For purposes of this story, it would be better if I could remember the name of the song I am about to mention. But I can’t. Still, I think you’ll get the point because I’m certain this has happened to you.
We were driving. Radio on. Beatles channel, I think. Yes, definitely a Beatles’ song. During the opening verse, my wife said “I don’t know this song.” Then the chorus came along and she changed her mind. “Oh yeah. I know this.”
That happens all the time, right? Pop music is practically designed for it to happen. It’s pretty much standard operating procedure for the chorus to be musically catchy and lyrically repetitive. You are supposed to remember it.
Not every song has a great chorus, including these 15 could-have-beens
The verse can go in plenty of directions, but the chorus is short and memorable. It’s usually where the name of the song comes from. Can you sing the verse to Fun.’s “We Are Young?” Doubtful. It’s fast – until it gets slow. But if you’ve heard song even just once, I bet you can do the chorus.
But there are times, perhaps intentionally, perhaps not, where the roles are inverted. Today, we’re looking for songs where the verse is flat-out better than the chorus. I suppose the chorus could still be catchy, but it’s a stupid kind of catchy. Which is better than a boring chorus. That’s the worst.
Anyway, I don’t much care the reason. I just am looking at songs that I really like – until the chorus comes along.
“Girl” by the Beatles (1965)
“Girl” was not the Beatles’ song in question earlier. I would have remembered. John Lennon tells this tight little story in his tortured vocal about the “girl who came to stay.” Good melody. Good lyrics. And then we reach the chorus, where we expect to hear some sort of thematic statement of purpose.
Instead, we get “Ahh Girl … Girl.” That’s it. That’s the chorus. To move it from meaningless to downright annoying, he adds in a sound – it always sounds to me like some kind of inward hiss. That actually becomes the most memorable part of the virtually non-existent chorus.
“Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon” by Neil Diamond (1967)
Yeah, it’s vaguely unpleasant, asking a girl who is not yet a woman to “come take my hand." But when you consider that two separate versions of “Go Away Little Girl” hit the top of the Billboard Hot 100, I suppose can’t get too upset about Neil’s infatuation. But I can’t forgive the musical disconnect.
See, “Go Away Little Girl” was just trash from beginning to end. But this song actually has a cool, urgent verse that pulses with energy. Then the syrupy chorus undercuts the whole thing. I guess, pro songsmith that he is, Diamond knew enough to prepare us by actually opening the song on that chorus line.
But it doesn’t help. Even the ironic-nostalgic version by Urge Overkill from Pulp Fiction can't rescue it.
“Julie, Do You Love Me” by Bobby Sherman (1970)
OK, I’m just seeing if you’re paying attention. I mean, no one admits to liking any part of this song in 2026. Except I do. Sure it’s cheesy, but Sherman’s easygoing, faux-cool pop rock actually works – for me, at least – in the verse. Then the sing-songy chorus – with the background singers and big horns – blows the delicate balance totally out of whack.
“Silly Love Songs” by Wings (1976)
I nailed John for “Girl” so I feel it only right to nail Paul for this one. But please note – this is a far better song than the insipid “My Love,” which has a bad verse and a terrible chorus. “Silly Love Songs” is a cute little take on a subject Paul knew very well and his verse, though not exactly “Penny Lane,” is pretty good stuff.
The “I love you” chorus lets it down, even with the embellishments he adds as the song goes on.
“Victim of Love” by the Eagles (1976)
I like so many Don Henley songs but have to admit that his choruses often fail to live up to his verses. (I’m looking at you “Dirty Laundry.”) This is the worst example from Henley because the verse is accusatory and cool and the chorus is whiny and boring.
“Minute by Minute” by the Doobie Brothers (1979)
The thing is – I like the Doobie Brothers. And I like Michael McDonald. I just don’t like when Michael McDonald was with the Doobie Brothers. By 1979, he had clearly wrested control of the band from Tom Johnston and Patrick Simmons.
They were more popular than ever. But not to me. “Minute by Minute” has some off-kilter syncopation in its verse, followed by a soft redundant chorus that adds nothing.
“De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da” by the Police (1980)
I don’t really need to explain this one, do I? I mean, look at the title. At least when the Stones did “Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo,” there was a real attitude – and a much needed “Heartbreaker” in the actual chorus (and title.)
“I’m Goin’ Down” by Bruce Springsteen (1984)
Bruce says the word “down” 16 times in the chorus. There are three proper choruses, plus a bunch of repeated ones in the outro. He jazzes up the outro, but I still count 91 “downs” in a three-and-a-half minute song. That’s one “down” every 2.3 seconds – a record for “downs” which has never been broken.
“Got My Mind Set on You” by George Harrison (1987)
Harrison did not write this song, but despite its inexplicable popularity, he made it worse in his cover by pushing the repetition to absurd lengths. Listen to James Ray’s 1962 original – a jazzy romp that is breezy in the verse and actually haunting in the significantly de-emphasized chorus. Harrison just hammered that chorus into your ears – and for reasons that elude me, scored a number one hit.
“Everybody Knows” by Leonard Cohen (1988)
Yes, even the spectacular Leonard Cohen can write a bad chorus. Mind you, this has nothing to do with lyrical simplicity. His most famous song – which I assume you are already humming to yourself – has a single word repeated four times for its chorus.
But the corresponding melody for “Hallelujah” is so brilliant that it transforms the word into a tortured prayer. Not so for “Everybody Knows,” which I would argue has even more evocative verses than “Hallelujah” but follows it with an oversimplified chorus that adds nothing to the song.
“Wonderwall” by Oasis (1995)
This is one of the best-loved examples of what we are discussing. I’m sure there are people who like to sing along to this Britpop classic. I just don’t happen to know any of them. The people I know just want to know what the hell a wonderwall is and why an edgy, adult-sounding verse has given way to what sounds vaguely like a fairy story in the chorus.
“A is For Andrew” by Attack Attack! (2010)
I usually stick to broad rock and pop genres when I do lists like this, but I thought it might be nice to show how this particular issue can plague any genre. When Caleb Shomo is screaming the verse, this metalcore song is a basher. Then the chorus arrives.
It’s not just that Johnny Franck’s clean vocals constitute a major tonal shift. That can work. But the whole song changes into a high-pitched emo whiner. It lasts for just two lines (with Shomo continuing to shriek underneath) and then it is gone, not returning until the next awkward chorus. Maybe I’m just close-minded but this doesn’t work.
“Look What You Made Me Do” by Taylor Swift (2017)
In hindsight, the most remarkable thing is that Swift has written so many songs in such a short period of time and this is the only time I know of when she simply punted on the chorus. That’s not to say all her other songs are great. You are free to dislike all of them.
But there is an intelligence to them. A plan. I don’t hear a plan on this one. The verse features a dramatic rap. The pre-chorus has a nice hyperpop build. And it builds to … nothing. Almost literally. The chorus actually stops the song cold. I don’t think that was the intention.
“make up” by Ariana Grande (2019)
Here’s a remarkable thing. Six credited songwriters – including powerhouses like Kaydence Krysiuk, Victoria Monet, and Grande herself – worked on this song, and they still rhymed “make up” with “makeup” in the chorus. And that chorus also takes a pretty solid little verse vibe and stops it, the same way Taylor’s chorus does on the previous song.
And finally, for our 15th entry…
The Jeff Lynne honorary award
You know who writes consistently banging choruses that match his excellent verses? David Byrne. You know who doesn’t? Jeff Lynne. “Mr. Blue Sky,” “Livin’ Thing,” “Do Ya,” “Evil Woman,” “Strange Magic,” – you name it. They all have intriguing verses paired with redundant, bland choruses.
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