“Don’t bore us, get to the chorus” (music adage)
“Don’t bore us, get to the chorus” is a songwriting adage of unknown authorship. A song’s chorus is usually its most memorable part, and listeners often like to sing it. If a song bores listeners with too long an entry, then they will tune out before the chorus arrives.
“Don’t bore us, get to the chorus” has been cited in print since at least 1980. The songwriting saying has been popular in many different types of music, from rock to country.
18 May 1980, Richmond (VA) Times-Dispatch, “Cretones Rekindle ‘60s,” pg. K-2, col. 1:
Goldenburg, the Cretones’ most prolific songwriter, said that attitude extends to the band’s repertoire. “I try to write songs, rather than short stories set to music…You know the old rule, ‘Don’t bore us, get to the chorus.’”
Google Books
The Craft of Lyric Writing
By Sheila Davis
Cincinnati, OH: Writer’s Digest Books
1985
Pg. 53:
A good verse-writing guideline comes from a popular music publishing expression: “Don’t bore us, get to the chorus.” It means don’t keep your listeners waiting too long to learn where a song is heading, or they’ll tune out before it gets there.
Google News Archive
24 October 1991, Tuscaloosa (AL) News, “Meet the Heartbreakers: Boys in Tom Petty’s band” by Scott Benarde (Cox News Service), pg. 9C, col. 4:
“You mean, ‘Don’t bore us, get to the chorus?’” Campbell asks.
OCLC WorldCat record
Don’t bore us - get to the chorus : Roxette’s greatest hits.
Author: Roxette.
Publisher: [S.l.] : EMI, 1995.
Edition/Format: Music : Dutch
Google Books
Goodbye, Little Rock and Roller
By Marshall Chapman
New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press
2003
Pg. 203:
One of my favorite songwriting axioms has always been “Don’t bore us. Get to the chorus!”
Urban Dictionary
Don’t bore us, get to the chorus!
Basically, it simply means “quit pussyfooting around, get to the point”, or KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) or “say what you gotta say”. The phrase is also the title of a greatest hits release from the Swedish band Roxette that I got in an HMV store in downtown Toronto, Canada. That album was probably released in Canada only.
(...)
by Buckeye Starrider June 16, 2007
Google Books
Experiencing Led Zeppelin:
A Listener’s Companion
By Gregg Akkerman
Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield
2014
Pg. 108:
Tunesmiths aiming for top-forty radio airplay live by the adage, “Don’t bore us; get to the chorus,” but such things do not factor into “For Your Love,” which doesn’t even have a proper chorus.
Bustle
Charli XCX’s New Song “Boom Clap” Showcases the Singer’s Signature Catchy Syle — LISTEN
ALEX KRITSELIS @HANDSUPALEX
04.15.2014
There’s an old saying in pop music that goes, “Don’t bore us, get to the chorus!” In other words: don’t waste our time on the verses — we’re all just waiting to jump up and down and sing along to the chorus, anyway!
The Eagle (American University)
Q&A: Branden Campbell, Neon Trees
By Tam Sackman | Published 07/07/14 1:23pm
(...)
BC: We’ve become more focused on songwriting and finding songs that we’d enjoy as listeners. I think we were crafting songs that we knew how to create with songs that we would listen to, with songs that pulled us in from time to time. I think tuning into that sound and kind of getting to the point. Tom Petty has a saying that we would use, “Don’t bore us, get to the chorus.” So following that advice was really helpful.