives in the chorus.
- Restrain the energy in the verse comparatively and relative to the chorus to make that chorus hit bigger (refer to my verse vs chorus comparison for more information and examples).
- Use the second verse (or rare third verse) as a chance to reset the energy in the song to build things up once again when that next chorus hits.
- Let the mix itself reflect the energy and dynamics of the composition, restraining the verse in terms of level, width, and even amount of instrumentation, automating up or adding in more elements for the chorus to effectively manage the dynamics and keep the listener fully engaged in the song.
