If you’re an aspiring songwriter, there are lots of different techniques to explore. A popular one is call and response, a compositional technique that acts like a conversation within the song.
Want to learn more about this technique, and how to incorporate it into your songs? Keep reading for everything you need to know about call and response in music.
What is meant by call and response?
So, what actually is call and response? It’s a technique in which a phrase (the call) is answered by another phrase (the response). The two parts can either be sung or played on an instrument, usually by different singers or musicians, and the second part is usually an answer to the first part. In this sense, it can be seen as a conversation that helps drive the song’s narrative along.
Call and response is a feature of many different types of music, from blues to pop music, and it has roots in various cultures and traditions worldwide. It’s long been a prominent feature of many African musical traditions, which were transported to North America and Europe.
Slaves were forced to do back-breaking labour for hours on end, and many used stories and songs to come together as a community and help to get them through the day. Work songs with call-and-response patterns were very common, with one person singing a phrase, and the others responding. That had a huge influence on the different African American musical styles through the ages, including soul, gospel, blues and jazz. And from there, the technique has found its way into contemporary forms of music, including rock, hip hop and pop music.
Types of call and response
Music has two main types of call and response: leader/chorus and question/answer.
In the leader/chorus technique, one person (the leader) sings or plays a musical statement or phrase, and the chorus responds to it. This type of call and response is common in gospel music, for example, when the leader sings a statement, and the rest of the choir responds to it. In pop music, think of Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe”. She sings “Hey, I just met you” and the violin responds. Then she sings “And this is crazy”, followed again by violins as the response.
With question/answer call and response, the lead vocalist or instrumentalist asks a question or makes a statement, and the chorus or other musicians respond. Think of Beyoncé’s song “Run the World (Girls)”. Beyoncé sings “Who run the world?” and the answer quickly comes: “Girls!”.
There’s barely a genre of music in which you won’t find call and response being used. Here are some of the most common examples:
- Traditional folk songs: Many folk tunes have a lead who sings a line or phrase, followed by the response from the rest of the group
- Gospel music: Similarly, gospel music often features the lead vocalist singing a line, with the congregation singing a response back to them
- Jazz: Jazz musicians often improvise call-and-response segments, with one musician playing a phrase and others responding with their instruments.
- Coro-pregón: In Cuban music, ‘coro’ is the chorus and ‘pregón’ is the lead – Coro-pregón, then, is the call-and-response interaction between the two.
- Blues: Blues music often features a call and response between the singer’s vocal lines and instrumental phrases. The lyrics may pose a question, and the guitar or other instruments respond.
Call and response examples
Now we know “Who Run the World (Girls)” and “Call Me Maybe” both use call and response, you’ll soon realise that it’s one of the most used techniques in songwriting. To help you spot it, here are some more examples of call-and-response songs.
- The traditional army chant “My Granny” uses a call-and-response structure:
Call: “When my granny was 91”
Response: “She did PT just for fun.”
Call: “When my granny was 92”
Response: “She did PT better than you.”
Call: “When my granny was 93”
Response: “She did PT better than me.”
- “My Generation” by The Who
This ‘60s rock song uses call and response in a couple of different ways. It uses it in vocals:
Just because we g-g-get around (Talkin’ ’bout my generation)
Things they do look awful c-c-cold (Talkin’ ’bout my generation)
I hope I die before I get old (Talkin’ ’bout my generation)
And this is also mirrored in the call and response of the instruments. During the instrumental break, the solo is passed from the guitar to the bass and back again.
- “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” by The Proclaimers
Scottish twins Craig and Charlie Reid use call and response in several of their songs, including their breakout hit “Letter to America”. After the chorus in “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” comes the call and response repetition of: “Da da da da/Da da da da” – this has made it a firm karaoke favourite over the years.
- “Say It Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud” by James Brown
Released in 1968, James Brown’s anthem was a response to racism faced by Black Americans. In it, he sings “Say it loud”, to which a chorus of children respond “I’m black and proud”.
Learn more songwriting techniques
So, there you have it. Once you know about call and response, it’s hard to miss – as it’s used in so many songs to drive the storytelling, make a statement, or emphasise a message. In live performances, it can also be used as a means of audience participation.
If you want to learn more about different songwriting techniques, take a look at our BBC Maestro courses by some of the best names in the business. Gary Barlow teaches you how to write a song from scratch, Eric Vetro teaches you how to Sing Like The Stars while Mark Ronson explains everything there is to know about music production.
