Song Structure is often overlooked by many songwriters. You've probably had many song ideas yourself where you see it's potential, yet it feels like there's something missing. One of the first things I look at in that situation is the structure of the song.
Whether they admit it or not every artist in every genre puts a lot of effort into the structure of their songs. An otherwise great song can cause listeners to 'turn off' if the song lurches unexpectedly from section to section. There needs to be a delicate balance between holding the listeners interest while at the same time having a hint of predictability about it so they can sense when the chorus is going to enter for example.
Now I'm not saying the song should be boring, far from it but the simple fact is that songwriters use certain structures because they work! Make sure that you use a tried and tested structure with your songs and try to avoid the temptation of 'doing something new' as chances are you'll end up with an unfocused track that confuses the listner. Here are some typical song structures and some examples of songs that use them...
ALL MY LIFE - FOO FIGHTERS
VERSE - VERSE - CHORUS - VERSE - CHORUS - BRIDGE - CHORUS
GOOD TIMES, BAD TIMES - LED ZEPPELIN
VERSE - CHORUS - VERSE - CHORUS - SOLO - CHORUS
WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS - QUEEN
VERSE - CHORUS - VERSE - CHORUS - CHORUS
STARMAN - DAVID BOWIE
VERSE - CHORUS - SOLO - VERSE - CHORUS - SOLO
I'd strongly recommend taking out a notepad and pen, listening to some of your favorite songs and noting down the structure they use. Sure, they will vary from song to song but you'll start to get a feel for song structure and how you can apply them to you own work
