Getting Past Second Verse Troubles
We songwriters know the challenge of finishing songs, especially when it comes to writing second verses. Verses show the details of a story. They set the scene and establish the characters and situation. If there is a problem the character is facing, this first verse lets the listener feel the weight of that problem. But not all verses should be created equal. If we, as the writer, continue to emphasize how problematic the problem is, the song doesn’t grow. We feel this when we’re facing the second verse, which is what makes them challenging. The question isn’t whether to allow the character to grow or the situation to change, but rather how, and how much.
When it’s the second verse that stalls our progress, there are three simple tools I’ve found that can get the gears moving again.
1. Vantage Point
One strategy is to consider the vantage point of the first verse. ‘Vantage point’ is the point in the storyline from which the singer is telling the story. Is the singer in the midst of the problem right now in the present moment? Or, is the singer looking back to a time in the past? Perhaps the singer is forecasting a future in which things will look different or better? When we can define the timeframe of verse one, we can get a handle on where, or rather “when” to take the second verse. To make this strategy work, it’s important to limit that first verse to a single timeframe. Jumping around from the present moment into the past often means we’re trying to cover too much ground at once. Similarly, jumping from the current moment to another current moment means the singer is on a timeline that moves as we listen. This works for some songs, but can be problematic for others. If the singer moves along with the song, the main character is no longer the ‘voice of experience.’ Messages that express a realization or something learned as a result of pain lose their momentum if the singer hasn’t already gone through the transformation.
2. Expanding on the Chorus Message
Another simple tool for second verses is to consider the chorus message and concept it suggests. The chorus is where we deliver the ‘why’ of the song. It uses big statements, thoughts and feelings, giving summary to the verses that came before it. If the chorus states the truth, the verses show us a specific example of that truth. In essence, the chorus tells the listener what is to be felt and understood from the song as a whole.
The verse that follows the first chorus of a song is a wonderful place to expand on the message of the chorus in detail. This is particularly true when our first verse established a problem the character faces. Where the first verse shows the relationship breaking up, the chorus tells how meaningful that breakup feels. The second verse can then delve into the concept of how hard it is when human relationships fail. The concept is what remains when the specific characters have been removed and the situation takes center stage.
3. Flipping the Coin
A final strategy to working out those later verses in a song is to do what I call ‘flip the coin.’ The opposite of the problem in the first verse is the solution. Even if it’s just a fantasy, a second verse about what it would be like to see the fractured relationship healed is the flip side of the first verse coin that establishes the fracturing of the relationship. Or, looking back from the current vantage point, describing the good times when the relationship was flourishing is a fresh side of the idea we haven’t yet heard in the song.
Second verses don’t have to be the death of our songs. Just a few minutes reviewing the function of our verses against our choruses, and considering vantage point, can easily drive a lost cause across the finish line.
To learn more about how to incorporate the function of contrast in your songs click here: The Importance of Contrast.
Stay creative,
