After a study of common song forms in one of my Commerical Songwriting 1 classes at Belmont University, I realized I had never written an AABA song and decided to give it a shot.
A prevalent song-form from the 30’s to the 60’s, AABA is rarely employed now that the extended pop form (verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus) dominates the songwriting landscape. A strophic or stanza form was a great tool for storytelling because each verse can introduce “a new chapter” in the story. The AABA form added a “middle 8” section: an 8 bar break from the story to give context, introduce a twist, ratchet up the tension, or add some emotional internal details to compliment the external details of the narrative verses.
The Beatles catalog is full of AABA songs. Other great examples include “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” by Carole King, “Surfer Girl” by the Beach Boys, “Every Breath You Take” by the Police and “Over the Rainbow.”
For this exercise I’ve used Willie Nelson’s “Crazy” as a model, placing the hook in the first line of each A section. [SIDENOTE: Patsy Cline’s version of “Crazy” was recorded steps from where I wrote this song. Our songwriting classrooms share space with the Quonset Hut and Columbia Studio A.)
Goodbye, TX
James Tealy ©2015 My Eleiht Songs / BMI (admin by Music Services, Inc.)
Born and raised in Goodbye, TX
Hundred miles from anywhere
One way street in both directions
For getting out once you get there
The oil in the ground was a shallow dream
The quick-to-come were as quick-to-leave
They were quick to leave
Met a girl in Goodbye, TX
I was stuck and so was she
We thought love just might distract us
Long enough to find some peace
We’d wave as the u-haul trucks passed by
In a weekly parade of red tail lights
Watchin red tail lights
My roots are anchored deep in this dry ground
But save a seat for me on the last truck out
Probably die in Goodbye, TX
Buried out behind the church
A dozen plastic yellow roses
At a gravestone next to hers
There’s no one left here to speak my name
From dust back to dust in a long slow fade
It’s a long slow fade