Roar<Span Class="Orangetitle"> Deconstructed</Span>
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Roar Deconstructed
Skip to: Audio/Video Overview Song Structure Momentum/Tension/Intensity (MTI) Music/Instrumentation/Vocal Delivery Vocal Melody Lyrics Benchmarking A&R Hit Factors Recap & Final Thought Songwriter/Producer Takeaways
Audio/Video Back to Top
At a Glance Back to Top
Artist: Katy Perry Song/Album: Roar / Prism Songwriters: Gottwald, Martin, McKee, Perry, Walter Genre: Pop Sub Genres: Pop/Rock, Power Pop Length: 3:43 Structure (Form): A-B-A-B-C-B Tempo: 92 bpm First Chorus: 0:48 / 22% into the song Intro Length: 0:05 Outro Length: n/a Electric vs. Acoustic: Combo Primary Instrumentation: Synth, Electric Guitar Lyrical Theme: Love/Relationships, Empowerment Title Occurrences: “Roar” occurs 16 times within the song Primary Lyrical P.O.V: 1st & 2nd
Overview Back to Top
More so than any single that Katy Perry has ever released, Roar is by far the most important and carries the most weight on its shoulders.
Why? Not only does it have to live up to the massive success of Teenage Dream, but it also needs to perfectly bridge the old with the new, satiating the expectations of her core Teenage Dream fanbase while at the same time breaking the mold to allow her to to exercise her new
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To help achieve this, Perry once again collaborated with a who’s who of today’s top hitmakers including Bonnie McKee, Cirkut, Dr. Luke and Max Martin to craft an undeniable hit that would thrust her back to the top of the charts and set the scene for things to come on her forthcoming album, Prism. It was certainly no easy task, but one that the writers pulled off in grand fashion.
To date, Roar has landed in the top 10 on 38 charts throughout the world and hit #1 on 15.
What follows are the core characteristics and attributes that helped launch Katy Perry and Roar back to the top of the charts.
Song Structure Back to Top
Timeline (Shows when each section hits within the timeline of the song)
Structure At-a-Glance
Form
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General Form
Roar utilizes the hands-down most popular, and arguably the most effective, form (structure) in Pop music: A-B-A-B-C-B (Verse – Chorus – Verse – Chorus – Bridge – Chorus).
Full Form
Now, when you take into account all of the sections within the song, Roar’s full form looks like this: Intro – Verse 1 – Pre-Chorus 1 – Chorus 1 A – Chorus 1 B – Turnaround – Verse 2 – Pre- Chorus 2 – Chorus 2 A – Chorus 2 B – Break/Bridge – Chorus 3 A – Chorus 3 B
The one “question mark” that we need to consider regarding Roar’s form resides in the Bridge. Does it qualify as a “traditional” bridge or is more of a break/interlude? We’ll be exploring this further into the report.
Section Length, Count & Segmenting
I=Intro, V=Verse, PC=Pre-Chorus, TURN=Turnaround, CHR=Chorus, BRG=Bridge, BRK =Break
Section Count
Roar contains 10 full sections within its framework, 13 when you take into account how each full chorus is split into 2 distinct parts (A & B). This consists of 1 intro (of course), 2 verses, 2 pre-choruses, 3 full choruses (all of which include parts A and B), 1 break/bridge and 1 turnaround.
Section Length
In regard to the length of full sections within the song, as you’ll see below they range from very short to quite long. Not surprisingly, excluding the quick turnaround that follows the first chorus, the intro is by far the shortest section within the song (hook ‘em in fast and move on!), and the full chorus (i.e. “payoff”) sections are the longest and with good reason as we’ll see later within the report.
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Very Short
0:03 Turnaround
0:05 Intro
Short
*0:10 Verse 2
*0:11 Chorus 1, Part B
Moderate
0:19 Break/Bridge
0:21 Verse 1
0:22 Pre-Chorus 1
0:22 Pre-Chorus 2
Long
0:32 Chorus 1 (Includes parts A & B)
0:42 Chorus 2 (Includes parts A & B)
0:42 Chorus 3 (Includes parts A & B)
*Notice that verse 2 as well as part B of chorus 1 are half sections in relation to their counterpart sections within the song.
Sectional Segmenting
Engaging the listener and KEEPING them engaged throughout the song is what it’s all about. There are many factors that go into this (e.g. an infectious melody and rhythm, strong lyrics, etc…), but one factor that is of utmost importance is to provide the listener with new elements entering the mix frequently to help keep them engaged. If you linger on too long within one particular section without providing diversity, they’re eventually going to start to lose interest.
What follows is a rundown of how certain sections were “segmented” into shorter segments in order to help hold the listener’s attention throughout the song:
Intro (0:05)
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Very short on its own.
Verse 1 (0:21): Split into 2 segments
0:11 First Stanza
0:10 Second Stanza
Pre-Chorus 1 (0:22): Split into 2 segments
0:11 First Stanza
0:11 Second Stanza
Chorus 1 (0:32): Split into 3 segments
0:11 First Stanza, Part A
0:10 Second Stanza, Part A
0:11 Part B (Half)
Turnaround (0:03)
Brief reversion back to intro theme
Verse 2 (0:10)
Consists of just 1 short stanza compared to the 2 within the first verse
Pre-Chorus 2 (0:22): Split into 2 segments
0:11 First Stanza
0:11 Second Stanza
Chorus 2 (0:42): Split into 4 segments
0:11 First Stanza, Part A
0:10 Second Stanza, Part A
0:11 First Stanza, Part B
0:11 Second Stanza, Part B
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Break/Bridge (0:19): Split into 2 segments
0:09 Instrumental Break
0:10 “Roar” vocal portion
Chorus 3 (0:42): Split into 4 segments
0:11 First Stanza, Part A
0:10 Second Stanza, Part A
0:11 First Stanza, Part B
0:11 Second Stanza, Part B
As you can see, when you break each full section down into shorter individual segments, you wind up with a new segment entering the mix around once every ~0:10. Some sectional segments differ to a degree from one another (e.g. stanzas 1 and 2 within the first verse), while others repeat in close to the same manner (e.g. both segments within chorus 2 part B).
Regardless of the degree of similarity, a new passage enters the mix frequently, doing a fantastic job of helping to keep the listener engaged throughout the entire song. Additionally, notice that all of the individual segments, save for the intro and turnaround, possess almost the same length, which helps to accentuate the song’s memorability factor due to the uniformity.
Total Section Breakdown (The total time consumed by each section and its percentage of the total song)
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It’s easy to see looking at the graph above that the focal point within Roar resides in that ultra- infectious, empowerment natured chorus, comprising the vast majority (52%) of the song’s total composition.
This is due to the fact that the full chorus is both the longest section within the song as well as occurring more often than all of the other sections (i.e. 3 chorus occurrences vs. 2 verse and 2 pre-choruses).
Interestingly, the section that possesses the next most amount of weight (albeit far behind the chorus) is NOT the verse as you would typically expect, but the pre-chorus. This is specifically due to the fact that the second verse is half the length of the first. Otherwise, both the verse and pre-chorus contain the same number of occurrences and verse 1 is just 0:01 shorter than both pre-choruses within the song.
As a side note, usually within chart-topping Pop songs the pre-chorus isn’t provided with the same weight as the verse, but when it’s just as infectious and as lyrically pertinent to the story, it’s very much warranted.
Now as for the break/bridge section, it comprises just 9% of the entire song (remember – this isn’t a fully developed, “traditional” bridge as we see in other songs – more on this later), and the short intro comprises just 2% of Roar’s total composition.
MTI (Momentum/Tension/Intensity) Back to Top
(Evaluation of the intensity of each section within the song timeline on a scale of 1 – 10, 10
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When we talk about a song’s MTI level, we’re referring to how fluctuations in momentum, tension and intensity levels are utilized within each section of the song.
As you can see in the graph above, Roar makes very good use of MTI level shifts throughout the song, making for a very engaging listening experience.
MTI Level Progressions
Essentially, there are 6 individual MTI level progressions within Roar:
MTI level progression 1 (Constant / Decrease): Intro through the transitional pause
MTI level progression 2 (Increase): Verse 1 through chorus 1
MTI level progression 3 (Decrease): Turnaround through the transitional pause
MTI level progression 4 (Increase): Verse 2 through chorus 2
MTI level progression 5 (Decrease / Increase): Bridge
MTI level progression 6 (Increase): Chorus 3
MTI Level Progression 1 (Intro through Transitional Pause)
Roar kicks off with mid-level intensity via the nature of the drums and piano. The MTI level remains constant throughout this brief section until being brought down during the quick transitional pause that occurs at the tail end of the section right before the verse hits. Notice that even though the backing music is pulled from the mix that it doesn’t go full silent. The instruments ring, which keeps a bare minimum MTI level in effect.
MTI Level Progression 2 (Verse 1 through Chorus 1)
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Directly following the transitional pause the MTI level abruptly increases during the first verse due to the addition of the synth bass and Perry’s vocal into the mix.
The MTI level then further increases a bit during the following pre-chorus due to the shift in the nature of Perry’s delivery coupled with the vibrant “heys.” It’s not really that much more intense from a momentum or intensity standpoint (though it is more potent lyrically), but more due to the increase in tension as the song continues to inch toward the payoff within the chorus that follows.
Directly following the pre-chorus the MTI level skyrockets once the ultra-powerful chorus slams in. Notice that the first line of the chorus except for the last lyric (“I got the eye of the…”) continues on in the same vein as the pre-chorus, basically functioning as line 4 of the section (more on that later). This is then followed by the backing music being pulled from the mix for a split second before the full chorus slams in on the lyric “tiger,” providing it with increased impact when it hits. The overall MTI level then remains constant through the chorus A section until increasing a bit further during chorus B due primarily due to the higher level of the synth pad within the mix, which increases the overall intensity of the section.
MTI Level Progression 3 (Turnaround through the Transitional Pause)
Directly following the chorus the MTI level is brought back down during the brief turnaround which is essentially a reversion back to the intro theme. This is followed by a brief transitional pause, which is then followed by the second verse. Note that this is basically a repeat of what happened between the intro and first verse, effectively “resetting the song.”
MTI Level Progression 4 (Verse 2 through Chorus 2)
This MTI level progression is basically the same as it was the first time around within the song (i.e. verse 1 through chorus 1), with the following differences:
The second pre-chorus possesses a slightly higher MTI level than the first due to the additional background vocals and synth within the mix.
The second half of the chorus (chorus B) is slightly more intense than it was during the first time around due to the higher level of the synth pad within the mix, which provides the section with greater intensity. Additionally, considering that chorus B is double the length than it was the first time around, Perry’s additional background “you’re gonna hear me roar” vocal further increases the intensity of the section.
MTI Level Progression 5 (Bridge)
Directly following the intense chorus 2 B section, the overall MTI level is initially brought way down during the first-third of the bridge due to its sparse nature, featuring just synth and guitar plus an ongoing drum roll that is WAY back in the mix.
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The MTI level then starts to build during the second-third of the section when the kick is added to the mix, albeit at a low level. Note that Perry’s “ro-ar” vocal enters into the mix at this point as well, which further increases the MTI level.
During the final-third of the section, the MTI level continues to increase as the drums become louder and Perry’s vocal become more intense until reaching a climax at the tail end.
MTI Level Progression 6 (Chorus 3)
Directly following the MTI level build that peaked at the tail end of the bridge, the MTI level remains pretty much constant during the solo “I got the eye of the…” vocal that occurs at the onset of the chorus. Notice that even though the backing music has been completely pulled from the mix that the intense nature of the delivery coupled with the vocal multi-tracking keeps the intensity level at an apex.
The full chorus then slams in on the lyric “tiger,” where the MTI level is at an even greater level than its corresponding sections earlier within the song. This is primarily due to the higher level of certain instrumentation within the section coupled with the additional impassioned vocals.
The MTI level then reaches its apex within the song during the second-half of the section (i.e. chorus B), due primarily to the nature of the intense background vocals and additional instrumentation that has been added to the mix (i.e. the additional synth). This takes the “excitement” level of the song to its apex and accentuates the triumphant, empowerment vibe elicited by the lyrics. All in all, it leaves the listener on a high.
The section (and song for that matter) concludes when the majority of the backing instrumentation is pulled from the mix on the final lyric “roar,” which quickly brings the MTI level back down at the tail end.
The Chorus Accentuator
As you well know by now, Roar features an exceptionally powerful and intense chorus. Here we’re going to take a look at how that power is even further accentuated via what happens right before it slams in, providing the chorus with increased impact.
Chorus 1 & 2
All of the backing instrumentation except for a snare hit is pulled out from under the lyric “the,” which provides the full chorus with increased impact when it slams in on the lyric “tiger.” Note that the most “glaring” omission is the synth bass that’s abruptly cut off.
Chorus 3
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ALL of the backing music is pulled from the mix during the solo vocal “I got the eye of the…” line. The full chorus then slams in REALLY hard on the lyric “tiger” that follows.
MTI Level Types
Notice that all 3 MTI level components were utilized within Roar to accentuate the nature of each section. Examples include:
Momentum
The nature of the drums and piano.
Perry’s driving “o-o-o-o-o-ar…” vocal during the chorus B sections.
Tension
The nature of the pre-chorus in anticipation of the chorus.
The build throughout the bridge. Tension relief comes within the chorus that follows.
Intensity
The overall nature of the chorus.
The last-third of the bridge.
Waveform
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Looking at the waveform graphic above, you can easily see how sonic levels and the use of compression vary throughout the song.
As you can see, there are 3 primary levels within Roar – low, moderate and pushed to the max. Notice how they correspond very closely to the MTI level progressions that we just saw within the MTI level section of the report, peaking within the chorus.
Lowest Sonic Levels
The intro (kicks the song off)
The turnaround/transitional pause between chorus 1 and verse 2 (“resets” the song)
The first-third of the bridge (provides a brief “sonic respite” for the listener)
Moderate Sonic Levels
Both verse sections
Both pre-chorus sections
The second-third of the bridge
Highest Sonic Levels
All chorus occurrences (the triumphant, empowerment themed payoff)
The last-third of the bridge (the triumphant “roooaaaaar!!!”)
Music/Instrumentation/Vocal Delivery Back to Top
Key Elements
What follows are the key elements that you should be on a lookout for throughout the song (in addition to the vocal melody and lyrics which are discussed within their own sections) that worked in tandem with one another in making Roar such an infectious, engaging and memorable song.
Perry’s Vocal Delivery
Perry does a fantastic job of changing up the nature of her vocal delivery to accentuate the vibe of individual sections within the song.
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Synth Bass (The Deliverer Of Darkness)
The synth bass is the “deliverer of darkness” within the song, via both the nature of its sound and its associated slurred/snaking B-flat – Cm – Gm – E-flat progression.
Electric Guitar (The Darkness Counter)
The electric guitar that’s utilized within the chorus mirrors the “deliver of darkness” synth bass progression as detailed above, transforming the vibe from darkness into “roaring” empowerment.
The “Roar” Title Lyric
The manner in which the lyric “roar” is utilized within the song is exceptionally clever and powerful, both in the “roaring” manner in which Perry sings it as well as the fact that it both ends and begins a line within the chorus at the same time (more on this later).
Harmony & Additional Vocals
The nature of the harmony and additional vocals utilized throughout specific sections of the song both accentuate the power of Perry’s delivery in conveying the lyrics as well as accentuating the overall evocative nature of the song. Additionally, in the second pre-chorus notice how the background vocal also counters the “deliverer of darkness” synth bass.
Synth Pad
The synth pad that’s utilized within the chorus increases in prominence during each
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subsequent chorus occurrence, providing them with a more dense, intense nature as the song progresses.
The Drums
The nature of the infectious electronic drum beat remains constant throughout the song, with the primary differential factor between sections being its level, brightness and intensity.
Chorus B
The chorus B section (“o-o-o-o-ar”) provides the listener with a “double payoff” within the full chorus.
Repetition
As you know, a sure-fire way to get a song completely engrained within the listener’s head is to utilize copious amounts of repetition.
Not only does Roar feature lyrical and vocal repetition as you’ll see later within the report, but there is also a substantial amount of repetition within the backing music that occurs throughout the song as well:
The Piano
The nature of the piano remains virtually constant throughout each section of the song except for the bridge where it’s pulled from the mix.
The Drums
The nature of the beat remains virtually the same throughout every section within the song save for the bridge, where they’re initially pulled from the mix and reintroduced in a kick drum fashion to accentuate the “Roar” climax.
The B-flat – Cm – Gm – E-flat Synth/Guitar Progression
This progression is utilized throughout each section of the song via the synth bass and electric guitar, save for the intro and change-up in the bridge (it ends on an F as opposed to E-flat to institute the rise to the climax of the section).
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Sectional Diversifying Factors
To counter the repetition within “like” sections of the song and prevent them from becoming overly monotonous to a point where the listener would start to get bored and tune out, the following diversifying elements were utilized to keep things fresh and engaging. Reference the full section analysis that follows for details.
Verse 1 vs. Verse 2
Both sections contain different lyrics.
Verse 2 is half the length of verse 1.
The subtle change up in the nature of Perry’s vocal delivery in the second verse (NOT the melody, however).
The addition of the vocal harmony in verse 2.
Pre-Chorus 1 vs. Pre-Chorus 2
The addition of the “ouuuu” background vocals in pre-chorus 2.
The addition of an additional synth that changes up the vibe in pre-chorus 2.
A quick vocal effect in pre-chorus 2 that wasn’t present in pre-chorus 1.
Chorus 1 vs. Chorus 2
Chorus 2 features a higher level synth pad within the mix.
The overall levels are running a bit hotter, which provides chorus 2 with a subtly more intense vibe than chorus 1.
Additional vocals are added to the mix within chorus 2 that weren’t present in chorus 1.
Part B in chorus 2 is double the length than it was in chorus 1.
Chorus 3 vs. Choruses 1 & 2
Additional vocals have been added to the mix that weren’t present in the preceding chorus sections.
A new synth progression has been added to the mix that wasn’t present within the other chorus sections.
Chorus 3 kicks off with a solo vocal, where the others didn’t.
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The overall levels are running a bit hotter, providing chorus 3 with a more intense vibe in relation to the preceding 2.
SECTION BY SECTION Note: Pan is represented on a scale from 9:00 to 3:00 (i.e. left to right, with 12:00 being right up the middle). Keep in mind that in most cases an instrument will bleed throughout the entire mix, but the pan depicted here represents its primary placement in the mix (i.e. where the level is most pronounced).
Intro (0:00 – 0:05)
Vocals & Primary Instrumentation Featured In The Mix
Piano (Bright & clean, moderate reverb – up-front within the mix ) Primary around 12:00 but spans the entire mix.
Drums (Electronic kick and snare. Notice the alternation between the quick cut and the trail on both. Up-front within the mix ) Primary around 12:00
Effect 1 (Reverb drenched effect – low/mid level within the mix) Primary around 11:00 but bleeds throughout.
The first thing to take note of regarding Roar’s intro is that it’s short. Very short. Clocking in at just 0:05, it’s 0:09 (64%) shorter than the average top 10 Pop intro from Q2-2013. Just because it’s short doesn’t mean that it’s not effective, however. Note the following:
It fuses the vibe of “old” Katy Perry with “new” Katy Perry
The nature of the piano progression elicits a vibe that you would have expected to find on her preceding album, Teenage Dream.
The nature of the electronic drum pattern is reminiscent of what you would have expected to find on Teenage Dream.
The “reverb drenched effect” is the one element that signals a departure from the overall nature of Teenage Dream. As subtle as it is, notice that it not only provides color and depth to the section, but it also provides a hint of the “moody darkness” that will show up throughout certain sections of the song.
It immediately hooks the listener into the song
The 3 elements detailed above instantly grabs and holds the listener’s attention until the first verse of the song takes over.
It’s short
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Clocking in at just 0:05, before the listener even has a chance for their attention to start to wander they’re already within the first verse.
It transitions seamlessly into the first verse
The nature of the piano and electronic drums within the intro remains constant throughout the first verse of the song.
It acts as a “unique identifier” for the song
The second you hear the intro, you instantly know exactly what song it is. This enables it to stand out amongst all of the other songs that are currently topping the charts, instantly grabbing the listener’s attention especially in an airplay environment. As a side note, it might also work as a unique identifier for Sara Bareilles’s “Brave” as well, but more on that later.
Transition Point – Intro into Verse 1: A brief rest occurs at the end of the intro, which is immediately followed by the onset of the first verse.
Verse-1 (0:05 – 0:26)
Vocals & Primary Instrumentation Featured In The Mix
*Indicates a new element that has been added to the mix relative to the preceding section.
Piano
(Bright & clean, moderate reverb – mid level within the mix ) Primary around 12:00 but spans the entire mix.
The overall nature of the piano within the section elicits tension and impatience. You can equate its eighth note progression to someone tapping their finger constantly on a table in an irritated manner.
Additionally, notice that the piano has been moved a bit further back within the mix in comparison to its prominent placement within the intro. This is due to the synth bass and Perry’s vocals taking over at center stage.
Drums
(Electronic kick and snare – same pattern as the intro. Mid/up within the mix ) Primary around 12:00
Notice that the nature of the rhythm has remained virtually the same as it was within the intro. The key difference is that it’s not as prominent as it was within the mix, again due to the synth bass and Perry’s vocals taking center stage.
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Atmospheric Effect
(Reverb drenched effect – low level within the mix) Primary around 11:00 but bleeds throughout.
The reverb-drenched effect that was present in the intro is still being utilized within the first verse of the song, accentuating the overall darkness of the section in a subtle manner. The primary difference between its use here and in the intro is that it’s further back within the mix.
*Synth Bass
(Dark and foreboding in nature – up front within the mix) Primary between 10:00 / 2:00 but spans the entire mix.
If the reverb-drenched effect within the intro didn’t provide you with an indication that something darker was afoot than the majority of her Teenage Dream hits, then the dark, melancholy, stomach churning, nature of the synth bass certainly put all doubt to rest.
It’s “snaking,” “slurred” B-flat – Cm – Gm – E-flat progression is at the forefront of the mix, and as a result provides the section with its primarily dark vibe alongside Perry’s vocals.
Additionally, one really interesting aspect to note is the fact that its slurred nature sounds like a subdued “roar,” which as you know ties in with and accentuates the title lyric of the song.
*Lead Vocal
(Katy Perry – moderate reverb – up front within the mix) Primary around 12:00
In contrast to the mostly darker elements as detailed above, the overall nature of Perry’s vocal throughout the section is one of “matter of fact” storytelling. However, you can tell that there’s a semi “wise ass” overtone present throughout, and on occasion, specifically on the lyric “past” and toward the end of the section, you can start to hear the anger and hurt showing through.
Additionally, notice the descending nature of the vocal melody progression on specific lines within the verse provides the section with a semi “downtrodden” vibe as well. More on this later within the vocal melody section of the report.
SUMMED UP
As a whole, all of the elements mentioned above work in perfect tandem with one another in creating a section that is dark, melancholy and tense, which perfectly jibes with the nature of the lyrics.
Notice however that the overall nature of Perry’s vocal delivery and associated melody keeps
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Transition Point – Verse 1 into Pre Chorus 1: Verse 1 transitions seamlessly into the pre- chorus that follows.
Pre-Chorus-1 (0:26 – 0:48)
Primary Instrumentation Featured In The Mix
The nature of the instrumentation utilized and the backing music remains virtually identical within the pre-chorus as it was within the verse with the following differences:
Lead Vocal
(Essentially the same as it was during the preceding verse except for the fact that there’s a prominent vocal harmony during the second stanza of the section) Primary around 12:00
In contrast to the nature of Perry’s delivery within the verse, here in the pre-chorus we see her take on a “peppier,” lighter, more empowered tone, brought about both in her delivery and via the nature of the vocal melody. And as was the case with the verse, her delivery and corresponding melody perfectly jibes with the empowerment nature of the lyrics.
If you want a pictorial that would perfectly jibe with the nature of the lyrics and the manner in which Perry is conveying them, picture her “giving the finger” to this guy while she’s singing. They certainly go hand in hand!
Additionally, notice that there’s a lead vocal harmony that occurs during the second stanza within the section. This both provides increased “coloring” which heightens the engagement factor for the listener, as well as increasing the overall strength of the vocal which jibes with the empowered nature of the lyrics.
*Hey Vocal
(Quick-fire, reverb drenched Katy Perry “hey”– upfront within the mix) Primary around 12:00 but the reverb trails throughout the mix
Even though it comes and goes in blink of an eye, occurring after both occurrences of the “you held me down, but I got up” lyrics, the quick-fire reverb-drenched “hey” vocal speaks volumes.
Essentially what it’s doing is providing the section with quick bursts of power, almost like a Karate “Ke-ya!“ This, along with the lead vocal, further accentuates the empowerment nature of the section.
SUMMED UP
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What’s really great about the pre-chorus is how it keeps the dark, tense vibe of the preceding verse intact via the nature of the backing music (i.e. the element in her life that’s holding her down), while at the same time changing up the nature of the vocal melody coupled with the “hey” vocal and lyrics which enable the empowerment nature of the song to start to shine through.
Basically the pre-chorus is acting as a “transitional section,” bridging the darker times that defined the verse and the full empowerment, resilient nature that defines the chorus that follows.
All of the elements work in perfect tandem with one another to achieve this.
Transition Point – Pre-chorus 1 into Chorus 1: The first line of the chorus (“I got the eye of the…”) enters where you would have typically expected to find the fourth line of the pre-chorus. Notice that the piano, synth bass and drums are pulled from the mix at the tail end which provides the chorus with increased impact when it slams in full on the lyric “tiger.”
Chorus-1 (0:48 – 1:20)
Primary Instrumentation Featured In The Mix
*Indicates a new element that has been added to the mix relative to the preceding section.
Piano
(Bright & clean, moderate reverb – low level within the mix ) Primary around 12:00 but spans the entire mix.
Notice that the piano has now been relegated to the back of the mix, to a point where it’s barely audible.
Drums
(Electronic kick and snare – same pattern as the intro. Upfront within the mix ) Primary around 12:00
Notice that the drums have been thrust to the forefront of the mix. They’re bigger, brighter and more powerful than they were during the preceding sections, and as a result perfectly accentuate the strong empowerment theme of the section as a whole.
Atmospheric Effect
(Reverb drenched effect – very low level within the mix) Primary around 11:00 but bleeds throughout.
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As with the piano, it’s now barely audible in the mix.
Synth Bass
(Dark and foreboding in nature – mid level within the mix) Primary between 10:00 /2:00 but spans the entire mix.
Considering that the song is now in full empowerment mode, notice that the dark, foreboding nature of the synth bass is now mid level within the mix, basically acting in a supporting role against the brighter, distorted guitar that is playing the same progression.
*Electric Guitar
(Mid level brightness with distortion – multi-tracked – upfront within the mix) Primary around 2:00 – 4:00 but spans the entire mix.
The manner in which the electric guitar is utilized within the chorus is exceptionally clever and powerful. Mirroring the dark, foreboding synth bass progression that defined the verse and pre- chorus sections, the brighter, distorted nature of the electric guitar cuts to the forefront of the mix and transforms that progression from one of darkness into one of “roaring” empowerment.
*Synth Pad
(Bright – starts out low level within the mix, becomes more prominent during chorus section B) Spans the entire mix.
The bright natured synth pad enters the mix at the onset of the chorus, providing texturing that accentuates the powerful vibe of the section as whole. Basically, it’s providing the section with a denser, more intense and “empowered” feel.
Notice that the level further increases during the part B of the section (i.e. “o-o-o-o-ar”), which helps take the empowerment vibe to its apex.
*Lead Vocal
(Katy Perry – moderate reverb – multi-tracked – up front within the mix) Primary around 12:00 but spans the entire mix
The nature of Perry’s vocal within the chorus screams 1 thing – EMPOWERMENT. Her vocals are at a higher level than they were within the preceding sections, and her delivery is full of conviction, power and resilience. Additionally, notice that the multi-tracked nature of her vocals spans the entire mix, providing it with a much bigger and powerful feel in relation to the preceding sections of the song.
The real brilliance of her vocal, however, resides in the nature of the title lyric, Roar. The 2
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The prolonged manner in which she sings it via the F up to B-flat progression elicits a “roar” type of effect. Not only does this accentuate and perfectly jibe with the nature of the title lyric, but it also acts as a song-defining moment as well.
What’s REALLY clever is how both the meaning of the lyric “roar” coupled with the prolonged manner in which it’s sung both provides an end to line 2 (“…and you’re gonna hear me ROAR“) and also kicks off line 3 AT THE SAME TIME (“ROAR, louder, louder than a lion”). That, my friends, is effective songwriting at its best.
Chorus Parts A & B
As you’ve by now noticed, Roar’s chorus is split into 2 parts – A and B.
Part A both provides the listener with the lyrical and musical payoff that they were expecting, while part B provides them with a “bonus” payoff, which ultimately puts Roar over the top.
Let’s face it – part A is “heavy” in nature – specifically on the empowerment theme. In contrast, part B brings ultra-infectious fun and celebration to the table via the repetition of the partial “roar” lyric “o-o-o-o-o-o-ar, o-o-o-o-o-o-ar…” It’s exceptionally memorable and completely primed for audience participation in a live setting.
Additionally, notice that part B then brings the listener back full circle to the title lyric phrase “and you’re gonna hear me roar” to conclude the section, enabling it to really make its mark and resonate.
SUMMED UP
If you ever wanted to see an example of what an exceptionally strong “payoff” within a song looks like, then look no further than Roar’s chorus.
It’s the culmination of the song’s build from the dark, downtrodden nature of the verse through the “turning of the tables” that defined the pre-chorus to where the listener is bombarded with full empowerment and perseverance within the chorus.
This was brought about on all levels including the lyrics, the nature of the backing music (specifically the addition of the electric guitars, more prominent drums and the synth pad) and especially Perry’s vocal delivery. All the shreds of strife, questioning, and emptiness are gone, and what you’re left with is someone is full of determination and power, who WON”T be knocked down again.
And of course don’t forget the infectious, celebratory nature of payoff #2 in part B of the section!
All in all, Roar’s chorus is the poster child of what an empowerment themed chorus
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Transition Point – Chorus 1 into Verse 2: During the second half of the “roar” lyric at the tail end of the chorus, notice that the backing music reverts back to that of the intro during the brief 0:03 turnaround and transitions into verse 2 in the same manner that the intro transitioned into verse 1. This does a great job of “resetting” the song, so to speak.
Verse-2 (1:23 – 1:33)
Essentially the second verse possesses all of the same characteristics as verse 1 (backing music, vocal melody), but differs in the sense that Perry’s vocal has a “lighter” quality about it, which jibes with the more positive nature of the lyrics. After the empowerment of the preceding chorus, it’s no surprise that she’s now “floating like a butterfly and stinging like a bee!”
Additionally, notice that the other “diversity factor” within the section is the vocal harmony that occurs on the line “I went from zero, to my own hero.” This didn’t occur during the first verse of the song.
All in all, the diversity as mentioned above coupled with the fact that verse 2 is half the length of verse 1 does a great job of accentuating the engagement factor for the listener within the song.
Transition Point – Verse 2 into Pre-Chorus 2: Same as verse1 into pre-chorus 1.
Pre-Chorus-2 (1:33 – 1:55)
As was the case between verses 1 and 2, we also have diversity between pre-choruses 1 and 2 as well. Considering that the lyrics and vocal melody are the same within both occurrences, the following elements were added to the mix to heighten the engagement factor for the listener:
Background Vocals
(“Ouuu” – Female vox – mid/up within mix) Primary around 10:00/2:00 but spans the entire mix
In addition to providing enhanced “coloring” and diversity to the section relative to the first pre-chorus occurrence within the song, the “ouuu’s” are even more important regarding the effect they provide when mirroring the Cm – Gm “dark” synth bass progression.
Essentially what it does is take away the darkness and provide the section with a much more serine, beauty filled vibe. This is especially important and effective considering that following the empowered nature of the chorus and verse 2 that preceded it that all of the darkness had
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Additional Synth
(Synth/Organ – starts out low level within the mix, basically drops out and then reenters during the second stanza at a higher level) Primary around 11:00 but bleeds throughout.
The additional synth within the mix has the same type of effect that the “ouuu’s” did. It counters the darkness that was indicative of the synth bass during the first pre-chorus occurrence.
Vocal Effect
(Unintelligible – Female vox – occurs in the second stanza around the lyric “up” and quick-fire “hey” – mid level within the mix) Primary around 11:00/12:00
No idea what this is, but it sounds like 2 syllables or a delay effect. Again, it’s something that’s subtle yet provides diversity and as a result heightens the engagement factor.
Transition Point – Pre-chorus 2 into Verse 2: Basically the same transitional method utilized to move from pre-chorus 1 into chorus 1.
Chorus-2 (1:55 – 2:37)
The general nature of the second chorus occurrence within the song is the same as the first (backing music, lyrics, vocal melody) with the following differences:
Higher Level Synth Pad
Notice that the synth pad hits at a higher level at the onset of the section, providing the section as a whole with a more intense, dense feel than the first chorus occurrence within the song.
Additional Vocals
First, notice that Perry’s vocals are multi-tracked with harmony from the onset of the section. This wasn’t the case during the first occurrence within the song. This enables her vocal delivery to come across in a more grandiose fashion.
Second, during the second occurrence of “you’re gonna hear me,” notice that there is a vocal “embellishment” (sounds like “ah, ah”) that enters the mix when she sings the lyric “champion.” It’s subtle, but it provides diversity as well as heightens the evocative nature of the section.
Third, there’s an additional “you’ll hear me roar” vocal that occurs during the “o-o-o-o-ar”
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And fourth, notice that the “o-o-o-o-ar” part B section is double the length of its first occurrence within the song.
Transition Point – Chorus 2 into the Bridge: Seamless transition.
Bridge/Break (2:37 – 2:56)
The first question that needs to be addressed is “just what is this section?” Is it a bridge? Is it a partial instrumental break? Is it an interlude? A vocal break?
In a sense, it’s all of the above. It’s an interlude which brings the MTI level of the song down as mentioned earlier within the report, initially just consisting of electric guitar, synth and a low level drum roll. The repetitive “roar, oar, roar, oar, roar” vocals then act as the focal point for the duration of the section.
So – even though it’s not a “traditional” bridge in the sense of introducing a twist to the storyline, it does provide a departure from all of the other sections within the song, which qualifies it as a bridge.
Now – onto what makes this section so effective:
As just mentioned, it provides the listener with a departure in relation to all of the other sections within the song. This heightens the song’s overall engagement factor.
Sonically, it brings the MTI level coming out of the intense chorus way down at the onset which gives the listener a quick “breather,” and then embarks on a build that takes the section to a rousing crescendo. This is achieved both via the nature of the backing music (specifically the kick that increases in level) and especially Perry’s vocal delivery, which becomes more intense and passionate until the climax with the prolonged “roar” that occurs at the tail end of the section. Notice that this is similar in nature to the “T.G.I.F.” build that occurs within Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.).
It capitalizes and reinforces 2 aspects of the song within the listener’s head. First, the electric guitar repeats the B-flat – Cm – Gm progression at the onset that defined it as well as the synth bass line throughout the song. Notice, however, that instead of ending the progression on E-flat as was previously the case, it instead now ends on F, which initiates the “climactic build” of the section. Second, it features the repetition of the title lyric “roar,” further getting it engrained within the listener’s head.
Overall, what the bridge does is take the empowerment theme of the song to a rousing climax via its building triumphant nature, culminating in Perry’s final Ro-aaaaaar!
Transition Point – Bridge into Chorus 3: Turns on a dime.
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Chorus-3 (2:56– 3:38)
Directly following the “roaring climax” that just occurred in the preceding bridge, the backing music is pulled from the mix and all we’re left with is the triumphant multi-part vocal “I got the eye of the.” By pulling the backing music out from under it, it provides the balance of the section with much greater impact when it slams in on the lyric “tiger.”
The primary difference between this chorus occurrence and the 2 choruses that preceded it are as follows:
There’s a lot more going on vocally. Notice that the lead vocal is multi-tracked, there’s harmony going on throughout, and there are additional vocal lines and “embellishments” occurring over all of that. What this does is take the evocative, triumphant, empowered nature of the song to a climax. Take a second now to listen to the section in order get the full picture.
Notice the additional “jovial” synth that enters the mix during part B which follows a descending progression, both providing infectious counter melody to the section and ending the song on a light, exuberant, triumphant, and of course empowered note.
Overall, the 2 factors mentioned above coupled with the already over the top nature of the chorus that defined the 2 preceding occurrences functions as sort of a chorus/outro hybrid. It still possesses the same elements as both of the preceding choruses, but the new elements put an additional spin on the section, providing it with a more unique nature relative to the preceding 2.
Ultimately what this chorus/outro hybrid does is conclude the song on a high for the listener. They feel empowered. They feel excited. They feel triumphant. THAT is how you want them to feel at the end of an empowerment themed song!
Ending
As is the case with the majority of chart-topping Pop songs, Roar ends in an abrupt manner, with the drums being pulled out from under the last lyric of the chorus, Roar, and then coming to an abrupt full-stop with a split second delay trail on the synth.
This “false ending” acts as a psychological tool, leaving the listener wanting more because it doesn’t provide them with a full resolve where they can walk away saying, “that was nice, I’ll listen to that again soon.” The false ending elicits a response more like, “where the hell did the song just go? I need to hear that again!”
IN A NUTSHELL
When you look at what each individual section brings to the table and how they all interrelate with one another within the “big picture,” you can see how meticulously well crafted Roar
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Verse 1: Dark & tense, brought about via the nature of the lyrics, backing music and to some degree the vocal.
Pre-Chorus 1: She’s starting to become empowered, but there is still some residual darkness. The empowerment is brought about primarily via the nature of the lyrics and vocal delivery, while the darkness resides in the nature of the synth bass.
Chorus 1: She’s fully empowered and triumphant. This is brought about via every element within the section.
Verse 2: All of the darkness that defined verse 1 has been done away with and now she’ll be resilient in the face of adversity. The resilience is conveyed via the lyrics and her vocal delivery, while the face of adversity is depicted in the synth bass.
Pre-Chorus 2: The lingering darkness that was present within the first pre-chorus is no more. She’s now positive, serine and filled with beauty. This is brought about on all levels within the mix.
Chorus 2: She’s exceptionally empowered and celebrates even harder. This is brought about via the higher levels of certain instrumentation and additional vocals within the mix compared to the preceding chorus.
Bridge: After a brief lull, her empowerment builds to a rousing climax. This is brought about via all elements within the mix.
Chorus 3: You can’t get any more empowered tha this. This is the triumphant climax of the entire song that leaves the listener on an exuberant high. This is brought about via higher levels, additional instrumentation and vocals within the mix relative to the 2 preceding choruses.
What’s best is that all of the elements work in perfect tandem with one another within each section to elicit the vibes as detailed above. This is hit songwriting at its best.
Vocal Melody Back to Top
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In addition to strong, effective lyrics and evocative backing music, what really hooks the listener into a song is an infectious, engaging and memorable vocal melody delivered in a compelling manner.
Some of the characteristics and attributes that you’ll find within Roar’s vocal melody include:
Short Phrases / Segmenting (i.e. the “phone number” method”)
Enables the melody to easily connect and get engrained within the listener’s head.
Simplicity (K.I.S.S.)
Easy to follow melodic progressions coupled with effective, engaging rhythm.
Repetition
Various methods of repetition were utilized within the vocal melody throughout the song to help get it engrained within the listener’s head including:
In-Line Repetition: Phrases or segments within a particular line that repeat in the same or close to the same manner.
In-Stanza Repetition: Lines or parts of lines within a stanza that repeat in the same or close to the same manner.
Cross-Stanza Repetition: Lines within 2 different stanzas that possess the same general characteristics.
Sectional Repetition: Lines or stanzas from 1 particular section that repeat in the same or close to the same manner during the second occurrence within the song (i.e pre- chorus 1 vs. pre-chorus 2).
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Diversifiers & Color Adders
Specific phrases, lyrics or even syllables that work to increase the infectious nature of a section as well as break up the monotony of the repetition.
Section / Song Defining Moments & Clever Phrasing
The manner in which specific phrases or lyrics are sung that takes the song from good to GREAT (e.g. the manner in which Katy Perry sings the title lyric, “roar” within the chorus and the bridge).
GRAPHICAL KEY Blue Line: Lead Vocal Melody Red Diamond: Rest Black Diamond: Half & Dotted Half Blue Diamond: Quarter & Dotted Quarter Green Diamond: Eighth & Dotted Eighth Yellow Diamond: Sixteenth Note
VERSE 1
First Stanza
Second Stanza
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*Note: The vocal melody graphs above reflect the first verse of the song
Line Reference
1st Stanza
Line 1: I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath
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Line 2: Scared to rock the boat and make a mess Line 3: So I sat quietly, agreed politely
2nd Stanza
Line 1: I guess that I forgot I had a choice Line 2: I let you push me past the breaking point Line 3: I stood for nothing, so I fell for everything
Vocal Range
High: F Low: B-flat
Considering the virtually identical nature of the vocal melody between verses 1 and 2, we’re going to be looking exclusively at verse 1 within this section. Note that the primary difference between verses 1 and 2 is the fact that verse 2 only contains 1 stanza.
LINE LENGTH & SEGMENTATION (Are the lines & phrases a mouthful to sing or are they broken into short, memorable segments?)
Here Roar utilizes a combination of lines that are semi-long in nature (lines 1 and 2) and shorter lines (lines 3 & 4) to communicate the first verse of the song.
As you’ll see later on, even though lines 1 and 2 are quite “wordy” compared to many other mainstream Pop hits, the nature of the progression and rhythm provides the perfect counter to make for an exceptionally infectious melody that easily gets engrained within the listener’s head. Let’s now look at the breakdown of each line:
First Stanza
Line 1: I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath
Word/Syllable Count: 10 words / 10 syllables
Segmentation Method: Eighth Rest
At 10 words and 10 syllables, this line is quite wordy. Notice that it consists of single-syllable lyrics. The line is “segmented” from line 2 via an eighth rest, which provides the listener with that split second to have it sink in and resonate within their heads.
Line 2: Scared to rock the boat and make a mess
Word/Syllable Count: 9 words / 9 syllables
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Segmentation Method: Eighth Rest
The story with line 2 is virtually identical to that of line 1, except for the fact that it contains 1 less word and syllable specifically at the beginning of the line (line 1 starts off with “I used” which follows a B-flat – F progression. Line 2 skips the lead-in lyric, instead starting right off on “scared” which is an F).
Line 3: So I sat quietly, agreed politely
Phrase/Segment 1: So I sat qui-et-ly,
Word/Syllable Count: 4 words / 6 syllables
Segmentation Method: Eighth Rest
Phrase/Segment 2: a-greed po-lite-ly
Word/Syllable Count: 2 words / 5 syllables
Segmentation Method: Sixteenth Rest (segmenting the first stanza from the second)
Notice that line 3 is broken into 2 phrases which are separated by an eighth rest plus a dotted quarter value on the last syllable of the lyric “quietly.” This further extends the pause between phrases and enables the preceding phrase more time to sink in as well as accentuating the vibe of the line. Additionally, the splitting of the line into 2 phrases provides good contrast against the longer nature of lines 1 and 2, neither of which contains any in-line segmentation.
Further notice that even though the first phrase on line 3 technically contains 1 additional syllable compared to the second phrase, Perry further “stretches” the lyric “po-lite-ly” from 3 syllables to 4 via “po-li-te-ly.” This creates uniformity which ultimately accentuates both the engagement and memorability factors for the listener.
Second Stanza
Line 1: I guess that I for-got I had a choice
Word/Syllable Count: 9 words / 9 syllables
Segmentation Method: Sixteenth Rest
Line 2: I let you push me past the break-ing point
Word/Syllable Count: 9 words / 10 syllables
Segmentation Method: Eighth Rest
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Notice that lines 1 and 2 are almost identical from a word and syllable count (line 1 has 1 less syllable), and that the count is also almost the same as their respective lines within the first stanza of the section. Again, the uniformity helps to accentuate the engagement and memorability of the section.
The other differences are that both lines are segmented from one another via a sixteenth rest as opposed to an eighth-rest, and that both lines 1 and 2 in the second stanza contain a multi- syllable lyric, where in the first verse they’re all single-syllables.
Line 3: I stood for noth-ing / so I fell for ev-’ry-thing
Phrase/Segment 1: I stood for noth-ing,
Word/Syllable Count: 4 words / 5 syllables
Segmentation Method: Eighth Rest
Phrase/Segment 2: so I fell for ev-’ry-thing
Word/Syllable Count: 5 words / 7 syllables
Segmentation Method: Sixteenth Rest
Notice that line 3 in the second stanza is very similar to line 3 in the first with the primary difference being the word and syllable count.
Additionally, as was the case with the lyric “politely” in the first stanza, we once again have a lyric that is stretched past its normal syllable count to help foster uniformity between lines. In this case, the lyric “noth-ing” was stretched for 1 additional syllable via “no-oth-ing,” which lowers the syllable discrepancy between “nothing” and “everything” from 5 to 7 syllables down to 6 to 7 and provides both with the same flow.
PROGRESSION & RHYTHM (Is the nature of the progression and rhythm simplistic or complex? What’s the flow?)
The name of the game in the first verse of the song is SIMPLICITY, which is paramount in fostering engagement and memorabiltiy for the listener while heightening the sections overall infectious nature. Remember, this is a MAINSTREAM POP SONG, so you want to make it very easy for the listener to connect, get engaged, sing along to and remember!
General Flow – Both Stanzas
Lines 1 and 2 basically follow a downward “platforming” progression, while both phrases in line 3 reverse course, ascending and then descending to conclude.
Additionally, notice that lines 1 and 2 repeat in pretty much the same exact manner, while
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LINES 1 & 2 – BOTH STANZAS
Progression
Notice that both lines aside from the initial B-flat to F jump at the onset follow a DOWNWARD progression that concludes on B-flat.
Notice on each line that aside from the initial B-flat to F jump and F to D descent that all of the other lyrics follow whole step progressions (D to C, C to B-flat). This simplicity makes it very easy for the listener to follow and remember.
Now, take note of the downward “platforming” progressions on each line (reference the graph above to get the “platforming” picture). This makes for a very engaging and memorable melody:
Line 1
“(I) used to bite” (F – F – F) descends to
“my tongue” (D – D) descends to
“and hold” (C – C) descends to
“my breath” (B-flat – B-flat) bottom
Line 2
“scared to rock” (F – F – F) descends to
“the boat” (D – D) descends to
“and make” (C – C) descends to
“a mess” (B-flat – B-flat) bottom
Rhythm
The rhythmic nature of each line is just as infectious, engaging and memorable as the progressions detailed above.
The overall feel (embellished for this example) is FAST – FAST – FAST – SLOW - SLOW – SLOW – FAST – SLOW – FAST - SLOW (i.e. Sixteenth – Sixteenth – Sixteenth – Eighth –
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Eighth - Eighth – Sixteenth - Eighth – Sixteenth – Eighth).
Note the 3 part breakdown below:
Line Lead Ins
Notice that each line (except for line 2 in the first stanza) kicks off with a 3 sixteenth note flurry lead-in. Line 2 in the first stanza possesses a 2 note flurry:
First Stanza
“I used to” (3 sixteenth notes)
“Scared to” (2 sixteenth notes)
Second Stanza
“I guess that” (3 sixteenth notes)
“I let you” (3 sixteenth notes)
Middle Of The Line
Notice that lyrics/syllables in the middle of each line slow things down a bit, consisting of all eighth notes:
First Stanza
“bite my tongue” (3 eighth notes)
“rock the boat” (3 eighth notes)
Second Stanza
“I for-go” (3 eighth notes)
“push me past” (3 eighth notes)
End Of The Line
The end of each line combines the faster nature of the beginning with the slower nature of the middle via a sixteenth – eighth – sixteenth – eighth progression as follows. Notice how this combination provides diversity to the straight sixteenth and straight eighth notes that preceded it, concluding each line on a very infectious note.
*Red font denotes an eighth note, and green denotes a sixteenth:
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“and hold my breath”
“and make a mess”
“I had a choice”
“the break-ing point“
LINE 3 – BOTH STANZAS
Progression
In contrast to the downward “platforming” progressions that we saw defining lines 1 and 2 in the first and second stanzas, both phrases within line 3 in both stanzas reverse course and climb until the second to last syllable of the phrase before descending to conclude.
This provides a very effective contrast to lines 1 and 2 and does a great job of bringing each stanza and overall section to a conclusion before heading into the pre-chorus that directly follows.
Think of the 2 phrases on line 3 in the manner of walking up and down a mountain, where lines 1 and 2 are more like climbing down stairs (it’s easy to see in the graphs above and hear it as well).
Phrase beginnings – monotone
Notice that each phrase starts off with a B-flat – B-flat progression and is the only point within each phrase not to ascend or descend:
First Stanza
“So I “(B-flat – B-flat)
“A-greed” (B-flat – B-flat)
Second Stanza
“I stood” (B-flat – B-flat)
“So I fell” (B-flat – B-flat – B-flat) Note that this phrase has a quick 16th note additional B-flat lead in on the lyric “so.”
Phrase middles – climbing
Notice that the middle of each phrase “ascends up the mountain” via a C – D – F progression, peaking on the second to last syllable in each phrase as follows:
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First stanza
“sat qui-et-” (C – D – F)
“po-li-te-” (C – D – F) Remember that this lyric was “stretched” past its normal syllable count.
Second stanza
“for no-oth-” (C – D – F) Remember that this lyric was “stretched” past its normal syllable count.
“for ev-ry-” (C – D – F)
Phrase endings – the descent
Following the vocal register peak on F that occurs on the second to last syllable of each phrase, the final syllable then drops down to D to conclude:
First stanza
“-et-ly” (F – D)
-”te-ly” (F – D)
Second stanza
“-oth-ing” (F – D)
-”ry-thing” (F – D)
Rhythm
As we had with lines 1 and 2, both phrases in lines 3 within both stanzas possess an equally infectious, engaging and memorable rhythm.
The overall feel for both phrases in both stanzas (embellished for this example) is SLOW - SLOW - FAST – SLOW - FAST – SLOW (i.e. Eighth - Eighth - Sixteenth - Eighth - Sixteenth - Eighth).
*Note again that the second phrase in the second stanza kicks off with a “fast” lead in on the lyric “so” prior to the slow – slow.
Note the 2 primary segments below as well as the phrase endings:
Segment 1: Phrase beginnings
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Each phrase in both stanzas kicks off with 2 eighth notes:
First stanza
“So I”
“A-greed”
Second stanza
“I stood”
“I fell”
Segment 2: Balance of the phrase
The balance of each phrase within both stanzas utilizes a sixteenth – eighth – sixteenth – dotted quarter rhythm. Does this rhythm remind you of other parts of this section? It should!
First stanza
“sat qui-et-ly”
“po-li-te-ly” (stretched lyric)
Second stanza
“no-oth-ing” (stretched lyric)
“ev-ry-thing”
Phrase endings
As mentioned earlier, each phrase ends with the last syllable possessing a prolonged duration relative to all of the other notes within the phrase (i.e. dotted quarter vs. an eighth or sixteenth). This does a great job of further changing things up relative to the other lines of the section.
REPETITION (How is repetition utilized to get the melody engrained within the listener’s head?)
As you’ll see, there’s quite a bit of repetition being utilized within the first verse of the song which provides for a very memorable listening experience.
The following types of repetition are utilized:
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In-line repetition
In-stanza repetition
Cross-stanza repetition
Additionally, note that this includes both melodic repetition AND rhythmic repetition.
In-Line Repetition
This type of repetition occurs on line 3 in both stanzas:
First Stanza
Both phrases within the line utilize the same progression and rhythm.
Second Stanza
With the exception of the additional lyric “so,” which is a B-flat and possesses a sixteenth note value, both phrases on this line also utilize the same progression and rhythm.
In-Stanza Repetition
Notice that there is common repetition between all 3 lines within each stanza:
First Stanza
Lines 1 and 2 utilize the same progression and rhythm.
Lines 1, 2 and 3 utilize the same partial rhythm with 1 difference as follows:
Eighth - Eighth - Sixteenth - Eighth - Sixteenth - *Eighth (*Dotted Quarter)
Line 1: “my tongue and hold my breath“
Line 2: “the boat and make a mess“
Line 3 - First Phrase: “So I sat qui-et-ly“
Line 3 - Second Phrase: “A-greed po-li-te-ly“
*The only difference is that the last lyric/syllable on lines 1 and 2 is an eighth note, while the last syllable within both phrases on line 3 is a dotted quarter.
Second Stanza
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It’s the same story within the second stanza of the first verse, with the additional minor difference being the additional “so” lyric at the beginning of the second phrase.
Cross Stanza Repetition
With 2 minor exceptions (see below), stanzas 1 and 2 repeat in the same exact manner from both a melodic and rhythmic standpoint:
DIVERSIFYING FACTORS (What diversity within the melody is utilized to prevent the repetition from making things too monotonous?)
Lines 1 and 2 possess a different progression from both phrases in line 3.
The additional lyric at the onset of line 2 in the second stanza relative to its corresponding line in the first stanza.
The additional lyric at the onset of the second phrase in line 3 of the second stanza relative to its corresponding line in the first stanza.
COLOR ADDERS & EMPISIZERS (Are certain lyrics sung in a certain manner or stretched past their normal syllable count to provide increased emphasis and “coloring?”)
The last lyric within both phrases on line 3 within both stanzas are sung in an exceptionally infectious manner relative to other lyrics within the section, enabling them to really stand out.
Additionally, the lyrics “politely” and “nothing” are creatively stretched past their normal syllable count.
qui-et-ly
po-li-te-ly
no-oth-ing
ev-ry-thing
PRE-CHORUS
First Stanza
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Second Stanza
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Line Reference
1st Stanza
Line 1: You held me down, but I got up Line 2: Already brushing off the dust Line 3: You hear my voice, you hear that sound Line 4: Like thunder gonna shake your ground
2nd Stanza
Line 1: You held me down, but I got up Line 2: Get ready ’cause I’ve had enough Line 3: I see it all, I see it now
Vocal Range
High: G Low: B-flat
LINE LENGTH & SEGMENTATION (Are the lines & phrases a mouthful to sing or are they broken into short, memorable segments?)
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As was the case with the verse, here in the pre-chorus Roar also makes use of a combination of short and longer lines and phrases. It’s not so much based on the number of lyrics within each line/phrase as it is the syllable count, however.
Additionally, note that the second stanza doesn’t contain a line 4. Instead, this is where the first line of the chorus enters the mix.
First Stanza
Line 1: You held me down / but I got up
Phrase/Segment 1: You held me down
Word/Syllable Count: 4 words / 4 syllables
Segmentation Method: Sixteenth Rest
Phrase/Segment 2: But I got up
Word/Syllable Count: 4 words / 4 syllables
Segmentation Method: Eighth Rest
As was the case with line 3 in the verse, here in the first verse of the pre-chorus we also have a line that is broken into 2 short segments, providing contrast to the longer nature of line 2 that follows.
Notice that each segment consists of just 4 words and 4 syllables, and are segmented from one another via a quick sixteenth rest, which acts as the “comma” on the line. The eighth rest at the end of the second phrase then acts as the “period,” segmenting line 1 from line 2.
Line 2: Al-read-y brush-ing off the dust
Word/Syllable Count: 5 words / 8 syllables
Segmentation Method: Sixteenth Rest
In contrast to each phrase in line 1 above, line 2 is more of a mouthful to sing. Notice, however, that it’s not due to the word count. Line 2 as a whole consists of 5 words, and each segment (phrase) in line 1 consists of 4. Their syllable count is where the main difference takes place. Each phrase on line 1 consists of 4 syllables, while line 2 consists of 8. Also notice that there isn’t any in-line segmenting going on within line 2 as there was on line 1. It’s 1 continuous line.
Line 3: You hear my voice / you hear that sound
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Phrase/Segment 1: You hear my voice
Word/Syllable Count: 4 words / 4 syllables
Segmentation Method: Sixteenth Rest
Phrase/Segment 2: You hear that sound
Word/Syllable Count: 4 words / 4 syllables
Segmentation Method: Eighth Rest
Here we have the same exact story as line 1 – 2 short phrases consisting of 4 words/4syllables, segmented from one another by a sixteenth rest.
Line 4: Like thun-der gon-na shake your ground
Word/Syllable Count: 6 words / 8 syllables
Segmentation Method: Sixteenth Rest
As was the case with lines 2 and line 1, notice that line 4 is longer in relation to the 2 individual phrases on line 3.
Second Stanza
Line 1: You held me down / but I got up
Phrase/Segment 1: You held me down
Word/Syllable Count: 4 words / 4 syllables
Segmentation Method: Sixteenth Rest
Same story as phrase 1, line 1 in the first stanza.
Phrase/Segment 2: But I got up
Word/Syllable Count: 4 words / 4 syllables
Segmentation Method: Eighth Rest
Same story as phrase 2, line 1 in the first stanza.
Line 2: Get read-y ’cause I’ve had e-nough
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Word/Syllable Count: 6 words / 8 syllables
Segmentation Method: Sixteenth Rest
Same story as line 2 in the first stanza.
Line 3: I see it all / I see it now
Phrase/Segment 1: I see it all
Word/Syllable Count: 4 words / 4 syllables
Segmentation Method: No rest – “stretched” “all.
Same story as phrase 1, line 3 in the first stanza
Phrase/Segment 2: I see it now
Word/Syllable Count: 4 words / 4 syllables
Segmentation Method: Eighth rest plus “stretch”
Same story as phrase 2, line 3 in the first stanza.
PROGRESSION & RHYTHM (Is the nature of the progression and rhythm simplistic or complex? What’s the flow?)
As was the case within the verse, here in the pre-chorus the name of the game is once again SIMPLICITY.
LINES 1 & 3 – BOTH STANZAS
Progression
Line Beginnings
First, let’s look how each phrase on these lines begin. Notice that they kick off in generally the same manner via a B-flat to F leap as was the case on lines 1 and 2 within the preceding verse, or change it up a bit via a D to F leap, though this achieves generally the same effect.
This helps to keep the continuity and “familiarity” factor between sections intact, which heightens both the engagement and memorability factors for the listener:
First Stanza
Line 1, phrase 1: “You Held” (B-flat to F)
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Line 1, phrase 2: “but I” (D to F)
Line 3, phrase 1: “You hear” (B-flat to F)
Line 3, phrase 2: “you hear” (B-flat to F)
Second Stanza
Line 1, phrase 1: “You Held” (B-flat to F)
Line 1, phrase 2: “but I” (D to F)
Line 3, phrase 1: “You hear” (D to F)
Line 3, phrase 2: “you hear” (D to F)
So as you can see, all of the phrases within the first stanza kick off with a B-flat to F leap with the exception being line 1, phrase 2, which kicks off via D – F.
The second stanza does the reverse of the first, with 3 out of 4 phrases starting with a D to F leap, and 1 (line 1, phrase 1) kicking off via B-flat to F.
Balance Of Each Phrase
Directly following the B-flat or D that kicked off each phrase, notice that each one then follows a very simplistic F – G – F whole step progression for the duration with one minor exception as you’ll soon see, making for a phrase that is both very easy to sing and remember for the listener:
First Stanza
Line 1, phrase 1: “held me down”
Line 1, phrase 2: “I got up”
Line 3, phrase 1: “hear my voice”
Line 3, phrase 2: “hear that *so-(und)”
*Notice that the lyric “sound” is stretched past its normal syllable count via F – D.
Second Stanza
Line 1, phrase 1: ” held me down”
Line 1, phrase 2: “I got up”
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Line 3, phrase 1: “see it a-(ll)”
Line 3, phrase 2: ” see it *no-(w)”
*Notice that both “all” and “now” are stretched past their normal syllable count via F – D.
Rhythm
The nature of the rhythm is just as simplistic, infectious, engaging and memorable as the progressions that we just saw.
The overall feel (embellished for this example) is FAST - SLOW – SLOW – SLOW (i.e. Sixteenth – Eighth – Eighth – Eighth).
Line Lead Ins
Notice that each phrase on lines 1 and 3 in both stanzas kicks off with a quick sixteenth note lead in on the first lyric:
First Stanza
“Yo”u (line 1, phrase 1)
“but” (line 1, phrase 2)
“You” (line 3, phrase 1)
“you” (line 3, phrase 2)
Second Stanza
“You” (line 1, phrase 1)
“but“(line 1, phrase 2)
“I” (line 3, phrase 1)
“I” (line 3, phrase 2)
Balance Of The Line
Following the quick sixteenth note lead in, the balance of each phrase slows things down a bit, with each lyric possessing an eighth note value:
First Stanza
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Line 1, phrase 1: “held me down”
Line 1, phrase 2: “I got up”
Line 3, phrase 1: “hear my voice”
Line 3, phrase 2: “hear that *so-(und)”
*Notice that the stretched lyric “sound” consists of 2 eighth notes (“so-ound”)
Second Stanza
Line 1, phrase 1: ” held me down”
Line 1, phrase 2: “I got up”
Line 3, phrase 1: “see it a-(ll)”
Line 3, phrase 2: “see it *no-(w)”
*Notice that the stretched lyric “all” is prolonged in relation to the other lyrics via an eighth and a sixteenth (“a-ll“), and “now” is prolonged as well via 2 eighth notes (“no-w”).
LINE 2 – BOTH STANZAS
Notice that line 2 introduces a new element into the melody which provides contrast to the repetitive nature of the 2 phases that preceded it. Additionally, notice that an aspect of line 2 also keeps in line with the nature of line 1 to keep the “familiarity” factor intact, heightening both the engagement and memorability factors of the section.
Progression
New Element (G – F – F – D – D progression)
First Stanza: “Al-ready brush-ing”
Second Stanza: “Get read-y ’cause I’ve”
Following the first lyric that starts on a G, notice that it then follows a similar “platform progression” that we saw within the first verse of the song.
Additionally, with the exception of the first G – F progression that kicks off the line, notice that there aren’t any whole step progressions being featured here, instead utilizing a monotone F – F / D – D delivery followed by an F – D descent / D – F ascent.
Familiar Element (F – G – F progression)
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First Stanza: “off the dust”
Second Stanza: “had e-nough”
To conclude the line, notice that line 2 reverts back to the F – G – F progression that defined phrases 1 and 2 on line 1, ending the line on a familiar note.
Rhythm
As was the case with the progression, the nature of the rhythm within the new melodic element does a great job of providing contrast to the preceding phrases, all the while keeping things engaging and memorable for the listener.
The overall feel (embellished for this example) is SLOW - FAST - FAST - FAST - FAST - SLOW - SLOW - SLOW (i.e. Eighth - Sixteenth - Sixteenth - Sixteenth - Sixteenth - Eighth - Eighth - Eighth).
New Element (Eighth – Sixteenth – Sixteenth – Sixteenth – Sixteenth)
After kicking off with an eighth note, the balance of the new element features a sixteenth note flurry.
First Stanza: “Al-ready brush-ing”
Second Stanza: “Get read-y ’cause I’ve”
Familiar Element (Eighth – Eighth – Eighth)
To conclude the line, the familiar element utilizes the same rhythm that was indicative of both phrases on line 1, again concluding on a familiar note:
First Stanza: “off the dust”
Second Stanza: “had e-nough”
LINE 4 – FIRST STANZA
Here we once again have both a new and familiar element within the mix, though this time notice that it’s the reverse of what happened on line 2. Line 2 has the new element occurring first and ending on the familiar, while line 4 has the familiar element occurring first and concluding with the new.
Progression
Familiar Element (*F – F – F – D – D progression)
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First Stanza: “Like thun-der gon-na”
Notice that this is virtually the same progression that we saw kicking off line 2 except for the fact that the first lyric is an F as opposed to a G.
New Element (C – B-flat – B-flat)
First Stanza: “shake your ground”
Instead of leaping from D to F to conclude with a F – G – F progression that we saw on line 2, line 4 descends to C instead, followed by further descending to B-flat on the last 2 lyrics to bring the stanza to a conclusion.
Rhythm
Even though aspects of the of the melodic progression is different, notice that the rhythm between lines 2 and line 4 is exactly the same.
REPETITION (How is repetition utilized to get the melody engrained within the listener’s head?)
As was case with the verse, there’s quite a bit of repetition being utilized within the pre-chorus which creates both a very engaging and memorable listening experience.
The following types of repetition are utilized within the pre-chorus:
In-line repetition
In-stanza repetition
Cross-stanza repetition
Cross-sectional repetition
Once again, note that this includes both melodic AND rhythmic repetition.
In-Line Repetition
In-line repetition occurs on lines 1 and 3 within both stanzas with some very subtle differentiation:
First Stanza
Line 1: Both phrases utilize the same rhythm and almost the same progression. The key difference is that phrase 2 kicks off on a D as opposed to a B-flat as on the first phrase.
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Line 3: Both phrases utilize the same rhythm and progression.
Second Stanza
Line 1: Both phrases utilize the same rhythm and the same progression except for 1 note.
Line 3: Both phrases utilize the same rhythm and progression.
In-Stanza Repetition
Notice that there are repetition commonalities between all 3 lines within each stanza:
First Stanza
Both phrases on lines 1 and 3 follow the same progression except for a couple of notes (see the diversifying factor section below for details)
Both phrases on lines 1 and 3 utilize the same rhythm except for 1 note.
The conclusion of line 2 follows the same F – G – F progression and Eighth – Eighth – Eighth rhythm that is indicative of both phrases on lines 1 and 3.
Line 4 concludes the stanza by utilizing the same Eighth – Eighth – Eighth rhythm that defined the aforementioned F – G – F progressions.
Second Stanza
It’s the same story within the second stanza of the section as the first.
Cross Stanza Repetition
Lines 1, 2 and 3 in both stanzas repeat in almost the same exact manner, both from a progression and rhythmic standpoint.
Cross Sectional Repetition
Both occurrences of the pre-chorus within the song follow the same progression and utilize the same rhythm (plus the lyrics as well).
DIVERSIFYING FACTORS (What diversity within the melody is utilized to prevent the repetition from making things too monotonous?)
In-Line Diversity
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First & Second Stanzas
Phrases 1 and 2 on the first line begin on a different note (B-flat vs. D)
In-Stanza Diversity
First Stanza
The overall nature of lines 2 and 4 differs from lines 1 and 3, except for the F – G – F progression at the end of line 2 and the 3 eighth notes at the end of that line plus line 4 as well.
Second Stanza
Line 2 differs from lines 1 and 3 in basically the same manner as in the first verse.
The 2 phrases on lines 1 and 3 differ from one another in the sense that the last lyric at the end of both phrases on line 3 are stretched passed their normal syllable count (i.e. “a-ll” and “no-w”).
Cross-Stanza Diversity
The first phrase on line 3 in the first stanza doesn’t have a “stretched” lyric as its corresponding section in the second stanza.
The second stanza doesn’t contain a 4th line as is the case within the first stanza. Instead, this is where the first line of the chorus appears.
COLOR ADDERS & EMPISIZERS (Are certain lyrics sung in a certain manner or stretched past their normal syllable count to provide increased emphasis and “coloring?”)
The key “color adder” within the section is the F – G – F progression coupled with its associated eighth note rhythm that’s utilized throughout both stanzas of the section. The manner in which it’s “set up” by a preceding B-flat or D note enables it to come across with increased emphasis and vibrancy.
Bottom line – its simplistic nature is exceptionally infectious, engaging and memorable.
CHORUS
Part A
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Part B
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*Note: The lyrics “a fight-er” should follow “ti-ger” in the 3rd measure above.
Line Reference
Part A
Line 1: I got the eye of the tiger, a figh-er, dancin’ through the fire Line 2: ‘Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me roar
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Line 3: Louder, louder than a lion Line 4: ‘Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me roar
Part B
Line 1: o-o-o-o-o-ar Line 2: o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-ar Line 3: o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-ar Line 4: You’re gonna hear me roar
Vocal Range
High: F# Low: D
LINE LENGTH & SEGMENTATION (Are the lines & phrases a mouthful to sing or are they broken into short, memorable segments?)
As is the case with both the verse and pre-chorus sections of the song, the chorus also makes great use of both short and longer phrases that accentuates the engagement and memorability factors for the listener.
CHORUS PART A
What’s really interesting regarding part A of the chorus is that lyrically it’s like one big run-on sentence. Notice that the first 2 lines are joined to the second 2 via the “you’re gonna hear me roar” phrase, which as previously mentioned both brings line 2 to a conclusion and kicks off line 3 as well.
Additionally, notice that it’s not just the timing of the last lyric, syllable or rest that provides segmentation throughout the section. It’s also achieved and accentuated via the nature of the progression as well (i.e. the leap up to B-flat followed by the descent to G on certain lines and phrases).
Line 1: I got the eye of the ti-ger / a figh-ter / danci-n’ through the fi-re
Notice that the first line of the section is quite long and wordy as a whole, and without “segmenting” it would be a lot more difficult for the listener to get engaged and remember. This is countered by segmenting the line into 3 shorter segments (phrases) as follows:
Phrase/Segment 1: I got the eye of the ti-ger
Word/Syllable Count: 7 words / 8 syllables
Segmentation Method: The last lyric, “ti-ger” as a whole possesses a longer duration
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(“ti-” is a quarter note, “-ger” is an eighth note) relative to the other lyrics on the line (eighth notes). Also notice that this is the only lyric within the phrase that possesses 2 syllables as opposed to 1.
Phrase/Segment 2: a figh-ter
Word/Syllable Count: 2 words / 3 syllables
Segmentation Method: “figh-ter” possesses a longer duration relative to the eighth note value of the lyric “a” that preceded it. It’s the same story as with the lyric “ti-ger” in phrase 1. Also notice that it’s followed by an eighth rest, which provides the listener with a split second more time to have the line sink in and resonate.
Additionally, notice that this phrase is shorter than the phases that both precede and follow it. This makes for an engaging flow over the line as a whole as opposed to if each phrase was close to being equal in length.
Phrase/Segment 3: danci-n’ through the fi-re
Word/Syllable Count: 4 words / 6 syllables
Segmentation Method: Same story as the lyrics that concluded the 2 preceding phrases, “ti-ger” and “figh-ter.”
Line 2: ‘Cause I / am a cham-pion / and you’re gon-na hear me roar
As was the case with line 1, here on line 2 we also have 1 long line that’s split into 3 shorter segments.
Phrase/Segment 1: ‘Cause I
Word/Syllable Count: 2 words / 2 syllables
Segmentation Method: The quarter note value of “I” relative to the eighth note that precedes it.
Phrase/Segment 2: am a cham-pion
Word/Syllable Count: 3 words / 4 syllables
Segmentation Method: The prolonged nature of “cham-pion” (quarter / eighth) is followed by an eighth rest.
Phrase/Segment 3: and you’re gon-na hear me roar
Word/Syllable Count: 6 words / 7 syllables
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Segmentation Method: The lyric “roar” is significantly prolonged in relation to the other lyrics via it’s half note value.
Line 3: Loud-er / loud-er than a lion
Notice that as a whole line 3 is shorter than all of the other lines but is still segmented into 2 shorter phrases (as opposed to 3 on the preceding line) that make it more engaging and memorable for the listener.
Phrase/Segment 1: Lou-der
Word/Syllable Count: 1 word / 2 syllables
Segmentation Method: Eighth rest
Phrase/Segment 2: loud-er than a lion
Word/Syllable Count: 3 words / 4 syllables
Segmentation Method: The prolonged nature of “li-on” (quarter / eighth)
Line 4: ‘Cause I / am a cham-pion / and you’re gon-na hear me roar
Notice that line 4 is identical to line 2.
Phrase/Segment 1: ‘Cause I
Word/Syllable Count: 2 words / 2 syllables
Segmentation Method: The quarter note value of “I” relative to the eighth note that precedes it.
Phrase/Segment 2: am a cham-pion
Word/Syllable Count: 3 words / 4 syllables
Segmentation Method: The prolonged nature of “cham-pion” (quarter / eighth) followed by an eighth rest.
Phrase/Segment 3: and you’re gonna hear me roar
Word/Syllable Count: 6 words / 7 syllables
Segmentation Method: The lyric “roar” is significantly prolonged in relation to the other lyrics via it’s half note value.
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CHORUS PART B
Here in the second-half of the chorus notice that lines 1 through 3 consist of just 1 partial “roar” lyric, “oar,” but the manner in which Perry sings these partial lyrics has them “stretched out” over numerous syllables.
The last line of the section then reverts back to the second-half of lines 2 and 4 in chorus part A (i.e. “’cause I am the champion and you’re gonna hear me roar”).
Line 1: o-o-o-o-o-ar
Word/Syllable Count: Partial “Roar” / 6 syllables
Segmentation Method: Eighth rest
Line 2: o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-ar
Word/Syllable Count: Partial “Roar” / 9 syllables
Segmentation Method: Eighth rest
Line 3: o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-ar
Word/Syllable Count: Partial “Roar” / 9 syllables
Segmentation Method: The prolonged last “oar”
Line 4: ‘Cause I / am a cham-pion / and you’re gon-na hear me roar
Notice that line 4 is identical to lines 2 and 4 in part A of the chorus.
Phrase/Segment 1: ‘Cause I
Word/Syllable Count: 2 words / 2 syllables
Segmentation Method: The quarter note value of “I” relative to the eighth note that precedes it.
Phrase/Segment 2: am a cham-pion
Word/Syllable Count: 3 words / 4 syllables
Segmentation Method: The prolonged nature of “cham-pion” (quarter / eighth) followed by an eighth rest.
Phrase/Segment 3: and you’re gon-na hear me roar
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Word/Syllable Count: 6 words / 7 syllables
Segmentation Method: The lyric “roar” is significantly prolonged in relation to the other lyrics via it’s half note value.
PROGRESSION & RHYTHM (Is the nature of the progression and rhythm simplistic or complex? What’s the flow?)
I know that this is redundant, but as was the case within the verse and pre-chrous, here in the chorus the name of the game is once again SIMPLICITY.
CHORUS PART A
Progression
There are 2 core progressions that appear within the chorus following the intro to the section:
The leaps up to B-flat followed by a descent down to G
The title phrase progression
Section Beginning
The first thing that we need to take note of is how the chorus begins. In contrast to line 3 in the pre-chorus, which consists of 2 D – F – G – F – D phrases, the first line of the chorus kicks off in a monotone fashion via F – F – F – F on the lyrics “I got the eye.” This is then followed by a G – B-flat climb on the lyrics “of the,” and is then followed by a B-flat – G descent on the lyrics “ti- ger” to conclude. Note that this ascent up to B-flat followed by the descent back down to G will come to define the majority of phrases within the section.
Core Progression 1: Leaps and Descents
One of the most infectious and memorable characteristics of the chorus, and the song in general, is the combination of leaps and descents on certain phrases. This is a perfect example of what a great Pop melody is all about.
Variation 1: F – B-flat – G
Notice how the first lyric (F) sets up the second lyric/syllable (the leap up to B-flat), and is further accentuated by the descent down to G on the third lyric/syllable.
Line 1
“A fight-er”
“The fi-re”
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Line 2
“‘Cause I am”
“A cham-pion”
Line 3
“a li-on”
Line 4
“‘Cause I am”
“A champ-ion”
Variation 2: B-flat – B-flat – G
Notice that the initial leap here is omitted, instead having the first 2 lyrics/syllables starting on B-flat before descending down to G to conclude as was the case with variation 1.
Line 1
“the ti-ger”
“danc-in through”
Line 3
“loud-er”
Core Progression 2: The Title Phrase
In contrast to the more “rigid” leap and descent progressions as mentioned above, notice that overall the title phrase possesses a more “fluid” flow followed by ending on a descent and leap around the title lyric as follows:
First Half
The title phrase initially kicks off with an F to B leap on the lyrics “and your” and is followed by a “fluid” B – C – D – C progression on the lyrics “gon-na hear.”
Second Half
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The second half of the title phrase first descends from C on the lyric “hear” to G – F on the lyric “me-e.” Notice how this sets up the title lyric that follows, which then reverses course and ascends via F – B-flat on the prolonged lyric “ro-ar” to conclude.
CHORUS PART B
Notice that the overall nature of the progression that defines chorus part B is a lot more simplistic than the first.
This is the type of thing that we see in many Pop songs that contain “whoa’s” and “oh’s” and “nonsense” lyrics of the like that are ultra simplistic, don’t mean anything lyrically, but are exceptionally infectious, engaging and memorable and primed for audience participation within a live setting.
Essentially, chorus part B features the repetition of the partial title lyric, “roar,” in this case “oar.”
The Nature Of “oar”
Line Beginnings
With the exception of the first “oar,” notice that the other 2 kick off with an F – G progression before leaping up to B-flat.
Line Middles
The middle of each line consists of an ultra-simplsitic monotone B-flat delivery.
Line Endings
Each line ends in the reverse manner of how it started, via B-flat – G – F (except for line 1, considering that it didn’t start off with an F – G – B-flat progression).
The Title Line, Again
Following the 3 “oar’s,” notice that the section concludes on the title line once again, “you’re gonna hear me roar,” which is sung in the same manner that it was on lines 2 and 4 within chorus part A.
Rhythm
As was the case with the nature of the progression, notice that the rhythm is also quite simplistic as well, which makes it very easy to sing along to and remember.
CHORUS PART A
Section Beginning
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The lead off line to the chorus initially kicks off with an all eighth note delivery on the lyrics “I got the eye of the…” This is then followed by the prolonged/emphasized lyric, “ti- ger,” which consists of quarter and eighth note.
Core Rhythm 1: Eighth – Quarter – Eighth
This rhythm defines the vast majority of chorus part A.
Line 1
“The ti-ger”
“A fight-er”
“The fi-re”
Line 2
“‘Cause I am”
“A cham-pion”
Line 3
“loud-er” (notice that the phrase only consists of 2 syllables instead of 3)
“a li-on”
“’cause I am”
“a champ-ion”
Core Rhythm 2: Eighth – Eighth – Eighth
This rhythm occurs twice within the section, providing contrast to the rhythm as detailed above.
Line 1
“danc-in’ through” (precedes the lyrics “the fi-re”)
Line 3
“loud-er than” (precedes the lyrics “a li-on”)
Title Phrase
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As was the case with the progression, the rhythm that defines the title phrase “and you’re gonna hear me roar” provides solid contrast to all of the preceding lines and phrases, enabling it to come across with increased emphasis and impact (which is what you want to have on the most important line within the song).
Lead off Segment 1: “And you’re gon-na”
Consists of 4 eighth notes
Segment 2: “hear me-e”
In contrast to segment 1, segment 2 slows things down a bit by prolonging the lyric “hear” (quarter note) and stretching out “me” past its normal syllable count so that it’s sung like “me-e” (eighth – eighth).
Segment 3: “ro-ar”
Here we have the most important lyric within the song, the title “payoff” lyric “roar.” This is the one lyric that you want emphasized over any other. Not only was it emphasized via its “stretched out” F – B-flat progression as mentioned earlier, but notice that it is also possesses a longer duration than any other lyric within the section, and song for that matter, via 2 quarter notes. This, along with the progression accentuates the “roaring” quality of the manner in which Perry sings it, turning it into a song defining movement. Additionally, due its prolonged nature notice that it also accentuates the manner in which it both concludes line 2 and kicks off line 3 at the same time along with the progression as mentioned earlier.
CHORUS PART B
The Nature Of “oar”
Line Beginnings: “O – o”
With the exception of the first “oar” that forgoes the beginning, the second and third kick off with 2 rapid sixteenth notes on the lead in F – G progression.
Line Middles: “o – o – o – o”
The “oar’s” in the middle of the line utilize eighth note timing. Notice how they’re all uniform in conjunction with the monotone B-flat delivery.
Line Endings: “o – o – oar”
Each line ends in a similar manner to in which it began (again, with the exception of line 1), with 2 sixteenth notes on the first 2 “o’s” and then concluding on “oar,” which is a sixteenth note.
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Title Line
Again, as was the case with the progression, the title line utilizes the same rhythm that it did within the first part of the chorus.
REPETITION (How is repetition utilized to get the melody engrained within the listener’s head?)
As was case with the verse and pre-chorus, there’s quite a bit of repetition being utilized within the chorus as well which creates both a very engaging and memorable listening experience.
The following types of repetition are utilized within the chorus:
In-line repetition
In-stanza repetition
Cross-stanza repetition
Cross-sectional repetition
Again, note that this includes both melodic repetition AND rhythmic repetition.
In-Line Repetition
CHORUS PART A
Line 1
Each phrase/segment ends in the same manner, utilizing the same B-flat – G progression and quarter – eighth rhythm:
ti-ger
fight-er
fi-re
Additionally, notice that the B-flat – G progression is initially set up by an F within the second and third phrases on the line (“a fight-er,” “the fi-re”).
Line 2
Phrases 1 and 2 utilize the same F – B-flat – G progression and eighth -quarter – eighth rhythm:
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‘Cause I am
a cham-pion
Line 3
Phrase 1 and part of phrase 2 utilize the same B-flat -G progression and quarter – eighth rhythm:
Loud-er
li-on
CHORUS PART-B
Lines 2 and 3 utilize a sixteenth note flurry at both the beginning of the line and the end as well.
In-Stanza Repetition
CHORUS PART A
With the exception of the “you’re gonna hear me roar” line, each phrase/segment utilizes the B-flat – G progression (sometimes preceded by F) / Quarter – Eighth (sometimes preceded by an eighth) rhythm.
The third phrase/segment on line 1 (“danc-in’ through the fi-re”) possesses the same rhythm and utilizes the same progression as “loud-er than a li-on,” which is the second phrase/segment on line 3.
The title phrase/segment “you’re gonna hear me roar” is repeated in the same exact manner on lines 2 and 4.
With the exception of the first phrase/segment plus the following “a” lyric on line 1, the balance of that line through line 2 repeats in the same manner as lines 3 through 4 (i.e. “fight-er, danc-’in through the fi-re, ’cause I am a cham-pion and you’re gonna hear me-e ro-ar” is the same as “loud-er, loud-er than a li-on, ’cause I am a cham-pion and you’re gonna hear me-e ro-ar”).
CHORUS PART B
Lines 2 and 3 repeat in the same exact manner.
Line 1 repeats in the same manner as lines 2 and 3 except for the fact that it doesn’t have the same lead in.
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Cross Stanza Repetition (Part A vs. Part B)
The title phrase/segment “you’re gonna hear me roar” repeats in the same exact manner within chorus part A and chorus part B.
Cross Sectional Repetition
The overall general nature of the vocal melody remains the same throughout each chorus occurrence within the song.
DIVERSIFYING FACTORS (What diversity within the melody is utilized to prevent the repetition from making things too monotonous?)
In-Line Diversity
Line 1
Even though all of the phrases on line 1 have elements that are similar in nature to one another, as a whole each phrase does NOT repeat in the same exact manner (i.e. the section lead in, short phrase 2, longer phrase 3).
Line 2
The title phrase/segment differs greatly from the similar nature of the 2 phrases/segments that preceded it.
Line 3
The short first segment “loud-er” possesses a similar nature to the “li-on” lyric in the second phrase/segment, but otherwise differs.
Line 4
It’s the same story as line 2 above.
In-Stanza Diversity
Notice that none of the back to back phrases within the section repeat in the same exact manner, despite certain repetitive elements which tie things together.
Cross-Stanza Diversity (Part A vs. Part B)
Aside from the title phrase, chorus part A and B completely differ in nature from one another.
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COLOR ADDERS & EMPISIZERS (Are certain lyrics sung in a certain manner or stretched past their normal syllable count to provide increased emphasis and “coloring?”)
There are 3 primary “color adder” / “emphasizer” elements in play within the chorus that makes it so infectious, engaging and memorable:
The B-flat – G / quarter – eighth (and sometimes preceded by F and an eighth note) progression & rhythm that occurs throughout the section as detailed earlier. Notice how the nature of the progression and rhythm work in perfect tandem with one another in emphasizing the following lyrics:
ti-ger
fight-er
fi-re
I am
champ-ion
loud-er
li-on
The prolonged F – B-flat progression of the title lyric “ro-ar” that is preceded by the “set- up” C – G – F descent on the lyrics “hear me-e” enables it to stand out and resonate amongst all of the other lyrics within the section.
The ultra-infectious, memorable manner in which the partial “roar,” “oar” is sung within chorus part B.
Bridge
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Line Reference
Line 1: Ro-ar, o-ar, ro-ar, o-ar, ro-ar
Vocal Range
High: C Low: F
LINE LENGTH & SEGMENTATION (Are the lines & phrases a mouthful to sing or are they broken into short, memorable segments?)
As you can see, the vocal within the bridge consists of just 1 line that is broken up into 5 short segments:
Segment 1: ro-ar
Word/Syllable Count: 1 word/ 2 syllables
Segmentation Method: Eighth rest
Segment 2: o-ar
Word/Syllable Count: 1 partial word/ 2 syllables
Segmentation Method: Eighth rest
Segment 3: ro-ar
Word/Syllable Count: 1 word/ 2 syllables
Segmentation Method: Eighth rest
Segment 4: o-ar
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Word/Syllable Count: 1 partial word / 2 syllables
Segmentation Method: Eighth rest
Segment 5: ro-ar
Word/Syllable Count: 1 word/ 2 syllables
PROGRESSION & RHYTHM (Is the nature of the progression and rhythm simplistic or complex? What’s the flow?)
Progression
The nature of the progression is exceptionally simplistic, more so than any other section within the song save for part B of the chorus:
Segments 1 & 2 (Descending)
Both follow a descending G – F progression on the stretched lyrics “ro-ar,” “o-ar.”
Segments 3 & 4 (Ascending)
These segments reverse course from segments 1 and 2, both ascending via a G – A progression on the stretched lyrics “ro-ar” and “o-ar.”
Segment 5 (Peaking)
The final segment of the section then further progresses upward to conclude via a B-flat – C progression.
Rhythm
The nature of the rhythm is just as simplistic as the progression. Each stretched “ro-ar” lyric possesses eighth – quarter timing, except for the final “ro-ar” of the section where it’s even further prolonged in relation to the others to bring help bring the section to a rousing climax.
REPETITION (How is repetition utilized to get the melody engrained within the listener’s head?)
Segments 1 and 2 utilize the same rhythm and progression.
Segments 3 and 4 utilize the same rhythm and progression.
All of the segments except for segment 5 utilize eighth – quarter timing.
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DIVERSIFYING FACTORS (What diversity within the melody is utilized to prevent the repetition from making things too monotonous?)
Segments 1 and 2 follow a descending G – F progression while segments 3 and 4 follow an ascending G – A progression.
Segment 5 is the only 1 to feature a B-flat – C progression and possess longer timing than all of the other segments.
The second and fourth segments are both partial “roars” (i.e. “oar”).
COLOR ADDERS & EMPISIZERS (Are certain lyrics sung in a certain manner or stretched past their normal syllable count to provide increased emphasis and “coloring?”)
Each “roar” is stretched past its normal syllable count and over 2 notes.
The upward G – A progression on segments 3 and 4 help to take the excitement factor of the section to the next level in contrast to the descending G – F progressions that preceded them.
The final “Roar” provides the ultimate coloring and emphasis to the section considering that it possesses the highest register within the section and also is prolonged longer than any other lyric within the section. This enables the title lyric to really stand out and shine within the section, and song as a whole.
Lyrics Back to Top
Lyrics / Harmonic Progression / Word & Syllable Count
Key (*): Indicates a chord that occurs before the beginning of the line (**): Indicates a chord that occurs on the rest preceding the highlighted lyric Blue Font On Lyric: Indicates where the chord change takes place (Parethesis): Indicates a chord that carries over from the previous line
Verse 1
First Stanza
*B-flat (10 words / 10 syllables) I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath
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(B-flat) – Cm (9 words / 9 syllables) Scared to rock the boat and make a mess
*Gm – E-flat (6 words / 11 syllables) So I sat qui-et-ly, a-greed po-lite-ly
Second Stanza
*B-flat (9 words / 10 syllables) I guess that I for-got I had a choice
(B-flat) – Cm (9 words / 10 syllables) I let you push me past the break-ing point
*Gm – E-flat (9 words / 12 syllables) I stood for noth-ing, so I fell for ev-‘ry-thing
Pre-Chorus
First Stanza
B-flat (8 words / 8 syllables) You held me down, but I got up
Cm (5 words / 8 syllables) Al-read-y brush-ing off the dust
Gm (8 words / 8 syllables) You hear my voice, you hear that sound
E-flat (6 words / 8 syllables) Like thun-der gon-na shake your ground
Second Stanza
B-flat (8 words / 8 syllables) You held me down, but I got up
Cm (6 words / 8 syllables) Get read-y ’cause I’ve had e-nough
Gm (8 words / 8 syllables) I see it all, I see it now
*Notice that each line of the pre-chorus contains the same number of syllables, which accentuates the memorability factor for the listener.
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***Chorus
E-flat – B-flat – Cm (13 words / 17 syllables) I got the eye of the ti-ger, a figh-ter, danci-n’ through the fi-re
Gm – E-flat – B-flat (11 words / 13 syllables) ‘Cause I am a cham-pion and you’re gon-na hear me roar
(B-flat) – Cm (5 words / 7 syllables) Loud-er, loud-er than a lion
(Cm) – Gm – E-flat – B-flat (11 words / 13 syllables) ‘Cause I am a champ-ion and you’re gon-na hear me roar
(B-flat) (1 partial word / 6 syllables) o-o-o-o-o-ar
(B-flat) – Cm (1 partial word / 9 syllables) o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-ar
*Gm (1 partial word / 9 syllables) o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-ar
*(Gm) – E-flat – B-flat (5 words / 6 syllables) You’re gon-na hear me roar
Verse 2
*B-flat (6 words / 9 syllables) Now I’m float-ing like a but-ter-fly
(B-flat) – Cm (8 words / 9 syllables) Sting-ing like a bee I earned my stripes
*Gm – E-flat (8 words / 10 syllables) I went from ze-ro, to my own he-ro
Bridge
*F (*5 words / **10 syllables) Ro-ar, o-ar, ro-ar, o-ar, ro-ar
Bridge Notes: *Includes the partial “roar” as “oar” **The manner in which “roar” is sung has it “stretched” into 2 syllables
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Chorus Note: ***Note that the first line of the chorus technically starts within the pre-chorus
LYRIC TYPES This section highlights the types of lyrics and phrases used throughout each section of the song. Notice that some of the lyrics and phrases appear in more than one category.
Detail/Imagery Lyrics & Phrases (These lyrics “paint a picture” in your mind and provide detail as to what’s happening within the story, literally, metaphorically, or both)
Examples include:
Verse 1
I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath
Verse 2
Now I’m floating like a butterfly
Stinging like a bee I earned my stripes
Pre-Chorus
Already brushing off the dust
Like thunder gonna shake your ground
Chorus
I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancing through the fire
Place & Time Lyrics & Phrases
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(These lyrics reflect places and the timeline within the story)
Note that there aren’t any references to specific places within the story. In regard to time, although there is no mention of specifics, lyrics are communicated both in the past and present tense. Reference the Story Flow & Meaning section of the report for details.
Emotional/State Of Mind Based Lyrics and Phrases (These lyrics and phrases shed light on the character’s state of mind and convey emotion –either directly or indirectly- enabling you to connect with what the characters are feeling or going through on an emotional level within the story)
A core strength regarding the lyrics is that for the most part Perry never comes out directly and says “I’m happy,” “I’m sad,” “I’m angry,” etc… Instead, her state of mind can be inferred in an indirect manner via detail, imagery, action, etc…, which is the mark of highly effective songwriting.
All in all, pretty much every line within Roar is emotional and evocative in nature. Examples include:
Verse 1
I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath (apprehension, anger and tension)
Scared to rock the boat and make a mess (fear)
I let you push me past the breaking point (anger, being fed up)
Verse 2
I went from zero, to my own hero (despondent / empowered)
Pre-Chorus
You held me down, but I got up (stifled /resilience)
Already brushing off the dust (resilience)
Like thunder gonna shake your ground (power)
Chorus
I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancin’ through the fire (focus, strength and impervious to adversity)
‘Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me *ROAR (high self worth, exceptionally empowered)
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*ROAR, louder, louder than a lion (exceptionally empowered)
*Remember that the lyric “roar” technically both ends a line and starts another at the same time.
Bridge
Roar (empowered)
Action Based Lyrics & Phrases (These lyrics get you into what the characters within the story have done, are doing or will do)
Verse 1
I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath (the action of doing so)
Scared to rock the boat and make a mess (metaphorically)
So I sat quietly, agreed politely (the act of doing so)
Verse 2
Now I’m floating like a butterfly (metaphorically)
Stinging like a bee I earned my stripes (metaphorically)
Pre-Chorus
You held me down, but I got up (metaphorically)
Already brushing off the dust (metaphorically)
Like thunder gonna shake your ground (metaphorically)
Chorus
I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancin’ through the fire (metaphrically)
‘Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me *ROAR (future action)
*ROAR louder, louder than a lion (metaphorically, or maybe not!)
Bridge
ROAR… (the act of “roaring”)
Character/Person Based Lyrics & Phrases (Including Pronouns)
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(These lyrics show how all of the characters within the story are defined)
Red Font: 1st Person Blue Font: 2nd Person Green Font: 3rd Person Bold Black: Specific person or group
Verse-1
I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath Scared to rock the boat and make a mess So I sat quietly, agreed politely
I guess that I forgot I had a choice I let you push me past the breaking point I stood for nothing, so I fell for everything
Pre-Chorus
You held me down, but I got up Already brushing off the dust You hear my voice, you hear that sound Like thunder gonna shake your ground
You held me down, but I got up Get ready ’cause I’ve had enough I see it all, I see it now
Chorus
I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancin’ through the fire Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me ROAR Louder, louder than a lion Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me ROAR
Verse-2
Now I’m floating like a butterfly Stinging like a bee I earned my stripes I went from zero, to my own hero
Bridge
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Roar-or, o-ar-or, roar-or, oar-or, roar-or!!!
Rhyming & Repetitive Lyrics
The highlighted lyric indicates the “rhymer.” In some cases it’s a full lyric, and in other cases it may be just one letter or syllable or the manner in which a lyric is sung.
Verse 1 Notice that the same rhyming scheme occurs in both stanzas of the section.
First Stanza
Lines 1 & 2 (The last lyric on each line)
I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath
Scared to rock the boat and make a mess
Line 3 (The last lyric in each phrase)
So I sat quietly, agreed politely (note that Perry sings it as “po-lite-ly” so they jibe)
Second Stanza
Lines 1 & 2 (The last lyric on each line)
I guess that I forgot I had a choice
I let you push me past the breaking point
Line 3 (The last lyric in each phrase)
I stood for nothing, so I fell for everything
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Verse 2
Notice that verse 2 possesses the same rhyming scheme as verse 1.
Lines 1 & 2 (The last lyric on each line)
Now I’m floating like a butterfly
Stinging like a bee I earned my stripes
Line 3 (The last lyric in each phrase)
I went from zero, to my own hero
Pre-Chorus
First Stanza
Lines 1 & 2 (The last lyric on each line)
You held me down, but I got up
Already brushing off the dust
Lines 3 & 4 (The last lyric on each line)
You hear my voice, you hear that sound
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Like thunder gonna shake the ground
Second Stanza
Notice that line 1 in both stanzas is the same, while line 2 differs but rhymes in the same manner (i.e. “dust” in the first stanza, “enough” in the second stanza).
Lines 1 & 2 (The last lyric on each line)
You held me down, but I got up
Get ready ’cause I’ve had enough
Line 3 (“I see It” repeats twice)
I see it all, I see it now
Chorus
Part A
First, notice the “I” theme utilized throughout the section.
Second, notice the “a” similarity in the lyrics “dancin’” and “champion” on lines 1 and 2 coupled with how they’re sung (more on this in the Vocal Melody section of the report).
Third, notice the repetition of the title lyric “roar,” occuring at the end of the second and fourth lines.
Line 1 (the “I“ theme is utilized throughout the line as detailed below, coupled with the similarity between “tiger, fighter & fire” )
I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancin’ through the fire
Line 2 (note the “I“ that ties into line 1)
‘Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me roar
Line 3 (again, the “I“ theme continues)
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Louder, louder than a lion
Line 4 (and again, the “I” theme)
‘Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me roar
Part B
Notice that “oar” in the lyric “roar” at the end of part A ties directly into the repetitive nature of the first 3 lines of part B as detailed below.
Additionally, part B concludes with the partial repetition of the line that ended part A, “you’re gonna hear me roar.” The “oar” also ties into the 3 lines that preceded it as well.
o-o-o-o-o-ar
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-ar
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-ar
You’re gonna hear me roar
Bridge
Here we have a fluctuation of “roar” and “oar,” with the commonality between each being “oar.”
Ro-ar, o-ar, ro-ar, o-ar, ro-ar
SONG TITLE
When gauging the effectiveness of a song’s title, there are a number of factors that you need to consider:
1. Is it unique/clever/powerful or “run-of-the-mill?”
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2. Does it pique your interest enough to take a listen to the song? 3. Is it memorable? 4. How does it work within the lyrical framework of the song?
Is it unique/clever/powerful or “run-of-the-mill?”
During the second quarter of the year chart-topping Pop song titles fell into 1 of 2 categories – those that are unique, clever and or powerful (e.g. My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up), Radioactive and Thrift Shop), and those that are more universal/generic in nature (e.g. I Love It, Scream & Shout and Stay).
Roar certainly falls into the first category primarily due to its powerful, clever nature. It screams empowerment and as a result stands out and resonates.
Does it pique your interest to take a listen?
Absolutely, and on 2 levels:
First, as a stand-alone title, its powerful, clever nature certainly peaks your interest to find out who or what is “roaring” and why?!?
Second, when you tie the artist into the equation, in this case Katy Perry, the title “Roar” takes on additional significance. As you probably know, Perry has had her share of failed relationships which certainly brought her down to a very low point within her life. When you hear a title like “Roar,” you KNOW that this is going to be a song about resilience and empowerment.
So, it both piques the listener’s curiosity to find out the circumstances that led to Perry “roaring” back, as well as piquing the interest of anyone who needs a bit of “empowerment medicine” in their lives.
Is it memorable?
There are 4 key factors that make Roar a very memorable title:
It’s just 1 word.
It’s powerful and stands out.
Its meaning relates directly to the performing artist, which accentuates the memorability factor.
The manner in which it’s used within the song (see below)
How does it work within the lyrical framework of the song?
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Roar is undoubtedly the lyrical “payoff” within the song. The storyline within the verse and pre- chorus sections both set the scene and lead to the empowerment payoff theme communicated within the chorus, culminating in the title lyric.
Title Occurrences:
Roar occurs 16 times within the song in the chorus and bridge sections as follows:
Chorus 1 – Part A (2 times): The last lyric at the end of lines 2 and 4.
Chorus 1 – Part B (1 time): The last lyric on the last line.
Chorus 2 – Part A (2 times): The last lyric at the end of lines 2 and 4.
Chorus 2 – Part B (2 times): The last lyric at the end of both stanzas.
Bridge (5 times): Of the 5 lyrics within the section, the FULL “Roar” appears as lyric 1, 3 and 5, while the partial “oar” occurs on 2 and 4.
Chorus 3 – Part A (2 times): The last lyric at the end of lines 2 and 4.
Chorus 3 – Part B (2 times): The last lyric at the end of both stanzas.
Chorus Part A
1st Stanza
I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancin’ through the fire Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me ROAR Louder, louder than a lion Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me ROAR
Chorus Part B
Oh oh oh oh oh oh Oh oh oh oh oh oh Oh oh oh oh oh oh You’re gonna hear me ROAR
Bridge
ROAR – OAR – ROAR – OAR – ROAR
Title Points To Note:
Primary Placement
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Notice that the title always occurs as the last lyric on a line, a stanza and a section as a whole. This enables it to further resonate within the listener’s head and as a result heighten the memorability factor.
It’s Exceptionally Clever
To partially contradict the point above, not only does the title lyric Roar end certain lines, but it also STARTS off certain lines as well as mentioned earlier within the report, which is exceptionally clever.
Note the following:
Roar as a conclusion
Here “roar” concludes the first stanza of chorus part A:
‘Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me ROAR
Roar as a beginning
Now look at how that very same lyric also kicks of the first line of the SECOND STANZA as well:
ROAR louder, louder than a lion
It’s the manner in which Perry sings it (i.e. it’s prolonged nature) coupled with the nature of the progression which enables it to both conclude a line and start the line that follows off as well, getting the job done perfectly on both. This is a mark of exceptionally strong lyric writing.
STORY FLOW & MEANING
Engaging lyrics that are chock full of detail, imagery, action and emotion coupled with a compelling storyline are paramount to bringing a song to life and engaging the listener on a deep level. This is certainly a core strength of “Roar.”
Overall, Roar is a classic love/relationship/empowerment themed story that possesses a universal nature that can be applied to a myriad of other circumstances within one’s own life. And not only does it capitalize on the elements detailed above to make it so effective, but it also includes a plethora of metaphors and pop culture references that helps to put it over the top (i.e. Rocky, Mohammad Ali and Helen Reddy’s I am Woman). Combined, all of the elements don’t just enable you to FEEL the story, but you SEE it as well.
Personally, what comes to mind is the movie Rocky (probably because of the “eye of the tiger” reference). The flow would be something like this:
Rocky has gone through a long battle with Drago, Clubber or Apollo and has been pummeled throughout the entire bout. He’s tired, demoralized and ready to give up. And then, he’s hit
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As we all know, Rocky opts for the latter. He stands up, “brushes himself off,” get’s the “eye of the tiger,” and starts “floating like a butterfly and stinging like a bee.” He’s now able to “dance through the fire” (i.e. absorb all of the blows that are coming his way), “Roar louder than a lion” (i.e. knock them out) and become “champion.” The fact that he has overcome this powerful force and persevered warrants him being “champion.” In other words, he’s “earned his stripes.”
Now, just substitute the boxing ring for a relationship, Rocky for Katy Perry, Drago, Clubber or Apollo for the other partner in the relationship, and boxing rounds for sections within the song/phases of her life and you have “Roar.”
Additionally, as previously mentioned, what is really great about the lyrics and storyline is that it can be applied to a plethora of scenarios within one’s life due to the song’s universal nature, not just a relationship. For example, you can just as easily equate it to someone being in a job where their boss slams them down and constantly belittles them. In the end, the person then finally decides to stand up and persevere.
Verse-1
First Stanza
I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath Scared to rock the boat and make a mess So I sat quietly, agreed politely
Second Stanza
I guess that I forgot I had a choice I let you push me past the breaking point I stood for nothing, so I fell for everything
Verse 1 in a nutshell: She’s was in a bad relationship. She’s was angry, repressed, scared, compliant and feeling empty.
First Stanza: The past
The first stanza of the first verse sets the scene for the audience, letting them know that this relationship was not in a good state, and that she was the one being repressed.
Although we never find out what was specifically wrong within the relationship, we know that she felt subdued and afraid to engage with this guy (“I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath, scared to rock the boat and make a mess”).
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We also know that she was “afraid to rock the boat” (i.e. make the relationship even worse), and prevented this from happening by keeping her mouth shut (i.e. “so I sat quietly”). When she DID open her mouth just she just agreed with him to prevent things from boiling over (i.e. “agreed politely”). As you can see, this is NOT the picture of a healthy relationship!
Second Stanza: The past
The second stanza gives us a peak into her psyche, specifically the fact that she is at rock bottom within this relationship.
Line 1: I guess that I forgot I had a choice
Here she’s basically stating that she was so down in the abyss of this miserable relationship that she “forgot that she had a choice” to get out if she wanted. This also has to do with her self esteem being so low that she was probably afraid that she wouldn’t be able to make it on her own once she got out.
Line 2: I let you push me past the breaking point
Here we find out that she has finally passed the point of no return and can’t take it anymore. What’s really interesting to take note of are the first 3 lyrics “I let you.” This is important in the sense that it ties directly into WHY she starts to become empowered within pre-chorus and chorus that follow.
Remember, she decided to stay in this relationship when she still “had the choice” to get out as depicted on line 1. He didn’t “hold her hostage.” It was her low self esteem and despair that sucked all of the will out of her body, so she let him get to her. When she becomes empowered later within the song, she’s never going to “let” that happen again!
Line 3: I stood for nothing, so I fell for everything
This powerful line sums up her overall state that preceded her becoming empowered. The fact that “she stood for nothing” indicates that she was just a shell of a person. She was empty, in despair and had no self esteem. This is why she put up with all of his B.S. (i.e. “so I fell for everything”).
Pre-Chorus
First Stanza
You held me down, but I got up Already brushing off the dust You hear my voice, you hear that sound Like thunder gonna shake your ground
Second Stanza
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You held me down, but I got up Get ready ’cause I’ve had enough I see it all, I see it now
After establishing the fact that the protagonist was pretty much “down and out” within this relationship, we find her realizing in the pre-chorus that she DOES have a choice, and she’s determined to pick herself up and persevere.
***This is where the EMPOWERMENT nature of the story kicks in***
Additionally, as you go through this section, notice the great use of metaphors that are utilized to convey the story. This enables the listener not only to FEEL the story, but to WATCH it unfold as well.
First Stanza: The past & Present
Line 1: You held me down, but I got up
She was completely repressed as denoted within the preceding verse. Here in the pre-chorus, however, she’s not staying down anymore. She’s starting to become empowered.
Line 2: Already brushing off the dust
This is a great metaphor. “Brushing off the dust” refers to her getting rid of all the adversity, negativity, and just all things bad that were defining her life while she was with this guy. The fact that she starts off the line with the lyric “already” is exceptionally powerful and important considering that it conveys the fact that her rebounding and becoming empowered isn’t going to take a long time. It started happening as soon as she made up her mind to “get up” as denoted on line 1.
Lines 3 & 4: You hear my voice, you hear that sound, like thunder gonna shake your ground
These 2 lines work hand in hand. First and foremost, she’s NOT “sitting quietly” and “agreeing politely” anymore as she did during the first verse. Now she’s empowered and not putting up with his B.S. He will HEAR her voice, and the metaphor that conveys the power that she will let him hear that voice is the “THUNDER that will shake his ground.” She’s not timid and repressed anymore. She’s all powerful!
Second Stanza: The past & present
Line 1: You held me down, but I got up
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Here we see the reiteration of line 1 in the first stanza, and with good reason. It’s further enforcing the fact that he repressed her, but not anymore!
Line 2: Get ready ’cause I had enough
In other words, “I’m not taking your sh*t anymore!” Additionally, the fact that she starts the line off via the lyrics “get ready” conveys the fact that there is something to come – like her persevering and being held down anymore.
Line 3: I see it all, I see it now
Here the protagonist becomes “Wide Awake” so to speak (couldn’t help but use Perry’s other empowerment song title – it perfectly fits the bill). She now sees what he did to her and how it adversely effected her life. She SEES that THERE IS a way out. The blinders are off, and she’s ready to become fully empowered and persevere in the face of adversity.
Chorus
Part A: The Present
I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancin’ through the fire Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me ROAR Louder, louder than a lion Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me ROAR
Here in the chorus we find the lyrical “payoff” of the song (in addition to a sonic/musical/vocal performance payoff as well).
This is what the entire song had been building up to, and now our protagonist is fully EMPOWERED. She will NOT be knocked or kept down anymore!
Line 1: I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancin’ through the fire
Here we see more use of metaphors and pop culture references as well, all of which perfectly illuminate the empowerment theme of the section:
She’s “got the eye of the tiger”: Focus. Also note that this is a direct reference to the movie “Rocky.”
She “a Fighter”: Strength coupled with a person who isn’t going to put up with any more sh*t!
She’s “dancin’ through the fire”: This is a very clever and powerful line, and possesses multiple meanings:
The fact that she’s “dancin’” indicates that she’s celebrating.
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The fact that she’s “dancin’ through the fire” indicates that she’s light, empowered and able to meet and deal with any adversity in an empowered manner.
And finally, the fact that she’s “dancin’ through the fire” indicates that because she’s empowered and strong, she won’t get “burned” again, meaning put back down into the negative state that she used to be in. She’s resilient.
Line 2: ‘Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me ROAR
And why is everything on line 1 taking place? Because she’s EMPOWERED. She’s a “champion.” She’s strong. If you’re a champion, you’re on top – NOT the bottom. And then of course we have the title lyric, “roar,” which is exceptionally potent and clever for 2 reasons:
It conveys her letting him know that she’s not going to be knocked around anymore, and she’s not telling him in a timid manner. She’s letting herself be known in a BIG, “roaring” way. Additionally, it conveys the fact that she will persevere in a GRAND manner.
“You’re gonna hear me roar” conjures up memories of another historical pop culture phrase which relates to women empowerment – Helen Reddy’s I am Woman (Hear Me Roar). Released in 1972, this #1 song screamed women’s empowerment and became the anthem for the women’s liberation movement.
Line 3: Louder, louder than a lion
Not only is she empowered, she is EXCEPTIONALLY EMPOWERED. This is conveyed via the fact that not only is she “roaring,” which is already strong, but she’s “roaring” louder than the animal that has the loudest “roar” of them all – the lion.
Line 4: ‘Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me ROAR
Line 4 is a repeat of line 2, hammering home this empowering line and providing a repeat of the title lyric.
Part B o-o-o-o-o-ar o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-ar o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-ar You’re gonna hear me roar
Even though there’s nothing new being introduced to the story here, the first 3 lines are celebratory in nature via the repetitive partial “r-oar’s.”
Additionally, notice that a partial title line is implemented at the end of the section (i.e. “you’re gonna hear me roar”), which both closes out the section with the summation of the
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Verse-2
Now I’m floating like a butterfly Stinging like a bee I earned my stripes I went from zero, to my own hero
In contrast to the first verse that was all about her being down, here in the second verse (after she has become empowered via the pre-chorus and chorus), we find our protagonist completely empowered.
Line 1 (present): Now I’m floating like a butterfly
Instead of feeling stifled and down as described within the first verse, here in the second verse she’s feeling light and free (i.e. “floating like a butterfly”).
Line 2 (present): Stinging like a bee I earned my stripes
This is a very clever line for the following reasons:
First, note that line 1 ties directly into the first half of line 2 as 1 continuous empowerment themed phrase “floating like a butterfly, stinging like a bee.” Reference the “clever lyrics” section below for details.
Second, bees have stripes. The fact that she has “earned her stripes” is very powerful in the sense that all of the adversity that she had put up with enabled her to “earn” feeling empowered, light and positive. Sometimes you have to go through hell to get to heaven!
Line 3 (past and present): I went from zero, to my own hero
The last line of the second verse does a fantastic job of tying together and summing up verse 1, the pre-chorus and the chorus all into 1. The fact that she “went from zero” to being “her own hero” refers to the journey of being down and out in the first verse, getting empowered in the pre-chorus, and persevering in the chorus.
*Clever Line: Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee
This was a line that Muhammad Ali (the boxer) made famous. He was a champion, and that’s the phrase that he used to describe what he was going to do while in the ring. It’s the same phrase that Katy Perry uses here in the second verse to reinforce the “champion” theme that was established within the chorus.
Bridge
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Roar-or, o-ar-or, roar-or, oar-or, roar-or!!!
Even though the bridge consists of just 1 lyric, “roar” (and the partial “roar,” “o-ar” as well), it’s still ultra-important and ultra-effective for the following 2 reasons:
It hammers home the empowerment theme, especially via the manner in which she sings it. All in all, it’s the pinnacle line within the entire song. She’s fully empowered, and she’s conveying it by “roaring” it louder and more impassioned than any other section of the song.
It provides repetition of the title lyric, further getting it engrained within the listener’s head.
As you know, typically a bridge is utilized to provide both a musical and lyrical departure/twist within the story. We have it with the nature of the music, but lyrically it’s just reiterating the empowerment themed title lyric. If this was a “traditional” bridge, Perry would have added something that took the song in an unexpected direction more in the line of “maybe it’s not so bad with you, maybe I should just keep my mouth shut.” This would then be followed by her saying “no way!” and launching back into the empowerment theme of the chorus.
Benchmarking Back to Top
TOP 10 HIT POP SONG COMPARISON
This section explores how Roar compositionally compares to the 25 songs that landed in the Billboard Pop Songs top 10 during Q2-2013. The aim is to spotlight the similarities which makes it easy for people to connect with, as well as its core differences which enables it to stand out from the pack.
Section Length
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*Note: The section length for the verse and chorus reflects the first occurrence within the song.
As you can see in the graph above, some of the sections within Roar are close to being in line with chart-topping Pop song averages, while others aren’t as much.
Intro
Roar’s intro is 0:09 (64%) shorter than the Pop song average.
Verse
Roar’s first verse is 0:05 (19%) shorter than the Pop song average. Note however that Roar’s second verse is a half verse, clocking in at just 0:10. During the preceding quarter (Q2), only 3 out of the 25 top 10 hit Pop songs had their second verse being half the length of the first.
Pre-Chorus
Roar’s pre-chorus is 0:07 (47%) longer than the Pop song average.
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Chorus
Roar’s first chorus is 0:05 (19%) longer than the Pop song average. Note however that Roar’s second and third choruses clock in at 0:42, which is 0:15 (56%) longer than the Pop song average.
Bridge
Roar’s bridge is 0:05 (21%) shorter than the Pop song average.
Bottom Line
Roar’s intro and second verse are exceptionally shorter in relation to the Pop songs average, its first verse and bridge (break) are moderately shorter, and its pre-chorus and chorus sections are moderate to significantly longer than the Pop songs average.
Section Count
As you can see in the graph above, Roar contains the same number of sections as the vast majority of chart-topping Pop songs.
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Total Section Breakdown
As you can see, Roar allocated significantly less time to the intro and verse, slightly less time to the bridge, moderately more time to the pre-chorus and significantly more time to the chorus compared to the top 10 Pop song average of Q2-2013.
Now, within Roar, keep in mind that more weight was given to the pre-chorus than the verse, the bridge is more of a break/bridge hybrid, and that the vast majority of time within the song was allocated to the chorus.
Additional Compositional Characteristics
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Roar being in-line or close to in-line with the 25 top 10 Pop hits from Q2-2013
The A-B-A-B-C-B form.
Song length (Roar is just 0:07 shorter than the average)
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First chorus occurrence within the song (Roar’s first chorus occurs just 0:06/4% farther into the song than the Pop songs average).
The utilization of an intro, pre-chorus and a bridge within the song’s framework.
Not utilizing an instrumental break or a solo.
Not incorporating an outro into the song’s framework, instead ending on the chorus.
The use of primarily electric based instrumentation.
Incorporating a combination of primary instrumentation within the mix (i.e. synth + electric guitar).
Featuring a love/relationship lyrical theme (note however that it is part of a combination of lyrical themes, which is NOT in line with the majority of top 10 Pop hits).
The fusion of multiple sub-genres to shape the songs sound and vibe.
Roar being NOT In-line or close to in-line with the 25 top 10 Pop hits from Q2-2013
Intro length (Roar is 0:09 shorter than the average).
Tempo (Roar is 23 bpm slower than the average).
Lead vocal gender (60% of top 10 Pop songs were sung by a male in Q2).
Roar features more than 1 primary lyrical theme (i.e. love/relationships and empowerment), while the majority top 10 hits feature just love/relationships.
All in all, Roar possesses many of the same characteristics that are indicative of chart-topping Pop songs which makes it very easy for a Pop audience to connect with, while at the same time possessing unique elements as well which enables it to stand out from the pack.
THE ROAR / TEENAGE DREAM #1 HIT COMPARISON
This section compares Roar to the 7 songs from Teenage Dream that hit #1 on the Billboard Pop Songs chart: Wide Awake, The One That Got Away, Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.), E.T., Firework California Gurls & Teenage Dream.
The aim is to find out to what degree Perry is staying true to the Teenage Dream “formula” so as to not alienate her original core fanbase, while at the same time forging ahead in a new creative direction.
Section Length
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In-Line or close to in-line with the average Katy Perry #1 hit from Teenage Dream
Intro length (Roar is just 0:01 shorter than the average)
Verse-1 (Roar is 0:05 shorter than the average)
Chorus-1 (Roar is just 0:01 longer than the average)
Turnaround (Exactly the same)
*Bridge (Roar is just 0:01 shorter than the average)
*Note: The average break/bridge was derived from combining the average length of a bridge and a break since Roar doesn’t possess a “traditional” bridge, it’s more of a bridge/break hybrid. If you compared Roar’s hybrid section to the average solely for bridges, Roar’s section would be 0:07 less than the 0:26 average).
NOT In-Line with the average Katy Perry #1 hit from Teenage Dream
Pre-Chorus 1 & 2 (Roar’s pre-chorus is 0:08 longer than the average)
Verse-2 (Roar’s verse is 0:10 shorter than the average). Note that this is because verse 2 is a half verse. The other Teenage Dream #1?s that had the second verse being half the length of the first were E.T., Teenage Dream and California Gurls).
Chorus 2 & 3 (Roar is 0:09 longer than the average). Note that only 2 other songs have subsequent choruses longer than the first – The One That Got Away (chorus 2 & 3) and E.T. (chorus 3).
Bottom Line
In regard to section length, it’s pretty much an even split between Roar being in-line with Teenage Dream #1 averages and different as well. The primary differences reside in the amount of time allocated to the chorus sections (i.e. less in chorus 1 due to the half length of part B and more in choruses 2 and 3 due to part B now being a “full” section), the pre-chorus (57% more time was allocated to each pre-chorus relative to the Teenage Dream average), and the second verse (verse 2 is half the length of the Teenage Dream average).
What does this all mean? It means that more emphasis was put on the “full” chorus sections within the song as well as the pre-choruses relative to the Teenage Dream average. When you listen to the song, it’s not difficult to tell why.
And as for the shorter length of the second verse, the extra time allocated to the 2 aforementioned sections had to come from somewhere! But keep in mind that the second verse didn’t really need to be a “full” verse. We know that she overcame adversity in the first verse and became fully empowered in the chorus. You don’t need a full second verse to dwell
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Total Section Breakdown
Intro
Roar allocated just 1% less time to the intro than the Teenage Dream average. At 2% of its total composition, it’s right behind The One That Got Away (1%) and the same as Teenage Dream (2%).
Verse
Roar allocated 7% less time to its verse sections than the average. At just 14% of its total composition, the only other Teenage Dream #1 that it’s close to is Last Friday Night, which has its verses accounting for just 13% of the total song. Her other #1 verses land in the low to mid
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20% range.
Pre-Chorus
Roar allocated 7% more time to its pre-chorus sections than the Teenage Dream average. At 20%, this is more than all of her other #1 hits, which encompass just 11% – 14% of a song’s total composition (the song Teenage Dream was the closest at 14%).
Chorus
Roar allocated 7% more time to its chorus sections compared to the average. Note that 3 out of her 7 #1 hit songs also had their chorus sections comprising over 50% of the song’s total composition – The One That Got Away, E.T. and Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.).
Bridge
Roar allocated 4% less time to the bridge than the average Teenage Dream #1 hit. At just 9%, it’s the second least next to Firework, which allocated just 7% to the bridge.
Bottom Line
It’s easy to see that Roar put significantly more emphasis on the pre-chorus and slightly more emphasis on the chorus sections relative to the average of her #1 hits from Teenage Dream. Considering the ultra-infectious nature of the pre-chorus and the fact that it acts as the “transitional bridge” between the downtrodden first verse and empowerment themed chorus, it makes perfect sense for the greater time allocation.
And as for the lower amount of time allocated to the verse, remember that the focal point of the story lies within the empowerment theme of the pre-chorus and especially the chorus. The first verse was there to set the scene and act as a starting point for the road to empowerment, while the second verse just reiterated the fact that she IS empowered.
Additional Compositional Characteristics
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In-Line with the #1 hits from Teenage Dream
The use of the A-B-A-B-C-B form.
Roar is just 0:02 shorter than the average song length from Teenage Dream.
Roar contains an intro and its length is just 0:01 shorter than the average.
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Roar doesn’t contain an outro (a small majority of her #1?s don’t).
Roar’s first chorus hits just 0:03/2% farther into the song than the Teenage Dream #1 average.
Roar features primarily electric based instrumentation.
Roar features a combination of primary instrumentation within the mix (i.e. synth + guitar).
Roar features a pre-chorus within the song’s framework.
Roar doesn’t feature an instrumental break or solo.
Roar features a love/relationship lyrical theme which is in-line with the majority of her songs, but features it in conjunction with an additional theme which isn’t.
Roar features a fusion of sub-genres that shapes the songs sound, though not to a great degree.
Roar is written in a major key (all but 1 of her #1 hits were – the exception is E.T.)
NOT In-Line with the average Katy Perry #1 hit from Teenage Dream
Roar is 31 bpm slower than the Teenage Dream #1 average.
Roar features more than one lyrical theme within the mix.
Roar features a darker, heavier vibe than the majority of the #1 hits from Teenage Dream.
Bottom Line
For the most part, Roar is in-line with the compositional characteristics that defined the majority of the #1 hits from Teenage Dream. As the saying goes, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” These elements provide the song with its “familiarity” which enables it to easily connect and resonate with her original core fanbase.
But there are certain key areas where Roar differs that provides the song with a unique identity in relation to the #1?s from Teenage Dream. This is most apparent in the song’s heavier, darker vibe, which signals a more mature direction for Perry relative to the generally more upbeat/ligher nature of Teenage Dream.
Combined, these familiar and unique elements work hand in hand with one another in providing Perry with the perfect “bridge single” upon which to launch this new phase of her career.
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A&R Hit Factor Assessment Back to Top
Originality Factor Does the song possess a unique nature or have you heard it all before? Does it stand out in the Pop mainstream?
Aside from the “Katy Perry factor” which provides each of her songs with a vibe and style that’s all her own, there is nothing overtly unique about Roar that you haven’t heard before within the Pop mainstream.
Sure, the nature of the lyrics are clever and fresh, and there are elements within the music that come across as being unique compared to other chart-topping Pop hits, but as a whole you’ve heard guitar and synth dominated Power Pop, anthemic choruses, empowerment themed songs many times before within the Pop mainstream.
And then we have the Sara Bareilles “Brave” factor.
At the time of this writing there are 3 “plagiarism” controversies dominating the Pop mainstream:
Robin Thicke’s Blurred Lines vs. Marvin Gaye’s Got To Give It Up.
The similarities between the intro of One Directions Best Song Ever and the Who’s Baba O’Riley.
The similarities between Katy Perry’s Roar and Sara Barelilles Brave.
Is Roar a total rip off of Brave? Absolutely not. But are their aspects of Roar that invoke the essence of Brave? Absolutely yes, and they include the nature of the piano (intro), a similarly styled beat, and a semi-familiar vocal melody, to name a few. But in no way is plagiarism afoot here. Here’s what Dr. Luke (Roar’s co-writer) tweeted about the comparison:
@musiqgirl203 too bad Roar was written and recorded BEFORE Brave came out…
Does this put all doubt to rest? No. Just because Roar was written and recorded before Brave came out doesn’t mean that someone didn’t hear a demo and get influenced.
And here’s what Sara Bareilles stated to The Hollywood Reporter:
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“I don’t feel like anything was taken from me artistically. I wasn’t the one having any problems with it,” she said. “I’ve known Katy a long time. We are friends, and she and I spoke about it. I look at it as two female artists who are releasing a message of empowerment.”
Bottom line – as there are distinct similarities between the 2 songs, there are also key differences as well. But you would have to agree that the similarity does seem to be a bit more than a coincidence. Whatever the truth is only a handful of people know. You be the judge…
Social, External & Controversy Factors Were there any external, controversy or social factors surrounding the release of the song that could help increase its visibility, reach and success potential?
There were a few factors that certainly helped to increase Roar’s exposure, including:
The “Brave” Factor
The perceived similarities between Brave and Roar created a storm of controversy, considering that Brave beat Roar to the punch by 4 months. People must have been thinking “What’s this??? This is the new, innovative Katy Perry? Doesn’t sound too original to me!!!”
The controversy certainly heightened Roar’s visibility past what “traditional” promotional methods could have ever achieved by piquing people’s curiosity to take a listen to both songs and compare. As a side note, Brave benefited from the controversy just as much as Roar, if not more so!
The “Lead Single” Factor
Roar was the lead single slated for release from Katy Perry’s highly anticipated forthcoming album, Prism. As a result, the curiosity and hype factors were in full effect: “Will this live up to the stature of her other #1 hits from Teenage Dream like Firework, Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) and California Gurls?” “Will Roar continue on with direction established on Teenage Dream or signal a completely new style for Katy Perry?” The end result is that the second Roar was released, people ate it up to satiate their curiosity.
The “New Katy/Darkness” Factor
Prior to the single’s release, there was a buzz going around that Roar and Prism would reveal a much more “mature” Katy Perry in relation to Teenage Dream and would also feature a much “darker” vibe than what was present on that album as well. Perry later retracted the statement that caused this “controversy,” stating that she was just going through a dark time when she made the comment. Other writers and artists who were familiar with the song and album stated however that Roar and Prism WOULD reveal a much more mature Katy Perry. Bottom line – the curiosity factor was again put into high effect.
The Demographic Reach / Fan Factor
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Is this a song that’s pigeonholed in one specific gender/age/genre bracket or does it have mass reach?
Age
Lyrically and musically Roar leans more toward an older demographic than most of her hits from Teenage Dream due to the fact that it certainly has a more “mature” nature about it. This is really apparent when you compare it to her other empowerment anthem, Firework, for example.
That being said, Roar will still attract an audience of a wide age range, starting in the mid to late teens (i.e. original fans of her lighter material on Teenage Dream), 20?s and 30?s (people who can identify with the heavier vibe of the song and its more mature theme) and even older due to the overall infectious nature of the song. It’s probably NOT going to connect as much with the younger teenyboppers (i.e. early teens) that were into her much lighter nature throughout much of Teenage Dream.
Gender
It shouldn’t be a surprise that the majority of Roar’s audience will certainly consist of women, both due to the Katy Perry factor as well as the subject matter of the song, which is about women empowerment.
That being said, the when you take Katy Perry and her relationship problems out of the equation, the universal nature of the empowerment themed story can certainly traverse into a male demographic as well.
Additionally, the moody, semi-dark and heavy nature of the song would also be more appealing to a male demographic as well, certainly more than most of the material on Teenage Dream.
Genre
In contrast to a lot of other chart-topping Pop songs that fuse 2 or more completely different sub- genres under one roof to capitalize on attracting a new audience base outside their norm (i.e. Wake Me Up’s fusion of EDM and Country Folk and the Cruise remix which fuses Country, Straight-Up Pop and Hip Hop/Rap), Roar doesn’t really venture outside the umbrella of Straight-Up Pop & Pop/Rock. Yes, it possesses a heavier, darker element than most of her other chart-toppers, but it’s not going to really attract fans outside of a Pop base.
The “Holly Sh*t – You Gotta Hear This NOW” Factor Is this a song where someone would instantly call up their friend and say “drop what you’re doing – you gotta listen to this – NOW!!!”
Based solely on the merits of the song, the answer is no. Don’t get me wrong - Roar is exceptionally well crafted, more so than most of the songs that rise to the top of the Pop charts. That being said, there is nothing that is so overtly special or groundbreaking about it that would cause someone to say “holy sh!t, this is the most amazing song that I’ve ever heard – I’ve got
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On the flip side, based on the fact that this is Katy Perry’s lead single from her highly anticipated Prism album, the answer would be yes. But the reaction would probably be more like “holy sh!t! Katy Perry’s new single just dropped! Check it out – I wanna hear what you think!” It’s more about immediately satiating one’s curiosity than hearing “the best song ever.”
The “Multiple Listen” Factor Is this song engaging enough to warrant repeat listens?
Roar is certainly strong enough where it would warrant repeat listens, specifically due to its infectious nature, empowerment themed lyrics and diversity utilized throughout that keeps each section fresh and engaging for the listener.
But as with all songs that are overplayed and milked for all their worth, the law of diminishing returns eventually sets in and you just plain start getting sick of hearing it. This will certainly happen with Roar, but it will take a bit longer to happen then a lot of other chart-topping Pop songs that have less to offer.
You also need to take into account the environment in which you listen to the song as well. A Dance natured Pop song might wear itself out with the listener in a PERSONAL listening environment, but it will still be welcomed and succeed in a club or party atmosphere. Roar doesn’t have the luxury of succeeding in a club, but it can certainly continue to make an impact in a bar or party environment.
The Hard To Beat / Next Single Factor Is this song so good that the single that follows will have trouble living up to its standards? Does this song accentuate the anticipation for the next single?
As previously mentioned, Roar is a very strong song, but it’s certainly not a “stop in your tracks” career defining song that will be impossible to top. It does, however, accentuate the curiosity, hype and anticipation factors surrounding the single that will FOLLOW. Will it continue on in the same direction as Roar? Will it be even darker and more mature? Will it be more in line with Teenage Dream? This is what Roar achieves as Katy Perry’s “bridge single.”
The “Pushing The Envelope” Factor Does this song chart new ground, push genre boundaries and act as a trendsetter?
In regard to the Pop genre as a whole, the answer is no except for the fact that it pushes the envelope in regard to its compositional prowess. In regard to Katy Perry’s existing body of work on her previous album, Teenage Dream, the answer would be yes via its more mature, heavier and darker nature.
The “Human Emotion” Factor Does this song connect with the listener on a deep, emotional, HUMAN level?
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Absolutely, and within each of the song’s 3 core components as follows:
Lyrics
This is where we find Roar really connecting with the listener on a deep level. The universal empowerment themed lyrics resonate with anyone who has been knocked down and needs that inspiration to get back up and persevere.
Music/Instrumentation
The nature of the backing music certainly connects on an emotional level and does a great job of accentuating the nature of the lyrics. This includes the piano which elicits tension and anticipation, the synth bass and its associated progression which provides a dark, foreboding vibe, and the electric guitar within the chorus “payoff” which provides a triumphant “roar.”
Vocal
Perry does a fantastic job of communicating the right emotion during specific sections of the song to bring the lyrics to life and have them connect on a deep level with the listener. This is most apparent during the chorus and “roaring” climax within the bridge.
Additionally, the background “ouuuu” vocals that occur during the pre-chorus provides a serene and beauty filled vibe which counters the more foreboding nature of the synth bass (reference the Section By Section of the report for specifics).
Memorability Factor How easy is it to remember the song’s lyrics & melody? Is each section of the song equally as memorable?
Another core quality of Roar is the fact that it’s an exceptionally memorable song, brought about via the following factors:
The K.I.S.S. Principal
Roar “keeps it simple” in all aspects of the song including the nature of the backing music, the vocal melody and lyrics, which makes it very easy for the listener to follow along to and remember.
As a side note, the complexity lies within the fusing all of those simplistic elements together to make an infectious, engaging and memorable song that presents itself to the listener in a simplistic manner. That’s the beauty with a lot of chart-topping Pop songs including Roar. When someone says – “that #1 song is so simple – I could write something like it in my sleep,” then the writers have certainly done their job well!
Repetition
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This is the primary weapon in fostering memorability within a song. Massive amounts of repetition were utilized throughout Roar to get it completely engrained within the listener’s head, but the subtle diversity elements that were employed prevented the song from becoming overly monotonous. Examples of repetition utilized within Roar include:
Vocal melody repetition (this includes melodic and rhythmic repetition):
In-line repetition
In-stanza repetition
Cross-stanza repetition
Cross-sectional repetition
Backing music repetition
The nature of the piano repeats in virtually the same manner throughout the song
The B-flat – Cm – Gm – E-flat progression occurs in almost every section of the song via the “dark” synth bass and electric guitar.
The nature of the drum pattern repeats in virtually the same manner in almost every section of the song.
Lyrical repetition
Both pre-chorus occurrences feature the same lyrical content.
Both full chorus sections (parts A and B) feature the same lyrical content.
Sectional repetition
Both verse sections utilize generally the same vocal melody and backing music.
The general nature of pre-choruses 1 and 2 is the same with some minor differences.
The general nature of choruses 1, 2 and 3 are the same with some minor differences.
Longevity Factor – Artist Will this song become a staple of the artist’s catalog and live performances?
Considering that it’s the lead single from the Prism and a #1 hit, it’s safe to say that Roar has solidified its place in Perry’s body of work and live performances for a long time to come. However, although Roar is a very strong song, it’s not as unique and over the top as some of her other #1?s such as California Gurls and Firework. So if and when she comes out with other
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Longevity Factor – Genre Does this song have what it takes to stand the test of time and rank amongst the all-time greats?
No. Again, Roar is an exceptionally strong song, but there is nothing that is so overtly unique and undeniable about it that will enable it to stand the test of time with the all time greats. Bottom line – it doesn’t have that unquantifiable “magic quality” about it that really would enable it to stand out and resonate through the ages. Not many songs do, though.
Recap & Final Thought Back to Top
Now that we have thoroughly explored Roar, let’s review some of the core attributes of the song that helped shape it into a #1 hit:
The sectional segmenting that’s utilized within longer sections of the song enables a new segment to enter the mix around once every 0:10, doing a great job of aiding to keep the listener engaged throughout.
The vast majority of time within the song (52%) is spent within the ultra-infectious, empowerment themed chorus “payoff.”
Roar makes great use of MTI level fluctuations throughout the song, providing for a very engaging listening experience.
Copious amounts of repetition are utilized throughout the song (lyrical, vocal, musical), enabling Roar to get completely engrained within the listener’s head.
To prevent Roar from becoming overly monotonous due to the repetition mentioned above, diversifying elements were employed within “like” sections of the song which helped to keep the listener engaged throughout.
Despite its very short length, Roar’s intro is very effective on a number of levels, including acting as a “unique identifier” for the song, transitioning seamlessly into the first verse, and providing the listener with a taste of both “old” Katy Perry (i.e. Teenage Dream) and the new. The last chorus of the song functions in the manner of a chorus/outro hybrid section via the introduction of new elements into the mix (i.e. the additional vocals and synth), leaving the listener on an empowered high at the end of the song.
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As dark as things get (i.e. the first verse), the “Poppiness” factor is always in full effect, specifically via the nature of the vocal melody.
The pre-chorus does a great job of acting as a “transitional bridge” section between the darker nature of the verse and the fully empowered nature of the chorus that follows. This is achieved by fusing elements of both of those sections into the pre- chorus (i.e. the dark nature of the synth bass progression from the verse coupled with the empowerment themed lyrics and peppier vocal delivery).
The manner in which the title lyric “roar” is utilized and communicated within the song is exceptionally infectious and clever. Not only does it “sound” like a roar when Perry sings it, but it also ends one line and starts another at the same time within the chorus.
The listener is provided with multiple “payoffs” within the song, including the lyrical and musical payoff in chorus part A, the fun, audience participation primed sing-along “o-o-o-ar, o-o-o-o-o-o-ar” vocal in chorus part B, and the rousing “roaring” climax within the bridge,
The use of multiple “roaring” elements throughout the song was very clever. It was elicited in a dark, foreboding manner via the synth bass progression within the verse and pre-chorus sections, it was “empowered” via the electric guitar within the chorus, it brought the song to a “roaring”climax via manner in which Perry sings it within the bridge, as well as the pronged manner in which she sings it within the chorus via F – B- flat.
The slurred, snaking B-flat – Cm – Gm – E-flat progression both “brought the darkness” within the verse and pre-chorus when communicated via the synth bass as well as transformed over to “roaring empowerment” when communicated via the electric guitar within the chorus.
Having the backing music pulled prior to the full chorus slamming in acted as a chorus “impact accentuator,” enabling it to slam in with increased power and impact.
Perry did a great job of accentuating the nature of the lyrics via her vocal delivery throughout the entire song.
The quick-fire “hey!” vocal in the pre-chorus did a fantastic job of accentuating the empowerment vibe of the song via its Karate “ke-ya!” nature.
The nature of the vocal and backing music worked in perfect tandem with one another in bringing the lyrical content to life and accentuating each sections vibe.
The nature of the vocal melody is exceptionally infectious, engaging and memorable, accentuated via the K.I.S.S. principal, short phrases & segmenting, 4 types of repetition, diversity and color adders, and clever phrasing.
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Roar makes great use imagery, detail, action and emotion to deliver the storyline and empowerment message in a compelling, engaging manner.
Roar’s empowerment theme is universal in nature, enabling it to easily be adapted to the listener’s own life circumstances, which provides for a deeper engagement level.
Roar possesses a combination of compositional characteristics that are both in line and different from the majority of chart-topping Pop songs from Q2-2013. The result is that familiarity factor makes it easy for the song to connect with the listener, while its unique nature enables it to stand out amongst the rest of the Pop pack.
Roar is quite high in the human emotion department, lyrically, musically and vocally, which enables it to connect with the listener on a deep level.
Roar possesses many compositional characteristics that are in line with the #1 hits from Teenage Dream (if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!), while at the same time differing in key areas as well that took her artistry in a new direction without alienating her core audience. In other words, Roar is the perfect “bridge” single.
Final Thought – The “Bridge Single”
It’s hard enough as it is to craft a song with #1 hit potential, but when that song also needs to satiate the expectations of your core audience who fell in love with the vibe of your previous album while at the same time enabling you to break from that mold and take your creative vision in a new direction, that’s quite a tall order to fill.
But that’s exactly what Perry and her team of hitmakers achieved in grand fashion with Roar. Fans of Teenage Dream were kept happy via the empowerment themed lyrics and ultra- infectious “poppy” nature of the vocal melody for example, while the darker, heavier elements employed throughout the song signaled a transformation from the “California Gurl” into a seasoned, more mature artist who wants to push the boundaries of what she’s done before.
Now, some would have preferred that she released a single that featured more of a complete stylistic departure instead of hearing elements of “Teenage Dream part 2” within the mix, but that would have been the WRONG CALL for Katy Perry at this stage in the game. She needs to gently lead her existing fanbase in a new direction via the utilization of familiar and new elements. If she ventured too far out into left field, she could have jeopardized the core that brought her all of the success in the first place, as well as hinder the singles ability to instantly connect and resonate.
Ultimately, Roar was the perfect choice to release as Perry’s lead single. It provided something for everyone as well as acted as an impeccably well crafted “teaser” for things to come. In other words, it perfectly “bridges” Teenage Dream Katy Perry with Prism Katy Perry. That’s the brilliance of Roar.
Songwriter/Producer Take Aways Back to Top
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Multiple Payoffs
Providing the listener with at least one key “payoff” within your song is paramount to its success. If there is nothing that makes them go “WOW,” then you haven’t done your job. REALLY effective songs, however, provide the listener with more than one payoff, and this was the case with Roar. A few examples include the lyrical “empowerment” payoff within the chorus, the ultra infectious chorus part B section, and the rousing climax within the bridge, to name just a few.
The Non-Lyrical Twist Bridge
Your bridge doesn’t necessarily need to provide a fully developed twist within the storyline to be effective. In Roar’s case, it just provided a musical and MTI level departure coupled with the repetition of the title lyric which took the song to a “roaring” climax.
Clever Use Of The Title Lyric
Getting creative with the title “payoff” lyric is one great way to help put your song over the top. In Roar’s case, not only does it convey the pinnacle of empowerment via its meaning, but also the manner in which Perry sings it within the chorus (i.e. the “roaring” manner), the use of it in the climactic bridge, and the fact that it both ends a line within the chorus and begins another at the same time.
The Complete Lyrical Package
Roar is a perfect example of a song that pulls all the stops when it comes to its lyrics. Not only can you FEEL the story, but you can SEE it as well, which is of paramount importance when it comes to hooking the listener in on a deep level. Additionally, Roar makes great use of metaphors which communicates the story in a clever manner, and also includes Pop culture references that helped to put it over the top. These are the types of qualities that you should be thinking about when you write your lyrics in order to stand out from the pack.
Blending Familiar & Unique Elements
There’s nothing more boring than listening to a song that blends in and sounds like everyone else. As a creative songwriter, it’s your job to write music that pushes the boundaries of what’s been done before, whether relative to your own catalog, the mainstream, or both. That being said, you can’t come too far out of left field, otherwise you run the risk of alienating your original core fanbase and making it difficult for new prospective fans to easily connect with your song, especially in an airplay environment.
The remedy? You need to blend “familiar” elements which make it easy for people to connect and “diverse” elements that provides your song with a unique nature in relation to everyone else. Combined, they’ll take the success potential of your song to the next level. This is one of the core factors that enabled Katy Perry’s “bridge single,” Roar, to succeed.
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Repetition & Diversity
This is the same general premise as familiarity/uniqueness factor as mentioned above, but here it has to do specifically with the use of repetition within your song. As you know, the use of copious amounts of repetition is paramount to helping to get the song completely engrained within the listener’s head. Too much repetition without the use of diversifying factors, however, will start to bore the listener and cause them to tune out.
Roar is the perfect example of a song that both provides repetition on all fronts (vocal, backing music, lyrical) while at the same time introducing new elements within “like” sections of the song to help keep things fresh and engaging for the listener.
Frequent Sectional Turnover / Segmenting
Another way to help keep the listener engaged throughout your song is to introduce new elements frequently. This can be achieved via short individual sections as a whole or breaking longer full sections into smaller segments that are easier to digest. For example, Roar possesses some full sections that are quite lengthy, but they were “segmented” into smaller segments which in the end provided for something new entering the mix around once every 0:10. The result – the listener was always kept engaged and never has a chance to get bored.
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