Post-chorus

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In music, particularly Western popular music, a post-chorus (or postchorus) is a section that appears after the chorus. The term can be used generically for any section that comes after a chorus, [1] but more often refers to a section that has similar character to the chorus, but is distinguishable in close analysis. [2] The concept of a post-chorus has been particularly popularized and analyzed by music theorist Asaf Peres, who is followed in this article. [2] [1]

Contents

Characterization

Characterizations of post-chorus vary, but are broadly classed into simply a second chorus [3] (in Peres's terms, a detached postchorus) or an extension of the chorus [4] (in Peres's terms, an attached postchorus). Some restrict "post-chorus" to only cases where it is an extension of a chorus (attached postchorus), and do not consider the second part of two-part choruses (detached postchorus) as being a "post"-chorus. [4]

As with distinguishing the pre-chorus from a verse, it can be difficult to distinguish the post-chorus from the chorus. In some cases they appear separately – for example, the post-chorus only appears after the second and third chorus, but not the first – and thus are clearly distinguishable. In other cases they always appear together, and thus a "chorus + post-chorus" can be considered a subdivision of the overall chorus, rather than an independent section.

Characterization of a post-chorus varies, beyond "comes immediately after the chorus"; Peres characterizes it by two conditions: [2] it maintains or increases sonic energy, otherwise it is a bridge or verse; and contains a melodic hook (vocal or instrumental), otherwise it is a transition.

Examples

Detached post-choruses typically have distinct melody and lyrics from the chorus:

Lyrics of attached post-choruses typically repeat the hook/refrain from the chorus, with little additional content, often using vocables like "ah" or "oh". [4] Examples include:

Hybrids are also common (Peres: hybrid postchorus), where the post-chorus keeps the hook from the chorus (like an attached postchorus), but introduces some additional content (hook or melody, like a detached postchorus). [2]

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References

  1. 1 2 Sloan, Nate; Harding, Charlie (2019). Switched on Pop: How Popular Music Works, and Why It Matters . Oxford University Press. p.  51. ISBN   9780190056674.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Peres, Asaf (2018-07-31). "Everything You Need to Know About the Postchorus". Top40 Theory.
  3. ↑ Zeger, Eli (2016-08-17). "The Post-Chorus, And It's [sic] Unsung Place In Pop Music". Vinyl Me, Please. Archived from the original on Sep 21, 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Blume, Jason (2018-04-02). "The Power of Post-Choruses". Broadcast Music, Inc. Archived from the original on Feb 5, 2024.
  5. 1 2 Keys, Scarlet (2018). The Craft of Songwriting: Music, Meaning, & Emotion. Berklee Press. p.  109. ISBN   9781540039965.
  6. ↑ von Appen & Frei-Hauenschild 2015, p. 79.
  7. ↑ Platon, Adelle (2017-04-28). "The-Dream on Penning Rihanna's 'Umbrella' Hook: 'It Just Never Stopped Pouring, Metaphor After Metaphor'". Billboard .
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