A Sad Refrain

The point of the verse-chorus structure is contrast. When a song goes from one mood to another, it's a satisfying change of pace (if done well)--it's one of the reasons the change in a chorus is called a "release." The movement also sets up a sense of tension as we wait for the return to the main theme.

I think rap has changed this, and not for the better. The idea in rap is the beat and the groove. Once you've got something going, repeating it over and over is acceptable. And so it's not uncommon nowadays, even with melodic songs, that the verse and the chorus don't contrast properly.

I was thinking about this while listening to two huge hits from the past few years, "Hey Ya!" and "Crazy."

"Hey Ya!" has a melody of sorts, but look at the harmonic structure--it doesn't vary from verse to chorus. "Crazy" is an even better example, since it's more extensively melodic, yet the verse and chorus share the same chords.

I got nothing against grooves, but where's my release?