TS: "Every Breath You Take" vs. "With or Without You"

There's a brilliant bootmix of "Stand by me" to the backing track of "Every Step", it's basically the same chords.

"With Or Without You" because it didn't inspire a beyond-naff "tribute" rap record.

"Every Breath You Take" because Sting doesn't pull out the "I Am a Rock God Hear Me Roar" caterwaul.

"Every Breath You Take"--not because it's sinister, which isn't a deciding factor most of the time, but because its sinister-ness is more convincing, haunting, lasting, whatever you want to call it.

and THANK YOU for not making this a fucking poll, bless

Every Breath because U2 are shit and The Police were quite good.

Preferring "Every Breath You Take", which is also a matter of preffering 80s Police to 80s U2.

"Every Breath You Take."

every breath.

in andy summers' book, he talks about recording that guitar line and knowing it was a classic.

Preferring "Every Breath You Take", which is also a matter of preffering 80s Police to 80s U2.

oh no it isn't.

"Every Breath You Take" was partly destroyed for me by Puff Daddy in 1997. The song has never been as good afterwards as it was before that.

With or Without You. And 80s Police > 80s U2 any day of the week.

"Without Or Without You" still gets me. "Every Breath...." started feeling played out by 1987, as far as I'm concerned.

I'm fine with the verses of both songs but their choruses make me nauseous.

Those songs have no choruses!

So, basically ILM hates the Police less than they hate U2.

you got it!

Every move you make
Every vow you break
Every smile you fake
Every claim you stake
Ill be watching you

Every move you make
Every step you take
Ill be watching you

Ill be watching you
Ill be watching you
Ill be watching you
Ill be watching you...

http://www.opengroup.com/sports/images/(SC)Sting_Photo.jpg

The first time I heard "With or Without You" on the radio, I thought it was the new Echo & the Bunnymen.

Those songs have no choruses!

"Every Breath You Take" does. Although I would actually count the title part as the chorus, while the two other parts are two different bridges.

those aren't choruses, they're refrains, which (I've always understood) are different.

Normally I'd go for the bleak, sinister stalker-ballad but in this case I prefer the Police.

With Or Without You

The whole "a refrain is different from a chorus" thing is a relatively recent development.

and THANK YOU for not making this a fucking poll, bless

You could have had this same discussion in a poll thread, I don't get it.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_difference_between_a_chorus_and_a_refrain_in_a_song

Polls have mysterious discussion dumbening powers.

But what's with the "refrain not chorus" thing now? News to me. I always thought they were two ways to say the same thing. My dictionary sez a chorus IS the refrain of a song.

Strictly speaking, "chorus" and "refrain" are interchangeable.

In the context of discussing pop music, "chorus" and "refrain" are used as described in the link I posted.

yeah, that link says what I'd taken the difference to be. thanks, Dan.

Okay, got it. Not sure I buy it, entirely, but I got it.

Question for those who know things: Are there examples of pre-20-century songs with modern-style choruses? Musically distinct sections that alternate with verses and contain what we might call a hook?

Never heard of the difference between a chorus and a refrain before, but that article gives an explaination that makes sense and obviously there is a difference so it makes sense using two different definitions.

Are there examples of pre-20-century songs with modern-style choruses? Musically distinct sections that alternate with verses and contain what we might call a hook?

Christmas carols? (particularly things like "Ding Dong Merrily On High", "Angels We Have Heard On High", "Adeste Fidelis", "The First Noel", "There Is No Rose", "The Holly and the Ivy", etc)

Also by extension there are a lot of madrigals that do this type of thing as well (not that any leap to mind but many match the verse/chorus structure).

Thanks, HD. Was starting to dig through Christmas carols myself, since they're the oldest form of pop music I'm familiar with.

I definitely always preferred the "I'll be watching you" fadeout to U2's Rockstar Wail at the end of "With or Without You".

I'm fine with the verses of both songs but their choruses make me nauseous.

-- baaderonixx, Monday, 28 January 2008 19:00 (2 days ago) Link

Those songs have no choruses!

-- Myonga Vön Bontee, Monday, 28 January 2008 19:04 (2 days ago) Link

So to be more specific, I get nauseous at

U2: "I can't live with or withoooooout you, aaaa-ha"

Police: "Oh, cant you see
You belong to me
How my poor heart aches
With every step you take"

Every Breath With or Without You because U2 The Police are shit and The Police U2 were quite good.

-- chap, Monday, January 28, 2008 11:19 AM (2 days ago) Bookmark Link

lol fixed ^

I'd rather mainline mercury than listen to either of these two songs.

Big bill magill aside, ‘every breath you take’ sounds pretty good about now

These are both good songs frankly