Proper attention to Song Structure is often overlooked by many songwriters. You have probably written songs in the past where you know the song has great potential, yet it feels like there’s something missing. Whenever that happens to me, one of the first things I look at is the song structure.
Whether they realise it or not,  many songwriters barely even think about the structure of their songs. An otherwise great song can cause listeners to lose interst if it wanders aimlessly from section to section. The key thing to remember is that using a proven song structure is a GOOD THING. There needs to be a delicate balance between keeping the listeners interest while at the same time having a hint of predictability. For example you’ll definitely want to arrange your song so the listener can feel when the chorus is about to start, you don’t want to throw in a chorus where your audience least expect it. Now I’m not saying the song should be boring, far from it…but the simple fact is that songwriters use certain structures because they work!

Make sure that you use a tried and tested structure with your songs and try to avoid the temptation of ‘doing something new’ as chances are you’ll end up with an unfocused track that confuses the listener. Feel free to get creative with your lyrics and instrumentation that’s where you can tread new ground but do try to stick to a solid proven structure!

Here are some  examples of songs that use some traditional structures…

FOO FIGHTERS ALL MY LIFE
VERSE – VERSE – CHORUS – VERSE – CHORUS – BRIDGE -  CHORUS

LED ZEPELLIN – GOOD TIMES, BAD TIMES
VERSE – CHORUS – VERSE – CHORUS – SOLO -  CHORUS

QUEEN – WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS
VERSE – CHORUS – VERSE – CHORUS – CHORUS

DAVID BOWIE – STARMAN
VERSE – CHORUS – SOLO – VERSE – CHORUS – SOLO

I’d strongly recommend taking out a notepad and pen, listening to some of your favorite songs and noting down the structure they use. Sure, they will vary from song to song and greatly depending on genre but with a little studying you’ll start to get a feel for song structure and how you can apply them to you own work