JPF Home Page Forums General Messages Mentor Questions Forum Christmas Carols, a 'classroom' on Song Structures

"Silver Bells" became a classic. Scene-setting at Christmas-time;

City sidewalks! Busy sidewalks, dressed in holiday style! (Repetition, memorable!)
In the air there's a feeling of Christmas! (Interesting completeness, resolve, of Melody.)
Children laughing! People passing, meeting smile after smile! (Repetition!)
And on every street corner you hear... (The Melodic 'lift', and the Lyrical 'cliffhanger', are a simple Pre-Chorus. Then, the Chorus itself is simple, Repetitions, Melody, and done! Ready for a Verse Repeat, Melodically, with new Lyric.)

Silver Bells! Silver Bells!
It's Christmas time, in the city!
Ring-a-ling! Ring-a-ling!
Soon it will be Christmas day!

Strings of streetlights, even stop lights, (Verse Melody Repeats; new Lyric)
blink a bright red and green,
as the shoppers run home with their treasures!
Hear the snow crunch, see the kids bunch!
This is Santa's big scene,
and above all the bustle you hear... (Again, the Melodic 'lift', a signal that a Change is coming, and the familiar Chorus Repeats, welcome to hear again, not annoying by excess Repetition, welcome, and memorable, sing-along-able.

Simplicity works!

A third Repeat of the Chorus is not overdoing it either. You can probably execute this Song in well under three minutes. Simplicity.

Bing Crosby;