The Song Without a Chorus
I’ve spent the past decade rearranging Christmas songs to offer something fresh in the Yuletide spirit. Years of rearranging music have taught me how much the meaning of a song depends on its arrangement. So with Christmas music, I’ve tried to honor the original writers by staying as close to the original lyrics and melodies as possible.
After three EP’s of Christmas music, I felt like I was running out of songs to arrange, which meant I faced the exciting challenge of writing new ones. “What Beauty” is one that I wrote for the latest Christmas album. I approached writing this song with a few requirements. It needed to:
Rely heavily on the lyrics rather than music
Have no chorus
Relay the theme of God being flesh
The result was four simple stanzas:
What beauty lies within
In the eyes of this child
In the still of the night
His life proclaiming love
Over all mankind
What beauty lies within
What mercy lies within
In the heart of this child
He will give us his life
Compassion for the weak
And justice for all wrong
What mercy lies within
What mystery lies within
In the flesh of this child
Both of earth and divine
His life revealed to all
Who would want for hope
What mystery lies within
What glory lies within
He will break sin and death
Bringing life to us all
His rule will far outshine
All the world's false glare
What glory lies within
Why rely on lyrics?
I often write songs that start with simple melodies or feelings. The lyrics compliment the music instead of comprising the song’s content. I’m not the only one who does this. Take, for example, the popular song “Yellow” by Coldplay. Who the heck knows what “yellow” is? Chris Martin doesn’t even know. The beauty of ambiguous lyrics is that every listener can interpret them differently. And yet, hymns like “Amazing Grace” articulate meaningful poetry regardless of melody. Songs that focus on lyrics allow us to communicate and experience powerful ideas or truths.
Why write a song without a chorus?
Pop songs typically have a chorus, but there are some excellent examples of older pop songs that don’t, such as “All Along the Watchtower” (Bob Dylan) and “Hey Jude” (The Beatles). I experimented with this on my latest album with “Sight of You.” In such cases, some type of tagline replaces the chorus, tying each stanza together. In “What Beauty,” each stanza begins and ends the same way…what beauty, mercy, mystery, and glory. A chorus is great if there is a central idea you want to repeat continually. But composing with stanzas and taglines allows the writer to connect several different but related concepts. This brings me to my third point.
Why write about God being flesh?
I wanted to find a way to talk about the mysterious unity of eternity and finitude in Jesus’ tiny infant body. It’s a bit mind-blowing to think of a little ten-toed baby being the fullness of God and the fullness of humanity wrapped up in one. A lifetime could not plumb its depths, and yet, beauty, mercy, mystery, and glory each capture one aspect of what the incarnation means.
I wish every one of you a wonderful Christmas this year. May God’s beauty, mercy, mystery, and glory meet you in love this season.
Eric