[smg333]

am i the only one to notice that nautical disaster(one of the hip's best songs) has no chorus?
i think it's the only one, please correct me if i am wrong...do any other bands(that we've heard of) have songs like these?
i think it is pretty cool...a very powerful song

[skippy the wonder dog]

Loads of songs have no chorus. The folk song tradition is built out of songs with no chorus, just interchangeable couplets. Ditto the blues.

What makes Nautical stand out is that it not only lacks a chorus or a bridge, but also lacks any real, recognizable verse structure. There's a vaguely repeated melody, but it changes on each iteration. That's something that's certainly rare in popular music.

[john cage]

am i the only one to notice that nautical disaster(one of the hip's best songs) has no chorus?

Wow - thanks for pointing that out. You should get the Nobel Peace Prize for Musical Discovery!

ps - sorry, I'm a sarcastic wanker today. Issue me a yellow card.

[Problem Bear]

If you want to hear another excellent example, try Remember the Mountainbed by Billy Bragg and Wilco (though the song is actually just Wilco) from their Woody Guthrie lyrics project.

Nine verses, no chorus, vinyl guitar, perfect love song.

Cheers,
John

[Shane Kroeker]

am i the only one to notice that nautical disaster(one of the hip's best songs) has no chorus?

How many letters have you written in your life that actually contain a chorus? It only makes sense that the lyrics are read one time through in a steady fashion, which really makes this song unique to the Hip's catalogue.

[Cpt. Trips]

The real question / game here.

Is what other HIP songs have no chorus?

I'm gonna go with the Dark Canuck for next wackiest structured song.

[The Darkest Canuck]

i would argue that song has two choruses...

[Cpt. Trips]

I would agree with you, "Short Answers 48 Hours..."

I was talking rather about the crazy change at the end, which I am sure there is a real musical term for.

Ok, i'll take another crack at my own game:

Toronto #4

[The Horrible Esthete]

I agree with everything except

but also lacks any real, recognizable verse structure. There's a vaguely repeated melody, but it changes on each iteration.

Not sure what you mean there.

As far as the verse chord structure goes, it loyally adheres to the |Em-D-G-D||Em-D-C-D| progression, except for the few |Em-G-C-D| measures spanning the instrumental section between "And we headed for home..." and "And then the dream ends". The vocal melody is relatively consistent throughout, too.

[skippy the wonder dog]

I'm concerned with melody, not with the chord progression. The melody is repeatedly modified and the length of the vocal lines is not consistent.

[The Horrible Esthete]

Hmm. I don't really agree, but I guess I'll just leave that argument alone, since it's about impossible to discuss in written text. I personally don't notice Gord modifying the melody in Nautical any more than he seems to do in most other songs. Gord's melodies have always struck me as irreuglar and unconventional, as a rule....

But I do agree that "choruslessness" is very common in folk & blues. The thing is that the Hip's style of rock isn't very "folky", and depite the fact that rock 'n' roll is, in general, a derivative of the blues, I do not consider the Hip's music to be overtly "bluesy" either. Thus, the fact that Nautical has no chorus is what makes it most distinctive....

....to me, anyway....