The Chorus Effect

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

Just yesterday I was out in a big store with music playing over the loudspeaker system (between blaatts of employees with really annoying voices making occasional announcements) when a song came on. Eileen said, "oooooh, there's an annoying one" (we had been talking about those songs that just stick in your head and won't go away). I couldn't recognize it at all, but then all of a sudden in came the chorus: "Do you reaaaally want to huuuurrrrt meeeee?" and I suddenly realized that in twenty years I've either: a) never heard the chorus; b) never retained it in my thick skull.

So, the question is: how many times has this happened to you? What songs can you immediately think of the chorus but never remember the verses (musically speaking that is)? And how much of it has to do with commercials for compilation albums where they just play small snippets of the choruses of a zillion hit singles?

― Sean Carruthers, Saturday, 6 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I'm actually thinking of starting up a radio station where all they play is 5 second segments of all the best hits. That way you can listen to the entire history of music in an afternoon!

― Sean Carruthers, Saturday, 6 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

And here, I thought this was going to be a thread about pedals and guitar effects units. Yeah, I quite like Chorus for that wonderful 80s sound (especially on bass, Peter Hook stylee) but I'm a bigger fan of Phaser and Delay (oh, especially the DD-5 with its sampling and backwards reverb, yum yum!)

― kate, Saturday, 6 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Haha Kate, I thought it was going to be an FX thread, too!

Sean, you don't remember that chorus because Boy George is completely awful (and far too over-rated by 80s-worshipping college types who have mp3 folders labeled things like "80z Party Jamz" on the network neighborhood, which is really just the same damn mp3s on everyone's computer 'cause everyone's too lazy to do their own scouring work - argh!). Either that or you've been hanging out with Julio too much and learning how to pretend not to have heard pop music ever.

Anyway, I've had the opposite experience quite a bit, especially with Foreigner songs. Like "Urgent" - the first minute or so, I'm like "what the hell is this? is this going anywhere", and *finally* the chorus hits, and *duh*. My pet theory is that they tried to beef up their choruses and make them sound better than they actually were by putting them in between some of the most drifting, limp, forgettable verses the arena rock world has ever known.

― Clarke B., Saturday, 6 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

No no, Clarke, that's exactly what I'm saying. I made an oopsie above: a) should actually read "never heard the VERSE". Oops! I knew the chorus but completely blanked on the first minute of the song.

― Sean Carruthers, Saturday, 6 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

There's no guitar effect called "verse". What are you talking about?

Happens all the time. Usually with the Strokes. I hear the first minute or so and I'm like "Ew, what is this? I think I know this..." and then he starts caterwauling LASSSST NIIIIIIGGGGHHHHHTTT..." and I run screaming from the room. It is so horrible I have blasted all memory of it from my waking mind.

― kate, Saturday, 6 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

kiss - rock and roll all night

― brains, Saturday, 6 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

There should be a pedal called verse.

Suggestions as to what it would do?

I vote that we take verse to mean rhyme, and that when you sing through it it improves your rhyming pronounciation at the end of lines.

― phil, Saturday, 6 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Can we turn this into a discussion of effects pedals anyway? I had the DD5 (£159 new I believe) and it's pretty cool and everything, but for the discerning dubstar, the Line 6 Delay Modeller is the bees knees.

Do you know what I mean (I mean, I mean, I mean I mean....)

― chris sallis, Saturday, 6 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

pedals and guitar effects units.
No mention of the fabled Blue box pedal Kate?

― Mr Noodles, Saturday, 6 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Since the Chorus effect is so (potentially) silly (like the bombastic pop chorus), the equivalent of a verse pedal would be something like a delay, you know, something that drew things out, providing for the inevitable POPXPLOSION

― tyler, Saturday, 6 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.