If you are a regular person who listens to anything with a great beat or lyrics, then you would probably have no idea about chorus and refrain. However, if you are a music student, songwriter, or aspiring musician, these two music terms are important to learn about in music theory.
In this comparison of chorus vs. refrain, we will reveal what the two terms mean, how they differ, and how you can write them in song lyrics.
What Is Refrain in a Song?
The refrain is a music term that means a phrase or line(s) that is repeated multiple times in a song. Consider it a tagline of a song. Refrains usually appear before the chorus and are to reinforce the main idea of the song.
When making a refrain for a song, you should write it around the main idea of the song. Something that you want to reinforce again and again to the listeners. Something that the listener would remember your song by. Refrains are repeated multiple times in a song, at the end of each passage and usually before a chorus.
What Is Chorus in a Song?
A chorus in a song is something that nearly everyone who has ever read the lyrics of a song knows about. It is a part of the song, usually in the middle of the song, where some verses are sung by more than one singer. It is where basically the sum of all the previous verses and the refrain.
Songwriters write the most meaningful part of the song in chorus. It is usually sung by more than one singer and involves all the music instruments and elements. While the refrain talks about one idea over and over, the chorus sums the entire idea into a few lines. You will notice the audience singing with the musicians in the chorus.
As you know by now, the refrain contains the same words and lines. But the chorus covers different phrases with the same musical instruments and elements. The two are quite different, but there is also a similarity.
Is There a Similarity Between Refrain and Chorus?
According to music experts, all choruses in a song are refrains, but not all refrains are choruses. That’s why most people confuse the two words with each other. These two sections are the most crucial part of any song and keep the listeners hooked to it.
However, their structure can be different. Let’s see how chorus and refrain differ from each other by looking at the lyrics of a song.
Chorus vs Refrain in a Song
Now that you know the difference and the similarities between the two let’s see what refrain and chorus look like in a song.
Refrain in a Song
In the song “Somebody That I Used to Know” by Gotye, the singer uses a refrain to hook the listeners to the phrase “Now you’re just somebody that I used to know” by reinforcing these phrases several times in the song.
Now and then I think of when we were together
Like when you said you felt so happy you could die
Told myself that you were right for me
But felt so lonely in your company
But that was love and it’s an ache I still remember
You can get addicted to a certain kind of sadness
Like resignation to the end, always the end
So when we found that we could not make sense
Well, you said that we would still be friends
But I’ll admit that I was glad it was over
But you didn’t have to cut me off
Make out like it never happened and that we were nothing
And I don’t even need your love
But you treat me like a stranger and that feels so rough
No, you didn’t have to stoop so low
Have your friends collect your records
And then change your number
I guess that I don’t need that though
Now you’re just somebody that I used to know
Now you’re just somebody that I used to know
Now you’re just somebody that I used to know
Now and then, I think of all the times you screwed me over
But had me believing it was always something that I’d done
But I don’t wanna live that way
Reading into every word you say
You said that you could let it go
And I wouldn’t catch, you hung up on
Somebody that you used to know
But you didn’t have to cut me off
Make out like it never happened and that we were nothing
And I don’t even need your love
But you treat me like a stranger and that feels so rough
And you didn’t have to stoop so low
Have your friends collect your records
And then change your number
I guess that I don’t need that though
Now you’re just somebody that I used to know
Somebody (I used to know)
Somebody (Now you’re just somebody that I used to know)
Somebody (I used to know)
Somebody (Now you’re just somebody that I used to know)
Somebody
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Walter De Backer / Luiz Bonfa
Somebody That I Used to Know lyrics © Unichappell Music Inc., Op Shop Songs Pty Ltd
Chorus in a Song
In the song “Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jepsen, the singer sings the same part of the song multiple times. These lines that engage all the musical elements and instruments in the song are called a chorus. You will notice that the bolded lines in the following lyrics are repeated throughout the song and pretty much sum up the main idea.
I threw a wish in the well, don’t ask me, I’ll never tell
I looked to you as it fell and now you’re in my way
I trade my soul for a wish, pennies and dimes for a kiss
I wasn’t looking for this, but now you’re in my way
Your stare was holdin’, ripped jeans, skin was showin’
Hot night, wind was blowin’
Where you think you’re going, baby?
Hey, I just met you and this is crazy
But here’s my number, so call me, maybe
It’s hard to look right at you, baby
But here’s my number, so call me, maybe
Hey, I just met you and this is crazy
But here’s my number, so call me, maybe
And all the other boys try to chase me
But here’s my number, so call me, maybe
You took your time with the call, I took no time with the fall
You gave me nothing at all, but still, you’re in my way
I beg, and borrow and steal, at first sight and it’s real
I didn’t know I would feel it, but it’s in my way
Your stare was holdin’, ripped jeans, skin was showin’
Hot night, wind was blowin’
Where you think you’re going, baby?
Hey, I just met you and this is crazy
But here’s my number, so call me, maybe
It’s hard to look right at you, baby
But here’s my number, so call me, maybe
Hey, I just met you and this is crazy
But here’s my number, so call me, maybe
And all the other boys try to chase me
But here’s my number, so call me, maybe
Before you came into my life, I missed you so bad
I missed you so bad, I missed you so, so bad
Before you came into my life, I missed you so bad
And you should know that, I missed you so, so bad (bad, bad, bad)
It’s hard to look right at you, baby
But here’s my number, so call me, maybe
Hey, I just met you and this is crazy
But here’s my number, so call me, maybe
And all the other boys try to chase me
But here’s my number, so call me, maybe
Before you came into my life, I missed you so bad
I missed you so bad, I missed you so, so bad
Before you came into my life, I missed you so bad
And you should know that
So call me maybe
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Jepsen Carly Rae / Crowe Tavish
Call Me Maybe lyrics © Universal Music Corp., Jepsen Music Publishing
These two examples will help you differentiate clearly between chorus and refrain.
Chorus vs Refrain – Conclusion
Refrain and chorus are the two most important parts of any song. Although they might seem similar, they are quite different from each other. Hopefully, this article helped you distinguish between the two. Search your favorite song lyrics now and identify the refrains and choruses in each of them to better understand the difference.