Click to unmute. By Nate Sloan and Charlie Harding Since the 1960s, pop music has been ruled mostly by what’s known in the business — and to your ears — as the verse-chorus form: The verse sets the scene, the pre-chorus builds tension, and the chorus reaches a climax. Then, the cycle starts again: verse, pre-chorus, chorus. It’s the fun, if slightly predictable, roller coaster we’ve been riding for decades. For a simple yet powerful and classic example, think back to “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” sung by Aretha Franklin. She starts out, “Looking out on the morning rain,” thinking of how she “used to feel so uninspired,” then brightens up talking about her new love, singing, “You’re the key to my peace of mind.” The instruments — horns, strings, drums — brighten up right alongside her and peak, cathartically, with the titular line everyone knows and loves (backed by a literal chorus).