Teleology in Verse–Prechorus–Chorus Form, 1965–2020

Abstract

This article traces a stylistic history of verse–prechorus–chorus form from its inception in mid-1960s rock ’n’ roll through the EDM-infused pop of the 2010s. The central argument is that across its various presentations, verse–prechorus–chorus form is based on a consistent teleological structure, which I term the telos principle. I chronicle this form’s history through three style periods: I begin with the 1960s through ’80s, over which time verse–prechorus–chorus went from a novel offshoot of standard verse–chorus form to a dominant formal layout. Next, I look at how the form developed between 1991 and 2010, when texture, timbre, and voice increasingly overshadowed harmony as the primary drivers of formal motion. Finally, the 2010s saw the strongest efforts toward subverting traditional pop and rock formal processes, especially surrounding the chorus’s central formal status; I demonstrate how the telos principle can guide expressive interpretations of these formal subversions.

In tracing verse–prechorus–chorus form’s historical lineage, this article connects the harmonically oriented theories of ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s rock, such as Nobile 2020 and Heetderks 2020, with recent work on post-2010 EDM-infused pop, such as Peres 2016, Barna 2020, Adams 2019, and Osborn 2022. In so doing, the article reconsiders recent formal innovations not as a rejection of prior paradigms but as new developments within an ongoing thread, remaining in dialogue with popular music’s stylistic history.